The Adams Do East Africa

When my family visited me in Zambia over the 2012 holidays, it felt like a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing lions on Christmas Day? Spending New Years at Victoria Falls? It was such a unique and special trip for all of us. So I was pretty surprised and excited when, just a couple years later, it looked like they'd be able to come to Kenya too.

Having moved to a new region opened up the possibility of an entirely different kind of trip. Sure, Kenya is famous for its game parks and wildlife, but it also has the coast (!) and proximity to lots of other amazing places. We settled on a cross-country itinerary, that’d bring us to the beach, the rainforest, and into the maize fields of western Kenya.

Stop 1: Nairobi- no rest for the weary

When my family showed up in Nairobi, we immediately took them out on the town.  It was actually lucky they got delayed overnight in Doha, giving them at least a little time to rest. We started with the only repeat activity from Zambia: visiting an elephant orphanage. At the David Sheldrick orphanage you can get up close and personal with the elephants, and even pat them if you’re lucky. We then took animal intimacy to the next level at the Giraffe Center, where the giraffes will stick there heads inside a raised platform to collect treats (even right out of your mouth!).

Stop 2: Zanzibar- sun in the rainy season

Zanzibar, a classic East African destination, is one I’d never actually been to. My unfamiliarity showed itself from the start, with me unknowingly booking us a week there in the heart of the rainy season. No wonder all those hotels and restaurants were closed! Plans were locked in by the time I realized my error, so we went ahead, with the price discounts as a small silver lining.

In the end we got lucky and hit a stretch of beautiful weather just after they’d had a few weeks of heavy rain. Because it was the off-season we were some of the only tourists around. 

We spent our first two days on the island in Stone Town, the old section of the capital Zanzibar City. The age of this ancient city, inhabited for 500+ years, is reflected in its convoluted yet organic layout. Narrow streets, with turns every 100 feet, snake between tilting old buildings laden with shutters, porches and roof decks. Small shops and eateries spill out onto the roads, down which horse carts and scooters alternatively plod and zip. It’s a place full of history and great food, beautiful rooftop sunsets and the muezzin calls of many mosques. There’s an open-door neighborly culture, but also a hectic pace of life on the street. And it’s hot, really hot.

In addition to exploring the city, we also went for a ‘spice tour’, where we got to see how about a dozen different spices grow, including nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom and cloves. Spices used to be a major export for Zanzibar, but now a big money maker is setting up these small family owned farms growing a diverse array of spices to host tourists like us. And boy did we look like tourists by the time they were done with us!

From this clamoring seaside city we transitioned into the quieter interior and on to the eastern coast of the island. On the way, we stopped off in Jozani Forest and got up close to a family of red colubus monkeys. 

Hotel Matlai is on the southeast coast, near Pingwe, and it exceeded all our expectations. Walking in the house, we were overwhelmed with the view out the open side facing the ocean. A long pool (complete with floating pillows) stretched out from under the roof to the beach, and the low tide colors made it look like a painted scene. Because it was low season, we had the house to ourselves, and we made good use of all its lounging and reading spots. We were right on the beach, and when the tide was low we could walk far out, though the high tide hid the rocks and sea urchins and made swimming less appealing.

We went out for a few excursions on the water: once, to go snorkeling in the reef and admire the beds of giant, colorful starfish, and the next time with a fisherman to hunt octopi on the sandbar. The two we (he) caught were grilled up by the hotel for a delicious lunch. We ended our time in Zanzibar with a sail around Chwaka Bay on a traditional dhow.

(Photo cred: Sophie)

Stop 3: Kisumu- birthday city

Zanzibar and Bungoma are not close, so we decided to break up the journey with a few stops along the way. We spent our first night back in Kenya in Kisumu, where our nearest airport is located. I had a nice early birthday dinner by the lake with everyone on a beautiful evening.

Stop 4: Kakamega rainforest- featuring birds and fireside Uno games

The next day we parted ways with Emily, who returned to Bungoma ahead of us while we spent a couple nights in the rainforest at Rondo Retreat. My family enjoyed the homey feel of the place, made all the more cozy by intermittent chill and drizzle. We went for a few walks in the forest, on which we saw tons of birds and learned a thing or two about birdcalls from our expert guide. I also got to see my sister really doubt my judgment when we were surrounded by monkey calls in the pre-dawn forest darkness on our sunrise hike.

(Sunrise over the forest)

Stop 5: Bungoma- home base

The trip ended at our house in Bungoma, where we were lucky enough to be able to house everyone within our own compound. It was fun to have my family as neighbors for a couple days, and also to show them where we live and work (it’s not always easy to find the line!) Our awesome hosting staff took them on field visits to our warehouse and research center, and they had a fun Kenyan/Indian fusion dinner one night with Emily’s team. Like their visit to Zambia, it was great to be able to share many of the faces and places that make up daily life, to make everything that much more concrete and relatable.

(Squished in a tuk tuk)

In fact, the trip didn’t even end there. Although we said goodbye to Molly and my parents, Sophie stuck around Bungoma for another 2.5 weeks to do her end of high school internship. Emily linked her with a school where she occasionally helps out, and Sophie was able to set up a short term project. I was impressed with her vision to make it happen, as well as her ability to be on her own and carve out her role at the school. We also had some time to do fun things on the weekend like tubing on the Nile in Jinja, hiking in Bungoma, and exploring downtown Nairobi. Seems like she had a good time, and we really enjoyed having her (and the rest of them!) around.

(Excited about cool art projects!)

(Making friends with one of the kids living at the school)