Kenya - In the land of the Big 5 2024/2025

Foreword:

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love African countries. And so I'm travelling to the African mainland again over Christmas and New Year's Eve - to Kenya, the East African country on the Indian Ocean, together with Heike!

Not only the big African elephants, rhinos, big cats of all kinds - Kenya has a lot to offer in terms of wildlife.

Neither in Uganda nor in Tanzania was I lucky enough to see rhinos, cheetahs or leopards. Let's see how lucky we'll be this time.

But the underwater world is also said to be impressive. We have heard and read that between December and February, with a bit of luck, whale sharks and perhaps even humpback whales can be seen. There are also rumoured to be schools of dolphins and turtles.

It will be interesting to see what adventures we will have in the African bush and underwater.

Journey

As the S-Bahn was once again closed, a good friend drove me to the airport at five in the morning.

Checking in was no problem, but when I asked if there were better seats, I was told no. It was the start of the holidays and the plane was already overbooked. After the security check, I went to the lounge, had a leisurely breakfast and spoke to my family on the phone.
Boarding started on time.
After about five hours, I landed in Doha. After finding out which gate the second flight would be departing from, I went to the Silver Lounge and spent two hours there.
Heike wanted to stretch her legs, which I could understand, but with my heavy photo backpack it was too much for me.
We met up later at the gate and flew on to Nairobi together. We landed there 20 minutes earlier than planned.
After we had passed through passport control, we collected our suitcases and went to the exit.

We were met there by James, who took us to our accommodation 'Kazuri Safari Camp' https://rhinowatchlodge.com/kazuri-safari-camp. It started to rain on the way there.

We were greeted with huge umbrellas and fresh pineapple juice.
After we were asked what we were having for breakfast, we were taken to our tent. We were thrilled, everyone had their own four-poster bed and there was even a hot water bottle.
Exhausted but happy to have arrived, we fell into bed.

Day 1 Up close to the giraffes

The night was short but good. We had a leisurely breakfast and at around nine o'clock we were picked up by Isaac, our driver for the coming week, and left Nairobi in the direction of the Kenyan highlands.

After a good two and a half hours, we stopped at the Chacka Fish Market. Here I bought rice and beans for my photo bags, which I need so that I can position my camera well during the safari tours. My mum had sewn them for me before the trip. Afterwards, Heike and I strolled around the market, danced with the locals and I took some photos.

Finally, we drove for about half an hour until we reached the Rhino Watch Safari Lodge https://rhinowatchlodge.com. We received a friendly welcome. We were shown our tent and then lunch was served.

Strengthened, we made our way to a small, private reserve in the afternoon. Kelly, our guide, introduced himself on site. We set off on foot to look out for giraffes, zebras, leopards and antelopes. It wasn't long before we spotted the first 'impala', a type of antelope that is common in eastern and south-eastern Africa. A little further on, we spotted a young male giraffe. We asked why he was alone and Kelly explained that he had lost the fight for the herd and had been rejected. However, he was now ready to fight again for his place as boss of a herd of almost 20 giraffes. We crept up very close, observed and photographed the magnificent fellow.

Then we continued on foot and came across two smaller herds of zebras. Here, too, he told us that there are two species in Kenya, one with narrow stripes and one with thicker stripes. There was also a baby zebra, about five months old. Then Kelly told us to wait and he disappeared into the bush to guide the herd of giraffes to the meadow. That went really well. We were able to get very close to a herd of 21 giraffes, crawling to within three metres of them.

We also learnt that the males darken with age and the females lighten in colour. They also differ in their horns. In females they are soft and fluffy, in males they grow from the age of seven. They are firm and made of bone.

As we had been in the bush longer than planned, Isaac picked us up by car and we said goodbye to Kelly.

Back at the lodge, we rested in our tent, I charged my batteries and transferred the photos to the external hard drive. We then ordered a local beer and enjoyed the evening in the bar.

Day 2 Coffee and colobus monkeys

Today we were able to sleep in, have breakfast in peace and take a closer look at the Rhino Safari Lodge grounds. For those who want to relax, there are also some chalets, a spa area and a fitness room. But where was the pool that is advertised so highly? We didn't discover it during our tour. We asked and the staff explained to us that there was another restaurant on the hill behind the lodge, where the pool is also located.

