Those of you who followed me along the way know that my biggest travel dream (apart from meeting flamingos in real life, haha) was a real African Safari. This year, in June it finally happened. When I got invited to go to Kenya with Citizen Femme and Fairmont Hotels for a safari I just couldn’t believe it. I literally cried from happiness. My biggest dream was about to come true!
But let’s start from the beginning… We flew from London directly to Nairobi – the capital of Kenya with Kenya Airways. The flight took 8.5 hours. The great thing about it is that you won’t be jet lagged when travelling from the UK as the time difference is only 2 hours ( Kenya is 2 hours ahead of United Kingdom). From the airport we’ve first headed to beautiful, historic Fairmont the Norfolk located in the heart of Nairobi. What a beautiful property- this is where we’ve started and finished our stay in Kenya. It’s a perfect place to stay because of the location. It’s very peaceful, green, has this magical feeling. They call it a “sophisticated retreat in the city” and I absolutely agree with that! The property has 27 luxurious suites and 143 rooms set around tranquil tropical gardens, a beautiful outdoor pool, gym and spa facilities ( I truly recommend having a relaxing massage after the long flight!) From there we’ve headed To Fairmont Mara Safari Club. We flew there on a small plane Safarilink. I had to leave some luggage behind in the hotel- it’s good to remember that only soft shell luggage of max 15 Kg is allowed on domestic flights. From the moment we’ve boarded I had tears in my eyes watching giraffes from the plane’s little window, but honestly I had no idea WHERE I was heading. It was just the beginning of one of the most incredible adventures of my life! As soon as we landed we were greeted by beautiful sunshine, smiley faces of locals and The Masai Mara tribesmen and their ceremonial dance. I was speechless and full of emotions. Never experienced anything like that before! This place gives you this feeling that is just so hard to describe!
We had our jeep waiting for us and we were off to see the property we were staying at. All we could see on our way was the endless savannah, grassy plaits, rolling hills, blue skies and animals running around. Absolutely insane! Already that day I was thinking, how am I going to explain this feeling to my readers. I was thinking “Oh God, how? How can I even describe it?” I hope my photos will help out a bit!
When we got to the property I’ve fallen in love straight away. Fairmont Mara is surrounded on three sides by the breathtaking Mara River, and on the edge of the world’s Seventh “New” Wonder of the World. Simply breathtaking! Each of us got a beautiful, luxury tent with a beautiful little veranda overlooking the hippo and crocodile-filled river. It was a bit scary at night as the hippos were quite noisy but this experience is something I won’t ever forget. I have never been so close to the nature! Take a peek into my stunning tent! This is what I call travelling in style! PS. The bed was too comfortable- it was not easy to wake up haha!
After a delicious lunch overlooking the Mara River we’ve all headed for a ride. Our first ever Safari! Our goal was to spot the Big 5- lions, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and elephants. We’re lucky to see 4 of them! What a dream that was! The thing I would never forget is spotting Pumbaa- omg everyone including me was shouting like crazy haha. It felt like a Disney movie set! Driving around savannah in the open jeeps was so much fun and it was so easy to get our dream shots!
We’ve finished this incredible day off with the sunset drinks and canapés prepared by Fairmont Mara team in the middle of nowhere really. It was simply perfect! This sunset I mean…unforgettable! I remember the happiness tears and calling this day the happiest day of my life.
The morning after we’ve had a 5am wake up call. Normally I would not be happy about being awake at this crazy hour, but this time was different! I popped right up, excited as we were going on a sunrise safari. I was served a big cup of coffee with a little cookie right to my tent- oh I will never forget the smell of this Kenyan coffee… Morning was a bit chilly so we were admiring the nature waking up covered in cosy blankets. Sorry I have to repeat myself again- WHAT A DREAM. “Somebody pinch me please” I thought. Herd of zebras, lions, antelopes, giraffes and even ostrich! Simply unreal!
