Review: Air Kenya, Cessna 208B Caravan, Ngrende Airstrip – Nairobi Wilson, Kenya

Posted on March 17, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Air Kenya + Airline + Cessna + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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It’s not every day that you get to take a propeller plane into the Maasai Mara. Unlike South Africa, most of Kenya’s National Parks are best accessed by air. This made an air connection essential in order to see any wild animals. This outlines our experience booking and travelling from the city to the Serengeti.

This post is one chapter on our trip to South Africa, a Safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya and Mauritius. This trip was redeemed through Air Canada’s Aeroplan and through Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) and Hyatt Gold Passport. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Air Kenya Cessna 208B Caravan, Ngrende Airstrip – Nairobi Wilson, Kenya.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave. It was very sad to leave the Maasai Mara as the place sort of has a unique beauty to it.

We transferred by safari truck from the Fairmont to the Ngrende Airstrip. The Air Kenya aircraft was waiting for us on arrival with the engines off and was loaded with people all ready in transit. It must have been waiting awhile since we didn’t hear or see the sound of the aircraft engines on approach or on our transfer.

Ngrende Airstip Facilities and Outbuildings

The pilots assisted with loading of the luggage. There was no security check of the bags on the outbound and for unknown reasons, the lounge / souvenir shop that we saw on the way in was closed.

Today’s equipment type was a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. The cockpit featured the upgraded avionics.

Air Kenya
Mara Ngrende – WIL (Ngrende Airstrip – Nairobi Wilson Airport)
XAK 952 – single class of service.
4:15 PM – 5:45 PM
November 25, 2013
Booked: Unassigned on purchase
Flown: Cessna 208B Caravan.

Once on board, we had a pre-flight safety briefing by the captain along with the in-flight service of the passing of the mints and Air Kenya branded bottle water. I ended up in a seat one row behind the cockpit, which was not fenced off.

My Swahili has always been a little rusty

Our views from our flight out of The Maasai Mara:

We had a smooth flight out of Ngrende at 9,500 feet over the beautiful Rift Valley. The Rift Valley was known as the location of the first discovered Homo Sapien human remains. MrsWT73 enjoyed the Cessna 208 more than the Twin Otter. She found the flight to be more stable overall. Of course, it could have been the better weather with less clouds.

Maasai Mara Views on the Climb to Altitude

On our descent, we passed over some of the more expensive residential estates in Nairobi in the Karen neighbourhood. The Karen neighbourhood was named after Karen Blix and made famous from the Hollywood movie Out of Africa. It was at least proof that poverty in Nairobi is not everywhere.

Landing at Wilson Airstrip:

We had a straight in touch down at Wilson Nairobi and an immediate taxi over to the Air Kenya Hangar. As can be expected on a smaller plane, the views of the approach were really good.

Air Kenya Cessna 208B Caravan on the Ground at Wilson

A Tug is not A Tug unless it’s from a tractor!

The baggage was taken off and carted directly through the helicopter hangar while passengers walked around through the entrance and through the parking lot to the street. We passed by the baggage tagging station with the old-fashioned style baggage tagging with the pre-printed destinations.

Arrival Bench for Air Kenya Wilson Airport

The checked bags were placed on a curbside counter and attended by Air Kenya baggage claim attendants. The baggage claim attendants were attentive in asking if transport had been arranged prior to releasing the bags. I am assuming it is because people get mugged with their bags. As our driver had not turned up, the baggage claim attendant insisted that we call the transfer company prior to him releasing the bags. I went over to the Air Kenya office and the security guard offered to call on my behalf. Fortunately, the driver turned up at that minute and we loaded ourselves up for the Jomo Kenyatta airport via the Fairmont Norfolk to collect our other luggage’s and have dinner prior to a transfer out to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for our Swiss International Flight Nairobi – Zurich.

My Last Thoughts on Air Kenya:

Overall, like our outbound trip, Air Kenya was a great way to get to our safari. Purchase of the flights was handled via the website without incident or complications. The equipment was upgraded with current avionics and their flights operated two man crews (pilot and co-pilot). I would happily choose them again if we returned to the Maasai Mara.