We met up with Isaac at the jeep at around 10am and drove about a quarter of an hour to the Kimathi Coffee plantation. This is one of three areas of the Dean Kimathi University. Here we were shown how coffee is grown, from the seedling to the finished bean. Only Arabica coffee is grown there. But four varieties! The seedlings are even sold to local farmers due to their excellent quality. An employee of the university explained and showed us how the different qualities are categorised. Finally, we were also allowed to test and brew coffee ourselves.

We then travelled half an hour to the Trout Tree Restaurant. Here we ate a fresh trout.

Afterwards, we took a short walk to the colobus monkeys. There we observed and photographed a larger group with a small baby.

We returned to our lodge in the late afternoon. Isaac kindly drove us up the hill where we were able to inspect the restaurant with its panoramic view and pool.

We spent another cosy evening in the bar.

Day 3 Aberdare National Park

At seven o'clock we met Isaac at the jeep and drove to Aberdare National Park, which is about a quarter of an hour away. Unfortunately, nobody was there. The lady in charge was still in town. So we turned round and picked her up. Back at the entrance, we paid and drove off.

The national park impresses with its landscape. So much forest and vastness, it's simply beautiful. It's not for nothing that the park is known for its leopards and elephants, which we went in search of. The weather matched this. The sun was shining and there was always blue sky between the clouds, so we also had a beautiful view of Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa.

Isaac and we kept an eye out for the leopard, as it should be doing its rounds at the edge of the path when the sun is shining. But instead of him, we came across a group of hyenas.

Next we saw some bamboos sitting in the trees and eating on the ground.

Then the first water buffalo, but they were a bit shy. They quickly moved into the thicket. After about an hour we saw the first elephant. It was a bull about five years old, travelling alone. He walked a little ahead of us and eventually disappeared into the green bush.

The weather was constantly changing, with the sun constantly peeking out from behind the clouds, but occasionally breaking through again. Isaac told us that elephants drink around 200 litres a day, eat 300 kilos, pee 20 litres and walk between 70-100 kilometres.

And then suddenly: a herd of 12 elephants with a two-week-old baby appeared in front of us, marching along the path in front of us - for over an hour, believe it or not. Every now and then one of the larger ones thought he had to give us clear instructions, but then turned round and ran after his herd. We saw them wallowing in the mud, eating, arguing and eating. But we just couldn't get past them, so we drove closer and closer until one of the bulls came running towards us and stopped in front of our jeep. But then he turned round again and ran on with his group for a while until they hid in the thicket.

We had now reached an altitude of around 2,900 metres above sea level. Elephants can normally be found up to around 2,700 metres. We took a short break and went to a waterfall. We then drove a little further and found the 'Blue Monkeys'.

We had lunch at another waterfall, which is also known as the Queen Elisabeth Waterfall, as the Queen was here in 1952 and was bathing in the cave when she learnt that her father had died.

On the way back, we continued to look out for animals. But apart from a water buffalo, the babooms and another hyena, we didn't spot anything else. The leopard just wouldn't come out today.

After more than 9 hours, we returned to our accommodation, freshened up, organised our things for tomorrow and reviewed our first day on safari.

4. Day Christmas Eve - Up close to the rhinos

Our alarm clock rang before sunrise. We met Isaac at the car at six o'clock. He had already been at work with the mechanic since five o'clock because the brakes squeaked so loudly the day before that I thought it would scare the animals.

When we wanted to set off half an hour later, we didn't even make it to the exit of our lodge because the squealing was exactly the same as the day before. Isaac wanted to set off anyway, but I intervened. There's no point in the animals running off. I was also annoyed that we couldn't leave at six o'clock - there is always the best light in the morning. We swapped cars, unfortunately the brakes on the other one also squeaked, but not as much and we had no choice but to finally set off with him.

An hour later than planned, we reached the 'Solio Reserve'. This is known for its protection of black and white rhinos. The reserve is also home to lions, water buffalo, impala, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, leopards and other big game.

We saw the first rhinos relatively early. Unfortunately it was foggy, but somehow it also created a mystical atmosphere. But gradually the sun broke through and the weather improved.

