Tuesday 30th January - Madison

This morning started slightly later than our previous safari mornings. We didn’t do an early morning gave drive but instead awoke to gorge ourselves on the breakfast buffet of sausage, eggs, pancakes, fruit, and so so much more. Afterwards we got on the road to Tsavo East National Park seeing warthogs, gazelles, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, and elephants early in our journey. As we continued, many people hopped on bikes and cycled 11km through the savannah while others took turns relaxing on van roofs and trying (though in some cases failing) to drive safari vehicles. After a hot and long drive, we finally made it to Tsavo East. 

In the park, we were overwhelmed by untouched greenery and wildlife. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a massive watering hole filled with elephants playing and cooling down in the water. Our guides, Chris and Paul, explained that this is a rare sight in Kenya as watering holes rarely get large or deep enough for elephants to submerge themselves, and in fact, the very hole we were looking at had been dried up and used as a lioness meeting point all but three months prior. 

After watching the elephants for a while, we continued on to our accommodation, seeing many “big tuskers“ and buffalo on the way. Upon arrival, we enjoyed a lunch buffet and some downtime. We stayed at Satau camp in Tsavo East NP which is an entirely open camp in the middle of the savannah. Antelope, baboons, and hippos were frequent guests walking alongside us on pathways. 

Later, we enjoyed an unsuccessful attempt at spotting cheetahs and a peaceful sundowner, getting into meaningful conversation amongst ourselves as well as with Paul, Jeanine, and Chris. Such conversations continued into dinner as our mouths watered over incredible pumpkin soup and gnocchi before we were escorted back to our rooms by armed guards for a good nights sleep.