After the beautiful morning drive we’ve headed back to Fairmont Mara for a delicious breakfast. We sat on the terrace overlooking the Mara river. What a perfect way to start the day! Another thing planned for us was visiting the traditional Mara village. It was definitely my favourite experience. We were greeted by the traditional dance and smiley faces of the local kids. Omg I can’t stop smiling when I think of this moment. Everyone was just SO happy. I think this is what I love about Africa the most- how happy, welcoming and full of live the people are! They make you cry and appreciate the life more. They make you realise how small the problems are. But at the same time you feel like you would give your entire heart and entire love and all you have to help. The conditions they live in are really extreme. We were invited to one of the mud huts and seeing how it looks inside was more than scary. It was so dark and tiny, couldn’t have imagined 10 people living there! But this is how it is… What I recorded from this visit was what we were told by the chief of the village- “men don’t have the house until they get married- it’s woman who makes the house. No woman, no house.” I found it beautiful. Also, all the kids in the village go to school as they get support from tourism. At first I wasn’t sure if I should get photographed with the kids but they were literally posing and hugging us all, honestly the sweetest! This is when I’ve shed a tear again. I’ve fallen in love with each and every single one of them at first sight.
Days in Fairmont Mara passed so quickly, I felt like we should have stayed there longer. As a recommendation I would suggest at least 3 nights at this property to truly experience the beauty of this place. After incredible stay at Fairmont Mara our hearts were full but our adventure wasn’t over yet! From there we flew to another incredible property – Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club located on the line of equator. Realising it was actually crazy! One half of the hotel is north of the equator and the other in the Southern Hemisphere. How crazy is that? That makes this place so special! On arrival we were invited to an equatorial ceremony which was super fun! I don’t want to get too much into the details here as this is an something you have to experience yourself! Here’s me all excited after the ceremony haha!
After the ceremony we had the most dreamy lunch set up in the Rose garden. During the lunch we’ve found out so much about the property itself. Originally the retreat of movie star and Club founder, William Holden, the Club’s illustrious former members have included Winston Churchill and Bing Crosby. I literally couldn’t believe this! For a second I thought “Wow! What am I doing here!” It felt like stepping into the African Hollywood! This place was simply gorgeous and the view over Mount Kenya was just breathtaking. I’ve had a beautiful cottage with the cosiest living room area with a fireplace! Perfect for African chilly nights. It was so magical! Take a peek!
I found this place so relaxing. I loved hanging around in the outdoor lobby! Sometimes I was passed by a peacock haha- insane! Also the sofas were so comfy! (OK, not mentioning the strong wifi connection where I was able to upload all Instagram stories for you!) What’s special about this property is also that it has it’s own animal sanctuary where you can feed rescued wild animals. Our stay in Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club was full of activities. My favourite one was an outdoor breakfast in the mountains surrounded by ponies- they were the cutest! I also loved the sunset drinks by the bonfire up the hills. I can’t believe I can’t find any photos from this moment! Guess you need to trust me it was awesome 😉
After incredible 3 days in this place we’ve headed back to Nairobi where we’ve spent our last night at Fairmont the Norfolk. The adventure was still not over! On our way to Nairobi- this time we were travelling by car, we’ve stopped in the little town called Nanyuki where we’ve visited Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers- the community of woman that started back in 1977. The main aim of this community was training poor, windowed and single women living in the surrounding villages of Nanyuki town in the craft of Spinning, Knitting and Weaving with the main objective of making them self reliant. I found these women so beautiful, hard-working and inspiring. This is where you can buy the most beautiful handmade souvenirs! Make sure to leave some space in the luggage ( I certainly did not…I seriously have to start learn how to pack light!) I really wanted to get one of these beautiful carpets. I hope you’ll when you visit this place!
After visiting this place we got caught by a little African rain but it didn’t stop us from visiting another place I was dreaming of- The Giraffe Sanctuary in Nairobi. It’s the only sanctuary in the world within a capital city that enables you to come into very close contact with the world’s tallest yet endangered animal, the giraffe. This experience was absolutely unreal! Ok, the hardest part was taking a photo haha! I fallen in love with this cute guy! I mean how could you say “no” to these eyes, haha?
We’ve ended up our incredible stay in Kenya at Fairmont the Norfolk’s award-winning Tatu restaurant where we’ve had the most delicious dinner, best wine and cocktails- ok, if you’re ever in Kenya you need to try Kenya Cane! It’s sooo good! Excited to go? You can book your stay here. If you’re interested what to pack for safari you can read my packing guide here. It was honestly so hard to leave this magical place! But I’ve left with my heart full, grateful as never before. I made the memories that will last forever and friends for life! Thank you Citizen Femme, Spotlight Comms and Fairmont for putting such an incredible trip together and having me on board. I’ve had the time of my life! Love you, Mama Africa!
SHOP MY SAFARI OUTFITS :
XOXO, The Blonde Flamingo