Tags: Air Kenya, Cessna 208B, Ngrende Airstrip, WIL, XAK 952

Activity: Dancing with the Elders at a Maasai Village in the Rift Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya

Posted on March 16, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Kenya + Region Visit + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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We made time on our stay at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club, to visit a local Maasai Village. This was probably one of the most interesting and special travel experiences that I’ve had the opportunity to do in my worldwide travels. Taking such a tour is a special and unique experience that isn’t readily available to most westerners. As such, if you find yourself in these parts of the world, make sure you take full opportunity to get in such a visit, if at all possible.

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Activity: Dancing with the Elders at a Maasai Village in the Rift Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya

“A visit the a Maasai Village is one of the most unforgettable travel experiences you’ll have in a lifetime. The ability to dance with one of the most unique tribes in the world is a travel encounter that will never be forgotten.”

This post outlines our visit to a Maasai Village and dancing with it’s elders. For information related to our stay, please see the Review: Fairmont Mara Safari Club – Deluxe Tent for further information. For our general experience starting off on Game Drives in the Maasai Mara, please see this earlier review.

About the Maasai:

The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress. Except for some elders living in rural areas, most Maasai people speak the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and Englis.

Visiting a Maasai Village:

The village we happened to visit had a relationship with the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. We booked a visit through the hotel, who then provides a donation to the village. I’m sometimes a little on the fence about these sorts of experiences but I am really happy to report that this was as authentic an experience as one could expect. It’s one I would easily repeat if I found myself in Kenya or Tanzania ever again.

After a short drive, we found ourselves at the Maasai Village where our adventure was already underway.

Dancing with the Maasai:

Dancing with the Maasai is a pretty terrific experience. It’s not every day that you get to experience springing up and down with an African Tribe.

First off, here’s a bit of knowledge and history about the Maasai to add a little context. Maasai music traditionally consists of rhythms provided by a chorus of vocalists singing harmonies while a song leader, or olaranyani, sings the melody. The olaranyani is usually the singer who can best sing that song, although several individuals may lead a song. The olaranyani begins by singing a line or title (namba) of a song. The group will respond with one unanimous call in acknowledgment, and the olaranyani will sing a verse over the group’s rhythmic throat singing. Lyrics follow a typical theme and are often repeated verbatim over time.

Both singing and dancing sometimes occur around manyattas, and involve flirting. Young men will form a line and chant rhythmically, “Oooooh-yah”, with a growl and staccato cough along with the thrust and withdrawal of their lower bodies. Girls stand in front of the men and make the same pelvis lunges while singing a high dying fall of “Oiiiyo..yo” in counterpoint to the men. Although bodies come in close proximity, they do not touch.

Eunoto, the coming of age ceremony of the warrior, can involve ten or more days of singing, dancing and ritual. The warriors of the Il-Oodokilani perform a kind of march-past as well as the adumu, or aigus, sometimes referred as “the jumping dance” by non-Maasai. (Both adumu and aigus are Maa verbs meaning “to jump” with adumu meaning “To jump up and down in a dance”) Warriors are well known for, and often photographed during, this competitive jumping. A circle is formed by the warriors, and one or two at a time will enter the center to begin jumping while maintaining a narrow posture, never letting their heels touch the ground. Members of the group may raise the pitch of their voices based on the height of the jump. This is arguably the most well known of the tribal dances around the world and is often photographed.

On our arrival to the Maasai Village, we started with an introduction into the local Maasai dance. The event was already underway or designed to start with our arrival. Our guide took our cameras from us and took dozens of photographs of us enjoying the experience.

Maasai Villagers getting ready for the adumu

It wasn’t before long that we were in the middle the action, being taught the ways of the Maasai.

We also had an opportunity to experience the jumping dance up close, and even try it ourselves. Being surrounded by their families and young ones watching the elders demonstrate their culture was a special experience. It sounds immersive, but it was a terrific amount of fun.

A Maasai Fire Starting Demonstration:

After the dancing ceremony, we enjoyed a traditional fire starting demonstration. While this technique isn’t exclusive to the Maasai Mara, it’s still pretty neat to watch if you haven’t seen it before. It involved the spinning of the wood cylinder against the combustable wood cylinder, gradually creating heat and fire.

Being Welcomed Inside a Maasai Home:

After the fire starting portion, we were welcomed inside a traditional Maasai Home. The structures are made with natural elements, including forms of manure to help bond the wall materials together. The homes appeared to be arranged in a circular format, likely to thwart off predators and provide some physical protection.

