? FUN IN THE SUN! ?

The alarm clock buzzed at 05h00 as we awoke to a new day and arrived at the gate just after 06H00. The master plan was to spend the entire day in the park, and just enjoy all of creation, from the smallest to the largest creatures. Well I have to say it was an amazing day, as our plan manifested into a wonderful reality. As we drove along very slowly there were many natural rewards, with wonderful observations of the many different species that occur in the park.

In this fast and often crazy world we live in, many people like to “escape from the city“ and spend time in a natural environment. Well! the Nairobi National Park is one of those “escape to the wild” places.

However over many years I have noted that most of us are still in “City mode” when we enter a national park, and would like to see as much of the created wonders as possible. But our challenge is to quickly snap out of “City mode” into “Bush mode”.

A large giraffe fed on trees in the road, I watched as its long purplish tongue moved over long sharp thorns easily and without appearing to have any sort of pain. Their tongues are actually amazingly long and can be up to 500mm (20 inches). They need such a long tongue in order to be able to wrap them around leaves when they feed. However the Giraffe seemed to have all the time in the world, just standing still, and blocking the road for some time, causing a “Jerrijam”, this type of jam is still much better than the city “traffic jam”.

The Giraffe continues to amaze me, it is interesting to note that in their very long neck there are only seven vertebrae, the same as humans, and they have a unique design in their specialized neck to control their blood pressure. In area’s that giraffe frequent, it is possible to observe the shape of their favorite trees as they prune them into a bell shape having a wide base and narrow tops. They are rather strange looking creatures, and I have clear childhood memories of singing silly happy songs with my parents like “Gerry giraffe he makes us all laugh….”. Yes! I definitely think God had a “humour moment” when he created giraffes, they are so incredible and funny.

We see so much every time we visit, form the many wonderful birds species, to so many mammals species, to just enjoying the landscapes and many plant species etc etc .It is simply not possible to put everything we saw into a mere article, it is always best if possible to personally experience the wonders of the Nairobi National Park.

If you are planning a fun day in the park, I believe the following basic tips could make your day really fantastic!

1) Try to preplan your food and drinks in advance….
2) Use a cooler box with ice packs to keep food and drinks fresh and cold….
3) It’s worth waking up very early for a game drive …
4) Stop at a picnic site for a meal together…
5) If you are a family with young children, pack in a colouring book with an African wildlife theme, or have fun family quiz time in the car to simulate young minds to have an interest in nature, or even sing silly songs together as you drive. Children should not have a game drive much longer than 2 hours, if possible get to a picnic spot and let play and stretch for a while…
6) Pack a good set of binoculars…
7) A map and some basic ID books are useful when seeing various bird, plant and animal species…
8) Having a decent camera helps to enhance the experience as you are able to capture some of your sightings in the form of photos…
9) Don’t travel too much, take time to sit and relax at various dams and treed areas…
10) Don’t worry about finding lions first, rather focus on enjoying every species and then if a lion sighting happens it will be a special bonus….
11) Slow down to the pace of nature and relax!!
12) Pray for God to show you the glory of creation…
13) Slow down when driving – a speed of less than 30km/h is advised…
14) Don’t just look at the grass and trees, look through the grass and trees…
15) Watch the reactions of different herbivores and birds. I have often seen lions in this way, as their heads all look in one direction…
16) Go with the attitude of “birdwatching”, if you show interest in the smaller creatures, sooner or later other large creatures like lions could “get in the way!”…
17) Stop often in places with a good view and scan the horizon with binoculars…
18) Go with the attitude of “let nature come to me” rather than us trying to “catch a bit of nature…
19) Try to let go, and get out of the stressful “city mode” and relax into “bush mode”. The tranquil peace in the park is tangible and very real. A day in the park is a real “soul tonic” medicine for the inner being, an escape from the fast paced world around us. Hopefully you will enjoy a fun in the sun outing.

Visit the park over the Christmas Holidays with your loved ones! The park is open daily from 06h00 to 19h00.

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