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It is a chilly morning, but I am warmed up by the excitement of a safari to a unique destination, Kimana Sanctuary. This was the first conservation sanctuary in the country.
If you travel by road from Nairobi, there are two routes to the sanctuary. The Mombasa Road route A109 to Emali, where you take a right turn to C102, Emali-Loitokitok Road, and an 80km drive will bring you to Kimana Sanctuary.
The journey from Nairobi (depending on traffic) is approximately three and a half hours.
The second route I opted for, is the A104 Athi River to Namanga Road, a longer route by 45 minutes, but a worthwhile choice as it is free of trucks and traffic and is much safer and more scenic.
The icing on the cake was that I was travelling with Alex Muchiri - an ardent traveller, and adventure lover. Alex was full of fun, knowledgeable and resourceful in travel.
We left Ngong for Kiserian, after which we took a detour to the C104 Kiserian-Isinya Road. The views were spectacular. We drove past Kajiado Town and after Isineti, (after Enchula Resort), we turned left onto D524. This road connects you to the C102 Emali-Loitokitok Road through Selengei.
After covering about 55km, we saw an electric fence line on the left, and after a section of speed bumps, we came to the elephant crossing. From here, we did a detour to a dirt track, and soon we were in Kimana Sanctuary.
My travelling companion explained that we were about to begin the most epic wildlife safari.
Stretching his hand in a welcome gesture, he said; “Karibu Kimana Sanctuary, the ideal place to enjoy a memorable, unique wildlife safari, only comparable to those scenes from the famous Out of Africa movie.”
Roaming free
Kimana Sanctuary lies in the central part of a crucial corridor linking Amboseli National Park with the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo protected areas, providing wildlife with a route through the narrowest part of the space between two settlements.
To the South, stands Africa’s rooftop – the imposing Mt Kilimanjaro, and to the North stands the equally regal distant Chyulu Hills.
We drove along a river in the shade of magnificent yellow fever and the umbrella acacia trees, a welcome relief from the scorching sun rays.
The open green plains stretch endlessly. Here, I could see Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles, Zebras, elands, and a thriving population of warthogs among other grazers, enjoying the bounty of mother-nature, while on the lookout for predators.
To enjoy the spectacle-awesomeness the sanctuary offers adventure lovers, I learned that more than 20 rangers provide security for the wildlife at Kimana and beyond.
Alex adds that this is important for the 844 local Maasai owners of Kimama Sanctuary to benefit from the revenue generated, a critical component and incentive for preserving the greater Amboseli ecosystem.
The adventurous part of a wildlife safari to Kimana Sanctuary is that you learn how conservation makes a difference in preserving mother nature. During this trip, I spent time with team Big Life, one of the Sanctuary partners helping in conservation endeavours.
The interactions were insightful, especially listening to impactful stories and witnessing the team’s work to protect wildlife, secure habitat, prevent human-wildlife conflict and support communities.
“Big Life protects over 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem, and is the first organisation with coordinated anti-poaching teams on both sides of the Kenya-Tanzania border,” said Joel Lekeni, Community Health Officer at Big Life.
I was able to join rangers on a foot patrol, an opportunity to learn about life as a ranger from the women and men themselves. I listened to stories about living and interacting with wildlife, including lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos.
On a typical day, a ranger covers 21km, but on this walk, I managed to do only five. The highlight of this thrilling adventure was a visit to a local community health facility. Here, I learnt that a ‘holistic’ approach to conservation was the only way to be effective in conservation efforts.
