The Presidential Safari

After visiting the giraffe centre we went to the main entrance to Nairobi National park to see if we could arrange a safari. The information desk said the best option for those without vehicles was to use a taxi and they could arrange one. We spoke to their suggested taxi driver but apart from it being very expensive we didn't really think we'd get to see much driving around in a taxi! We walked to the park entrance to see if there were any other options. Here's a sign from the near the park entrance. 

Who has right of way?

Here we got talking to one of the park officials. He suggested that we could use the presidential vehicle, we thought he was joking at first but he explained that it was the parks vehicle and in absence of Obama coming to visit they've decided to make use of the vehicle. The cost would be 10USD per person, considerably cheaper then the 80USD taxi the lady at the information desk was try to sell us. We organized to meet them at the gate the next morning at 6:30am. We didn't pay anything at that point so we were still little suspect as it seemed a little too good to be true and extremely weird that such a service would not be advertised or mentioned at the information desk. We took a moto taxi back to the campsite and organized with the driver to collect us at 6am the next day.

6am mototaxi to Nairobi National Park

Next morning we arrived by motorbike much to the amusement of the security at our campsite and also the officials at the national park. We got there paid the 40USD park entrance and the 10USD for the vehicle and driver. The guy wasn't lying, we actually had the presidential vehicle all to ourselves for a morning safari in the national park!

Presidential Vehicle

We were driving for about 15 minutes through the park and so far hadn't seen any animals. I was starting to think this was the catch and then we spotted a lion! Our guide knew what he was doing and had gone specifically to where he knew the lions would be. One of the lions came quite close to our vehicle which made for some great photos. 

A lion a few meters from our vehicle

Same lion, different view

After an hour or so watching the lions more tourists started to arrive. At some point the lions got curious and decided to investigate the cars.

A lion investigating one of the other vehicles

As it started to get crowded with tourists our guide suggested we leave the lions and go further. Next we came across a Rhino. This guy kept his distance from us so I didn't get a particularly great photo.

Rhino in Nairobi National Park

Camping in Nairobi

Originally we planned to travel south from Addis Ababa overland to Kenya but due to a combination of people advising us against it and a lack of time we decided to fly. The project we were working on in Tanzania was starting sooner than expected and while it was in Tanzania it was only a 6 hour bus ride from Nairobi. As we flew down we had a few days to spare so we decided to spend the time camping in Karen close to the Nairobi National Park.


After the time in Addis Ababa, Nairobi was a surprise, everyone speaks English and the city is very similar to most European cities although with an increased additional security presence. For the original overland trip from Ethiopia I had got the lightest 2 person tent that I could find in Dublin or London. Camping in Nairobi would be our first time to use it, the problem was our rucksacks were bigger than the tent. Luckily we were staying at a campsite so we were able to store our luggage securely inside.

Worlds Smallest Tent

Most people staying at the campsite had their own transport and the rare few who didn't took taxis everywhere. We planned on taking local transport but it took sometime to convince the staff at the campsite to explain where we could find the local buses (known as matatus). They got commission for the taxis and organised but none for public transport! The busses in Kenya are called Matatus, small Toyota hiaces that stop anywhere along the road to drop-off and pickup passengers. A typical journey costs about 20 shillings which is about 20cent. The other alternative to taxis is motorbike taxis, these are cheap, available on almost every corner and great at getting through Nairobi's traffic.

We spent a few days traveling around using a combination of both Matatus and moto-taxis. The first stop was the Giraffe center, a non-profit organization started in 1979 in an effort to save the endangered Rothschild Giraffe of which there were only 130 left in the wild. Today the population in Kenya is 300. The giraffe centre has a feeding platform where you can get close to the Giraffes.

Giraffe Centre at Nairobi National Park

Next stop was the elephant orphanage, getting here by matatu was more difficult. We took a matatu to the one of the park gates and from here we had to walk through the park to the sanctuary. The walk was great as we passed lots of baboons on the way, although later when we were at the park and there was a lion nearby it was a little worrying.

Baboons on the way to the orphanage

The orphanage is run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and open daily to tourists for one hour. I spent a few days volunteering at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand a few years back, during which time I was taking care of an elephant, getting up at 4am to feed and wash him. I had never seen African Elephants before nor had I seen so many baby elephants in one place!