It’s pretty spartan inside as one would expect, but a great way to understand their lifestyle.

After our tour, we had a few photographs with the elders. It was a great souvenir to reflect on our time and visit.

Summing up our visit to a Maasai Village settlement:

I have to say, if you’re passing through The Maasai Mara or Serengeti, make time and space in your schedule to visit a Maasai Village. While there are lots of things that you can do on a tourist circuit, with some that produce underwhelming results, our experience here was pretty special. The villagers took us in for the time that we were there and served to delight and entertain us, providing an all to short window into their world. It’s been a travel experience that I’ve looked back on with fond memories, which isn’t something that I can say about all of them.

My thoughts on our time on safari in The Maasai Mara:

Overall we quite enjoyed our Maasai Mara Safari experience. There were lots of animals here, you just needed to drive a bit further to find them. I’d recommend bringing along some Advil for your back and neck as the longer drives over rough terrain can be a bit jarring by the end of the day (there are no paved roads here like in parts of Kruger Park). It was also a much more remote experience than my South African Kruger experience with way fewer people, allowing you to enjoy the pristine nature of the park.

Kenya has lots of safari lodges like this all across the country. It is feasible to make a stop in Nairobi, taking Air Kenya or Safarilink to stay at many of the parks operated by Serena Lodges or similar. On a return trip, if we were not opting for a longer stay at the Ngorongoro Crater, we would probably visit another area for the experience.

Tags: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Kenya, Maasai Mara, Maasai Mara National Park, Maasai Village

Activity: Being Surrounded by Lions in the Maasai Mara, Kenya

Posted on March 15, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Africa + Kenya + Region Visit + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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After settling into the Fairmont Mara Safari Club, we set out on several game drives throughout the Maasai Mara National Park. It was my first time visiting this particular game park and it was a sight to be beholden. The thrill of spotting game animals in their natural habitat isn’t something that you quickly forget.

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Activity: Being Surrounded by Lions in The Maasai Mara, Kenya

“The Maasai Mari National Park is exceptionally full of lions. The opportunity to see them here are among the most plentiful in the world.”

This post outlines our game drives with the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. For information related to our stay, please see the Review: Fairmont Mara Safari Club – Deluxe Tent for further information. For our general experience starting off on Game Drives in the Maasai Mara, please see this earlier review. For our visit to a village in the Maasai Mara, please see this activity.

The Lions of the The Maasai Mara:

The Maasai Mara is known for it’s high lion densities. Indeed, we got closer to lions than we’d ever thought we would ever get. We also had about 6 lion sightings over 6 game drives. On my last 3 day safari in Kruger National Park, South Africa, I’d only had one lion sighting but many more elephants. If you want to see lions, this is the place to visit! You can even get close enough to see the colour of their eyes.

We had many sightings of lions both moving and resting in various locations throughout the park.

The proximity of the Lions to the Trucks is unparalleled.

A Family of Lions Passing by the Game Trucks

Watching Lions Tussle:

We also managed to spot a beautiful male lion; one of only a few that we had spotted. We managed to spot him tussling with some of his pride in among the best action shots that I was able to get on this safari.

Enjoying the Majestic Cheetah:

One of our other highlights of our time in Maasai Mara was spotting a majestic cheetah. The cheetah is the animal that can run up to speeds of one hundred and fifteen kilometres per hour.

The eyes of the cheetah are a really unique color, with chompers that can likely cut with the best of them.

A Cheetah Spotting something interesting

We also visited along with a black rhino, a protected species in Kenya.

As we headed through the Maasai Mara, we also occasionally spotted the local Maasai People heading their cows. We would end up with the opportunity to visit one of their villages on this trip. It’s a little surreal to think that these people co-exist with the lions roaining around nearby.

Catching a Fresh Kill

The most interesting part of the safari was a leopard after a fresh kill. Spotted in the brush a mere 100 meters from the entrance to the resort, it was under a tree (light by the safari vehicle headlights here) chomping away on an animal. We actually got to hear the sounds of his teeth tearing and breaking apart the animals bones here with a cracking sound that I won’t soon forget. The leopard was complelely oblivious to the presence of the safari truck and was engrossed in his food.

