We flew into Nairobi to begin our 48 day journey across Eastern and Southern Africa with Intrepid Travel. We travel with a large truck holding all of our camping gear, food, luggage, etc. Our guide, cook, and driver are all Kenyan and will be with us all 48 days. We camp along the way with the longest stretch of camping being 35 straight days. Our group is divided into three groups for chores each night that rotate daily: cooking, truck cleaning, and dish washing.
The population of Nairobi is 3.5 million and there are 50 million people in Kenya. Both English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya. Because Kenya was previously a British colony, English is an official language and it is predominantly Christian. Polygamy is allowed due to the striking ratio of women to men at 4:1 due to the higher prevalence of malaria in males. Like many other countries, the Chinese have invested heavily in Kenya helping fund infrastructure, hospitals, and roads. Nairobi National Park is home to the black rhino which is almost extinct.
Before leaving Nairobi we had a safety briefing regarding animals given the number of game drives and camping nights in the future. If an elephant decides to charge a person, you must run in zig zags and throw your shirt away from you so they follow the smell. If you encounter a lion or a hyena, stand your ground and shine your head lamp in their eyes until they turn away. Needless to say, it was quite unsettling.
