NNP

As I mentioned, we returned from the US with my mother-in-law. She would spend about a month with us. I say “us”, but I was rarely there spending most of that period in Mogadishu.

We did find time to go on a short safari in Nairobi National Park (NNP). The last time she came, we took her on a multi-day safari at another, bigger park. We also took her to the coast to spend a few days at the beach.

This time, for various reasons, the focus would be mostly on Nairobi. MIL wasn’t as keen on spending a lot of time riding in a vehicle and really wanted to just be a part of our routines, getting a feel for what our lives are like.

NNP is quite close to where we live. Leaving before sunrise, the drive from our gate to the NNP gate was six minutes. It’s quite amazing to think that we can do a wonderful game drive so close to home.

guinea fowl

After entering the external gate, we joined a queue of mostly 4WD safari vehicles. Because of NNPs close proximity to a major city, you also see a lot of personal cars driving around the park. It’s great that people can access a park so easily and cheaply, especially for Kenyans and residents. The downside, particularly during the rainy season, is that little 2WD cars frequently get stuck in the mud trying to navigate some of the roads.

Once inside the park, I always experience a sense of calm. You leave a bustling city and all of he sudden you are in a completely different world. I know NNP fairly well and I don’t use a map. I don’t follow the same roads each time but I do tend to have an idea as to the areas I want to include over the course of the morning. One thing that influences our route is that I am always on the lookout for clusters of vehicles that may indicate a significant sighting of some kind (ex. lions, rhinos, etc.).

jackals

After seeing some hippos and some other animals, very quickly we encountered our first rhino. Regardless of how many rhinos I see, I always get a thrill from seeing them. They are crazy, prehistoric-looking animals.

white rhinos

At one point we stopped at a rest area. In a national park, you’re not allowed to exit your vehicle except in designated areas. One thing that has puzzled me is how a designated area is that much safer than a non-designated area. There are no fences protecting these areas nor are there armed park rangers always stationed in them. I’ve never heard of any issues arising from people accessing these areas but I would think that there is always that possibility.

mama buffalo and baby

Case in point, when we stopped to stretch our legs and use the restrooms, we noticed some buffaloes a few meters away. No fence between us. Though buffaloes are not as aggressive as some other animals, they can attack if provoked. There was a calf with this small herd which can put at least the mother more on edge than would otherwise be the case. Nothing extraordinary happened, but we did keep a watchful eye on each other while we were there.

For probably the first time since going to NNP, we saw no lions. But with all the other animals we did see and the natural beauty of the park, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment. We never want to take this sort of thing for granted.