When we came to a waterhole, we met the ambassador of the reserve, who is also a good friend of Isaac. Which was lucky for us, because we were allowed to get out and stalk the rhinos. This only worked to a limited extent, so the friend took me to one side, I sneaked after him and we then lay down in the grass and waited. And sure enough, the rhinos came within seven metres of us. But they are very skittish as they can't see very well but can hear very well and the picture I had in my head didn't quite work out. We spent over an hour there. Nevertheless, I was mega happy and also pleased with the photos I got.

We then drove on and looked for the lions, but unfortunately without success. Instead, we saw a few other animal species.We spent our lunch with a good friend of Isaac's who communicates with the rangers.This gave us a tip as to where the lions might be. So we set off again after lunch.But it started to rain and it got really muddy and wet.Not the weather for big cats, they all hid under the bushes. As we were on our way back, I saw a small lion cub scurrying into a bush. We waited patiently for quite a while, but neither the lion cub nor its mother came out. Shortly before the end, we came across another couple of rhinos.

Day 5 At the equator and in Lake Nakuru National Park

After a good night's sleep, we started our onward journey through Kenya. After a good hour and a half's drive, we reached the equator. Here we took a short break and continued towards Nakuru.

There we checked into our lodge https://www.lakenakurulodge.com, which is located directly in the national park 'Lake Nakuru NP'. We were given a room with a view of the lake and the park.

Lake Nakuru National Park covers an area of around 188 square kilometres.

In the afternoon, we set off on our game drive. This national park is known for its dwarf flamingos, but this is no longer the case.

We drove to the lake to look for and photograph them. There were a few there, but unfortunately not as many as we had seen in pictures. Isaac explained to us that the lake has increased in size, from 40 to 68 square kilometres, and has risen accordingly. One of the causes is climate change. Unfortunately, the lesser flamingos were looking for new lakes and only a fraction remained. At the lake, however, we also saw a flock of pelicans and several other bird species.

We continued our search for lions, leopards and other animals. Isaac heard over the radio that a sleeping male lion had been spotted by the roadside. We drove there. But all hell broke loose and as he was asleep and there were too many cars, we decided to drive on. On our game drive we saw various bird species, including two types of eagle and a falcon. Of course, we couldn't miss the water buffalo, red-shielded giraffe, zebra, impala and other antelope species.

Unfortunately, the sky darkened and at some point it started to pour with rain again, so we drove back to the lodge.

Day 6 Early morning drive and on the way to the Maasai Mara

We were down at the lake before sunrise to photograph the few lesser flamingos that remained. And we were lucky. There was a small group relatively close to the shore. The sunrise first turned purple and then turned a beautiful yellow-orange colour, perfect for taking photos and capturing the beautiful atmosphere. What's more, we were completely alone down there for over half an hour before the next safari cars arrived. We also spotted a few hippos appearing in the lake and, once again, a whole host of pelicans. Actually, the park should be better known for the pelicans than the flamingos.

After the sunrise was over, we drove on through the bush in search of interesting animals. In the middle of the path, we came across two jackals that walked right past our jeep. A little further on, a Masai giraffe just stood in the middle of the path and wouldn't budge, which pleased us. So we were able to observe and photograph them and their colleagues standing in the bush. A few bird species also came into view.

Our search for the cats of prey was unsuccessful for the time being, which is why we drove along the lake again. We were able to capture a few more flamingos with our cameras.

But then it was reported on the radio that a leopard had been spotted. Isaac: 'Leopard, go go'. He stepped on the gas and reversed, because we were on a narrow track where we couldn't turn round. At the other end, he turned round and drove towards the leopard. Unfortunately, there were already a few other jeeps there and the leopard was in the back of a tree with its prey, so I could only see it with my telephoto lens and the others with binoculars. We didn't get a really useful picture, but at least we had a photo to prove it.

We then left the park, had breakfast and drove about five hours to the Maasai area.

We were welcomed at our new accommodation, the 'Mara Big Five Camp' https://mara-big-five.com, with a traditional Maasai dance and song. Our tent was once again unique. We were also told that we were not allowed to walk around alone in the evening, at night and in the morning, as hippos, leopards and elephants often come to the camp.

