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My trip to Kenya has to be one of the most memorable trips I have ever been on. I hope my account below will give you an idea of what to expect from a twin centre holiday combining a safari and a beach holiday.

We flew with Kenya Airways from London direct to Nairobi which is about 8 hours flying time. Economy class has a good amount of leg-room, individual seat-back entertainment and friendly staff. A great way to start the holiday!

The roads are dreadful and once you have left Nairobi and you are bumped around all over the place, can be very uncomfortable as the journey times to game reserves are approx 4-6 hours. Having said that the drivers were very informative and always stopped if you saw an animal or just wanted to take pictures. The fantastic scenery however made these journey times pass pretty quickly.

After a long journey we arrived at Lake Nakuru Lodge for one night, it was so quiet and we could see Baboons running amok in the grounds beyond our rooms, it was great to see. We were taken to our deluxe bungalow and drew back the curtains to be met with breathtaking views of Lake Nakuru National Park, with the lake in the distance.
The first game drive was later that day. I suddenly felt very excited by the prospect of the possibility of seeing the big five (Lion, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo). One of the best parts of that drive was seeing the famous Lake Nakuru with the pink flamingos, it was an amazing sight. Thompson gazelle’s were just hopping in and out everywhere, buffalos in the background and the odd zebra here and there. Oh and in the distance a female rhino and her baby; truly unforgettable!
After breakfast we headed to Masai Mara National Park, another long drive but great scenery and wildlife en route to keep us entertained. It was broken up with a visit to a Masai Mara Village. We were greeted by one of the Masai warriors where we listened to traditional tribal song and watched their tribal dances. It was certainly an experience! Many houses are made out of cow dung and mud, and men here often have up to 4 wives! It was another world to me! It made me realise how lucky I am.

Later that day we arrived at Mara Simba Lodge. We were shown to our rooms, which were quite similar to Lake Nakuru but in blocks rather than just ground floor rooms. We opened the curtains and we could see a river which ran the length of the hotel and to our amazement we saw hippo’s wallowing in the waters. Nothing prepared me for the beautiful animals we saw living in their natural environment. It was fantastic! We saw elephant, white and black rhino, buffalo, lion, zebra and countless species of gazelle/deer. I cannot possibly begin to remember the names of all the species!
The highlight of that day other than the animals was yet to come! The hotel manager had arranged to get special permission for us to have a ‘sundowner’ at one of the highest points in the Masai Mara which overlooked the whole of the game drive - another amazing sight. We had our protection in the form of armed guards just in case the odd lion or two decided to wonder over for a chat! We had a table full of drinks and nibbles, and even a guitarist! Altogether this made for one of the best evenings of the trip. We all enjoyed the atmosphere and loved watching the sun go down with a large G&T! Unforgettable!

After our long drive back to Nairobi we freshened up again at The Safari Lounge & headed off Nairobi Airport for our onward flight to Mombasa.
Mombasa was pretty much as I expected really; poor in several areas and easy to see that they rely heavily on tourism - which is one of the main sources of income. On arrival at the Southern Palms Hotel I was pleasantly surprised; It was lovely, kind of Moroccan looking and spotlessly clean. The rooms were fantastic, overlooking the beach. A nice relaxing way to unwind after the safari.

A truly amazing holiday!