After morning game drive and breakfast in Meru, we drove for 7 hours around Mt Kenya to Nanyuki and back to Nairobi. Nice views, passing small towns and villages, observing local life along the highway. Many people in Kenya just walk on or along the roads, even main highways.
Next day, we spent relaxing afternoon with our friends at Kiambethu Tea Farm (20 km NW from Runda/Nairobi) learning about growing and harvesting tea, about different types of tea, tasting some teas from local farms. We brought their black tea with us to Chicago. We heard the family story of the plantation and had a short nature walk, followed by delicious lunch on the lawn in front of the old plantation family house, which now serves also as a visitor center.
We spent last day in Nairobi meeting animals up close, made possible by organizations that save orphaned, injured and endangered animals. Visitors are one source of income used to support the animals and to educate on wildlife and environment conservation. We visited three places all located on the edges of Nairobi National Park, 15-20 km SW from Nairobi center. The Giraffe Center saves and breeds endangered Rothschild’s Giraffes. It’s fun to feed giraffes by hand and watch them so close. David Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage saves orphaned and injured elephants and reintroduces them to the wild (which takes about 10 years). Most are in trouble because of conflicts with people (mothers killed or injured by poachers, some trapped in illegal wells). Some are handicapped and will be released to spent their lives with other problem animals. You can adopt one, helping in its upbringing. It was very exciting to see over 20 baby elephants run to get their morning milk and play, and to hear their (sad) stories.
Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage
We also visited Safari Walk, large and nice ZOO, quite pricy and not comparable to the other two places. Not safari, but we saw leopard and met cheetah, and many other animals reminding us all the game drives. Our friend took us to the airport for late evening flight back home.
