Trip Reports - Just for the heck of it, another Hilton Safari report

We used up 250k Hilton points to do this safari in early June. It had been initially scheduled for mid May but was rescheduled due to concerns about the end of one of the two rainy seasons that ended up not being a concern. Flight report within Africa and safari in Tanzania previously filed.

31 May 2004

The safari began as our flight on a KQ 737-700W started descent for NBO just as Kilimanjaro came into view. On descent, we hoped to spot our first african animals (since the descent path passes over/near Nairobi national park) but nothing was spotted. Upon landing, the 737 came to rest at a hard stand along with all the small a/c. Only large a/c (767 and up) and U.S. military C-130s get jetways. KQ's brand-new 777, delivered just a week or so earlier, was at the terminal. I had hoped that this a/c would be used for familiarisation on short haul routes (namely JNB-NBO) but alas KQ had seen fit to put it straight into revenue service (it had flown to and returned from AMS and LHR already).

NBO isn't one of the airports friendly to the less-mobile. Getting to the terminal involved walking up a long stepped ramp followed by a walk pass a few gates and transfer desks to the arrivals area which is in the inner circle/arc of the airport. Immigration was effortless as we had obtained visas from the High Commission in Ottawa weeks earlier. Bags took a bit of time to come out as they were x-rayed before being dispensed on the luggage conveyor. Managed to dodge a customs search and found a couple of gentlemen holding signs for us.

Our greeter was the renown Dennis who had come in the hotel's M-B. We were quickly on our way (I didn't have anything to give to the our greeter who may have been a Hilton employee) to the Hilton. Dennis talked to us about the drive there and trivia about Nairobi. Looks like he doesn't do too many safari trips to Taita Hills anymore.

This was a Monday and we ran straight into the afternoon rush hour which was, lengthy. He drove us pass the site of the former U.S. embassy and the now-abandoned interim one. Current security measures meant that cars could not park on the highway on the runway approach. Upon arrival, the car skipped security inspection as it was a Hilton vehicle and we arrived. Room assigned was 1612(?) which was one right above the lounge. Going to what appeared to be an ordinary room, we opened it to find a rather large suite which occupied about 2 1/2 standard rooms.

Since we had some daylight left, we went down to the street to get some Kenya Shillings ("bob" - an old english slang for british shillings which was 1/20th of a pound). Going around, we tried various bank ATMs (the locals use them extensively) and came back with a message that it would not work. After several unsuccessful tries, I figured the Standard Chartered would be the best best and it was. Caveat is that ATMs in Kenya seem to prefer Visa-linked cards and not Mastercard (Maestro?) ones. Don't go with a bank card issued by a bank that prefers to issue Mastercard credit cards.

Having got cash, I had earlier seen in a guide that there was a supermarket nearby. Being rather busy in the street, we were not deterred by safety and went to the Nakumatt. This supermarket is heavily patronised by the locals and sells most of the staples. The best locally-produced bargains to take home are macadamia and cashew nuts, coffee, tea and honey. Regretfull we didn't buy any bottled water which is highly recommended for Salt Lick (not supplied). Kenyans don't seem to consume tonic water either if you like G&Ts.

Note about Nairobi. The workforce in town is generally clerical/white collar given the city's status as the commercial and financial hub of easter Africa. The workforce is rather conservatively dressed for someplace tropical. Car imports have been liberalised so the country is inundated with used cars from the middle east and some even from Japan (we saw many trucks, either here or in Tanzania, still with Japanese signs on the side). Despite fuel costs running close to what it does in a light/moderately taxed country (Canada at about US$0.70/litre), there's a surprisingly-high amount of people commuting in private vehicles.

We intended to go to dinner at the Tamarind but felt too tired so settled for the lounge instead. Drinks are complimentary (or charge waived) here and gratuities signed to the bill are also waived. We started to tip in cash after this. The hot snacks were limited to samosas with a nice chili sauce and kebabs/satay which was goat and mutton (goat)? The Out of Africa brand macadamia nuts are of a superior grade to the larger 500g packages sold in the supermarket despite the same packaging.

