January 2010: Safari in Kenya with Tony Manero

Departure

Jambo Jambo friends! We set off for Kenya on 8 January 2010 and as our first travel companion…snow!!! But we knew that before long it would be just a faded memory!! Anyway, a perfect and very punctual journey — at 3.00 local time, we arrive in Mombasa.

Whether because of the hour or a bit of luck, we get through the formalities in 15 minutes (entry visa 20 euros or 25 dollars), customs "nothing to declare", and we're ready in front of the minibus that will take us to the village, the Twiga Beach in Watamu.

First impression very good, lots of warmth, calm; before long "pole pole – slowly slowly" and "hakuna matata – no problem" will become the most recurring terms of the holiday.

About two hours of travel and we arrive; the village looks nice, it opened very recently; first visit to the beach, we're immediately struck by the very white sand and the low tide that almost brings the coral reef to the surface.

A little rest and relaxation all day, but we're here for the savannah with all its wonders and to get to know, understand, and become aware of what until now had been travel tales read here and there or documentaries seen on television

We had been strongly advised by friends and wherever we had read or heard information that there's no better way to visit Kenya than by relying on local guides, the famous beach boys…..OK! done deal!!

But who??? There are so many of them …who can we trust? Browsing the internet, one of the most recurring names was a certain TONY MANERO from Watamu. We send him an email 3 days before leaving, asking if he's available to guide us in visiting this wonderful place.

He replies right away, very courteous, puts himself completely at our disposal, and we exchange phone numbers to meet once at the village; and indeed, right on time and after making sure everything was fine, he comes to see us.

Excellent first impression: he's a likeable young man, extremely kind, speaks Italian very well and works for a Travel Agency in Watamu. It doesn't take us long to reach an agreement, both on the price and on the excursions proposed. We choose the 3-day 2-night safari and included in the proposed package the "Blue Safari" and a tour of the nearby town of Malindi.

Here let's open a parenthesis for those who are a bit sceptical, just as we were before leaving! The villages offer the same excursions but at far higher prices. They rely on the same travel agencies and in terms of quality of service the only difference is that the minibus leaves from inside the village rather than from the entrance gate!!! The village will certainly discourage you from choosing the excursion with the beach boys, they'll tell you (as happened to us) not to trust them, that they'll leave you disappointed, that you run the risk of being stranded…..blah blah blah…..nonsense, they just want to sell their package with the addition of a third intermediary.

For fairness we won't discuss the price, which varies according to your requests and needs, but we assure you that TONY MANERO offers the excursions at a price clearly lower than the villages' and the lowest among his colleagues (we had the chance to compare it with other guys we met during the holiday). All with great professionalism and punctuality.

We almost forgot, in many places we read that it's advisable to pay in American dollars…..in Kenya they far prefer the euro, bring only that currency, at most you'll change it if necessary into the local currency, the shilling (1 euro = 100 shillings). For the entry visa too, the customs Authorities ask for the equivalent in euros, or alternatively dollars. This is so you don't repeat our mistake, because we lost out both in buying the dollars in Italy and on the subsequent dollar/euro exchange applied in Kenya…

Safari Blu

The next morning, Sunday the 9th, we leave at 8.30 for the "Blue Safari". Punctual, indeed early (and this will be a constant), TONY waits for us at the village gate to take us to Watamu.

From there, with a group of Italian guys, other clients of TONY, we set off by boat for Watamu Marine Park, not before having searched for and found a beautiful pod of dolphins with a calf swimming not far from the coast. Wow!

After that, a stop for a refreshing swim above the coral reef to do a bit of snorkeling; we dry off on the boat's terrace and, as we head towards the mangrove forest, TONY entertains us with charm and discretion, always ready to answer our curiosities and indulge our requests, as when, although not planned, he agrees to a stop in a fabulous stretch of sea whose crystal clarity had sent us an irresistible call.

Around 12 we reach our destination on the islet where, with a wonderful welcome, the local community of fishermen awaits us and will cook every good thing for us: octopus, crabs, tuna and…..the star dish…prawns and lobsters cooked on the grill. Drinks on demand and delicious fresh fruit complete the poetry!! Ahh… all included in the excursion package!!! After lunch a bit of relaxation, a canoe trip among the mangroves, with the boatman acting as gondolier, and at 15.00 departure to return to Watamu, amid cheerful singing and drumming. Guys, it's impossible not to be in a good mood!!