Supper Time: A Leopard Enjoying a Fresh Kill

Summing up the animals seen on our Maasai Mara adventure:

I kept a little track of all the animals that we had seen throughout our four game drives. It was a pretty robust list.

Animals sighted:

Female lion X 5 sightings
Male Lion X 1 sighting
Leopard eating X 1 sighting
Water Buffalo X 1 sighting
Wildebeest (several)
Impala (several)
Giraffe (several)
Elephant, male, female, baby elephant X 1 sighting.
Warthog (several)
Waterbuck (several)
Hyena (several)
Ostrich (several)
Ruffled Grouse (few)
Thompson Gazelle (large amounts)

My thoughts on our time within the Maasai Mara:

Tags: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Game Drive, Kenya, Maasai Mara, Maasai Mara National Park, Safari

Activity: Locating Elephants, Rhino’s and Giraffes in the Maasai Mara, Kenya

Posted on March 14, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Africa + Kenya + Region Visit + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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Activity: Locating elephants, giraffes and rhino’s in the Maasai Mara, Kenya

“The Maasai Mari National Park allows for the opportunity to get exceptionally close to many of your favourite African game animals. While the distances and effort to get here are greater than fellow wonder Kruger National Park, a visit here is not to be missed if you’re visiting Kenya or Tanzania”

This post outlines our game drives with the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. For information related to our stay, please see the Review: Fairmont Mara Safari Club – Deluxe Tent for further information. For our visit to a Maasai village in the Maasai Mara, please see this activity.

The Logistics of Game Drives with the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

During our visit, the Fairmont Mara Safari Club game drives took place twice a day at 6:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Two game drives per day were included in our room rate, with the exception of a $70 USD per person per day Park Fee. We had the same driver doubling as a guide Mr. Tetuchi Evans for all our drives. We were joined in our safari vehicle by another couple from Mexico City on an extended honeymoon. Our guide went out of his way to make sure that we saw the right animals to make up “The Big Five”.

The vehicle that we used was an open aired Toyota Landcruiser. The truck was mostly comfortable with the caveat that no one goes off road on a came drive expecting to be as smooth as a Rolls Royce.

Fairmont Toyota Land Cruiser Game Drive Vehicle

The game drives take place in the outer Maasai Mara Conversation area and not in the inner conservation park. This does not appear to be an issue with seeing any less animals outside of the actual inner park as the animals are free to cross between the inner and outer parks without any fences. Spotting of all sorts of animals can occur within sight of the resort front gate.

About the Maasai Mara:

The Maasai Mara is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya. It is immediately adjacent tp the Serengeti National Park in neighboringTanzania. It is named in honor of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin.

Kenya’s Maasai Mara wildlife area is a large and spread out area. There are high densities of lions here – many more sightings of lion than on my last safari trip in Kruger National Park, South Africa. We also had to travel further distances to find animals. One drive took us 45 kilometers and 2 hours over very rough terrain before seeing any elephants. We did finally spot some. It was our only elephant sighting out of 6 game drives.

During our visit, it was generally more difficult to find animals in Maasai Mara versus my last safari in Kruger National Park in South Africa. But, when you find animals, you don’t have to share them with anybody. The most we ever had at a sighting were 6 other trucks. Usually, only 1-2 other game drive trucks would be present at an animal. My past experience in Kruger Park, South Africa often involved full motor coaches pulling up and antagonizing animals, which led to a busier experience. This might not be the case if you were using one of the Private Reserves on offer these days near the Kruger area.

Other Details of our Game Drives in The Maasai Mara:

I took almost 1,000 photos using a Nikkor 18-200 mm lens. I was initially worried about not having a 300 mm lens but as you can see, you can put away your zoom lens if you visit here. I did make sure I was fully charged on the battery packs and memory cards since there would be zero opportunity out on the Maasai to recharge or purchase new digital storage.

The General Landscape of the Maasai Mara:

The Maasai Mara is an exceptionally picturesque flat plain surrounded by light mountains. The remoteness and sereneness made it a vast safari experience filled with big skies, vast plains and a wide range of territories to cover.

The Tracks of the Maasai Mara with Desert Date Trees

You never know where you’ll spot a small lion

See if you can spot the beautiful animal in the third photograph:

Locating your Favourite Game Animals:

As we started exploring, we started coming across animals in our track. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing this animals in their natural habitat. It’s not something that can always be captured by amateur photographers like myself but we certainly attempted to try.

