Travelling to Africa’s Kenya last summer, located on the equator on the continent’s East Coast, was the trip of a lifetime according to Anne Pearson, a retired Shell executive who has seen a vast amount of the world.

Miss Pearson went to Kenya last August 13 on an eight-hour flight from London with friends and relatives. Her safari was through Kuoni Tour Company.

She said when you land in Nairobi, you know you are back in Africa as the buildings are much the same as those in South and West Africa. People are selling fruits and vegetables and handmade things by the roadside. Many Kenyans walk to work and back home. The small buses and trucks bring them to Nairobi and are cramped with people.

“It was one of the most incredible trips of my life. The trip was perfectly coordinated and orchestrated from the initial landing and travel into Nairobi and throughout our tour to the three game reserves — Samburi, Masai Mara and Amboselli,” she said.

Tourist facilities are concentrated in Nairobi, along the coast, and especially in the national parks.

People visit Kenya for a number of reasons. The wildlife population is large and is a very huge drawing card. The beaches are beautiful and uncrowded, and the hotels are of high quality offering great service and delicious food.

“We were so excited by the animals that we saw. The parks do excellent jobs with the animal population and the object is also to protect various species. Many of the hotels have special viewing facilities built for tourists to observe the animals,” she said.

On the first day out, following an overnight in Nairobi, they awoke very early and caught a small plane to Samburi. At the airstrip they were met by their guide, Julius, with a comfortable Range Rover to take them to their camp. A number of Africans were selling various beads and metal jewellery.”

That afternoon at four we went on our first game drive and it was fabulous! We saw elephants, leopards, zebras, giraffes, bamboo, monkeys and many other exotic animals. Near the river the land was very green and lovely. The early morning and early evening was the best time of the day to see the animals. Amazingly, the animals mostly ignored us.”

“As it was getting dark I recall an elephant swam across the river. We learned that a male on his own is more dangerous as he is looking for a mate. Elephants are very family oriented and mate for life. The young males get thrown out to look for a mate when they reach a certain age” said Miss Pearson.

When they returned to the lodge they were advised not to walk off of the paths. Escorts were available to walk guests to their rooms after dinner. They were impressed with the food throughout their journey and enjoyed delicious fruits and fine dinners generally served buffet style in the dining room.

“A portion of the money from tourists is given to the local people who reside in the area. Many of the Masai, originally nomadic people, now work in the game reserves,” she said.

The British colonised East Africa in the 19th century and drew boundaries around the country they named Kenya. There are more than 100 different ethnic groups but Swahili and English have been selected as national languages and most people speak one of these in addition to their own language.

“The animals were wonderful! The cheetah would sit with its offspring only 50 feet away while the giraffe were grazing high up on trees,” she reflected.

They hopped in a small plane, which carried about ten people plus two pilots, and flew to Masai Mara, the second reserve. In the dry season the animals move up from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara. There are herds of wildebeests and zebra.

“The hippos were smart. They get sunburned quite easily so they stay in the water most of the day and come out on the bank at night. I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life over the Masai Mara.”

One day they were awakened at 5.30 a.m. to take a hot-air balloon ride — three balloons glided lazily over the Masai Mara plain. When they landed they were presented with a superb outdoor champagne breakfast with fruit and assorted breads.

“It was very exciting to be floating about observing the natural beauty of Kenya and then presented with an elaborate morning feast outdoors,” she said.

The last game reserve was Amboselli and there they found large herds of elephant and gazelle and lots of birds due to the vast amount of water. They were charged by a big bull elephant one day, which made a lasting memory!

There were hundreds of elephants and no fence at their camp so the game came close. Each day the temperature was moderately warm, but it was cool in the late evening and early morning.

“Our accommodation was first class. One evening, after dinner, we watched documentary films on elephants. Evan, our guide, was a Masai and he gave us an excellent talk while dressed in his traditional attire.’’

One of the most important aspects of her trip was learning and seeing the need to protect Africa’s wildlife. In 1990, Kenya had an estimated population of about 25 million and even more people today. They have a serious problem of unemployment.

Miss Pearson believes that in a way Kenya suffers from its own success. She says that the tourists who go on safaris are spoiling some of the natural habitat of the very animals they go to see. Eventually, the government will have to limit the number of tourists if the safari industry is to continue.

“Visiting Kenya was a fantastic opportunity for me, my friends and family. I learned that it is immensely important to preserve our natural world. Each game reserve in Kenya was remarkable and left me with an incredible sense of awe,” concluded Miss Pearson.