We had another super good meal for lunch. There was always plenty of choice for vegetarians too, regardless of the accommodation.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in and around the pool and the evening in the restaurant and bar.

Day 7 Massai Mara - The cats are on the loose

Just in time for sunrise, we drove to the world-famous Maasai Mara. This national park belongs to the Maasai and covers almost 15,000 square kilometres. It is also famous for its big cats. Apparently, only five rhinos live there. Will we find one, we wondered?

We watched the sunrise in peace. Some hot air balloons took off and we watched them. Behind us, Heike spotted three elephants doing their morning rounds.

New sightings were constantly being relayed over the radio. This time it was a cheetah. When we got there, 34 jeeps were standing around the cheetah, which was sitting proudly on a small rock and looking around at its leisure. At some point it ran off and all the jeeps followed.

The radio said that two male lions were sleeping on the side of the road. We drove over and spotted them. We got within three metres of them. But there wasn't much to photograph as they were asleep. So we decided to have breakfast first. We looked for a spot under a tree a little away from the lions. Breakfast in the savannah, that's something. On the way back we passed the two lion brothers again. This time they occasionally looked to see if there was anything interesting or yawned. I was able to take a few nice pictures.

Meanwhile, Isaac had received a new tip-off that five cheetahs had been spotted a little further on. Of course, it would be great if we could see them. After a while we arrived and indeed, hidden behind some bushes in the tall grass, we spotted two. But they didn't do much for the time being. Suddenly a cheetah jumped onto the path and chased something. It was a jackal, but it managed to escape. The other cheetahs had followed the first one and so we actually had five in the middle of the path. We were also joined by a few jeeps, but far fewer than the first one. And then it happened: a rancher of all people ended up in the ditch and the cheetahs disappeared hungrily into the bush, as there was shade there. A hunt like this can be exhausting.

We drove around further, saw bouquets, other bird species and then, between some jeeps, there were four lions running through without being disturbed. It was difficult to take really nice photos in this situation because either there were jeeps in the way, the grass was too high or the animals were running in a different direction. So we continued our search. We spotted another pride of lions, this time with babies. Unfortunately, they were too far away.

Isaac asked us if we would like to see hippos and crocodiles, we discussed it and so we drove for over an hour through the steppe of the Maasai Mara, past hundreds of elephants until we arrived at the Mara River. Here the hippos and crocodiles cooled off.

Afterwards, we looked for a shady spot again and ate our packed lunch. A few bird species came to visit.

On the way back, we kept coming across large and small herds of elephants. But we didn't see any more lions, leopards or cheetahs. After more than 12 hours on safari, we returned to camp.

Day 8 Massai Mara - Last Safari Day

Once again we set off before sunrise for our last safari in Kenya. Isaac drove to the cheetah that was lying in the grass near the entrance last night. And indeed, we were able to observe the cheetah as it ran across the road into the tall grass. Apart from us, there were only two other jeeps in the vicinity. The big cat was on the lookout because he wanted to hunt. But there wasn't too much 'food' so he kept trying to stalk a herd. We followed in the jeeps, sometimes with a nice evening stand. But the cheetah had no interest in us and even walked right in front of and past our jeeps. We could have stroked him from the car, he was so close. The warm sunlight was perfect and Isaac kept trying to find the right positions for special perspectives, which mostly worked. Gradually, however, more and more jeeps arrived and the cheetah was unsuccessful in its hunt.

After more than an hour, Isaac decided to leave him alone and drive to a couple of lions he had heard about on the radio. But there were already many jeeps on the spot. As we got closer, we saw a large male lion, about 10-15 years old, between the cars. Suddenly he was standing next to us. It was fantastic to see the king of the animals so close. We followed him for a while. At a certain distance, he had a view of his family, which consisted of five female lions and seven baby lions. We followed them too, and they kept passing between and next to the jeeps. It was the same group of lions we had seen the day before. Isaac said that they still hadn't eaten and were very exhausted. They were actually on their way to a herd of buffalo, but a river was blocking their path, so they were resting in the shade of a bush. We left because there was simply far too much going on.

