Arrival into NBO is nothing short of culture shock, but we managed to snake our way through the Health Clinic line (yes, they were actively asking for all yellow fever cards and swine flu information) and then the visa line. It seemed to take forever for the visas to get processed as each one has to be written by hand. Finally, we were able to go down the escalators to the baggage claim area where our bags were already waiting. I can see how that could be dangerous as bags come out much faster than people can get through immigrations. It just screams “STEAL MY LUGGAGE PLEASE!!!”
Thanks to another FTer who lives in NBO, we had connections for a trusted car service to take us where we needed to go. As my boss and her boyfriend had arrived the evening before into NBO, they spent one night at The Norfolk Hotel, one of the Fairmont properties. By the time my companion and I arrived at their hotel, it was almost 8am. Traffic in NBO is HORRIBLE. Good grief! The staff at this hotel are simply wonderful. They were very welcoming to us even knowing we wouldn’t be staying there, only eating breakfast, having a shower and change of clothes before leaving for the airport again. My boss and her other half met us and we went to the front porch for breakfast. Everything is just very colonial and stately. The food was spectacular. The wait staff were eager to please, and the location is so special. We ate to our hearts’ content and then dragged our tired butts to my boss’s room to have a shower and change of clothes. Our driver met us precisely when he said he would and we started our journey to Nairobi-Wilson Airport.
We had booked our flights to Masai-Ngerende through AirKenya. I had spoken to their staff more than a few times so it was very interesting to finally meet them face-to-face. Our luggage was way overweight as we knew it would, but the AirKenya overweight baggage charge is quite reasonable at Ksh200 (less than EUR2.00) per kilo. In the end, the total roundtrip cost for the luggage was less than EUR50. We were given coloured plastic boarding cards and special luggage tags noting the Fairmont Masai Mara name on them. Finally, boarding was called and we got on the Dash 7 aircraft that holds 50 passengers, but that day there were only 23 passengers. We had our pick of seats, ala Southwest, and the one member of the flight crew came through with a little basket of plastic wrapped mints. Two minutes later, we were taking off to the west toward the Fairmont Masai Mara. Just about 45 minutes after takeoff, we came in at the steepest descent I’ve ever felt and at the last minute, leveled out for as smooth of a landing is possible for a dirt landing strip. After the very short taxi to the “tarmac”, the doors were opened and at the bottom of the stairs was Alice from the Fairmont Masai Mara Safari Club with a HUGE Masai smile. We quickly had our luggage off the plane and the jeep driver, Wilson was able to help us load everything. We headed down a dirt road and just 5 minutes later, we were at the front gates of the Safari Club. WOW! That about sums it all up. WOW! Had to say it again. Every member of the staff just ooooozes genuine hospitality and wants nothing more than to see you enjoying all the Safari Club has to offer. The food is plentiful, delicious, and inventive. The service is gracious. The safaris are adventurous and complete. The tents are luxurious and very comfortable. The club grounds are immaculate, lush, and inviting. I have only 1 complaint, the internet is sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. It only works in the library and there is just the one line, so if there are more than 2 people on computers at the same time, it is painfully slow. But, hey, safari in Kenya, who needs lightning fast internet? Each day starts pretty much the same with a wake-up call from your personal tent attendant at 6am. He brings your choice of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate to the tent and gently calls out for you to wake up. At 630am, you are expected to be at the front of the main lodge where your safari driver will be waiting for you. The morning drive lasts about 2 hours and is the best drive for seeing the big cats in action. They are often still hunting, eating, playing, or mating in the early morning. Then back to the Safari Club for the breakfast. Every morning there are made-to-order omelettes, fresh waffles and pancakes, toast, pastries, muffins, baked beans, bacon, sausages, gratinated tomatoes, hash browns, various cereals, fresh cut fruits, cold cuts, cheeses, juices, etc… It’s really a massive spread.
Here are some photos of our plane and another AirKenya plane that landed just after us at the Mara-Ngerende airfield.
