[Monday, July 31, 2023]
This day started with much anticipation. Although all the things that we have participated in to date on this trip have been amazing, it’s the game drives that are top on our list. Sure, you can see many of these animals in captivity in some of the larger zoos, but to be able to see them in their natural habitat and totally wild is, well, wild!
Being up at 7:00 AM this morning was an easy endeavour, knowing what our schedule included for the day. We both showered and packed only very small bags with things we would need for the game drive. It’s today that I’ll find out if I’m sorry I left the DSLR and the 400 mm lens at home. From everything I have seen, the S23 Ultra will be a formidable competitor. I made sure to pack my power-bank just in case I needed more power for taking pictures. We also bought a small set of field glasses in order to get a closer look at any wildlife that we may come across.
Breakfast was a fantastic buffet of all the usual suspects. They even made me a decaf coffee which they originally had indicated they did not have. We finished our grub, and I ran back to the room (which is up a significant flight of stairs – kind of like we experienced in Huatulco) to grab our passports as each game reserve you enter takes a copy of your identification. Also, forgot to leave a tip for the cleaning staff. Back to the lobby where we hopped into the LC and headed off to the Solio Game Reserve which was a short 45-minute drive away.
As we arrived at the turnoff from the highway, there was a 2-tonne truck that had lost its breaks and hit the concrete embankment. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and we were able to just squeeze by. There were two guarded gates to get into the main part of the reserve. The first gate gets you onto the property and to the main office where they take a copy of your passport. The second is further on and they validate you have the proper paperwork from the main office before they let you in there. The picture below is our safari family.
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| Willi, Wendy, Laureen, Ara, Yvonne and our guide Hamesi (and me) |
Next, I’ll drop a few select pictures of what was the most incredible morning in the game reserve. I took over 200 photos and a few videos as well to give you an idea about what the morning was like.
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| Black Rhino |
This one of the coolest things I've ever done. Our guide noted that people go to other cities to see buildings and such, but they come to Africa to see the wildlife; and he was right.
Back to the main office for the game reserve to check out and take a bio break. Then we made a quick stop at a bank to get some local currency for one of our safari family and we headed back to Aberdare where we had lunch as a group. It was at this time that Hamesi told us about our day tomorrow, that we would be making a couple of stops along the way to Nakuru Lake where we would have lunch and then we could rest until 4:00 when we would undertake another game drive.
After lunch we went for a short walk and I wandered into the Spa to see if it was possible to get a massage. Thankfully, there was an opening in just 45 minutes so we went back to our room and I dropped off some of my items and made my way back. Now, if my massage therapist back home is reading this, I was NOT cheating on you 😄. I have to say that the massage here was incredible. So much so that I encouraged Laureen to book one. My bet is that she would corroborate my account.
Back to the room to begin writing the blog while Laureen experienced her massage. We met down by the dining hall after she was done and met our safari family for dinner (the usual amazing buffet).
Looking forward to our 9:00 AM departure tomorrow and more amazing wildlife. With 2 out of the big 5 now done, the hope it to see at least one of the three I am missing (as a refresher, the big 5 are: Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, Elephant & Leopard).
G'night all.
Curt & Laureen
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