24 October 2019

Last October half term we started our adventure at Heathrow for our flight to Nairobi. It was a good flight with lots of entertainment, so the 9 hours flew by! On arrival in Nairobi we were met and taken to our hotel for the night, it was quite late, so it was straight to bed. Breakfast in the morning was amazing and we were picked up for our transfer to Wilson airport for a short flight directly into the Maasai Mara. Wow, what a way to arrive, landing in the middle of the Mara where our guide was waiting to take us to our accommodation. It didn’t take long before we were spotting elephants, giraffe and zebra! Our vehicle was a Pinzgauer which can get you pretty much anywhere and needed to as our home for 3 nights were large boutique tents nestled high up in the Kenyan ravine forest. We had a lovely welcome by traditional Maasai with lots of dancing and singing. We were escorted to our tent, but when I say tent it doesn’t do it justice, it’s bigger than most hotel rooms! We had with a huge balcony and 3 king size beds for the 4 of us plus all your home comforts. After a quick freshen up we were ready for our first game drive with Daniel our guide. I will never ever forget the feeling of seeing the male lion, metres from us and looking him in the eyes with absolutely nothing between us. Skye and Summer who were 10 and 8 at the time were in awe. On our first game drive we saw so many animals and Daniel let the girls take turns to sit in the front, he was so knowledgeable, really engaging us all. After some hours out, we got back for dinner which was good and then escorted back to our tent where our beds had been prepared with hot water bottles. It gets quite chilly at night and early in the morning. We all drifted off to sleep listening to the various animal calls outside. An early morning start and 2 game drives, they really are unique and exciting as you don’t know what you will find! We managed to see a Lion hunt which was such a highlight and absolutely exhilarating, wildebeest migrating (I can still hear the funny noises they made!), elephants charging us, an abundance of zebra and giraffes, hippos, rhino and so many other animal spotting along the way. In addition to this special day we had a ‘Sundowner’ where we sipped cocktails and watched the incredible sun set over spectacular scenery which was breath taking. We woke early hoping to have a bush breakfast but there had been some visitors in the night, elephants, so it needed to be cleared, instead we had a bush dinner to look forward to. I loved this as the animals really are free to roam around with no fences anywhere. So, another day with 2 game drives, we followed the migration to the Tanzanian Boarder, which was spectacular and again saw so many animals, we managed to see 4 out of the big 5, just the elusive leopard to find. Whilst looking for the leopard we did spot a cheetah but alas the leopard was not to be seen. We enjoyed our last meal in the bush with all the staff from our accommodation, lots of traditional music and singing and then back to our tent, or almost to our tent but our security stopped us in our tracks as he could hear the elephants. He made sure we got back safely and said he’d be back to check on us! We could hear the elephants making their way through the trees right by our balcony, they were so close! What a thrilling end to our adventure! The next morning, we managed to incorporate a last-minute game drive as we headed toward the landing strip ready for our flight onward to the next part of our holiday. Well this was a slightly smaller aircraft than we were expecting, maybe 9 seats, the views though! We landed at Ukunda which is a small airfield in Kwale which was nearby for our 10-night stay near Diani Beach. Again, our transfer was waiting to take us to our hotel, we passed lots more animals of different kinds, cows, goats and chickens wandering the street which the girls found amusing. It wasn’t far to our hotel which was on the beachfront, with monkeys roaming around. You must be careful as they are very cheeky, Skye had a croissant taken out of her hand one morning at breakfast and Summer lost a biscuit to one too! They are very clever and know when afternoon tea is served, you can see them lining up eagerly! It just added to the experience and we never tired of spotting another monkey, bush baby or the resident baboon as he was patrolling around. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, it was welcome relaxation after our early mornings and adventurous start to our holiday, the perfect combination. So, yes, a safari is the perfect holiday for families! Everyone we met was so passionate about the animals and their culture and they love passing this on. From the rangers who are out monitoring and looking after the animals, the guides who are so inspiring to be with and all the staff we met along on the way with exceptional service. Kenya we will be back, we need to find that leopard!

06 August 2019

It began one morning in December. An elf had delivered a letter from Father Christmas inviting us all to visit him at his home for Christmas. After lots of squealing and much excitement the countdown had started! Early on 23rd December we set off to the airport where the fun really did begin. The flight soon passed as there was so much fun and festivities on board. We started our descent and the scenery was beautiful, then we spotted reindeer as we disembarked. We were met by Samis and their reindeer and into the terminal where we were very surprised to see a few cheeky elves up to no good! We boarded our coach to collect all our thermal gear, over-suits, boots, socks, gloves and hats which we certainly needed as it was around minus 20 degrees! Then it was a few minutes to our accommodation. We had chosen a lodge which I am so pleased about as it added to the magic. It was surrounded by snow-capped trees with an amazing space to play around in. Then the fun part of exploring the village which we were staying in. We collected some sledges and had many hours of tobogganing, then a little wander took us to the local pub where we enjoyed a Glogi and hot chocolate! The food was served in the main hotel building. It was great to try some local specialities and there was something for everyone. I think we woke up on Christmas Eve not quite believing it was all real. We chose to have a whole day to ourselves although you can book extra tours. I’m so pleased we kept this free as it really was such a good day playing in the snow, exploring the village and then back to our lodge where we enjoyed some Christmas tunes whilst the girls played. Then it was time for the girls to leave their stockings out, write a quick note and leave the obligatory snack, carrot and drink out. We were all so excited that evening to think that we would be actually meeting Father Christmas the next day after his travels. Christmas Day – he had been and even taken the time to write a note saying how he was looking forward to seeing us all. The first few hours were spent opening presents with lots more excitement and a hearty breakfast before we took to the coach in ‘search of Santa’. It was a short journey to the most magical setting which was not commercial at all. There were lots of activities for us to do; reindeer sleigh ride, meeting elves, igloos, ice fishing, ice bar, skidoos and my absolute favourite – the Husky sled ride! They really race across the snow and through the winter wonderland. Ade and I took turns to ‘drive’, it certainly was a workout and so exhilarating! We were ready for lunch which was nice and warming and then it was off on a snow mobile through the forest to find Santa. We found his lodge hidden away in the trees where his elves met us and took us in to see him. My girls faces are something I will never forget and will cherish that moment forever. We all still talk about it now, some years on and their special gifts still have pride of place in their bedrooms. We went back for a special celebration meal and fireworks. On our last day, we had the morning to squeeze some more snow fun in before heading back to the airport, back to the UK where we couldn’t stop telling friends and family of our adventures. I would not hesitate to recommend this trip of a lifetime, young or old it really is a must. I am so excited writing about it and reliving it again so would love to help you with your planning.