We ended our Africa adventure in the best possible way—by bringing over our kids and treating them to a Kenya safari vacation.
The idea started months earlier, back in November, when Mike and I stayed at Finch Hattons Camp in Kenya’s Tsavo West National Park. We loved everything about it: the game drives, the service, the beautiful tented cabins overlooking the water, and food so good that even I couldn’t stop talking about it. We left thinking, “The kids would love this place.”
When we realized we could book three of the four cabins we needed using points, the family safari started to move from dream to reality.
One of the unexpected joys of long-term travel is discovering places you immediately want to share with the people you love. Finch Hattons was one of those places. Crescent Island was another.
Back in November, Crescent Island had been one of our favorite wildlife experiences in all of Africa. Unlike a traditional safari where you’re viewing animals from a vehicle, here you walk among them. Giraffes wander past. Zebras graze nearby. Wildebeest, waterbuck, impala, ostriches, pelicans, and hippos all seem to coexist in a landscape that feels almost too peaceful to be real.
This time, however, we had a mission.
On our first visit, we had seen every animal we hoped to see except one: the rock python. The odds were against us, but somehow the wildlife gods decided to cooperate. First, we found a nest with several baby pythons peeking out before quickly retreating underground. Then a ranger pointed out the hole where an adult python lived. We waited. Eventually, all 12 feet of it emerged to bask in the sun. It was impressive enough that even the giraffes briefly lost our attention.
Our final stop was a safari camp bordering the Masai Mara. It lacked the luxury of Finch Hattons, but it had one thing that more than made up for it: animals. Everywhere.
The game drives delivered lions, elephants, hippos, a leopard, and finally—after months of African travel for Mike and – a couple of cheetahs. Since they are my favorite land animal, seeing those two cheetahs capped off our safari time in Africa perfectly.
But as wonderful as the wildlife was, the best moments often happened back at camp. At night we gathered around the fire pit, trading dance moves with the staff. They learned the Wobble line dance, and we attempted the Maasai jumping dance. I’m not sure either side mastered the other’s technique, but everyone had fun trying.
As the trip approached, we found ourselves getting more and more excited. By then we had been traveling in Africa for nine months and hadn’t seen the kids during that entire time. The safari gave us an excuse to reunite, but what we were really looking forward to was simply being together again.
Everything worked. The lodges were great, the driver handled the challenging roads, the bush flights went smoothly, and the kids embraced a schedule that would have exhausted many travelers. Long international flights? No complaints. Early morning bush plane? They were on it. Packed itinerary with no rest days? They rolled with it.
Like most family trips, there were a few headaches, a few stomach issues, and a few tired moments. But what stood out to us was how everyone looked after one another. There was always someone helping with bags, checking on a sibling, sharing snacks, or making sure nobody got left behind.
And, of course, there were games. Lots of games. Whenever we weren’t on safari, cards and board games appeared. We assumed the kids would stay up half the night playing, but after full days of wildlife viewing, even they were usually ready for bed.
The trip exceeded every expectation we had. We got to revisit places we loved, discover a few new highlights, and most importantly spend time with people we had missed terribly.
One of the questions we occasionally get from people we meet during our travels is: “What do your kids think about you being gone all the time?”
After this trip, the answer feels pretty clear:
“They love that we’re doing it—and wish they could be doing it too.”
Note: I used ChatGPT to help polish portions of this post while keeping my own experiences and observations intact.