My flight arrived in Nairobi at night. Immigration was easy and the airport was smaller than I expected. My travel concierge met me at arrivals, our driver took us to the hotel, and she walked me to my room with the bellboy to make sure everything was in order. I went to sleep immediately to get ahead of the jet lag, which is the best decision you can make after a long international flight.
The next day was a rest day and I used it exactly as intended. I ate lunch, spent the evening working, and let my body adjust to being in a new time zone on a new continent. By the following morning I was ready to see the city.
Sightseeing in Nairobi started at the Giraffe Centre, which was one of those experiences that sounds nice in theory and turns out to be genuinely wonderful in person. Being that close to giraffes, feeding them by hand and watching their long curious tongues reach for the treats, is something you don’t forget quickly.
From there we went to Kariokor Market to shop for souvenirs directly from the makers, which is not somewhere I could have navigated as a tourist on my own. My travel concierge knew the market well and made sure I wasn’t taken advantage of, though I still kept a close eye on my bag and phone. The craftsmanship there is real and the experience of buying directly from the people who made what you’re buying is a completely different thing than shopping in a tourist shop.
We also stopped at the African Heritage House, which was fascinating. It’s built in the style of traditional mud structures and inside there’s an extraordinary private collection of African art, textiles, and artifacts gathered over decades. We had a four course lunch there before heading back to the hotel to rest before the early start the next morning.
The drive from Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve was five and a half hours, and the landscape shifted gradually from city to semi-arid frontier in a way that felt like the country was revealing itself slowly. We checked into Sarova Shaba Game Lodge and settled in before the evening. The hotel staff mentioned we wouldn’t see much on a game drive that late, so my travel advisor, Terry, and I walked around the property together until dinner. We looked for the resident crocodile near the water, found a pool table and played for about an hour, and then sat down for a buffet dinner with assigned tables and dedicated servers. It was a good first night.
The game drives in Samburu were split between the reserve itself and Buffalo Springs National Reserve just across the highway, where there was more wildlife activity. We drove for hours each day and I loved every minute of it. There aren’t many tourists in Samburu, which means the game drives feel peaceful and almost exclusive in a way that’s hard to find at the more popular parks. We saw so many animals, including the Samburu Five.
One of the most memorable parts of Samburu (and the entire trip) was our visit to Umoja Village. It’s a woman-only village that was built by women fleeing harm they were subject to at home and in their marriages. I’ll never forget the toddler who grabbed my hand with pride and walked me to visit their school. The children climbing trees, living the simplest of lives, surrounded by joy and love. The women who overcame adversity and built a self-sustaining village with homes, gardens, kitchens, and schools.
I didn’t have many words. There was too much to take in. It was overwhelming. I cried ugly tears. I tried to hold them in but the floodgates opened and wouldn’t stop. And she held me. She hugged me close and rubbed my back and told me it would be ok. I looked at her and all I could see was strength—not pity or sadness or someone in need of a savior. Just a young mother who overcame an unimaginable hell to save herself and her three children, living among women who had done the same. The embodiment of “It takes a village.”
Terry spent two nights at the lodge with me before heading back to Nairobi to spend time with her family. I spent my last night at Samburu Simba Lodge in Buffalo Springs before moving on to our next stop at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. We did one final morning game drive before starting the 2.5 hour drive, and I was lucky enough to see a cheetah up close. It was the perfect ending to my time in Samburu.
