{"id":8509,"date":"2018-06-04T15:04:23","date_gmt":"2018-06-04T15:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/AFRICAtime\/?p=8509"},"modified":"2020-07-09T09:04:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T08:04:51","slug":"african-safari-diaries-pauls-cheetah-safari-in-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/african-safari-diaries-pauls-cheetah-safari-in-kenya\/","title":{"rendered":"African Safari Diaries: Paul&#8217;s Cheetah Safari in Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>In this week&#8217;s African Safari Diaries we are sharing Paul&#8217;s experience of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/suggested-itineraries\/cheetah_safari\"><strong>Cheetah Safari<\/strong> <\/a>in Kenya, which was his first taste of Africa as well as his first ever safari.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8510\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8510\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-8510 size-full\" title=\"Maasai in Kenya\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK1.jpg\" alt=\"Maasai Warriors in Kenya\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK1.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK1-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8510\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Paul Davies<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>1. What made\u00a0you choose to go on an African Safari? Was this your\u00a0first time visiting Kenya and going on safari?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have always wanted to see the wildlife of Africa in its natural surroundings. This was our first time visiting anywhere in Africa, and our first Safari.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. How did you\u00a0hear about Somak Holidays?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Somak Holidays were recommended to us by a travel agent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.\u00a0What did your itinerary involve? How\u00a0did we put it together for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We chose the standard &#8220;Cheetah Safari&#8221; as recommended. This proved to be ideal for us first timers, we saw everything we wanted to and more, without it being too intense or strenuous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Where did\u00a0you stay whilst on your Safari and what was your favourite\u00a0<\/strong><strong>property?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On our first night we stayed at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/central-highlands\/aberdare_country_club\"><strong>Aberdare Country Club<\/strong><\/a>. This was an excellent way to start after a long day&#8217;s travelling, and our first view of wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>Next was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/samburu_shaba_meru\/ashnil_samburu_camp\"><strong> Ashnil Samburu Lodge<\/strong><\/a>, which was fabulous and a great base for our first game drives. It also had a lovely pool to relax in with elephants wandering past!<\/p>\n<p>Our third hotel was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/central-highlands\/serena_mountain_lodge\"><strong>Serena Mountain Lodge<\/strong><\/a>. \u00a0This was a bit quiet around the watering hole that night but still an experience, especially the walk through the forest.<\/p>\n<p>Next was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/rift-valley-lakes\/lake_naivasha_sopa_lodge\"><strong>Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge<\/strong><\/a>. We only had a one night stay here where we really only laid our heads but the boat trip around the lake was brilliant. We saw hippos popping up next to the boat and a fish eagle swooping down for a fish right before our eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Our favourite was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/masai-mara\/ashnil_mara_camp\"><strong>Ashnil Mara Camp.<\/strong><\/a> Where else could you stand with a drink, looking down at Hippos and Crocodiles in the river whilst talking about Premiership Football with a Masai Warrior in full costume?<\/p>\n<p>Also, we had a dawn Hot Air Balloon flight over the Masai Mara which was an amazing experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. \u00a0What were your highlights from your trip?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was all a highlight! The first elephant. The first lion, the scenery, the sheer scale of the places. looking out over the slopes of Mount Kenya, the list is too long!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8512\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8512\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-8512 size-full\" title=\"Rhinos in Kenya\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK3.jpg\" alt=\"Two Rhinos in Kenya\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK3.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK3-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK3-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8512\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Paul Davies<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br class=\"\" \/><strong>6. <\/strong><strong>Would you recommend going on safari?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I would strongly recommend going on a trip like this to anyone with a passion for wildlife.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8513\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8513\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-8513 size-full\" title=\"Baby elephant in Kenya\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK4.jpg\" alt=\"Baby elephant in Kenya\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK4.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK4-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK4-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8513\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Paul Davies<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br class=\"\" \/><strong>7. What was your experience with Somak Holidays? Would you book with us again? Was there anything that stood out or you would have changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Somak Holidays looked after us very well indeed. It was all planned out properly and the whole trip flowed nicely from one site to the next.<\/p>\n<p>Our driver and guide, Mudi, was excellent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8. \u00a0Any advice or tips for anyone thinking of going on a Safari?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8514\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8514\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-8514 size-full\" title=\"Lion cub in Kenya\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK5.jpg\" alt=\"Lion cub in Kenya\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK5.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK5-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK5-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8514\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Paul Davies<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Tips or advice? Very subjective but remember that this is nature at its most brutal. You will see cute cubs and baby elephants, but also disembowelled wildebeest and possibly even a kill in front of you.<\/p>\n<p>Heard a couple of people (not in our party) who didn&#8217;t like such sights. Be prepared to get up at the crack of dawn (or before!) to see the best sights &#8211; it&#8217;s worth it!<\/p>\n<p>Maybe consider going slightly off season like we did &#8211; a bit of a gamble but much quieter and you get more chances to get close to the wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>If seeing Paul&#8217;s wonderful trip has inspired you to want to go on safari, we have some amazing itineraries available. The Cheetah Safari itinerary can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya\/suggested-itineraries\/cheetah_safari\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We would love to work with you to plan the safari holiday of a lifetime. For more information on how our safari experts can help you, call Somak Holidays today on 020 8423 3000, or visit our website here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya-safari\">https:\/\/www.somak.com\/kenya-safari<\/a><\/p>\n<p>SaveSave<\/p>\n<p>SaveSave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":8514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[603,11,600,580],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-safari-diaries","category-kenya","category-testimonials","category-wildlife-and-safari"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SOMAK5.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8509"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10947,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8509\/revisions\/10947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somak.com\/inspiration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}