FWIW, Out of Africa claims its products are 100% organic and certified so by the U.K. Soil Association.

The next morning, we breakfasted in the lounge and tasted our first proper Kenyan fare. The buffet breakfast, consisting mainly of "western" fare, was a bit disappointing. The hot food was already cool even though the restaurant had just opened. Like everywhere else in east Africa, the bread flour has a different consistency to what we are used to and generally produces a heavier and/or pasty product. Our driver Joe (short for some unpronouncable name) was waiting in his Nissan van (it seems that vans are now the predominant safari vehicle in Kenya). Traffic was moderate at this hour and the ride on the double lane road was nice, until one got past the airport.

At this point, the horrendous journey to Voi starts. The first obstacle is truck inspection/repair lot. The Nairobi-Mombasa highway is the main thoroughfare for cargo bound for or from Mombasa to other parts of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and other points in east Africa. Trucks range from old clapped out Daimler-Benz trucks to something not so old. Many of them are probably overloaded and/or unsafe. Many of thse trucks had anglicised arabic slogans on the windshield. "Bismallah" was a common one which I thought meant "if Allah wills it" as in "if we get there safely, Allah willed it". I found out it simply means "blessed is his name". At any rate, the number of trucks pulling in and out of that lot causes considerable congestion all days of the week.

After this, it got a bit better other than for passing the aforementioned old trucks and through the various small towns. Some sights were Thompson's gazelles and the ubiqituous rose nurseries. Kenya's high altitude tropical location apparently makes it suitable for growing roses all year. I'd imagine Kenya Airways and KLM (which owns part of Kenya Airways) makes good money flying roses to Europe especially on 12 February. The roses here have very thick petals and feel almost rubbery and artificial (we got to examine some 38 in our suite on the way back).

The small towns along the way were interesting. There'll be many small mechanical repair shops - and wrecked cars and abandoned trucks for spares, shacks and other kiosks for various human consumption needs, fruit and vegetable stands, and guest houses or hostels with a butchery attached (graphic depiction of live and otherwise animals). Not the most inviting until you realised a butchery meant a nyala choma - a restaurant specialising in roasted meat which appears to be the Kenyan staple.

Other road side attractions were vendors of charcoal, woven baskets, live chickens and honey. The latter was interesting. Honey from African killer bees. The locals are evidently are not afraid of them and hang hollowed logs from baobab trees (interestingly, we came across a species of this tree in northwestern Western Australia) for bees to nest. Any discarded bottle is recycled to sell honey in. If you buy, the caveat is to taste it first as some gatherers smoke the nest too much.

The highway was o.k. and got much better when one got to the completed sections of a long stretch funded by the European Union. Unfortunately much of it remains under construction and the stretch through the two Tsavo parks is terrible and very potholed. You'll see vehicles wandering all over the road trying to avoid breaking an axle.

After reaching Voi, a popular refuelling point, we turned off the highway for the 50 minute drive to Taita Hills. At this place, you'll see plantations of cultivated sisal.

Getting to Taita Hills, we stopped at the main lodge to sign the waiver (basically agreeing to waive Hilton's responsibility if you get maimed or killed by the animals). Getting to the lodge, we were nicely welcomed by the staff and taken to our room. No. 206 is a bottom level room facing the watering hole and nearest cluster on the western chain to the lodge. Occupancy rates at the lodges were low. The main lodge was closed except for the pool which was opened if you wished to use it. I saw an occupany sheet and the maximum occupany while we were there was 25% (the less-desirable(?) eastern chain of pods was totally closed.

^ Great report, the more I read these trip reports about the safari the more I want to do one.

So who were the other guests?

It was lunchtime when we arrived and we saw one casually-dressed couple at a choice table for 2. Later on, we deduced they were a British couple on their last full day of their SAF8. Most of the other guests were European (and also a couple of large Indian families) and most, if not all, came up from Mombasa (beach resort destination) for an overnight stay. Their schedule was somewhat gruelling. Arrive (after a 2-3 hour drive) and either have lunch or go for a game drive until dinner. Breakfast the next day before heading for a gamedrive then straight back to Mombasa.

