Léon and Seyi are practising the selfie to get ready for Kenya!! 😅😅

And these are our preparations before putting everything in suitcases…

From Seyi to Grandma

From Seyi to Grandpa

From Léon

Our journey within the next 2 weeks

Our journey is first of all Seyi’s chance to meet his grandparents from Nigeria for the first time, and we are super grateful to be able to offer him that! 🥰🥰😎

He is so so so excited and only talks about that since January! He can’t wait to give them a hug and speak in Yoruba!

We are super super excited at this point and ready to get going!

Monday we are taking the road to Dublin airport, and after a transit in Amsterdam, we’ll arrive early morning on Tuesday.

We’ll give you more updates along the way with beautiful pics

First Matatu mini van where we squeezed ourselves on a three seaters during 25min waiting for the van to be full

One of the amazing colourful Matatu!

By the time we arrived at the area of Muthurwa market, the streets were buzzing with so many people selling all kind of things on the side, while the roads are owned by matatus and bodas (motorcycles taxis) who manoeuvre themselves in a wild but orchestrated way, and where the pedestrians have to dance around to move forward.

Again, quite the cultural shock for the boys who quickly felt uncomfortable being stared at but enjoyed buzz of the city, crossing the crazy roads, the grilled corn stick, sucking the sweet juice from the sugar cane, and visiting some of the market, where we met the water melon seller we had seen a YouTube video weeks ago.

He was delighted to learn that he is famous throughout the world with a video which has already been watched 150k. 🤩😅

https://youtu.be/83Fds2vlz-A?feature=shared

Finished the day eating delicious

chapati and a massive plate of goat meat from a Somalian restaurant in the Muslim district.

Bolaji went to pick his parents in middle of night from the airport, and it was great to welcome them in the morning with hugs, all of us full of emotions. Seyi could not stop smiling… so beautiful to see…

After a healthy filling breakfast, \240we exchanged beautiful gifts, tried new clothes and jewellery…

While Bolaji, Grandpa and Grandma rested after a night without too much sleep, we played the West African wooden game called Ayo in Yoruba. Thank you Henry and Aunty Nike!!

Seyi showed Grandma how to fold a frog with paper and drew a beautiful snake for Grandpa

And we finished the day by going to the city and eat yummy Ugali made of maize, \240with beef stew, bitter leaves and Tilapia fish.

Another amazing day in beautiful Kenya! We are so grateful!

Stopover at a very fancy Nairobi hotel

Cow skins for sale on the side of road

View on the Great Rift Valley

Great rift valley

Mount Longonot, volcano

We are staying at Jasmine house, stunning Airbnb right by the Lake in the Fisherman’s camp estate.

One of the many glass bottles on the house wall

While waiting for lunch, we started to plan a boat ride on the lake, and suddenly saw thunder and lightning started to appear on the other side of the lake 🤨😨

By the time we sat down for lunch, the thunder was raging, \240the rain was lashing strongly and the lake looked like a sea with many waves.. no boat ride but a delicious meal at the lake restaurant where we admired so many different bird species starting by the African fish eagle… more birds to come tomorrow morning during the boat ride…

Grandpa and Seyi keeping each other warm during the stormy lunch where we moved table 3 times to avoid the crazy rain!

Chapati with Swahili fish cooked with yummy spices and coconut milk

And We managed to see the hippos grazing after sunset.. amazing to see them there right next to us

. Boys were delighted!

Léon is writing his explorer journal

After a nice breakfast at the Fisherman’s camp, \240we finally head out on that promised boat ride, \240which takes us along the shore of the lake for 1h, to see all the many beautiful birds and the bathing hippos…

African fish eagle

Seyi so so happy! “In Kenya everyday is like Friday!”

Paparazzis in action

Grandma is having her best time

Happy Mother and son!

A family of hippos in the water

Hippo opening his mouth

Hippos sunbathing

After the boat ride, \240we hang around the lake for a while and managed to catch a family of monkeys playing around and a few more birds, while Grandma showed us some tough negotiating tips and even impressed the two ladies who were negotiating with her!

