International

Short report Excursion – Kenya 2022 – J. Oehl

We arrived in the middle of the night at Nairobi Airport, where we were warmly picked up by Fred, our taxi driver, and taken to our accommodation. We tried to get a few more hours of sleep before the program began. Then it was off to Mathare in a minibus. Mathare is the oldest slum in Nairobi. We visited a school focused on education and talent development, including football, performing arts, theater, and visual arts. Afterwards, we headed to nearby Gigiri, one of the largest expat communities in Africa, surrounded by high walls. The contrast couldn’t have been starker.

The next morning, we loaded the cars and set off across the Kikuyu Highlands, where we explored small-scale farming structures. In the evening, we pitched our tents for the first time and cooked together over an open fire. The following day, we drove across the Laikipia Plateau to the Samburu National Reserve, passing giraffes, zebras, gazelles, warthogs, and antelopes on the way to our camp at the Ewaso Niro River. We set up camp and received a safety briefing—after all, we were camping in a country where predators and baboons are part of the local fauna, so there were a few things to keep in mind.

The next day, after a game drive (what’s commonly called a safari), we spent the afternoon doing laundry and washing ourselves—a full program with 12 people and only two showers. Once we were all clean, we had to guard our belongings from the baboons while listening to distant thunder and slowly preparing dinner.

The next day we continued on to Maralal. It rained, but since we had heard about the drought that had challenged the region for the past three years, we were happy about the rain. We visited a manyatta, a traditional Samburu homestead, and had the chance to ask questions about pastoralism and Samburu traditions. The drought had left its mark here too—of 45 cattle, only 15 had survived.

After this moving encounter, we continued toward Nakuru, marveling at the East African Rift Valley along the way, and I gave my presentation. Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit the soda lakes because the roads in the region were flooded, so we camped in Nakuru instead.

On the way to Mount Elgon the next day, we again enjoyed stunning views of the rift system. At Mount Elgon, we pitched our tents as usual and were all glad to stay in one place for two nights—of course, it rained. We studied the montane forests and went on a beautiful and very muddy hike that led us to several caves and waterfalls. As a reward, we had a breathtaking view from Endebess Bluff across the landscape all the way to Uganda.

At our next stop in the Kakamega Rainforest, we hiked with the former head of a forest conservation project, who explained everything we wanted to know. We also visited a cave inhabited by many bats, which caused a bit of a stir and then a lot of laughter. Naturally, it rained again. But since we were traveling with geographers, most of us were used to such conditions, and the mood remained good. Still, we were all looking forward to the next night in a hotel, where tents and clothes could finally dry overnight.

On the way to the hotel in Kericho, we stopped at Lake Victoria and had lunch together with a view of the lake. After a restful night in a real bed, we visited tea plantations and a tea factory. Then we continued on to the Maasai Mara, the Kenyan part of the Serengeti. Here, we identified savanna tree species and, of course, spotted some animals—like hippos, for example. We also witnessed a wildebeest migration of over 5,000 animals crossing the Mara River.

Then it was back to Nairobi, and it was already time to say goodbye—which felt a bit strange after two weeks of such close contact. After the excursion ended, I stayed in Kenya for another two weeks with a friend. From Nairobi, we took the train to Mombasa—by the way, you’re not allowed to bring pocket knives on board, and the security checks are stricter than at the airport—and from there, we explored the coast a bit.