The most unique/different/hair-raising form of transportation in East Africa was not the puddle jumper plane or the budget safari vans kept operating through duct tape and hammering (true story). It was instead the small vans operating as public transit. In Kenya they are called “Matatus”; in Tanzania they are “dala-dalas”; anywhere in the US they’d […]

While we had one, really two safaris down, where we had seen them all: Masaai Mara and Lake Nakuru, we still had an appetite to see these beautiful creatures in new environments. As we were mapping out our plans and our route down from Kenya to Tanzania, we thought Amboseli was a perfect gateway.   […]

Coming back from Volunteering and back to Nairobi, we were excited to get away just 2 hour drive to the relaxing and low-key spot of Lake Naivasha, which also offered a lot of fun activities for us to do. We booked 3 nights at the highly recommended Fisherman’s Camp campground. At arrival we were excited […]

When planning where we wanted to go on this “trip of a lifetime,” I figured we couldn’t see the world without seeing Africa. Once I convinced Aaron of that, which wasn’t too hard, I realized I knew basically nothing of this continent. What I did know was 1) I had to go on at least […]

While I had made a quick summary previously of the culture we experienced in Africa, I still HAD to dedicate a whole post on the friendly and laid back people that met, in fact lived with for a short amount of time. The Maasai people are found throughout Kenya and Tanzania mostly. They are pastoralists […]

Africa was an experience I will always remember. It was much different than our first leg in Europe having spent two months across 10 countries, in Africa across 5 weeks, we only traveled to two. Africa is a continent with so much diversity and we traveled to just two countries: Kenya and Tanzania, which are […]

We added a trip to Kenya’s coastal island of Lamu at the last minute. While we had initially not planned to go to Lamu because of safety concerns, once we were in Kenya discussions with other travelers convinced us that the guidebook had overstated the danger. But in addition to describing the scurry issues Lonely […]

Our Masai Mara safari had one disappointment: we had failed to see a rhino. Luckily the safari trip included an extra day at another national park: Lake Nakuru. Lake Nakuru’s environment is vastly different from Masai Mara. Instead of dry grasslands, there are dense green forests and swampy marshes. Even grassy meadows were different in […]

Our first big Kenya trip was a safari to the Masai Mara National Reserve. We were a bit spoiled, as it turned out to be one if the highlights of our time in East Africa and our favorite safari by far. We had a fun group, a great tour guide, and the opportunity to see […]

Our first city in Africa was Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. I didn’t know what to expect upon arrival, having heard good things from friends who visited previously, but also the guidebook’s prominent mention of the city’s nickname – “Nairobbery.” In the end, the city was a little of both. We found a lot of […]