Before we knew it, we were coming cross animals worthy of our game drive time.

Africa’s most dangerous animal: a Lone Hippopotamus giving us the stare down

Experiencing the Height of Tall Giraffes:

Zebras Grazing on the Savannah:

We eventually got close to some Zebras. The Zebras are entertaining and smaller than I’d imagine them.

Bodacious Baboons:

We eventually located some baboons, although there were tired at looking at us. I was able to capture them on a yawn which was a delight to see.

We also came across a mighty water buffalo.

Catching up with Kenyan Elephants:

In keeping with the Maasai Mara wildlife being a large and spread out area. It took us forty five kilometress and two hours over very rough terrain before seeing any elephants. This happened to be our only elephant sighting out of 6 game drives.

Some random extras making up our cast of characters:

There were also a few extra cast of characters that we happened to see on our trip.

My thoughts on our first drives within the Maasai Mara:

Wow – what a spectacular place. While the whole event is more spread out than the Kruger National Park in South Africa, the sightings are usually quite a bit more intense in that you have all the animals to yourself. If you’re prepared to invest the time and energy into seeing these animals, you’re usually a bit more rewarded.

Tags: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Game Drive, Kenya, Maasai Mara, Maasai Mara National Park, Safari

Review: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Posted on March 13, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Africa + Fairmont + Hotels + Kenya + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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For our three day stay in the Maasai Mara, we selected the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. We did this as they were easily accessible by air, were able to be partnered with our pre-safari lodging at the Fairmont Norfolk, and thanks to the Fairmont brand, we knew we were going to have a quality stay experience.

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Review: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Deluxe Tent, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

“The Fairmont Mara Safari Club offers an all inclusive experience, with included game drives and glamour tents that overlook a watering hole for hippopotamuses.”

This post outlines our stay with the Fairmont Mara Safari Club. For information on our game drives, please see the Game Drives in the Maasai Mara, please see this earlier review. For our visit to a village in the Maasai Mara, please see this activity.

How we Booked:

We ended up at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club as we did not have the vacation time to commit to a 10 day safari through Kenya or Tanzania AND visit South Africa and Mauritius on the same ticket. The Fairmont fit the bill as a tented camp with “included” game drives and full board (not including alcohol or soft drinks). We had already taken 3 weeks for this holiday and while we would have liked to have gone on a tour of the Ngorongoro Crater, or visited Mount Kilimanjaro, the fact was our relationships with our bosses would have suffered if we were away from work for more than three weeks. The answer to this circumstance was a three day safari at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club in the Maasai Mara, Kenya where we could visit all the animals and get in a safari experience.

We booked direct via the Fairmont website. As Fairmont President’s Club Members at the time, we ended up earning Fairmont Silver Status for the year thanks to our three separate stays tied with an Air Canada Elite promotion that was on at the time.

The Room Rate was full board and included breakfast, lunch and dinner (excluding alcoholic drinks) two game drives a day, airstrip transfers, and local state taxes for the game park.

It’s also worth noting that this property is less than 15 minutes transfer time by car from the Ngrende Airstrip to the resort, unlike some other properties in Kenya that involve more than a 60 minute transfer time. This allows you to maximize your time at the resort, an minimize your time travelling. I enjoyed this aspect of it, given that we were going be spending up to four hours a day in a car on a game drive.

Transferring to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

While it is possible to drive the 235 kilometres (posted at four hours and thirty five minutes) from Nairobi to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club, we opted for an air transfer with Air Kenya. After arriving from our Air Kenya Nairobi Wilson – Ngrende Airstrip flight, we were escorted off the airstrip to the parking lot where Fairmont provided a scented towel service and welcome drink. Aircraft took off for next destination with a dusty spool up of the engines, departing in the reverse direction from landing. It was a pretty unique experience arriving and watching the plane take off in the middle of nowhere surrounded by safari vehicles.

Fairmont Mara Safari Club Toyota Land Cruiser

The lounge was closed on our return visit. We didn’t get the opportunity to indulge.

The arriving passengers climbed into 2 separate Toyota Land Cruisers the trip to Fairmont Mara Club tented camp. Of course, the road to the camp and all other roads in this area are unsealed and unpaved.