On the way to more lions, we passed the cheetah we had seen in the morning. In the meantime, he had snatched something and was calmly eating his prey. There were so many jeeps around him that we didn't even try to get there. We drove on. There wasn't too much going on with the other lions, they were hunting, pushing further and further into the bush, so we couldn't be there as it is forbidden to drive too far in. If you are caught by the ranger, the driver has to pay $100 immediately. If he is unable to do so, he is not allowed to enter the Maasai Mara at all. Of course, we didn't want that and we looked for a place under a tree nearby to have breakfast.

We then drove on, saw an elephant, spotted other small animals, birds and, after about an hour's drive, three sleeping male lions. Although there was no other car here at first, it was impossible to take any photos as they were lying in the tall grass.

So we set off in search of more cats. There were hardly any reports on the radio, but a friend of Isaac's tipped us off that there were two lions having sex. We sped off, but by the time we arrived, the show was already over. Instead, we found another cheetah that was feeding and there were only two jepps here.

It was now early afternoon and we were getting hungry. So we looked for a shady spot again and had lunch.

We then drove back to the 'main area', as a leopard had been spotted here in the morning. But when we arrived, there was no leopard in sight. Isaac suddenly raced off, we didn't know what he was up to. When we got to the riverbank and wanted to cross to the other side, he said: 'Shit, there's a leopard over there and hardly any cars'. But we didn't get across. We were all a bit disappointed and made our way back. We wanted to stop by the big lion family again, but a friend of Isaac's told us that the rangers had sent all the jeeps away because the lions had gone to sleep in the tall grass.

We stopped by another group of six lions who were also sleeping. But we waited, enjoying the sunset. Just before we were about to drive on, there was some movement in the pride. They woke up. Two of the lions had spotted a topi antelope and were stalking it. But other jeeps took no notice and so it stayed that way and the lions gave up. However, as the lions were standing right in front of our jeep again, it was a perfect ending, even if the leopard had not shown itself.

At the camp we were once again served a great dinner and as a surprise all the staff wore their Maasai outfits and danced two traditional dances for us. One was the welcome dance and the other a competition dance. And we danced along. When I asked Ben afterwards if I could still take photos tomorrow, he promised. He also told us something about the Maasai tradition. For example, that the men mainly only wear red, the women all colours, and that they used to live mainly on the blood of pigs, milk and meat. Today, of course, things are different.

Exhausted, we fell into bed and quickly fell asleep.

Day 9 Photo shoot and train journey

As promised, I was allowed to take photos of the crew in their traditional costumes after breakfast. They and I had a lot of fun. I promised to send them the photos as soon as I got back to Germany.

They all came to the jeep and said goodbye to us.

We travelled just under five hours to Nairobi. At the railway station, Isaac bought us our tickets, we thanked him and said goodbye.

We had to go through a few security checks at the station, more than at an airport.

We then had lunch and waited in the '1st class area' until the train arrived. Almost a thousand people got off here. Then it was our turn. Everything went smoothly without any jostling and we set off just four minutes late. Germany can take this as an example of how easily everything can run.

The train route took us through two national parks. We saw elephants, zebras and antelopes.

The first-class compartment is simple but clean. Staff come by all the time and tidy up. But it's not quiet, because children in particular are busy with their smartphones or tablets.

After almost five hours of travelling, we arrived in Mombasa. Everyone was standing at the exit with their name badges. We couldn't find ours at first, but then a member of staff from the Coconut Beach Resort https://coconut-beach-lodge.com arrived. We drove about an hour to Tiwibeach to our last accommodation.

There we were greeted with a fresh coconut. After a few formalities, we were shown to our room, which was very old and basic. Unfortunately, the internet doesn't work very well, so we fell into bed exhausted after the long journey.

Day 10 Streetlife and Beachtime

We had breakfast right on the beach and thought about what we could do today. We decided to take a tuck-tuck to the next larger town, Ukunda Town, to buy some fruit and water. Marry from reception ordered us a vehicle. The driver was very friendly and after about 20 minutes we reached 'Ukunda Town'. Instead of just letting us out, he parked his tuck tuck and accompanied us. We were delighted, of course. We walked through a market together and passed various workshops. Here I could really let off steam photographically.

