God’s Creation in Kenya

August presented an opportunity to get out of Mango and explore other parts of Africa. Before a Community Health Evangelism training in Nairobi, my sister and I enjoyed the abundant wildlife in Kenya’s parks. We had quite an enjoyable time seeing God’s beautiful creation in that part of to world. I hope you enjoy these as well!

Kenya’s southern border is close to Mount Kilimanjaro, so we started by heading down to a park within its shadow. It was covered by clouds most of the time, but it became visible just after sunrise for a few minutes

Besides being at the foot of the mountain, there was plenty of water in the park. The elephant and hippo above are actually standing in the shallow water, while the grass floats on top.

Later we headed to a second park called Maasai Mara. This cheetah was one of the first animals we saw while headed into the park; she was digging into a gazelle she had just caught.

Lions were a major theme of our time in Maasai Mara. It was mating season, and the male and female in three of these photos followed one another all over the savanna for a couple of days. When they are in mating mode, they don’t think about food, so the antelope standing right behind them had nothing to fear!

Elephants of all ages! I especially like the babies. The little one on the left kept flapping his ears, showing his displeasure at our presence. He’s so cute when he’s angry! The other baby is suckling.

August is part of the migration season, when wildebeest (also called gnus) come from the Serengeti during the dry season to find food. They cross the Mara river, seen below, which is a difficult and dangerous expedition (between strong currents, crocodiles and lions who take advantage of them). They weren’t crossing the day we were there but we waited patiently for hours for a herd to do so! Other interesting wildlife lives along the river, such as the Egyptian geese and hippos below.

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Giraffes are one of my favorites. Did you know the older they get, the darker they become? That’s why the cute baby above is almost white between its spots, and the dark brown spots on the one sitting down show he’s pretty old.

Here are a few shots of more animals we saw:

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From the top, in case you don’t know all of these animals: Cheetah, Eland (the largest antelope in the world), Thompson Gazelle (who in contrast are pretty small), Ostrich, Warthog, Water Buffalo, and Zebra.

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And if you’ve seen my previous posts, you know I love birds! The two bigger ones just above, called the secretary bird and the yellow-billed stork, were at Maasai Mara, and I saw the three smaller birds (a bee-eater, a sunbird, and a starling) during walks in the neighborhood where the CHE training was held in Nairobi. While I love going on long expeditions to seek out the beautiful creatures God has made, I also love how many beautiful things live just out your front door if you have an eye to look for them.

Besides safariing, we spent a couple of days in the highland mountains, visiting a large mission hospital there. The high mountains with their cool climate are perfect for growing tea, which is enjoyed multiple times a day by most Kenyans, and the waterfall is not only beautiful but also provides hydroelectric power for the hospital.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of Kenya!