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From breakfast time until 330pm you are free to do as you please. There is a swimming pool or you can go on a safari walk or as I did, sleep. The tents are on the banks of the Mara river. Literally, directly under each tent is a river swarming with huge crocodiles and massive hippos. No worries. The banks down to the river are quite steep and impenetrable by the crocs or hippos. There is even a sort of “beach” called Hippo Hide where large numbers of hippos congregate throughout the day and night to sun themselves and hang out. I never had a problem sleeping, but my boss was absolutely livid the first night. She could hear the hippos making their grunting noises all night long and it bothered her. Thankfully I had taken a few extra pairs of earplugs from the Austrian flight to Cairo and gave those to her. She was able to sleep peacefully from then on. Lunch is served buffet style outside along the river and near the pool. There was always a nice selection of cold salads and cheeses along with freshly grilled meat and hot sides. Almost always there was a curry of some sort as well as fish. If something didn’t catch your fancy, a quick word to one of the chefs or your waiter was all it took to get something that you preferred. You are assigned the same waiter for all meals. Our waiter was Vincent. He’s been at this property for 14 years and he goes WAY out of his way to make sure you are satisfied. Dinner is served two ways: buffet and fixed menu. During our week there, we had fixed menu twice and buffet the other 5 times. The food quality is very high regardless if it is buffet or fixed menu. The one thing that is at every lunch and dinner is soup. They make their soups fresh every day. I must say, I like soup, but by no means am I a soup aficionado. However, the soup at every meal was absolutely OUSTANDING! And sometimes very creative. One night we had Bacon Pea Soup served Cappuccino Style. And sure enough, there was the soup with creamy foam on top. But it was DELICIOUS. Another soup served at lunch was Radicchio and Grilled Fennel. Very inventive and clever choice between the bitter radicchio and the sweet fennel. It made for a delicious soup. It was quite clear that none of this soup came from a can and certainly wasn’t just a creative way to use up yesterday’s leftovers.
The evening drives leave at 330pm and last until about 730pm. This drive was interesting but usually quite hot and dusty. In the afternoon, you’ll see more of the topis, gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, and hyenas. The big cats, elephants, and giraffes are hiding in the trees to escape the heat. However, as the sun starts to set, it cools off quickly and some of the animals come out to play. Upon arrival at the Safari Club, Leah would greet each person with a HUGE grin and a plate of warm, scented washcloths. The fun of it is comparing with everyone else just how much dirt and grime you can clean off with one washcloth. It might sound kinda gross, but in fact it’s all part of the safari adventure.
Every evening, before dinner, one of the local Masai tribes brings their menfolk in traditional red dress to the Safari Club to do a traditional dance in the bar area. It always makes for an interesting and festive start to the evening meal.
We did sign up one day for the Hot Air Balloon Safari. It does cost quite a bit, but it was well worth it. It requires getting up at 430am, but the experience was absolutely amazing! The flight takes about 1 hour and the pilot landed the balloon about 500m from where breakfast had been set up for us. They brought out a long table with 12 chairs and 2 cooking stations: one for eggs as you like them, and the other for cold cereals, fruits, and pastries. Champagne was served for everyone and we had a wonderful breakfast under the rising African sun. Then, our driver Wilson, drove us to the see the migration of the wildebeest. Wow! What a sight! I can’t imagine counting how many there were, but I would put a bet down that it was in the millions! As they cross the Mara river, the crocodiles jump up and eat them. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, but what an interesting and amazing show of nature!
The Fairmont Masai Mara Safari Club is an absolutely WONDERFUL place, not only because the facilities are first rate, but because the people are overwhelmingly genuine, honest, kind, and lovely. Leah, the woman at the front desk, cried when we left and asked us to promise to “come home” again. Kisses and hugs were easily given and received from all the staff. Edward the accountant ran over from his busy desk to shake hands and wish us a happy journey. Mary and Jonathon, two Masai who work at the Fairmont, gave us the most genuine hugs and well-wishes. I can’t tell you just how wonderful the staff of the Fairmont is.
Here is a link to a photo album with 82 pictures. The first few pictures are of the tent and you'll see some more pictures of the grounds of the Safari Club towards the end of the album. In the middle, are some random shots of animals and the Hot Air Balloon safari.
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We unfortunately had to leave and return to Nairobi. We reluctantly put our things into the safari jeep and went on the short drive to the airstrip. This time, we had a smaller Twin Otter 300 with seating for 19. The cockpit doors were open the entire time and we had open seating of course. It was a bit of a bumpy ride and we all felt a little queasy when we landed. I’ve included a few photos here. The first photo is the Safari Class Lounge at the Mara-Ngerende Airstrip. Photo 2 is the inside of the Safari Class Lounge. Photo 3 is the deluxe bathrooms. Photo 4 is the Duty Free Shopping Centre. Pictures 5 and 6 are our plane landing and taxiing, and the final photo is from my seat looking to the front of the plane while airborne.
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