The kids kept asking for 'tweets'. So we bought a packet of sweets for the equivalent of one euro and handed them out to the kids. As a thank you, I was allowed to take photos. The kids really enjoyed it.

By now it had become really hot, as the midday sun was really beating down, so we drove back again. We thanked our driver and went to the beach first. It was nice there in the shade with a sea breeze and so we spent the whole afternoon.

Later, we popped into the diving centre, set up our equipment and I later set up my underwater camera. Because tomorrow it's finally time to dive again!

Day 11 - First day of diving

At seven o'clock we met Nair, our diving instructor, at the diving centre. We checked our equipment, changed and then took the boat about five minutes out to the house reef 'Tiwi Wall'. Nair gave us a short briefing. We then got ready, rolled backwards into the water and dived down to 19 metres. We saw a few scorpionfish, a clownfish in an anemone and some schools of fish. I didn't take many photos as the visibility was only about 10 metres and there was far too much plankton and sand swirling through the water. After 53 minutes, we made our way back up to the surface and made our three-minute juice stop at five metres.

We had some fruit on board for refreshment, but Heike felt sick for a short time, so she couldn't enjoy the dolphins that came by.

After the break, Nair briefed us again and we drove another five minutes to the second dive spot 'Mawela'. We hoped to meet the dolphins or a whale shark that had been seen there only last week. But the visibility was even worse and apart from a small turtle in the distance, we unfortunately didn't see much. After 52 minutes, the last dive of 2024 was over. The reef itself wasn't exactly beautiful either, so I was a little disappointed with the two dives.

Back at the diving centre, we washed our clothes, ate our belated breakfast and discussed the next few days with Nair.

Heike and I spent the afternoon on the beach.

In the evening, there was a buffet dinner in the beach restaurant. Afterwards, a few guests and we went to the beach bar and danced in the sand into the new year and left 2024!

Day 12 Diving in the new year

The night was short. As agreed, we met Nair at the dive centre at seven o'clock. But who wasn't there? Our skipper. Nair kept trying to reach him, but his mobile phone was off. So we sat at the breakfast table, had a coffee and a snack.

After an hour, Mohammed, our skipper, finally turned up. As we had already prepared everything, he and his two helpers loaded everything onto the boat and we travelled for about half an hour until we arrived at the first dive site 'Alpha Fungus Wreck'. The boat was moored to a buoy and, just like yesterday, we rolled backwards into the water. Using the buoy's rope, we slowly dived down to almost 27 metres. There was a shipwreck there, which we dived around once. There were some big fish to see and a small nudibranch.

Unfortunately, we only had visibility of around eight metres today too. There was also a current, which meant that we had to make our way back to the surface after just 35 minutes, again with the Safty Stop of course.

This time we took a break on the boat for three quarters of an hour and ate some fresh fruit.

Mohammed then drove to the second dive site, which was very close by.

Visibility was even worse there, but we only dived down to about 16 metres and found two large green sea turtles that let us get very close to them. We also saw another ringed snake eel and a fringed scorpionfish and stayed underwater for just under an hour.

Back at the dive centre, we washed our equipment again, had a snack with Nair and entered today's dives in our logbooks.

A longer nap on the beach and a coffee were not to be missed today.

In the early evening, we walked along the beach with Nair and her little friend Joseph until we came to the Congo River.

However, as we hadn't slept much last night, diving makes you tired and the walk along the beach was a bit tiring, we fell into bed earlier today.

Day 13 A new diving day

Today everyone was on time and so we were able to set off on time for the third day of diving.

It took us 40 minutes to reach Nair's favourite dive site, or so we thought. But when we dived down, we only got to 16 metres. The dive site that Nair was talking about, however, goes down to 30 metres. So we abandoned the dive as there wasn't really anything to see at this point.

We climbed back into the boat and travelled on until we reached the buoy at the Kinondo Reef dive site. I was the first to spot it, so we got ready again. We rolled backwards into the water and dived down to 30 metres using the buoy's rope. Right at the beginning we saw a colourful mantis shrimp. It quickly crawled into its cave but was very curious, so it looked out and I was able to take a nice photo. And then I found a yellow leaf scorpionfish. At first I thought it was a leaf, but when I showed it to Nair, she confirmed it. Later I also found an octopus among the corals, but it seemed very scared and didn't really want to come out. We also saw two blue spotted rays on the first dive. After the juice stop, we surfaced again after 40 minutes.

