The Safari Retreat that Became Much More

Hello! I know I promised a post after the safari retreat...which technically ended on Wednesday (it is now Saturday afternoon for me). BUT after some miscommunication with the driver and trains without seats left, the high school students had to stay until Friday. But the church is putting on a big music service on Sunday, so they should stay at least until then, right? Oh, and then we have the big Christmas party on Wednesday, and it would be very helpful if they could stay until then.

At their request and desire, it is kind of becoming the retreat that never ends, but it the best way ever. I'll focus just on the safari part today, and talk more about these amazing high school kids and what we have done as part of the retreat tomorrow.


Maasai Mara is a Kenyan nature reserve on the border of Tanzania. In Kenya it is Maasai Mara, in Tanzania the same park is the Serengeti, and the border between the two countries is marked with a clearing of trees, but no physical boundary (it would be difficult to train animals to stay in only one side!)

We arrived on Monday afternoon and were greeted by the Maasai women selling their wares. Chris and I especially had bracelets, carvings, clothes, necklaces, etc literally thrust into our hands through the window "you like this? We have 3 ladies here, one from each yes? Madam only 1000 shillings for all!" Saying no thank you, turning away, even closing the window did not stop them! Quite the gifted sales women! And yes, of course I bought a few things.

We spent Monday evening and all day Tuesday in the nature park and saw 4 of the big 5! I would never be able to share all of the pictures here, but I promise to do a photo dump at some point on Facebook when I return home and can use my laptop. Chris and Michael, my hosts, were gracious enough to let me share their camera to get some better shots of the animals that weren't so close. These were all with my phone, using very limited zoom. Yes, we could get that close!
The drivers were amazing and taught us about all of the animals we saw. We even got to experience getting stuck in the mud!
While on safari we stayed at one of the many tent encampments, each tent having a full bathroom, comfortable beds, and we even had hot water bottles placed into our beds each night!
Wednesday morning we toured a Maasai village, where the people showed us their dances and homes. It was fascinating! Maasai homes are made from sticks covered in a mixture of mud and cow dung and can last up to 20 years before needing to be remade! Each house has several rooms, including a guest room and kids room.

The drive home took us back through the Great Rift Valley with some amazing views. 

Our time on safari was a once in a lifetime trip for the students we brought with us, and let's face it, probably for me to! It was definitely a highlight of the trip and even with the sunburn I would do it again in a heartbeat!

More about our retreat tomorrow, I promise!

><> Carrie <><

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