Meals

You get fed 3x daily. The meals in Kenya, as one guide book put it, are usually immemorable but you won't go hungry.

Breakfast is western buffet style and ample. Cereal, fruit, hot selection, breads and pastries, juice, yoghurt. the fruit, particularly mango, seems to be one of the first to go. Eggs are freshly cooked to order.

Lunch and dinner are 5 course affairs. Start with a soup, salad or appetiser/entree, main course (choice of 2 meats & veg or Indian vegetarian), dessert and cheese. The cheese selection was particularly bad. Very heavily salted probably due to preservation in the heat. Though I love cheese, I could only handle it for 1 meal out of 8 offered. Don't take the ice cream. It has a weird texture (probably made with some starch). Bottled water (bringing your own from Nairobi is a good idea), beer and wine are available for a separate charge. Not cheap but not too exhorbitant.

Tea and coffee complimentary and always available on the bar level. When served with a meal, the milk was always served hot. Coffee supplied was very strong and not very good (better than the cheap gut rot stuff Brasil exports to Paraguay). Well-made tea is hard to get (never asked if chai was offered). A shame as both are grown in Kenya.

Times to go on safari

Because photography was one of our primary reasons for being there and the early morning light is warm and not harsh, we preferred 0630-0700 starts and going until 0900, returning for breakfast (ends at 0930?). Evening drives from 1630 onward until sunset (1800-1900) were preferred. Cooler and the animals would start to come out.

What to do during the day

You could always get up to the main lodge and take a dip in the pool. We preferred to stay on the top/bar deck and watching who came to the watering hole.

Other animal spotting options

The lodge offers a night drive. Might be a good time to watch primarily nocturnal animals but neve a guarantee.

You an also ask the front desk to have the security people knock on your door if rarer animals are seen at night. One such night, we were awoken at 0400 to see a lioness calling and walking past the watering hole.

Safari vehicles

While we were there, we noticed that all the safari vehicles in Kenya were vans (Nissan) which were 7 seaters (excluding front pax seat). They're great for up to 4 persons but would get crowded approaching a full load.

Photography issues

Best time to go out is of course early morning and right before dusk.

Filters: polariser lense filters are highly recommended due to the strong sunlight. Warming colours are nice too.

Film: high speed (ASA 400 or above) fine grain film.

Nice to have autofocus and exposure control. I was using an old manual Olympus OM-1N (since I already had OM lenses up to 300mm) and it's difficult to focus and set exposure controls on subjects that don't necessarily stay still. If you use a digital camera, don't use digital zoom (it degrades the image quality).

I'd say a 300mm 35mm equivalent is the absolute minimum on safari. 400mm or above preferred. You'd be surprised how little of a large animal you can fit into the viewfinder at 40'. If you have a Canon EOS, Canon offers a 85-300(?)mm zoom lense with image stabiliser (some sort of gyro?). Very nice.

High shutter speeds are preferred. The suspension in the vehicles (even Toyota LandCruisers - and these are the rugged jeep-type, not the sissified type sold in N. America) - are soft enough that someone shifting their weight in the vehicle will throw your focus and composition off, making for blurred shots.

For digital camera charging:
The plug adapters in the room are current U.K. ones. Points in the room are scarce. I think there were only 2 and various lights and the ceiling fan plugged into them. We took a cigarette lighter 12VDC=>120VAC inverter but didn't end up needing it.

What you need to bring with you

Even though you may not need it, bug repellent! 28% DEET. Permethrin-treated clothes are good. We were always dressed in long sleeves and pants (good to keep off the sun) and never got a bug bite. We also had broad-brimmed hats and bug nets though the latter was unnecessary.

If nothing else, a good pair of binoculars for everyone in the party. If image stabiliser ones exist, get them. It might be the only way to scan while the vehicle is in motion. Animal spotting takes work!