Safari to Tsavo East

Sunday morning….meet at 6 for the safari. Wake up, 5:50, the van is already waiting for us to take us in search of animals and nature's wonders. We meet the other travel companions, Angelo with Maria Elena and Nunzio with Marina, exquisite people who helped make our experience unforgettable.

But we also meet the legendary AMBROGIO!! He's the van driver, a gentle giant whom we'll never stop thanking for the passion with which he led us on the safari. It struck us to see a man who loves his job so much, who truly gets emotional at the sight of a cheetah or a lion, who cares and does everything to make you feel good. If you add to that a perfect knowledge of the places and the animals' habits…voilà, you get driver no. 1!! So, to recap, if you've had the patience to read this far, remember: TONY MANERO + AMBROGIO = the best safari guaranteed!!

Along the route to the park it's touching to see hundreds of children, of all ages, walking in single file along the roadside to go to school. They're beautiful in their uniforms, all the same and all neat, the older ones look after the little ones and they all carry little sticks of wood. They'll explain to us later that they're used to contribute to the fire in the school cafeteria's kitchen…a real lesson in selflessness and education in mutual help…let us ponder, let us ponder….

We arrive around 9 at the "Tsavo East" park and begin the so-called "game drives" in search of animals to admire. The men in the group super equipped with telephoto lenses, the ladies providing support with binoculars and compacts for the surrounding shots…a truly efficient team!!

The highlight of the day shortly before lunch..after having already seen beautiful red elephants, gazelles, birds of prey, baboons etc., word spreads among the drivers' radios about the sighting of a rarity; thanks to AMBROGIO we find ourselves in an instant just a few meters from two stunning female cheetahs. It's a unique emotion, we try to capture the best shots but also try to imprint everything in the 2 gigabytes of memory that TONY recommended we preserve in our heads…

Happy and satisfied, we head for lunch at the Voi Wildlife Lodge, a structure immersed in the Savanna, where we'll stay for the night. It's a nice surprise, pretty, spacious rooms with bathroom and a view of a small lake where a hippo takes a nap surrounded by hundreds of colorful little birds…decent buffet lunch, a little rest and, at 4, off again to roam.

We see very close up a family of elephants with the baby, zebras, giraffes, eagles, bison, ostriches..we're very lucky and AMBROGIO is very skilled because, comparing notes later with other crews, we could boast of having truly seen a lot…but….we're missing the lion, the King of the Savanna!!...TONY and AMBROGIO tell us not to worry…and we trust them!!

We return to the Lodge, shower, dinner and off to bed after a splendid day.

Wake-up at 6, breakfast…TONY runs to our table and we fling ourselves onto the van…a lioness with cubs has been sighted!!..in a flash AMBROGIO takes us to the spot..it's beautiful, the cubs play among themselves a few meters from the road, the mother watches them closely two meters away…although little by little the place fills up with vans and jeeps, an absolute and respectful silence reigns over these wonders of nature…

Amboseli Park

We drive around for a while longer and set off for Amboseli park, which is a four-hour journey from Tsavo East, at the foot of Kilimanjaro!..The journey is long but never boring, we talk, joke, TONY patiently satisfies our curiosity and AMBROGIO guides us safely to our destination..a really nice group has formed..

Arriving at Amboseli we get to know the Savanna as we'd always imagined it and seen it on TV..immense expanses, the gaze gets lost in the distance, the giraffes are there eating from the high branches..at the entrance we're welcomed by the Masai, a valiant tribe of hunters who control the park. We go to the tented camp of the Kibo Safari Camp, it's cozy, immersed in greenery3, the tents each have two nice beds, bathroom, shower and hot water..a truly unexpected luxury. Buffet lunch of good quality, staff always extremely kind, as everywhere else for that matter. A little rest and off we go, in search of new sightings. We see hyenas, elephants, a magnificent female cheetah walking among the marshes by the roadside, crossing and, a bit of a show-off, letting herself be photographed in every pose before disappearing into the infinite plain.

