Thanks to Marabora and Kaya Dzambic, I had the adventure of a lifetime.  This last fall I spent a month in Kenya and came home a transformed person.  I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and a bit of the Middle East but Kenya seemed to be such a different culture and landscape that I was thrilled to leave all the planning and itinerary to Kaya.  

When you book with Marabora, you get an insider’s knowledge of Kenya.  Kaya is Kenyan-born and she has many on-the-ground resources.  As a result, she put together a trip that fit our needs and offered interesting insights to the surroundings.

Marabora arranged for an expert driver who knew the terrain and was extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife.  Mohammed was up for daily sunrise safaris and took us out on drives later in the afternoons.  And, he was willing to answer all the questions we had about the animals, the plants and landscape.  

As a photographer, my personal goals were to see as much wildlife and varied scenery as possible, to meet residents and to learn about and experience a bit of their culture.  I was NOT disappointed.  We spent two full weeks on safari in various national parks and conservancies throughout Kenya.  We covered a lot of ground on our visits to Tsavo West, Kilaguni, Lake Elementaita, Abmoseli and Masai Mara.  Each of these open spaces was rich in wildlife and varied in the landscape, vegetation and climate.  

Amboseli, a flat watery landscape hosts migratory birds as well as the animals one expects to see on safari.  Typically, Mt Kilimanjaro is the famous backdrop but when we were there the mountain was obscured by clouds.  Hakuna matata, (no worries) as the landscape was stunning even without it.  My favorite moment of that visit was when we were driving along a road alongside a lake and all of sudden a herd of hundreds of zebra began running in front and along side of us into the water.  I was spell bound by the beauty of these animals rushing and splashing just feet from our land rover.  As we watched and were encircled, I photographed incredible images of zebra, whose stripes became abstract layers upon layer as they melded into one, punctuated and separated by water splashing in the air.  

And, Masai Mara is NOT to be missed.  We were there during the migration season and were lucky to see a herd of wildebeest charge down a cliff into the Mara River, full of hippos and hungry crocodiles and up a cliff only to be met by attacking lions!

Marabora also arranged for us to visit a Masia village where we toured the village and learned about their semi-nomadic way of life.  Of course, they also were delighted to sell us their hand made beaded bracelets, necklaces and blankets.

As a traveler, one of the most memorable things I learned through my experience with Marabora is that the hotels play a big part in the whole  experience.  I normally don’t stay in luxury hotels but on this trip I did and that made a world of difference.  After a long day of driving around the Serengeti there’s nothing better than arriving at a beautiful hotel, being handed a hot towel to clean up and a cold drink.  All the hotels were comfortable, gracious and each with its own charm.  I will never opt for a Holiday Inn again.

After two intense and action-packed weeks on safari, we headed off by plane to a week of decompression and relaxation on Lamu Island.  Lamu is 200 miles north east of Mombasa on Kenya’s eastern coast.  The island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement.  Its population is primarily Muslim and sports 23 mosques. The main town is clustered in very tightly packed and narrow streets that can’t accommodate a car. In fact, there is only one car—an ambulance—on the whole island. Donkeys are the main transportation.  There is even a free donkey hospital on the island!!

Marabora arranged for a well-educated tour guide to show us the island’s sites   including the inside of a traditional house built in the 1400’s. We also visited numerous artisan shops as Lamu is well known for high quality hand made wooden furniture as well as jewelry, woven palm mats and baskets. We enjoyed meeting the owner of a gift shop that had masks, jewelry and other fine gifts. I ended up going to (what was the name of the moo-moo shop (King Ali???) to buy some bold printed Kenyan clothing to bring back as gifts.  I even got to practice my skills of bargaining!  I could tell that my skills had improved after weeks on the road where I learned to sharpen my abilities to haggle.

One of the most magical moments of my entire trip to Kenya occurred on Lamu. We had hired boat crew, Lamu Dhow, to take os on a sunset cruise on their handmade boat, a dhow. These three laid back, life-loving guys treated us to a beautiful sunset and a lobster dinner cooked on the open boat.  While they cleaned up, we laid back and stared into the Milky Way.  I could not have been happier as we floated in the Indian Ocean enjoying Kenyan music and feeling the warm breeze. These guys showed me how easy it is to embody Hakuna-matata, “no troubles.” 

Thanks Marabora for a superb experience made up of memories that will last a lifetime.