Ultimate safari experience: A ‘Biyahe ni Drew’ itinerary to Kenya

After three years and around 200 fun-filled adventures together, "Biyahe ni Drew" finally embarks on its first ever journey outside Asia. This time our ultimate biyahero is off to Kenya, the country filled with savannah, grasslands and the Great Rift Valley.

A vast area full of grassland, this is what most of Kenya’s parks are made of.

HOW TO:

Because there is no direct route to Kenya, you need to fly and stopover in Bangkok, Thailand and take a connecting flight to Nairobi via Kenya Airways, Biyahe ni Drew’s official airline partner for this trip. It would take about nine hours to reach Kenya, enough for you to sleep and recharge.

BIYAHERO TIPS:

- Before leaving Nairobi airport, don’t forget to exchange your peso to Kenyan Shillings; 1000 shillings is approximately equal to P500. You wouldn’t want to roam around penniless in a foreign country.
- Simcards with unlimited data for $7 and consumable for seven days are available around the airport.
- Rent a car and take a local guide with you, this will make your trip safer and more comfortable.

WHAT TO DO:

Try the local eats

A popular restaurant in Nairobi called Carnivore definitely lives up to its name as it serves a wide selection of meat. They have beef, lamb, pork and chicken. After the meats are cooked, the grillers visit each tables to offer it, grilling stick, knives and all. If you’re into a little fun, try out their exotic dishes such as crocodile meat, ostrich balls and even oxballs. Would you believe that these balls taste like typical and chewy sausages?

If this is how the food is served, you’ll likely say yes to everything they offer.

Complete the ultimate Safari checklist

Lake Nakuru National Park

Before going straight to the park, make a stopover on the spot which will give you the best view of the famous Great Rift Valley of Africa or the “most significant physical detail on the planet that is visible from space.” It’s just on the way so you’ll surely get the chance to drop for a few minutes.

According to the guides, the term ‘game drive’ was used to refer to hunters who roam around the parks to shoot and kill the animals.

The entrance fee for the Lake Nakuru National Park is $60/adults and $35/kids. These parks are basically composed of vast grasslands. This is also where the activity known as “Game Drive” or riding a vehicle while tourists look for the different kinds of wildlife freely living in the park takes place.

Meet the Big Five

In this part of the world, five animals are considered the big stars whom visitors are dying to meet. Your safari expedition won’t be complete unless you get to see the lions, elephants, white buffalos, rhinoceros and leopards.

Out of the big five, the lions are considered the kings of the jungle.

In these tours, visitors get the chance to take photos of the wildlife that can’t be found even in the large zoos in the cities.

Did you know that the zebra’s prints are like human’s fingerprints? Therefore, no two zebras have the same print on them.

Aside from these animals, the area is also abundant with zebras, cheetahs, giraffes and hippopotamus. If you luckily see thousands of giraffes and zebras all at once, you might want to check if there is really no zebra or giraffes with the same prints.

Maasai Mara or “The Mara”

The safari experience doesn’t end in Lake Nakuru, as you travel for about six hours, you’ll reach the Maasai Mara where the Mara River is located. This is the same river where the great migration of millions of wildebeests happens; every year, during mid-June, wildebeests alongside zebras and antelopes cross the Mara River from Tanzania to look for food.

Aside from the four-legged animals, these parks are also home to several types of birds such as flamingos and pelicans.

This is considered an amazing phenomena that it was even named as one of the new wonders of the world. Imagine seeing millions of these animals crossing the river altogether, side by side with your own eyes? Won’t that be an overwhelming experience? So, here’s another tip, if you’re planning to come visit Kenya, you might want to schedule it during this time and witness this extraordinary gift of nature.

Visit a Maasai Village

When it comes to their culture, Kenya’s is definitely different from that of Filipinos. Fortunately, they have villages that are open to tourists and offer a tribe culture lecture; discussing their beliefs, showing tribe performances.

The Maasai tribe has a tradition that whoever jumps the highest gets a wife.

So visit a Maasai tribe village and check their houses that are made out of mud, sticks, grass, cow dung and cow urine, yes, purely organic!

Once you set foot in this country filled with animals living freely in the wild and a rich culture that transcends you back in time, make sure to cherish every moment. Because just the same as the zebra and giraffe’s unique body prints, you will never ever experience Kenya the same way twice. -- Sarah Jean Sarte/BMS, GMA Public Affairs