In March 2023 we took a short trip to Kenya for a photo safari. Our primary focus was to enjoy two safari camps -- one in Ernest Hemingway's Green Hills of Africa and the other on the plains of the Masai Mara. The trip was fantastic. We booked our international flights using American Airlines AAdvantage miles, flying Qatar Airways Q Suites for most of the segments.
I'll break the trip into four parts:
1: Getting to Kenya (this post),
2: 4 night safari at Ol Donyo Lodge (in Kenya's Chyulu Hills: Hemingway's Green Hills Of Africa),
3: 3 night safari at Kempinski's Olare Mara Lodge (on a private reserve adjacent to the Masai Mara), and
4: The trip home.
We've been to about 10 other lodges in Africa over the years and we find joy in watching these beautiful creatures in their natural environment. Over the years we've grown to appreciate even the smallest animals, and I'll include photos in future segments on two of the "Small 5" animals folks hope to see. We saw more lions and cheetah on this trip than possibly all of our other safaris combined. And at one location I had to laugh when a fellow guest had to put down his MASSIVE camera/lens and use his phone as the animals were just too close. Hopefully the photos will show this.
HOME to WASHINGTON DULLES
We live in Key West, Florida and flew to Washington's Dulles airport to start our international trip. The Key West airport is quite small. Since the pandemic, though, it is busier than ever. The airport was in the news this week when some Cubans took a motorized kite and flew it 90 miles to Key West, landing on the runway. This place is quite famous in US aviation history -- the first international scheduled flight departed from Key West to Havana. That was the birth of Pan American World Airways.
Our departure day started as any other, with a glorious sunrise over the Atlantic. I usually walk about 5 miles each morning, from Home on a loop that includes a long stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, an almost-as-long stretch adjacent to the Key West International Airport (since it's across the street from the ocean), and a walk under the typical take-off path for jets (many of folks have been scared when a jet roars into the air at what seems like feet above their heads). I could tell from the sunrise that it was going to be a glorious day.
The Key West Airport has just constructed a new (apparently) hurricane proof "beautiful" sign announcing the entrance. Local folks really dislike this sign.
You step from the car into the terminal building through one of a few entrances.
We were flying United to Washington Dulles and since we weren't checking any bags, we got to walk right past the short line at United's counter. We were through security in less than 5 minutes.
The Check-in area and Security are above the ground floor, and once through Security, you are sent back to a ground floor waiting area. The waiting area is quite small with all airlines sharing a single space. There were flights boarding for Atlanta (A319), Dallas (A319), and Washington National (E175) all around the time of our flight to Dulles (E175). Sorry I missed a photo of the waiting area; there were as many people standing as were sitting in chairs, and all chairs were occupied. Just before our flight to Dulles boarded, American Airlines notified passengers heading to Washington's Regan Airport that due to weight restrictions American was looking for up to 20 people to volunteer for a later flight. You could just hear folks groan. Once our flight was ready to board, we headed onto the tarmac.
The Key West Airport is one of those airports where you walk onto the tarmac and to your jet or airplane. Expected this decade is a new terminal building with jet bridges. Construction is underway with completion advertised for 2024 though I'm skeptical that It'll be complete anytime soon. The tarmac is a bit of a mess with empty shipping containers used to direct traffic and long walks between fences with construction all around.
Pick your airline! It's a bit crazy when multiple flight for multiple airlines are all boarding. We were lucky that only United passengers were walking to their jet when we left the terminal.
A United ground staff person was holding an "IAD" sign. I venture to say that a lot of passengers had no idea was IAD stood for.
And finally onto the jet. At least one of us was looking forward to the coming 24 flight hours.
We were all boarded early and ready to go. Our flight was delayed, however, supposedly because of some "paperwork" issues. I was getting nervous that we also had weight restrictions. Eventually the pilot informed us that everything was sorted and we were on our way. The flight was uneventful.
WASHINGTON DULLES LAYOVER
We had a scheduled 4-1/2 hour layover in Dulles, now shortened to under 4 hours since we departed late from Key West. Qatar wouldn't allow online check-in so we had to exit security, go to the main ticket counter and check-in for our flight to Doha/Nairobi.
The train tunnel in the Dulles Airport looks so futuristic.
Welcome to Dulles.
The Qatar ticket counter was already open, and there was no wait. We were checked-in in under 3 minutes.
Business Class passengers were invited to the Turkish lounge, but we opted instead to visit the Virgin "Clubhouse at IAD" Lounge using our Capital One Venture X cards for free entry.
