Our Africa Trip

While we were planning our year of travel Joyce always had her heart set on going to Africa so we sort of built the trip around that. We were lucky enough to get a hold of a 5-night safari lodge stay in South Africa via a charity auction in our hometown and that became the jumping off point of our time in Africa.

We ended up spending a whole month in South Africa driving from Richards Bay to Cape Town and discovering a country that we found fascinating. In fact, it became the favorite country of our 23 country vacation.

Safari Adventure In Kenya

Travel Photos

Safari Adventure in Kenya

We went to Kenya so that we could volunteer with the Arocha organization in Watamu and did not expect to be going on any safaris but a fellow traveler was planning on renting a truck and driving to the Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary, so we joined in.

We spent three nights there camping in the African bush and having quite the safari adventure. This area was pretty close to Tsavo which is known for its man eating lions. We did see lions but thankful no one got eaten.

It was a lot of fun to be out on our own for this safari as we did not have the comfort of the fancy lodge like we had in South Africa.

Vitelline Masked Weaver

Animals & Nature, Travel Photos

Today’s travel photo was taken at the Turtle Bay Beach Club in Watamu, Kenya. This is a Vitelline Masked Weaver and the resort had a ton of them nesting near a bar/restaurant area.

Roadside Shoe Sellers In Mombasa Kenya

Travel Photos

This roadside shoe shop in Mombasa Kenya was one of many such shops we saw on one of our road trips through Kenya. You have to wonder, do people have trouble finding their size?

There Are No Foreign Lands

Travel Quotes

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson

The more you travel the more you learn that this statement is true. Indeed, there are no foreign lands! But for us that is part of what makes travel so great and why we want to do it as much as possible. We learn so much about the world we share and even more about ourselves when we find ourselves as foreigners. I know for many this is what makes travel so tough but the more you do it I believe the easier it gets.

Safari Camping

Animals & Nature, Destinations, Managing Money, Our Travel Stories, Safari

Safari Camping in Tsavo, Kenya – August 2013

Lions Bluff Lodge. located above the 125,000-acre Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary (where we saw the lions) has an award-winning lodge. In fact it’s the only property I’ve ever seen with a 99% thumbs up on Tripadvisor. Its not unreasonable for a safari lodge, but a little pricey for our budget. However, as an unusual addition, they also offer the Cheetah Campsite, perfect for those who want a safari experience but with a smaller pricetag. We rented a comfy canvas tent and bedding and it was all set up and waiting when we arrived.

Safari Camping

But somehow when we booked this campsite for 3 nights we were picturing the lodge much closer, maybe just a very short walk up a path, where we could pop by for dinner or drinks in the evening. When we arrived, we discovered that in reality the campsite was quite remote. Amazingly beautiful and peaceful, but also 10-20 4WD minutes from the lodge.

So we got a real honest-to-goodness chance to camp out in the African bush. We saw elephants. I imagined lions. It was both terrifying and wonderful. Certainly an altogether new and different camping experience.

Safari camping also offered us an affordable way to go on one more African safari as the price of the campsite was much less than the price of the rooms in the lodge. Sure the bathroom and the showers where not as nice but the experience was one we will never forget. In fact we hope to return and do it again one day as it was probably one of the most unique camping experiences we’ve ever had.

How about you? Where have you camped that is a bit unusual? Have you done any safari camping? If so please let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear about it.