Arriving to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

After a 10 minute drive from the airstrip to the Mara Club, we were given a personal tour of the lodge facilities and escorted to our room.

We saw some beautiful owls that were checking us out on the walk in.

Magnificent Owl’s inspecting our arrival

The hotel check in formally completed in the tent. Surprisingly, no credit card deposit was required.

The Room: Deluxe Riverfront Tent, Queen, Non Smoking

All the rooms at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club are Riverfront tents. The tents consist of a permanent base with sealed edging.

Despite the plain looking outside, the tent was much more charming and elegant inside.

The tent had a small fridge, a pay mini bar, a radio phone to contact the lobby, an outdoor and indoor shower (the regular tents do not appear to have an outdoor shower). Those looking to relax with electronics may be disappointed as there was no television or internet available in the tent. Free wifi was available in the lobby.

There was a counter top chest with a portable phone. Inside the chest was the tea and coffee kettle, which was of the instant variety. They had also stocked the room with glassware and a fruit platter.

Welcome Fruit Amenity and Instant Tea and Coffee

A Tented Washroom with an Outdoor Shower:

The tent’s back half of the room was the bathroom area. It was carefully divided into two zones; an indoor and outdoor zone. There was a small amenity table with mirror accompanied by Fairmont bathrobes. The bathroom was pretty spacious for a tent; much more spacious than any tent bathroom that I’ve been in.

Running Water in the Tent with a Single Vanity

Towel Racks and Space to Store your Clothes

Despite being a “tent” there was also an indoor washroom and shower. The washroom featured proper plumbing and sewage draining.

Our Deluxe Tent Room also featured an outdoor shower. As one of the world’s best privileges of travelling, I’ll never turn down an outdoor shower. This one was quite large in a round space. It’s worth noting that it wasn’t especially hot temperature wise outside in the air during our visit. If you’re looking for that tropical warm experience of an outdoor shower, this isn’t the place for it. The outdoor shower has more of an outdoor rustic feel to it closer to camping than exotic luxury. It was cold enough during my run from the tent to the shower and back!

View from the Tent: A Hippopotamus Bathing Hole

Instead of televisions for entertainment, the tent backed onto the river which was a favorite bathing area of hippopotamuses. I spent a lot of time at the coffee table outside watching these guys swim about. It was better than any time I would have spent at the resort pool.

It’s something waking up to that view everyday

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that there are no locks on tent door, and we were encouraged to leave all valuables in the in room safe. On our arrival the safe was not working- and it was resolved after 2nd night.

Around the Resort:

The property offered a nice, but not over the top infrastructure. There was a pleasant lobby, a restaurant and a bar and lounge. There was also a library, which served as more of a quiet space.

There was also a small pool on the property. It had a bit of a shady exposure from what we saw when we were not on game drives. We did not use it during our stay. It didn’t have a beautiful infinity pool view like some other more modern water concepts but it would be a reasonable place to exist in the warmer months if you were not taking a game drive.

Food and Beverage at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

The food at the Fairmont Mara Club, like many other safari lodges, is offered in alignment with the game drive times. The lunches and dinners were a la carte ordering (not buffet styled) and involved the choices of a starter, soup, main and dessert. The food was of satisfactory quality – I wouldn’t expect the usual Fairmont flair or haute cuisine, but it was perfectly average given the environment where we were in. The food was nicely presented and always available.

Chicken with Rice for Lunch on the Pool Terrace

While there were wine lists available, we didn’t partake in them. Being in Africa, the wines were focused on South Africa with the occasional French label available. Given the early morning game drives, and the early bedtimes, were were not feeling overly indulgent.

Overall the accommodations aspect of the Fairmont Mara Safari Club lodge led to having a very comfortable stay. It is glamping (glamour camping) and if you keep this in perspective it makes for a very enjoyable stay. I slept really well, where as MrsWT73 had a sleepless night or two after the grounds surrounding our tent were ravaged in the middle of the night by “bush babies” – small nocturnal herbivore monkeys that ravage the Mara floor looking for food. We heard then scattering around the tent which kept MrsWT73 up for hours. There was also a turn down service provided while we were at dinner. On our first night, my wife found a hot water bottle in the bed. Although she was not expecting such an item and she jumped about 10 feet into the air. We usually heard crickets and frogs cricketing in the late night. There were also hippopotamuses groaning and snorting in early morning at 5 AM.