We were very pleased that we had seen so much. The previous days had been a bit poor in terms of photography. During the break, we ate fresh mango and bananas for refreshment.

The second dive spot was a little further away and was called 'Galu'. The reef was not very deep, but the visibility was better as it was illuminated by the sun. And there we saw some green sea turtles and the hawksbill turtle in different sizes. We also saw two different moray eels. After about 50 minutes, we surfaced again and headed back to the lodge.

We chilled out on our terrace there first. An employee came by and brought us two fresh drinking coconuts.

As the heat was getting to Heike, she spent a few hours in the cool room and I lay down on the beach.

Joseph, Nair's little friend, was also back. Later we all sat together, ate some of the watermelon we'd bought a few days ago and before Nair took Joseph back to the Kongoriver and the tucktuck, I took a few photos of them on the beach.

Day 14 Dolphins, snorkelling and Wasini Island

Today we took a break from diving and booked a snorkelling trip with dolphins in the fifth best marine park in the world. After a leisurely breakfast on the beach, we met at reception at half past seven. Two other guests from the lodge had also booked the tour.

Together we were picked up by Betty and her driver. We met the boss at a bank. I asked again if we could snorkel with dolphins and whale sharks if we saw any. He said no, as it was forbidden by the government. Apparently there used to be too many accidents and the water was too deep. I didn't understand this at first, but later it became clear. However, he said that if we saw any, we would have enough time to take photos. If we were lucky, they would also come to the marine park and then we could snorkel with them. We paid $120 each and then travelled about an hour to the jetty. Here we were joined by a group of seven Hungarians. Everything was fine at first, the crew greeted us in a friendly manner and said we had plenty of time!

When we wanted to start, however, the engine wouldn't start and the boys fiddled around until it did work.

So we chugged off and travelled for a while until we saw more boats in the distance. The crew thought there were dolphins. So we went there too. We saw some there too. But it was worse than on safari, as soon as the dolphins appeared, all the boats were after them. Fortunately, the boats didn't stay long, but it just wasn't nice for photos. I wanted to stay for a while as all the other boats had gone and I wanted to take another chance, but no, we also left 10 minutes later. The others lacked patience and the view as a photographer is simply different. I didn't understand this and was very annoyed, as we had been told at the beginning that we had enough time. It wasn't deep there either, but as there were a lot of boats, I understood that it was too dangerous for snorkelling.

I couldn't convince her to stay and so we drove to the marine park. Here we jumped into the water and started snorkelling. But what I saw was not a nice reef for me, quite bleached out and not good visibility. Definitely not the fifth best marine park for me. Apart from two turtles and two blue-spotted rays, I didn't see anything special. Heike, another snorkeller and I were in the water the longest - unfortunately this also had consequences. Despite wearing sun protection factor 50, we got sunburnt. And we were both still wearing shirts.

We had lunch on the island of Wasini. But it was anything but cosy. The staff quickly brought the food, which wasn't exactly lovely, and cleared everything away faster than we could see. They wanted to call it a day.

I had actually expected something different for the price and was very disappointed, as promises were not kept and not much was on offer. I definitely can't recommend this tour.

Back at our accommodation, we rubbed ourselves down with fresh aloe vera and went to bed early.

Day 15 Kinondo reef

Diving was on the programme again today.

But who wasn't there again? Mohamed. Nair, Heike and I drank a coffee and organised our things.

When Mohamed finally arrived, he and his colleague packed our things onto the boat and we drove to 'Kinondo Reef', as we had enjoyed it so much two days ago. There it was time to roll backwards and dive down.

When we got to 30 metres, we saw three of the colourful mantis shrimps, which were very curious. I was able to take some good pictures again. We then dived a little further up, but always above the reef. Today the visibility was almost 30 metres. Actually perfect for photos. I kept an eye out for an octopus and the yellow scorpion fish. But I didn't find either, instead we saw a few different nudibranchs. The current was really strong again today and so we surfaced again after 42 minutes, including a juice stop.

