A Camping Kenya safari means a tented camp with no fence or wall, and is a much better part of an in Kenya safari than sleeping in a lodge. Of course in a camp with no fence the animals you have come to see, do come into the camp especially at night. Close encounters with an elephant browsing three feet from your tent is what a camping Kenya safari is all about.
As a family our first experience of an in Kenya safari was at the famous Galdessa Camp in Tsavo East. With two small children and apprehensive parents we felt that a fixed camp was going to be about as close to the wilderness as we could cope with, and so in the purest sense of the word it wasn t a camping Kenya safari, but Galdessa is a camp with no fences or walls. The tents were thatched bandas and a great deal more civilized than we expected with electricity, running water, and comfortable beds. Most important of all we were sealed in, zipped up at night with good well fitting mosquito nets.
On he way to Galdessa, and by the way we had our own family vehicle and driver arranged hrough the Manager at Hemingways. He wisely said that for our first in Kenya Safari it was the best way, because we could stop when we wanted and view as long as we wanted, and how right he was.
The few vehicles we saw were mainly like mini buses crammed with tourists, which looked no fun at all.
He aso said that if a luxury african safari was our ideal, then to start at Galdessa would be best, and how right he was again.
On our six hour drive from Malindi we had already seen several giraffes, elephants, but several hundred yards away, a lioness looking for her cubs, and a whole variety of bambi like creatures, water buffalo, and then very close to Galdessa two very large bull elephants, one of whom we passed at about fifteen yards, and exciting that was too.
We hardly passed a vehicle, and whilst our journey was just before the long rains arrived in April, the weather was clear and warm. The rains howver came a few days later, and even overnight this was seen by a considerable rise in the water level in the river due to rain up country.
We duly arrived at Galdess for our first night ever on a Kenya safari, nd were led to our banda, being shown on the way, elephant tracks, lion footprints, and hippo prints as well, all on the path inside the camp. We were told in no uncertain terms that on a camping kenya safari site like Galdessa, we were not under any circumstances, even in daylight to leave our banda unless we were with a member of staff, because of the high chance of an encounter with an animal.
After dark, we had to get into a safari vehicle to go the the dining area, because there was a bull elephant in the camp, and indeed on returning to our banda later by vehicle the bll elephant was browsing outside our back door, an we crept past about 10 feet away to the safety of our tent.
A visiting hippo in the middle of the night, right next to the tent, and the early morning evidence that a lion had been within touching distance of the tent really made our stay at Galdessa.
The food at lunch and dinner was spectacularly good, the views of the river from the central lounge/dining hut was excellent, and the surprisingly hot shower in our ten all adde to make the first night of our first in Kenya safari a memorable one.
Galdessa is a must on any Kenya safari tour, and a definite stop on a luxury african safari.