In Summary: The Fairmont Mara Safari Club

All in, the stay experience is perfect for those looking for a quicker safari that can’t commit to a longer 5-10 day trip. The Fairmont was able to accommodate a 3 day trip with ease and perfect for those that are looking to get in a little game viewing paired with a busy schedule. The quality of the resort, while not up to true first world standards, is pretty good and excellent if you take a view of it as luxury glamour – camping. Like most Fairmont Resorts we’ve stayed at, the service was excellent. It was professional, subdued and discreetly attentive. I would easily return to this resort as our experience was very good bordering on excellent.

Tags: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Fairmont President's Club, Hotel Review, Maasai Mara

Review: Air Kenya, Twin Otter, Nairobi Wilson – Ngrende Airstrip, Kenya

Posted on March 12, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Air Kenya + Airline + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report + Twin Otter

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Review: Air Kenya Twin Otter, Nairobi Wilson – Ngrende Airstrip, Kenya.

Our car transfer service with Pamoja tours arrived to the Fairmont Norfolk about 30 minutes early at the Fairmont Norfolk. The front desk was kind enough to call the room to advise us of their arrival. We headed down and checked out. A different driver was waiting for us today.

There are essentially two major domestic air carriers serving between Nairobi Wilson airport and Ngrende Airstrip: Air Kenya and Safari Link. After a little internet research, we decided on Air Kenya as they had a smaller over weight baggage fee than Safarilink which we felt we may have had to use at some point. You’ll want to avoid Mombasa Air Services (if they are still in operation) after they had a fatal crash departing Ngrende Air Strip in 2012.

The Wilson airport is similar to any private airpark in that there is no main terminal building, but many smaller hangars owned by the various air companies. You will need to provide the air company to the car transfer service as otherwise you won’t find your taxi as the buildings and hangars are quite spread out around the perimeter of the Wilson airport.

On arrival to the Wilson airport, a security check was conducted for all checked and hand baggage. The weight limit of Air Kenya was 15 kilograms per passenger. On our visit, both our bags were weighed together on the same scale (adding together the allotted weight). Those that were slightly overweight, may be able to take advantage of their travel companion’s unused allowance as the cases were weighted together. Curiously hand luggage (laptops bags and purses) were not weighed. The baggage tagging was the old fashioned style with pre-printed luggage tags.

We presented our passports to check in. We were given baggage claim tags and re-useable boarding cards.

We proceeded through a security screening into holding lounge which had a coffee shop and small retail store of mostly women’s clothing.

Air Kenya Wilson Airport Departure Board

From the general waiting area, there was a great view of aircraft operations immediately next to Kenyan Police Hangar and a United Nations Canada Air Regional Jet parked on the other. There appeared to be a school tour on today as well…

Time to board. We were escorted out to the tarmac in a large group. Equipment type today was a Twin Otter. MrsWT73 sadly remarked that there “would be no bubbles on today’s flight”. Indeed we were lucky to get any food and beverage at all with today’s catering.

The in flight safety briefing was conducted by captain. Accompanied on this trip with a first officer. Our flight plan today was at 10,000ft. Twelve out of fourteen passengers en route to Ngrende Airstrip today. No 3 letter airport sign here, just GPS co-ordinates.

On climb out, had to wait for several smaller aircraft waiting to use runway.

Climb took us out over Kiberia Slum then westward to Ngrende. Flight was bumpy due to clouds at our particular elevation.

Our in flight service consisted of wrapped sweets that were passed around in a tupperware contained, with bottled water available in the cooler at the back of the plane (self service).

Before we knew it, we were in the middle of nowhere without a sealed road to be found.

Landing at Ngrende Airstrip:

We had a very gradual descent into Ngrende. A hard left turn and we were approaching the airstrip. I deliberately neglected to inform MrsWT73 that we were not landing on a paved sealed runway with an ILS but rather a dirt strip. She dealt with it pretty good. A short stop on the dirt runway with a U turn at the end and we were ready to disembark.

Getting off the plane, we got our first look at Ngrende airstrip. We were met by Fairmont representatives who assisted with the unloading and escorting of baggage off the plane. The plane remained “HOT” during the unloading process with propellers running at idle speed on the right side of the aircraft.