Monkey was playing around the bathroom while I was doing my business! 😆

The blue sterling

More to come with an afternoon on bike safari in the Hell’s Gate national park!

16km cycled altogether, with a perfect weather, cloudy, not too hot, some sun, and just a bit of thunder heard far away to finish the afternoon!

According to our guide, the national park takes its name from an old story of the Masai, when a volcano erupted and killed, burnt and buried many Masai people, which was like like Hell.

https://www.kws.go.ke/content/hells-gate-national-park

Our Masai guide told us so many other Masai stories during the bike safari. For example, a lady who was going to get married and was told to go somewhere but not look back, \240and when she arrived in the middle of park, she looked back and disappeared, while the Masai people believe she turned into a massive rock which is also called the Fischer tower.

The Fischer tower or the lady

Can also do rock climbing on the tower

We spotted a lot of zebras, a warthog family, a big group of buffalos crossing in front of us, different types of antelopes, some gazelles, some giraffes, an ostrich… and even a cheetah came close to our bikes 🤨😮😉😆

Amazing day altogether!!

Pausing with the Masai cows

Father and son!

Happy Grandpa and his grandsons

The sacred Ibis bird

Attempt at catching a beautiful lovebird

All the diverse birds of Lake Naivasha

A Masai cow just after giving birth

After arriving in our new Airbnb appartment, very fancy and modern with babyfoot and pool table, we went to the Nairobi national museum to learn more about the Kenya history, and see a snake park. Grandma stayed behind to rest, and Grandpa came with us!

All the birds we saw at the Lake

The beautiful sterling

The African Fish eagle

The Lovebird

We head out to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage which rescued and take care of orphans elephants from anywhere in Kenya, due to drought, human conflicts or human taking over elephants land, poaching. They currently have 24 elephants and 2 rhinos, \240between the age of 15months and 2 years and half.

They take care of them until about 4years old and then take them to a national park where they mix with other elephant families and return to the wild.

For the afternoon, we came back to our Airbnb appartment where the boys try the swimming pool, play some babyfoot and we enjoy the last moments together with Grandpa and Grandma.

And in the evening, \240we try the famous Carnivore restaurant where they serve a buffet of all kind of barbecued meat, also called traditionally Nyama Choma.

Meats are roasted on traditional maasai swords over a huge charcoal pit that dominates the restaurant's entrance.

Dawa means medicine in Maasai and he is the doctor giving us our cocktail of vodka, lime and honey!

The carvers and waiters move from table to table, with swords laden carving juicy cuts onto sizzling cast-iron plates, serving chicken, ostrich, crocodile, turkey, pork, \240beef and lamp… with different yummy sauces.

Crocodile meat

Turkey being carved from the sword

We are wishing a safe journey for Grandpa and Grandma to Nigeria.. and hope we meet them soon again. ❤️

Tomorrow we are heading to Maasai Mara, our guide is picking us up at 7.30am. Not sure if we will have wifi there so be patient with next few updates.

The journey takes us above and through the rift valley, not far again from Mont Longonot.

In the safari van with views of the rift valley in background

Seyi and Léon delighted!

One of the many monkeys seen on the side of the road

After 3hrs of smooth riding on a nice road, we start the Maasai Mara tracks which will take us via Narok, along all the Maasai conservancies and all the way until our camp in the middle of the reserve.

A very interesting and bumpy track for 3/4hrs! 🤪😆

With animals seen along the way…

And we finally arrive at Olgatuni Camp in the middle of the reserve, an incredible nature camp without fences in the bushes, \240where a leopard can sometimes be seen, hippos pass through the night, hyenas laugh around in the dark, and is filled by beautiful and so diverse bird songs!

Our lunch outside in the bushes

After lunch, checking in our tent and a quick rest we go on our first game ride in the same safari van which took us there.

The landscapes are just stunning, we see a first group of elephants straight outside the camp, a lot of gazelles and antilopes, one lioness resting on top of a termite mount, some hyenas…

Incredible first day in Maasai Mara!

Right when we left the camp, the van had a breakdown so the driver left us at the camp for 3hrs while he went to fix the van in the nearest town.