Baby Elephant drinking

Elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Roadkill

Shortly after getting to Cusco the idea of hiring motorbikes was raised by Anna and Dave. I have to admit I was slightly apprehensive about this idea. After participating in the un-organized chaos that is the Peruvian road transport system on numerous occasions - in taxis, death buses and by foot - the thoughts of entering this death-dance on something as un-protected as a motorbike were disconcerting to say the least. Based on these observations, and some not so wild extrapolation, motorcyclists appeared to stand in the pecking order of road users slightly above road kill and just below potholes in the list of road objects for motorists to avoid running over. 
In the interests of excitement and mindless disregard for safety I decided I would go along with the other two and participate in the case study “Does your holiday insurance cover the repatriation of your disfigured remains to Ireland?”. So we went to some fly-by-night bike rental shop. Went in, sat down and answered the questions: Do you have experience with motorbikes? Do you have motorbike licenses? Do you know how to use motorbikes with gears? When was the last time you were on a motorbike? Needless to say we lied to all and any questions. She cautioned us at one stage that in every group that comes in looking for bikes there is always one or two that lie about having experience. We were exceptional in this regard as all of us were lying about our experience. 
Sometimes it was hard to keep up with all the lies that were slithering out between our lips. Anything just to get to the part where you sign away your life and get the keys to the bikes. After all the lies and the signing we asked if we could get some lessons before heading off. Even the bike rental lady had to laugh at that – she was a really nice lady I have to say, and genuinely concerned for a our safety; her concern for it was only equaled by our reckless disregard for same. So we arrived the next morning and got set up with our bikes (brand new 250cc Honda dirt bikes) and received our complementary training. 5 minutes later we hit off, the three of us making lines up the road like a drunk trying to walk straight. Sure what’s the worst that could happen?

Ready to go!

We had a map of a tourist route that seemed to lead us along the main roads stopping off at various ruins along the way. However at the first major junction that we came on we took the wrong turn and didn’t realize it until a few miles later.

This is a genuine photo we weren't actually posing for it!

This turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us as we noticed that there were some mountain biking routes suggested on the map near to where we got lost. So we hit off up some gravel road not quite sure where it was going to lead us. Shortly along this route Anna and Dave noticed a random dirt track. It was little more than a track up a mountain. At this point we had no map to guide us so hitting off up a dirt road into the middle of nowhere seemed like a bad idea. So we took this dirt track route. Dave and I hit off up the mountain ahead of Anna. A few minutes later we noticed that Anna was no longer with us. So we stopped and waited. And waited. Still no sign of Anna. So at this point we thought she was done for and that there wasn’t much point going back to look for her as she was most likely kidnapped. However we thought if we were able to salvage her bike we would be able to get our deposits back at least. So we went back down the track and found the bike just after a muddy section of the road on a corner. Anna was there too, albeit looking slightly disheveled and muddy. It turned out that as Anna was navigating the corner, the road just came up and hit her, destroying her brand new jeans in mud and bending the front brake lever into a hoop. Eternally optimistic, Anna considered this a result given the circumstances.

Broken brake lever

I'm sure they're here somewhere!

The road also stole her expensive sunglasses as well. Figuring that this was our spot of bad luck over for the day we hit off again up the mountain with a renewed sense of vigor. Adventure was waiting and we would not stand her up. Not this day.

We spent the next few hours riding through fields and through dusty, seemingly abandoned villages. We stopped frequently to take photos and to get directions from farmers. The people up here were not used to seeing tourists so they were very eager to talk to us and laugh at us when we showed them our map and intended destination. 

Friendly local farmers

The scenery up there in the foothills of the Andes was nothing short of breathtaking. Literally every 10 minutes we had to stop just to take it all in. Rolling hills met with fluorescent-blue lakes which lapped at the sides of snowcapped peaks.

Snowcapped peaks

I became tired of taking photos as some points as it didn’t have the capacity to capture the beauty of the place. There are beautiful places in Ireland and it is often referred to as an incredibly scenic place. But the sheer vastness and loneliness of this place could not be matched by anywhere in Ireland. I felt a sense of freedom up here that I’ve haven’t had probably since I was kid where it was always easy to think you were on an adventure even when just a mile from home up the fields. 

Scenic landscapes

Eventually the adventure had to come to an end and we had to start figuring out how we were going to fix Anna’s bike. We had called into a few mechanics while touring the countryside but none of them had a part to replace the brake handle with. Eventually one of them told us to try the main Honda dealers in Cusco when we got back. They also confirmed, as we suspected, that the bike rental company would shaft us for the damage when we got back even though it was just a 20 dollar replacement part. So we set off in search of the Honda dealer. Of course we left it til the last minute which meant we were riding around Cusco at night trying to find this place with very little idea of where it was. I ended up losing Dave and Anna and had no way to contact them so I had to try and make it back to the bike rental place by myself. By pure fluke I found it and was met at the door by the lady who rented us the bikes – we were over an hour late at this stage and she thought we had been killed. She enquired as to the whereabouts of my riding companions. I told them that there were lost but that they would be here in a few minutes – how I knew this given that they were supposedly lost did not seem to occur to her. I couldn’t tell her that they were riding around looking for a garage to buy parts to fix her bike. So a half hour later Dave and Anna arrived back with two perfect bikes and we got our deposit back. Turns out they found the Honda garage but it had just closed. But they seen the guy locking up and told them the story about the bike and he opened up and got them the part for the brake handle. He even fitted it for them. Fitting end to a good day.