We enjoyed the quiet morning with camp-provided oatmeal and coffee, and took the rest of the provided breakfast to go. The Yellowstone north entrance gate queue was close to nil and we were soon on the Grand Loop, the park’s figure-eight primary road. The plan was to cover the northwest portion, ending at Old Faithful.…

For a “last hurrah” of summer we visited Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. For me Yellowstone has a mythical quality, like something you hear about as a kid but can never imagine seeing yourself. Side note: in elementary school I remember looking at photos of friends’ vacation photos, being captivated by streaked-light Disney parades, road trips,…

One question I kept asking myself before this trip is: does it make sense to travel so far for such a short amount of time? Part of my vacation planning technique is to set a bunch of criteria in Google Flights and then look around the globe. For me, the mental flight time pain point…

Today was like a day at Disney: crowded, but delightful. We loaded our bags in the van for the final time and headed to Nairobi National Park. The queue to enter the park was a mess. Even with advanced reservations the employees were manually recording information. Thankfully, everyone spread out once past the gate. For…

A short drive brought us to our boat tour at Lake Naivasha. I discovered it’s very difficult to take photos in focus while on a choppy lake. Nevertheless, there were great birds and enough hippos to make the practice of hip-wader fishing questionable. The boat guide brought a fish for a fisher eagle. He whistled…

We were on the road by 8:30 to drive south to Lake Naivasha. Most people had the day off so the roads were quiet. Even so, the donkeys were working hard primarily moving water. None of the tap water here is potable so we’ve been drinking bottled water. Lake Naivasha is surrounded by flower farms,…

I awoke to light creeping over the crater and the faint song of the Maasai. No stockings in sight, but a gorgeous view and mango juice more than made up for a typical Christmas morning. There was more good people watching on the drive over to Lake Nakuru National Park. Stanley says kids typically get…

I did not sleep well, but the fresh, sweet breeze was welcome overnight. It felt beautiful to wake up in the bush. We quietly walked back to camp shortly after sunrise. The fruit is perfectly ripe and juicy here. It has been a highlight of nearly every meal, including our final breakfast here. Our driver…

It was a magical day from start to end. Maji Moto is a peaceful and beautiful place. Our day started with open-air showers fed from the hot springs and a leisurely breakfast. No need to wake early for a game drive! Showers need to planned in advance here so they can pump the water. A…

Our guide was intent on finding more young lions. He was familiar with the general area that they spend the most time, but it’s large and bushy. We spent at least half an hour driving slowly, scanning the area looking for them. We heard an elephant trumpeting loudly, trotting through the bush. After a second…