Staff

The staff at the lodge are very friendly and helpful, and sincerely so. Their warmth makes one want to return to Africa. It seems that waiters and porters are seldom tipped (they didn't seem to expect any though we did tip them). We tipped one waiter who was particularly good and we had for 4 meals a generous-for-Kenya tip and he seemed embarrassed, not by how little it may be but how much. Others, who we tipped less (served us for only 2 or so meals) gave even better service after receiving the tip. They are housed somewhere near the mail lodge and you can see a staff bus travel regularly. Most are local to the area.

Wallace, the manager at the lodge and a Kikuyu from the Mount Kenya area, is a particularly friendly man and he is very helpful. He was not there the 1st day we arrived so we missed out on some of the options described above as no one else told us about them.

A few words of advice: Game spotting takes effort! Many of the (rarer) animals blend into the scenery very well. You can easily miss a lion at 20' if it's in dry grass. Believe of not, elephants can hide behind anthills! I think Johan Rebel has outlined his game spotting/scanning strategy in the Africa forum.

The easiest animals to see are impalas, waterbucks, hartebeest, buffalo, elephants and giraffes (maasai variety). In lesser degree of ease, warthogs, yellow baboons, nesting african bees and some others I forget now. Maybe a species of jackals? Sadly, thee are no rhinos though Johan Rebel says Nairobi NP is a great place to spot black rhinos. As described in the Hilton forum, there are bat-eared foxes who come to the lodge at night. Others report having seen bushbabies. We never saw any cats other than lions. The 1st was one that had broken its leg (probably from hunting). It would not have to suffer if there were any hyenas around (contrary to popular belief, hyenas are excellent hunters and not just a scavenger). We also saw a pair of lionesses and cubs. Once they're off the road, they're pretty hard to spot as taupe and dry grass and pretty much the same colour.

What's amazing with the large animals, particularly elephants and buffalo, is how silently they move, even in herds. On many occasions, we saw a large herd of buffalo come to the watering hole. If you only listened for them, you'd never know they had come and gone.

Rarer ones are the land tortoise and the aquatic turtle in the watering hole. We did see some lesser kudus, bushbuck (doe + fawn), Sykes monkey, cobra, and zebras (only saw 2 on the reserve). Zebras here are of the Plains/Burchell species. The race here, as in northern Tanzania, does not have shadow striping as found in South Africa. There was also one rarer antelope with a long neck which Joe called a giraffe antelope. Never got to find out what it was exactly. One afternoon, we sat on the balcony and saw a giraffe come to drink. Having to spread their front legs to drink (not because of the length of their neck as the shorter and closely-related okapi has to do this too), they are very careful when performing such a maneuver, keeping drinking brief and always watching for predators (otherwise, their hooves keep predators at bay). Sitting and watching from here during the day is a great activity (if you can get over the chirping of the swifts who do a good job of keeping the lodge bug free). Another humorous bird to watch are the hornbills. These birds are not shy and are often found on both sides of the lounge and restaurant windows looking for crickets and other large insects to eat.

Hanging around the lodge's trees are Marabou stork. With its ugly bald(?) head, some have called this bird one that resembles something rotting. They also have this (completely) retractable throat pouch that can be extended to over a foot long for cooling and it's rather grotesque, resembling a human scrotum. They're generally found during the day looking for dung beetles to eat, and one day at lunch, we saw one grab and eat one of the beautiful orange-headed green lizards.

In the evenings, elephants will come to drink not just from the main watering hole but from the water hole right in front of the downstairs lounge (check around the fireplace for horns of animals killed by others during the lodge's early days). One evening, we saw a large cow chase off a bull (juvenile bulls leave the herd as their sexually-charged behaviour is unwelcome by the cows). Displaying protective behaviour, the other cows immediately formed a line in front of the calves. We also saw non-aggressive dominance assertion by bulls (very silently chasing one another at top speed, or pushing each other away from the watering hole). Staff told us of a time when 2 unrelated elephant herds came to the hole. The males were aggressively pushing each other away, the females were distressed by all this and trumpeting, and all in the meanwhile, a large buffalo herd that goes where it wants when it wants was approaching.