To kill the time, and distract the boys from their disappointment, we asked the camp security to take us to see the hippos by the river. I thought it was gonna be a few minutes around the camp and then back safely, \240but we went out walking in the wild savannah for 30 to 40min, and I personally got a bit scared by all the sounds, and the unknown behind us 🤨😮

We saw a few hippos, a baboon on top of a tree and 2 big crocodiles!

Thanks to Mac and Robert for guiding us through the wilderness

We set out again around 10am in direction to the Mara river. The Mara river is the main river where 1.5millions of wildebeest (gnous) about 300000 of zebras and antelopes are crossing each year as part of their great migration between Serengeti park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara. This migration normally happens in July/August before the same animals cross back to Serengeti in November/December.

They follow the thunderstorm and lightning and move depending of the rains so they have grass to graze.

This year, they are late, and today was our lucky day! Our driver was as excited as us as it is very rare to see the crossing!

The wildebeest are gathering on the other side, waiting for the bravest to do the first step

On our side, all the safari vans and land cruisers are gathering!

A beautiful elephant family while we wait…

And it has started…

Of course, it is the race of their life and natural selection happens during that crossing, between the crocodiles waiting for their dinner, the water currents, the animals running against each other, \240many will not make it.

2nd group waiting for another brave one to restart the flow

After the incredible sight of the migration, our driver and us can relax to try to find some other animals, but no big predators today, they are all hiding from the sun.

Hyenas passing

Group of Impalas

Same group of Impalas

Fire pit outside the camp cantine

Another incredible day in Maasai Mara!

The boys are singing, been up since 5.30am!

Sunrise on Maasai Mara

A hippo finishing his nightly grass grazing

After 1h drive to get to the other side of the reserve, which is 1,510 km2 large, we get to an area where there are a lot more wildlife, but also lot more safari vehicles driving around. The drivers help each other via radio to advise where certain animals have been spotted.

Cheetah enjoying a nap in the sun

Checking a few antilopes or warthogs moving around

Mummy elephant with her baby

A big male lion eating his kill

Zebras looking at the lion, wondering if they are gonna be next meal

Giraffes above the trees where everyone is trying to find a leopard

A couple of ostriches on the move

A male lion taking a nap in the shadow of the bushes

Our safari van!

Lunch by the acacia tree while all the animals are napping, or is a leopard in the tree?!

We are in Tanzania!!! 🇹🇿😎

A croco in the Mara river

Dinner in the bush camp!

After an amazing day where we saw 5000 wildebeests, 1000 zebras, 4 ostriches, 400 antilopes, 400 impalas, 200 topis, 1000 gazelles, 4 crocodiles, 2 big lezards, 30 vultures, 2 hyenas, 6 male lions, 6 female lions, 2 cheetahs, 2 leopards, 8elephants, 15 giraffes, 50 hippos, 30 warthogs, 2 families of mongooses, we arrive back at the camp and after a break, we eat outside in the middle of the bush. We can hear the hyenas maybe 100m away from where we eat, but the staff is at ease, \240so we relax with a Tusker beer…

On the way out of the reserve, our own river crossing with the van

Tarek river

The giraffes are saying goodbye 👋

Our on way back to Nairobi, we pass by a Maasai village which we are invited to visit, with our local guide Simba, which means Lion is Maasai, and who explains all the Maasai coutumes, stories, traditions, and teach us a few Maasai words.

Léon and Seyi with a lion’s skin/hair and an antilope’s horn

Traditionally, the boys became men and were allowed to marry when they were able to kill their first lions or big wild animals. But now that those animals are protected, they do a dance and jump competition between different villages, to see who can jump the highest.

The horn is used as a musical instrument or a mode of communication for the village.

Making fire with Kenyan cedar wood and sandalwood.

We continue our journey to Nairobi, and are stopping for lunch on the way at one of the many curio gift shop, very tourist trap!

Nairobi city

Nairobi city

Nairobi city

Nairobi city

Nairobi city

For our last evening and full day in Kenya, I went to get a refill of the wonderful yummy fruits!

Goodbye Kenya 🥰🥰