Almost at sunset, as promised by TONY..there he is!! A young male lion, with his mane starting to thicken; he limps a little, he must be wounded in one paw..we admire him and photograph him, he's majestic and imposing. At this point a touching scene of love…a beautiful lioness appears from the bushes..she precedes him, checks that the way is clear of dangers before her wounded companion passes; he in fact follows her step by step a few meters behind..they quench their thirst, cross the road and with a leap disappear into the thicket. Mother Nature has given us another wonder and thanks to the timing and expertise of AMBROGIO, we were there again, a few meters away, in the front row, in respectful silence, imprinting it indelibly in our memory.

After dinner, at the camp, an evening around a fire with evocative and archaic tribal dances of the Masai..an equally exciting night, priceless to fall asleep with the sounds of the Savanna, a feeling of peace and reconciliation with nature. And above all, a starry sky so beautiful that I think it will be hard to see it again anywhere else.

Back to Watamu

On waking, the surprise!! The mist of the previous day has vanished and before us opens the spectacle of dawn illuminating the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro which majestically dominates Amboseli park..

Satisfied and charged with emotions we head back to Watamu, quite a stretch of road awaits us..we couldn't have asked for more and the tip given to our guides can never adequately reward the emotions experienced!! THANK YOU!!!

Relax in Watamu - Sardegna 2

The next day a bit of healthy and regenerating relaxation on the beach and by the pool. In the morning we take a walk along the tongues of very white sand in front of the famous "Sardegna 2". The low tide brings out spectacular starfish, colorful fish splash around you, it feels like being in an open-air aquarium. We walk as far as the coral reef and turn back because in about an hour the tide would rise again.

This stretch of sea is beautiful, no wonder we find many tourists who come from Malindi to enjoy this wonderful white beach. Of course, we wouldn't recommend Kenya for a purely "beach and sea" vacation, there are certainly places in the world more suited to that..however, among the most popular spots on the coast, if you want to alternate wild nature with a bit of beautiful sea, then definitely choose Watamu.

In the afternoon we decide to take an extra excursion and contact our TONY MANERO. We want to visit the Marafa depression, the so-called "Devil's Kitchen". Needless to say, in no time at all we agree on a truly "friendly" price and set an appointment for the next morning.

Visit to Marafa, the "devil's kitchen"..

Punctual as always, he comes to pick us up and we set off, not before having observed the longest solar eclipse of the millennium. To go to Marafa we cross villages of local tribes, they're always all smiling and joyfully greet the passing cars. We arrive on site and understand why in our guidebook we had read that "coming to Kenya and not visiting Marafa is like going to Arizona and not visiting the Grand Canyon". Have the nice and skilled local guides tell you the evocative legend handed down about this wonder of nature!

Tour of Malindi

Back in Watamu, in the afternoon TONY comes to pick us up to accompany us on the Malindi tour, as initially agreed. He also manages to get the safari group back together, it's nice to see the travel companions again. All together we set off for the nearby town and stop at the workshop making wooden handicrafts. It's impressive to see the workers at work. They have incredible manual skill, from a piece of wood they forge true works of art..a shame then that the finished object, and you find endless ones inside the big shop, costs 3 times as much as the price any vendor on the beach or at the stalls can offer you for the same product.

We continue the tour of Malindi. TONY takes us to see the poorest part of the city. And it really is poor. We stop to hand out a little something to the children playing in the street, pens, pencils, drawing paper, t-shirts..you risk falling into platitudes so we keep to ourselves the feelings those big eyes stirred in us..you have to try it to believe it..

We return to the village, this time melancholy overwhelms us, the vacation is over, early the next morning we head home. We believe that TONY MANERO's sensitivity also lies in his gesture of inviting us to eat with him in Watamu..we gladly accept and the embrace with which we say goodbye is strong, intense..we've found a friend. And it's largely thanks to him if Kenya managed to penetrate our souls and touch some corners of conscience and awareness perhaps a little dormant. And that has already made us decide that this was the most beautiful and intense vacation ever taken. And that we absolutely want to go back as soon as possible….will this be the Africa sickness?....ASANTE SANA TONY!!

If you want to contact TONY MANERO we recommend you write him an email already from Italy at the address tony_m85@yahoo.com, he'll answer right away, or an sms to the no. +254 729 27 23 62. You can also visit his website his blog and his facebook page TONY MANERO SAFARI KENYA.