On board, we ate fresh fruit as usual and took a break of around 45 minutes before diving again on the same reef. However, the visibility changed a lot within this short time and we could only see about eight metres.

On this dive we spotted a crocodile fish that was well camouflaged and again some nudibranchs and a moray eel. After 52 minutes, the third last dive in Kenya was over and we headed back.

We spent the afternoon and early evening relaxing on the beach.

Day 16 Last diving day and African Pool

One last dive was on the programme today, at 'Galu Reef'.

We dived down to 19 metres and today we were greeted by an octopus. He was a bit shy at first, but then came out and played with us a bit. I was able to take a few nice photos here. I am always amazed at how octopuses can adapt to their surroundings.

We also came close to two turtles and a moray eel. As the visibility was good and we weren't diving too deep, we had enough air and were able to stay down for over an hour.

As usual, we took a break on board and ate fresh fruit. After three quarters of an hour, we dived again at the same spot. This time the current was a little stronger, but we again found an octopus, lots of turtles and a colourful mantis shrimp. Again we stayed down for an hour.

Back at the resort, we cleaned everything up, had a snack and then went to the African Pool with some other guests and resort staff. It's called that because it looks like Africa and when the sea recedes, you can swim in it. Almost everyone jumped in, snorkelled and swam in it.

On the way back, we looked for an octopus, because sometimes they say you can spot some. Unfortunately, we had no luck.

On my return, I grabbed my camera and captured the local children bathing. When I handed out sweets, they all came running and wanted me to photograph them even more. They all had fun!

We let the last evening fade away quietly, because tomorrow it's time to pack our bags.

Day 17, last day and departure

I got up before sunrise because I wanted to enjoy it one last time and capture it in my photographs. When I went down to the beach, it was deserted. Nobody was there, not even any staff.

But there wasn't going to be a really colourful sunrise, as the sky was overcast. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the peace and quiet and the view. Heike joined me at some point. I took a few nice photos anyway.

We met Jospeh and Nair at breakfast. Before Nair took her protégé to school, we took a few photos and said goodbye to him.

We spent the morning on the beach, got two fresh coconuts from Idd, an employee (one to drink, one to eat) and took a last dip in the Indian Ocean.

We checked out in the early evening, said thank you and goodbye to everyone and were taken to the airport in Mombasa. We flew with 'Kenya Airline' for an hour to Nairobi. From there we travelled home via Doha. In Doha we went our separate ways, Heike flew to Berlin and I flew to Munich.

It's time to say goodbye to a

wonderful time on safari, Kenya's underwater world and many adorable, lovely people.

Conclusion:

Kenya is a beautiful country. Every national park has its own character. Unfortunately, there is simply too much going on in the Maasai Mara. It was shocking for us how many jeeps were with the animals, so that they could hardly or not at all hunt successfully, as the cars kept chasing away the 'prey' or blocking the view of the big cats. Advantage: There is a guarantee of seeing lions and cheetahs.

Unfortunately, there were only a handful of lesser flamingos left in Lake Nakuru National Park. Due to climate change and the resulting high water levels, they have moved on to other lakes. I would have expected better suggestions/locations for the dwarf flamingo colony from the organiser.

In the Solio Reserve, the rhinos are protected from extinction, which I think is a good thing. This means that their population can improve again.

All the accommodation is excellent, and we particularly liked the Rhino Watch Safari Lodge.

For a tourist safari it is a great tour, unfortunately not focussed enough for photographers, as the car was too loud/defective and in the national parks the tour routes/places were simply driven to instead of focussing fully on the animal photography.

Recommended contact details:

Travel agency: WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS WORLDWIDE https://wildlifeobservationsworldwide.com

Guide Safari: Isaac: ‭+254 722 560 705‬

Accommodation Nairobi: https://rhinowatchlodge.com/kazuri-safari-camp

Accommodation Highlands: https://rhinowatchlodge.com

Accommodation Massai Mara: https://mara-big-five.com/index.php/the-luxury-mara-big-five-camp/

Accommodation Tiwi Beach: https://coconut-beach-lodge.com