I think this lounge only opens at 3:30pm; drink and food selections are very limited until about 6:30pm. We were hungry so we ordered a flatbread and some hummus, both of which were good. Drinks were also very limited. While premium brands could be seen behind the bar, only basic brands of liquor were available, until 6:30pm.
Magically, at 6:30PM, an enhanced menu was available. This new menu had a surprisingly large number of options. We tried both the Tom Yum Soup and a Poke Bowl. They were fantastic.
I did save some of the cocktail menu. I had the Bramble, which was delicious.
There were a max of 15 people in the lounge when we visited.
The Virgin lounge was across from our departure gate.
We left the lounge a few minutes ahead of our published boarding time and the gate area was empty. Everyone had boarded already! It seems that Qatar publishes an earlier boarding time for Economy passengers than for Business Class, allowing for the gate area to be mostly empty by the time Business Class Passengers board. We found our seats and got settled in for our long flight to Doha
FLIGHT TO DOHA
The flight to Doha took 12:43. And we slept through much of it. Food and service were both spectacular, and the Qsuite was awesome. Leaving Dulles...
I received the standard (and very comfy) pajamas, a nice amenities bag, and this box of Diptyque products:
I didn't get any menu photos; here's what I dined on. The table was set for fine dining. The breads were all warm and incredible tasty.
Here's the Amuse Bouche.
Selection of Tapas to start.
I was pretty full when I ordered dinner, so I went for a light selection of Chicken Pad Thai. It's really on the snack menu, and it made a perfect main course. I had no dessert, but I did try the port.
After many hours of sleep I awoke over Crete.
We took a detour around Israel. The other two big Middle East carriers now fly to Tel Aviv, but not Qatar.
Then it was time for breakfast. And more great bread, some Greek Yoghurt, and Quiche.
Love a bathroom with a window.
Almost there.
Touchdown in Doha. Love the three windows in my suite.
We arrived in Doha to a remote stand. There was a dedicated Business Class bus that whisked us away. We were through security screening and into the terminal in minutes.
DOHA TO NAIROBI
We only had a short stay in Nairobi and our flight was departing out of C62 -- one of the far off bus gates. We didn't even walk into the original part of the terminal or visit the lounge on this stopover.
We did walk around this end of the terminal for a bit, enjoying the new indoor garden.
Economy passengers were bussed first out to the aircraft. Between the 2nd and 3rd Economy bus, Qatar called Business Class boarding. Economy passengers had to wait while a special Business Class bus was brought around and we departed for the aircraft.
We were expecting a 777 with Q Suites and the flight was upgraded to an A350-1000, with Q Suites. The Business Class cabin was about half full.
The A350 was nice, though my seat only had 2 windows.
I love watching the tail camera.
Here's the menu from the flight.
On this flight I discovered my bottle of water in the little area to the left of my seat! I totally missed that on the prior flight.
Doha was beautiful at night as we flew off to Nairobi.
Of course I had some Champagne once we departed.
Unfortunately, the pillow on the ledge above the glass fell just after the flight attendant finished her pour (and before I had any to drink); the glass went crashing to the floor, drenching my legs in fine champagne.
After a bit of a cleanup, it was time for dinner. Amuse Bouche, Arabic Meze, and Traditional Mixed Grill with Pepper Kousa Mashshi. All was delicious, including the warm bread.
On this flight we took a detour around Yemen.
We landed in Nairobi around midnight and exited via stairs to a waiting Business Class Coach. As we only had carry-on bags, we were through immigration, through customs, and out of the airport in about 15 minutes. Our driver had yet to arrive! I called they place where we were staying and they tracked down the driver. Our mobile phone service, Google Fi, never fails us, connecting quickly in whichever country we land! The driver showed up in a few minutes and we were off to the other airport in Nairobi – Wilson. It was a 15 minute journey in the early morning hours.
We booked a room for the next two nights at AeroClub, a private club for aviators; they make their "pilot" rooms available to visitors and when you stay there, you have full use of the gym, pool, and club. I'll post more pictures of the place in the next segment. They have 3 levels of rooms; this is their top level, the Capitan room.
It was a great place stay for us. We had an early flight out in a couple of days and didn’t want to have to fight traffic getting to the airport. It was clean and practical. There's a lot of history to the club, and the exhibits around the place are quite interesting. The private club was pretty exclusive for Nairobi, and the food/drinks were good. But it was not luxurious; If you’re looking for luxury, look elsewhere.
Stay tuned for more installments...the animals are about to appear.