A Crash Course on African Wildlife

Written by Mike Lecours, Carl Lin, and Adam Darell, 2014 East Africa: Discovery.

After our time in the big city of Nairobi, we set off for Naivasha, a lakeside town of flower farms, wild animals and dramatic landscapes.

After stopping to overlook the Great Rift Valley – the cradle of mankind, we arrived at Fisherman’s Camp, our home for the next 3 days. It was a great place to learn yoga, tree climb, do head stands, and for the group to bond and reflect on our decisions to come on this trip in the first place. We discussed our hopes, fears, and expectations and all gave our reasons for coming to Africa. Tears were shed and dreams were shared as we huddled around the fire late into the night. It got deep pretty quick as each OG participant (and our leaders!) opened up to reveal our own stories of how we got here, and where we want the trip to take us. At that moment, we knew that this life-changing journey was about to unfold and become an indispensable part of our lives, and we knew we were in it together.

Campfire by the shores of Lake Naivasha. Photo by Adam Darell.

Campfire by the shores of Lake Naivasha. Photo by Adam Darell.

On Sunday, we had a crash course in African wildlife; walking alongside hundreds of zebra, dozens of giraffe, countless impala, waterbuck, gazelle and buffalo, families of warthogs, troops of Colobus and vervet monkeys, and a colourful array of bird species. It was an experience that will not easily be forgotten.

Walking safari at Crater Lake with our guide Offyn O Maina. Photo by Linda Ozromano.

The next morning as our bus to Kampala sped right past us, we were left on the side of the road to wait for the best part of the day for another one. Turning this upset into an opportunity wasn’t too hard as we were soon playing football, eating barbequed goat (mmm!), and reading our books in the shade of Acacia trees, with our hopes, dreams fears, and expectations still fresh in our minds.

If it wasn’t for the passing warthogs, giraffes, zebras, or monkeys on the side of the road, we would have had to keep pinching ourselves to remind us that we were indeed in Africa, on African soil. It was a dream come true…

The team standing tall over Crater Lake in the Rift Valley. Photo by Offyn O Maina.