Our driver Joe was a bird buff and was very knowledgeable and keen about birds. Kenya and Tanzania have over 1,000 bird species either resident or migrant. Compare that to the whole of North America which only has 600-700. Having keen eyes (great at spotting the tiny bee eater at hundreds of feet distant, he also showed us a huge caterpillar (over 8" long - makes for a big moth) and many other interesting creatures.

Joe was also particularly good in driving. He always drive slowly - unless there was a rare animal spotting - and approached animals slowly (some Mombasa-based drivers come to animals charging like cavalrymen), and always switching off the engine for spotting and photography (diesels vibrate).

While watching the injured lioness, she made a sudden jump at the van from behind but Joe (and any good driver) had anticipated this so the van moved away as fast as the lioness did (we didn't anticipate this). Be sure to hang on tight when watching any predator, rhino or elephant that may be ready to pounce or charge!

The lodge has a walkway to a semi-underground observation turret by the watering hole, and well worth using when animals are there. Be careful as the animals, particularly the animals, know you are there even if alone and absolutely still and quiet.

While animal spotting at Taita Hills was underwhelming (particularly the numbers of animals) compared to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, it was more relaxing and you could spend time observing animals from the lodge. Still highly worthwhile as a reward but I do highly recommend, depending on season, going to other parks in Kenya and Tanzania (search for my Tanzania report).

Excellent report, I almost feel like I'm sitting in the next seat and riding around the bush. Not sure if this is a package booked through Hilton? If so, I didn't know this was a Hilton option. Your description of Nairobi and the vehicles is interesting.

Alas the last day came and we had an early departure after breakfast. Despite its remoteness, the lodge has credit card charge link for settling the bar tab. No Hilton points though.

Trip out was reverse of the trip back except it took more time. Voi is at a lower elevation than Nairobi and trucks slow you down, despite it being a Saturday. After a brief stop at Voi to refuel (buy water there, snacks if required, for the trip back), we only had a brief stretch of good road before the potholed nightmare. If you want hand-woven baskets, be sure to stop at the places just after the Tsavo parks. We stopped at one roadside stall where the vendors, an older man and his younger wife - both with very rotted teeth - initially offered us baskets for KES 200 which we quickly bartered down to KES 500 for 5. Surprisingly, their english was very good for a remote area. Your driver may or may not make a bathroom break at a large souvenir shop/tourist trap. I felt obliged to buy a walking stick for my uncle and the salesman (his fee, payable by you, is KES 100) initially quoted an absurd KES 3,000+. This was very quickly bargained down to KES 1,200 or so.

The truck stop just before where the 2 lane highway began was even more of a nightmare. Gridlock essentially - fortunately mostly for those Mombasa bound. Traffic into Nairobi was fortunately light.

After checkin, we were given keys to room 809 which we thought wasn't a good room. Of course, those who've gotten it and saw the door know otherwise. The only disadvantage about this room is that it gets a bit of loud music from ne of the bars.

We had noted a craft market very near the Hilton (towards the Interecontinental) and wanted to shop for more souvenirs so off to the bank we went, only to find out the Standard Chartered's international circuits were down. Consulting some Americans (the Hilton seems to be a hangout/rally point for backpacking Americans), we found out that the building/bus terminal on the other direction of the Nakumatt is located (south) had a functional ATM. Unfortunately it was getting dark by the time we got more bob. After shopping at the Nakumatt for more macadamia nuts, we just ate in at the lounge (food selection doesn't seem to change).

Our flight to Kilimanjaro/Arusha, Tanzania left early the next day (0715) so the Hilton transfer was useless to us (or we didn't want to take the 0515 shuttle). If you are returning to NBO, be aware that the Hilton is flexible about when you use the included shuttle trip. Kenatco, some state-owned/affiliated taxi company, has fixed fares to NBO for KES 1,000. Cheaper than the Hilton shuttle if there are 2 or more.

The Hilton staff are very good about keeping your bags safe if you want to leave them there.