The Equator & Kenyan Adventures!

Yesterday was such a full and busy day, I was so tired I didn't get a blog out. So today combines yesterday and today's blog! Our trip has been such an incredible adventure but we have had lots of early morning and action filled days, so even me who rarely gets tired got tired :-) but it is a good tired!

Yesterday we left Amboseli! We flew out of the Amboseli Air Strip. Another interesting flight experience. Just one air strip for chartered / private planes. Sight landings, and the biggest issue is zebras or wildebeests on the runway preventing planes from taking off or landing. They have a game warden on duty chasing the animals off the runway. Our plane had to try to land twice as there were zebras on the runway. In the pictures below there is wildebeest poop in the waiting area and wildebeest prints in the cement near the runway.

It was a very short flight to an area in Northern Kenya. We are at a higher altitude and a much greener and temperate climate. We got off the plane in the middle of the Mount Kenyan Wildlife Conservancy. It has been in existence for 20 years, first established to build the population of bongos, a type of mountain antelope who had been over hunted. It is home to 28 different animal species, a population of roughly 1,200 different animals. The Conservancy's three main programs include a breeding and re-wilding program for the critically endangered bongo antelope, an animal orphanage, and a conservation education program.

We went on a game drive for several hours. Key animals we were hoping to see were the rhino (black and white), reticulated giraffe (only in this area of Kenya) and the Grevy's zebra (only in this area of Kenya). We were successful!

During our game drive we crossed the equator! How fun!

At first we didn't see many rhinos but then we were very lucky and saw many and up close and personal! We did see both white and black rhinos.

A few fun rhino facts:

• Main Predators are lions (for the young) and humans, who poach rhinos for their horns

• Mothers stay with babies for 5 years.  They cannot get pregnant during those 5 years because they are caring for their young.  

• Live up to 45 years. 

• Good sense of smelling and hearing - DO NOT see well

• Baby rhino horns start to come in at about 3 years

• Horns are made out of keratin- if broken they will grow back like fingernails.

• 2 types 

  • White - a square shaped mouth - last three pictures

    • Larger

  • Black - smaller round mouth - first four pictures

A few fun facts about the reticulated giraffe:

• Tallest land mammal on the planet - 18 ft tall / Female 15 feet tall

• Gets it’s name from the geometric pattern of spots which are unique to each animal and the type of pattern can be inherited

• Drink water every 2-3 days

• Live around 25 years

• Very social animal

• Mothers do not verbally warn young when there is danger, so young are easy prey. 

• Can delay or accelerate birth if child if need due to potential shortage of food or weather issues.

We also did see one Grevy's zebra, but he was hiding so it's not a great shot. Key facts about this type of zebra:

• Grevy's zebras are the largest zebra species.

• They have thicker stripes and bigger ears than other zebras.

• They are also the most threatened. Fewer than an estimated 2,500 remain in the wild.

We also go to see so many warthogs! There is an over population of warthogs here as they have very few predators! The first three pictures are a baby warthog - so cute! Best pictures yet of a baby! The fourth picture is of the warthog eating on it's knees, which they do because their necks are too short to reach the ground.

A few fun facts about warthogs:

• Babies have whiskers that look like tusks when they are born.

• Group of warthogs are called a sounder

• When coming out of burrow-they run fast bearing tusks because they do not know what will be outside their den.

• You often see them eating on their knees- the bend down to forage for bugs and grasses.

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We then got to our hotel, which is the Fairmount Mount Kenya. It used to be William Holden's Ranch, but his estate sold it to the Fairmount. It is in the middle of the Mount Kenyan Wildlife Conservancy at the foot of Mount Kenya.

A wonderful fact about our hotel is it has an Animal Orphanage inside. After we got settled we went on a tour of the Orphanage. The Animal Orphanage provides care to orphaned, injured, and distressed wildlife, giving them a second chance. The Orphanage provides shelter and professional veterinary care with the aim of releasing these animals back into the wild where they belong once they are back to full health. We went on a very educational tour and learned so much!

We got to feed the animals - so fun!

We got to see a baby lion who was only 6 weeks old! He made the cutest little noises. But look at those sharp nails!

We saw both spotted and striped hyenas up close. We learned that they can release the spotted hyenas back to the wild successfully. Unfortunately, the striped hyenas become too domesticated and cannot be released. They have had to reinforce the hyena enclosures as they can get out and they have eaten other animals.

We met a very cheeky monkey who wanted to hop onto us to steal our things and then hoped on a impala for a ride!

We learned so much that I could write a full blog on the orphanage. Such a wonderful experience!

Today was the the first day we did not have a game drive and we got to sleep in! We decided to go for a horseback ride through the Animal Conservancy. It was amazing. They told us since we were on horses the animals were less afraid us of and we could get closer. It was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. We saw golden zebras, giraffe, warthogs, gazelle, and a baby giraffe. WOW!!!

Don got to golf a nine hole course at our resort. Very interesting course with trees and lots of rough. It wasn't about the score but instead the experience. The 7th hole was actually on the equator. How fun that he got to golf on the equator!

Later in the day we visited a Kenyan School. Many of us brought school supplies to donate. A few facts:

• PCEA Nanyuki Academy

• They have 750 students and only 22 teachers

•  Kids go to school 7am-5pm and only get 1 meal and a snack

•  They teach the kids the usual subjects and also include daily lessons on agriculture, arts and crafts, music and other life skills

•   It’s a private school and costs about $75 USD per semester

•  They also mentioned that university is about $620 USD per semester

We next visited a Women's Spinning and Weaving Cooperative. Women from abused homes get a chance for a career and to earn money through spinning and weaving wool.

Wow! What a busy and enlightening few days! We are learning and experiencing so very much! Tomorrow we head to our last hotel which is tents!

Thanks for following!!!