17th - 22nd April 2015: Kenya (Part 1)

I hadn't originally planned to do any travelling in Kenya, but decided to book myself on a small group tour of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda for just under 3 weeks. I wasn't sure that I would like travelling in an organised group having been travelling as a disorganised individual (!) for so long, but decided to give it a go and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't hate it!

When I arrived at the hostel in Nairobi on the Friday, three of the other seven group members were already there, so I had a chance to meet them before the trip officially started on the Sunday. With Saturday being a spare day, we decided to visit the Elephant Orphanage which was just up the road. 

The David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is an organisation dedicated to the protection and preservation of endangered species and their habitat in Africa. Its Orphans Project concentrates on the rescue and rehabilitation of young elephants and black rhino and has hand-raised over 150 orphaned infants, as well as successfully integrated many back into wild herds. 

The young elephants and rhinos are rescued from a number of different situations; some are found having fallen down wells, some are found wandering alone, sometimes injured, but many more are found close to the bodies of their mothers, who have been killed by poachers for their tusks or horns. 

No matter their circumstances, they are all very lucky to be found and taken to the project to be cared for and raised with a good chance of eventually returning to the wild.

If you want to find out more about the project, you can visit the website: https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org



By Monday morning, the remaining 4 members of the group, plus drivers and tour leader had all arrived, so we set off for three days of travel and camping in Western Kenya en route to Uganda.

Western Kenya

Lake Nakuru National Park

After a few days of driving through Kenya, we reached the border and prepared to cross into Uganda.

:)

x