The Big Five

Leopard, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Lion.  Originally, they were the five most dangerous to hunt on foot.  They tell us now that these are the five most endangered.  (fyi the Maasai men are no longer required to kill a lion in order to prove their entrance into adulthood).

By February 15 we had seen hundreds if not thousands of four of the big five.  Only the leopard had eluded us.

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
The End of the Trail, the Serengeti

We entered the Serengeti in one of the driest, most inhospitable areas we’d seen yet.  Only Amboseli was dryer.  Very little wildlife, a few Thompson and Grant gazelle’s.  Very sparse vegetation.  Not a tree in sight.  If we had to slow down for a particularly rough spot the dust we were kicking up enveloped us.  Our eyes and teeth were gritty.

But then, the magic. . .

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
Ngorongoro Crater

Every single day we woke up, loaded up, and said “surely today is the day we will be disappointed” and at no time, on no day, did that prediction ever come true.  Every single day was amazing and exciting in a new and unique way.  The Ngorongoro Crater was no exception.

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
Amboseli

Have you ever looked down at a landing strip and noticed that there were animal dung deposits all along the runway? That was our welcome to Amboseli.

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
Maasai Mara

It’s a nomadic life on safari. You have one carry-on bag and one backpack, 33 pounds total, and you literally throw it into the back of your land cruiser every day or every other day as you move across Africa. The lack of “stuff” was a liberating experience.

As we left the Lake Nakuru area and headed to the Maasai Mara, a few things caught our eye.

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
Lake Nakuru

On the 5th morning of the tour we packed our belongs into the backs of our land cruisers and headed out of Ol Pejeta on our way to Lake Nakuru.

Along the way we passed through some absolutely fascinating towns and scenery.

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
Ol Pejeta Conservatory

A not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central Kenya's Laikipia County, Ol Pejeta is where we learned how to manage life in tent camps, as well as participate in game drives. It was our baptism by fire, and we dove right in.

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield
Nairobi to Ol Pejeta

Our amazing adventure began in Nairobi, which is everything you imagine it to be and more.  We landed at 8PM after a full day of flights (from OKC to Minneapolis/St Paul, to Paris, to Nairobi).  Our Globus airport rep Kevin was waiting for us with a big sign.  We were loaded into a waiting people mover and taken to a fabulous sanctuary hotel in the middle of the turmoil.

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Kenya and Tanzania with Nairobi

We went to Africa on a fluke.  Almost two years ago I asked my husband what he’d like to do for our upcoming 2023 20th wedding anniversary.  He said he’d like to go to Africa.  

I was stunned.  We had never, not once, discussed Africa.  But I dug in and scheduled several meetings with the Africa team at Globus.  

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AfricaJoy Crutchfield