Big cats are a beauty to behold!

And, with today's human lifestyle, there is very little they can do to keep away from us.

Is confining them to small reserves the solution? They were free roaming cats and they might move beyond the reserve fences which you have built.

Cheetahs live in open grasslands which many at times serve as grazing land for livestock. The farmers tend to shoot or kill them in any other manner, when they are found to be attacking the livestock. The Cheetah Conservation Fund, works for a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between these farmers and the cheetahs who share the same environment. CCF started its work in Namibia and has now started to extend to other parts of Africa too. They try to educate, and also provide feasible simple solutions to the farmers to try, such that they do not have to resolve to kill the cheetahs in case they are seen to trespass on private property.

Panthera is another organization which was set up with an aim to protect and enable symbiotic relationships between large cats across the world and the people who live near their habitat. Lions are the least affected amongst the cats, maybe because they are not seen to be of any great aesthetic value to the homes of the rich and famous. Good for them, they were spared.

In India too, I believe we need to understand the concerns of the villagers who live in and around the reserves. There has to be a reason why they do not care of the jungle and the animals that live in them, and I think a reason more than money should exist for it. At their position, money can be only a driving factor to an extend, I think there has to be a low understanding of how these animals are useful to them, and how they being in the jungle will serve to be more monetarily beneficial in the long run. 

I would not suggest that the monetary aspect alone be highlighted, but this can be a factor to create an urge within the villagers to protect the animals from poachers. I have seen in Kenya that there are many Masai villages just outside the reserve, and they charge a fee and take the tourists around their village and explain their way of life. This ensures an income for the villagers, but the tourists come in the first place all because of the wildlife in the Masai region. I am sure that every Indian village has abundant information to offer to tourists. Ours is  a country with varying practices across the states, and many of these draw their roots in practices in villages, which would be an interesting aspect for a traveller. These need to be cashed in on for the sake of the villagers and also the cats which live around these villages.

Kenya - Tryst with the Indian Ocean

What is a honeymoon without lashing about in the waters huh? And the best part about Kenya was it being coastal offered us the Indian ocean to play in! We headed to Mombassa from Amboseli, a drive which took us close to 6 hours by car. The highway is very good and you will see all trailers going to and from Mombassa, which is the major port on the african east coast. 

City Entrance

As you edge towards Mombassa, you feel the humidity rising and the more familiar tropical coastal weather setting in.Once you enter the city of Mombassa, you see buildings which are easily 50 years old,many run down but still inhabited. The resort we were staying at Voyager, was beach side, a lovely place.. and as we drove towards it, we saw the villas along the beach of all the richest in Mombassa... it was something like the sea facing bunglows in Mumbai... but yes these are way cheaper as our guide told us. Another intersting aspect was that all these villas had very high electric fencing and also 24 hour security at the gate. Anyhow, once we reached the voyager ( which is designed to be like a ship, with decks and cabins for the guests); we had very little time to explore the surrounding areas. The beach was beautiful, and water was the perfect temperature to be swimming in it.. the only issue being that the under currents ended up trhowing out a large amount of sea weed. Anyhow we did see the sunrise and take a long walk on the beach before the crowds hit the beach. The tide rose as we were on our way back and the fun was the hopping and jumping through the corals and crabs which were all along the shore.

Crab hole

Crab entering back into its hideout

We took a city tour too, and went to visit the Fort Jesus, which is the most important monument at Mombassa. This was the point of entry to the country by water and this was also the way used in the slave trade during the later years.That was the last phase of our Kenya trip and I think I am of the opinion that Africa is a great place for unexplored beauty and holidays.  

View from Fort Jesus

 Ruins at Fort Jesus

Typical door architecture at Old town, Mombassa

A pier along Old town

A shop selling african craft items

Kenya - Driving through the wild

When I think of Africa, the first thing which comes to my mind is Lion King, Timon and Pumba :) I am a huge disney fan, and I also have a great weakness for animals.. be it tame or wild! 
Once we decided that we shall go to Kenya, the top priority was to have a wonderful safari :), and we had exactly that at Amboseli National Park, Kenya. We researched quite a bit and went with Explorer Kenya, and they did have an amazing driver/guide waiting for us at Nairobi. We stayed at the Amboseli Sentrim Lodge and it was an experience which I shall not forget. 

Amboseli Sentrim Lodge

The tent which was provided, looked quite barren from the outside, but was furnished with african artifacts, rugs and much more. The interiors were beautifully done, and the most amazing aspect as per me was the shower cabinet and its various jet settings! Once we exit the tent, then alone we realize we are in the middle of the jungle, and there were even signs which read " Please do not feed the animals, they are wild and might bite" !! 

Our tent from the outside

Wonderful interiors

We were at Amboseli for 3 days and these 3 days we went on 2 game drives, one following a torrential downpour all through the night. Our two game drives saw completely different terrains due to the rain, but lucky for us that the one before the rains hit ensured that we saw all the animals out in the open. We saw a pack of lions with 5-6 lions, huge african elephants, zebras, deer, giraffes, water buffalos, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, hippos and most importantly I SAW a cheetah chase a deer:) The chase was just amazing... maybe just for 10-15 seconds, but the movement of the cheetah was what I have been seeing for so many years on National Geographic and hoped and wished to see it in real life someday.

Baby Hyena

A Majestic lion lazing in the sun

Herd of elephants crossing the road

The second day drive saw us driving through practically a marshland, and the place looked so different as compared to what we had seen just under 12 hours back. Amboseli is said to easily flood with rains as the water runs down the Mt. Kiliminjaro along with melted snow and the park being at the foothills results in water logging here. Once it rains, the animals are said to move up to slightly higher areas to keep away from all the water and muck created all over the park. The rains did one goood thing, bring out all the fishing birds. We saw egrets, cormorants, pelicans, black-necked cranes, yellow crowned crane and storks, in large numbers too. An interesting fact that I go to know was that, a young pelican has brown feathers and as they grow older, their feathers become white. We saw both baby pelicans with brown feathers and the huge ones with white feathers. There is also a huge variety of migratory birds which visit the Amboseli region during the winter months. 

Baby Pelican

Marshland at Amboseli

And that was my first safari :)

Kenya - Our stint with Nairobi

Kenya is a beautiful country, they have so many different terrains in the small area they cover, and being also a coastal country, the weather is almost temperate all through the year. Why did we choose to go to Kenya is a question which has been asked to us by so many people. I wonder why is it so difficult to associate it to a honeymoon, when a honeymoon  is anyhow said to come alive with the sounds of the jungle and that of crashing waves??


Nairobi is a city like many big cities of the world, has its own pockets of beauty and crime. We were told by the hotel staff not to venture out on foot after 5-6 in the evening, and to preferebly be as close as to the hotel as possible after sun down. 

We stayed at the Fairview, it was one of the most luxurious comfortable stays I have had in a long time! They have a huge area to walk, and set amidst the diplomatic area, the quiet and cleanliness does wonders to one's mood! They have a wine cellar which they give a tour of, and the food at the italian restaurant is to die for. And another detail not  to be missed is the Tusker beer, its a wonderful beer, the perfect bitterness and  all in all, I loved it! 

There is a walking safari to be done in Nairobi and also baby animal shelter... these were two places I so wanted to visit, but just could not make it too... we had very little time at Nairobi, and just ended up exploring the city and didn't have time to move beyond to these attractions.