Kenya - Its Wild Side

A trip to Kenya is incomplete without getting to see its wild side – the majestic mountains, the zig-zagging gorges, and of course the animals. On many weekends, I had the fortunate opportunity to see many wonderful parks around Kenya. One of the first weekends I was there, we went biking through Hell’s Gate. The name brought to my mind images similar to Dante’s Inferno, but when we arrived, I felt I had just stepped into a poster-perfect piece of heaven on earth. Words can’t really do justice so I will just have to have the picture speak for its beauty. 

 

Hell’s Gate was the first time I got to bike through a national park, where we spotted baboons, zebras, and even a giraffe.  The baboons were extremely cute, but while we were busy oohing and ahhing, they sneakily grabbed our packed lunch and ran off with it! We quickly learned our lesson after that. The best part was taking a tour down to the gorges (luckily it was sunny that day or else there would have been flash flooding in the gorges) and seeing the windy tunnels.

Another weekend, we hiked for five hours up Mount Longonot, an inactive volcanic mountain. It was one of the most grueling hikes I’ve been on but definitely worth the triumphant feeling when we finished. Everyone warned us that we would be covered in a thick layer of dust by the time we finished, but I did not believe them until I actually tried the hike. Unlike a regular mountain, this mountain’s dirt mostly comprised of sand, rather than dirt, and you could not avoid making a mess as you climbed. Never have I ever most looked forward to a shower than after that hike.

And finally, I can’t forget to mention all the animals I got to see – elephants, zebras, giraffes, and even lions. For someone who grew up watching Lion King and can recite the lyrics of most of its songs by memory, it was truly a dream come true. A group of us went to visit the Elephant Orphanage, where we saw baby elephants that were only a few months old but already were so big. Their mothers often were killed by poachers and so these elephants had to be rescued. The visit reminded me of how we need to continue working to preserve this world and the environment and animals that coexist with us, so that even generations down the line can appreciate all this beauty. I also got to take a trip to the Giraffe Center, where the main event was getting to kiss a giraffe. I highly recommend everyone trying that at some point in their lives J