Sanctuary Farm

Ava and Emma hiking on the floor of the 

Great Rift Valley at Sanctuary Farm, 

Lake Naivasha, Kenya

This weekend, Tristan enjoyed two nights of sleepovers with his friends, while the rest of us joined our friends Kerry and Melanie for a camping trip in celebration of Ava and Melanie's birthdays. We pitched our tents under the towering yellow Acacia trees near the lake, and enjoyed a few fun days of hiking and encountering the incredible wildlife and birds.

A baby zebra at the tail end of a large herd that trotted 

past our tents on several occasions. 

Ava and mommy getting ready for a boat ride on the lake

A rare treat

It is not often that you get to see a hippo out grazing in the middle of the afternoon. They like to keep cool in the water, and graze and sleep on land after dark, by the signs of their droppings, the woods where we were sleeping was a popular munching ground. At night we sat by our camp fire before bed entertained by the cacophony of sounds.

Making breakfast in camp

A visiting giraffe

quiet morning by the camp fire

The girls cooking in the dark

A friendly waterbuck, who for some

reason liked to sit and watch us share breakfast

in our camp each morning.

Kerry and Ava out for an early morning walk

We want to thank Guy and Julie for sharing their beautiful sanctuary with our family. It was a wonderful getaway from the city. Also a very happy birthday to Mel and Ava!