My Last Thoughts on Air Kenya:

Overall, Air Kenya was a great way to get to our safari. Purchase of the flights was handled via the website without incident or complications. The equipment was upgraded with current avionics and their flights operated two man crews (pilot and co-pilot). I would happily choose them again if we returned to the Maasai Mara.

Tags: JNB, NBO, SA 184, South African Airways

Activity: Travelling The Gritty Streets of Nairobi, Kenya.

Posted on March 11, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Africa + Attraction + City Visit + Kenya + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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Like Johannesburg, South Africa, Nairobi, Kenya doesn’t have a great reputation as being an attractive place to visit. Perhaps best known as one of the major capital cities in Central Africa, it’s got quite a reputation as a dangerous place to visit (Nai-robbery), in addition to being aligned with the United States of America. Nevertheless. its still a much needed stop over on any safari adventure in and out of Kenya’s Serengeti Parks so we were able to take in some sights on the way through.

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Activity: Travelling The Gritty Streets of Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi has something of a reputation of a “get in and get out” city. It was easy to make comparisons of Nairobi to Johannesburg, both being large cities that drive the economies of their countries. However, Johannesburg looked like Disneyland’s “The Happiest Place on Earth” compared to rough and tumble Nairobi. We didn’t take a city tour but got a feel of the place as we transferred between the Fairmont Norfolk and our Air Kenya Wilson – Negrende flight into Maasai Mara at the regional Wilson Airport airstrip.

Crawling through the Central Business District of Nairobi:

Our impression was a city of desperation filled with workers and people selling things just trying to get by. Filled with crumbling infrastructure, Nairobi wasn’t easy on the camera lens. There were also a few beggars with children, which tugged at the heart a bit.

The Street Sweeper has missed some of these muddy streets

While we passed through town, evidence of entrepreneurship was everywhere, from shoe shining to garbage picking. Some streets were set amongst seventies mid rise archetiecture that is common throughout the continent of Africa.

The Streets of Nairobi set amid seventies tower architecture

As with many African cities, the traffic was absolutely horrendous. Our transfer of nine kilometers in afternoon rush hour took us 90 minutes… Make sure you allow sufficient time if you are connecting to flights.

Stacked up Traffic as far as the eye can see

As always, there’s lots of different kinds of vehicles on the roads of Nairobi, a lot different than what we would expect back home.

Passing through Kiberia:

Our transfers took us through the outskirts of the Kiberia slum. Kibera is the largest informal settlement or slum in Nairobi, and the largest in Africa.The population is disputed between under two hundred thousand by government numbers to over 500,000 to well over 1,000,000 depending on which slums are included in defining Kibera.

The majority of Kibera slum residents live in extreme poverty, earning less than $1.00 per day. Unemployment rates are high. There are few schools, and most people cannot afford education for their children. Clean water is scarce. Diseases caused by poor hygiene are prevalent. Like many informal settlements in Africa, most living in the slum lack access to basic services, including electricity, running water, and medical care.

Our drive also took us pasts the location of where the US Embassy was bombed in 1998. It’s now a fenced peaceful park.

Site of the US Embassy Bombing in Nairobi, Kenya

My thoughts on the Streets of Nairobi:

Overall, I didn’t get the sense of wanting to spend any more time in Nairobi than the 24 hours that we allowed between our international and domestic flights. I’m sure that the city has some wonderful parts to it- unfortunately, we didn’t get or chose to see any of it. At the same time, the city was a place of desperation and grittiness that didn’t encourage staying or exploration. If we visited again, like this time, we probably wouldn’t stick around any more than we needed to.

Tags: Kiberia, Nairobi

Review: Hotel Fairmont, The Norfolk, Nairobi, Kenya

Posted on March 10, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Fairmont + Hotels + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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We had a one night stop over in Nairobi, Kenya on our way to the Maasai Mara for a safari. With limited hotel choices in town, we opted for a quality stay with the luxurious Fairmont Norfolk. This hotel was quite impressive for a classic hotel, and exuded everything you’d expect from old world colonial luxury.

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Review: Hotel Fairmont, The Norfolk, Nairobi, Kenya

“Hotel Fairmont, The Norfolk has been the place to kick off a Maasai Mara Safari since 1904. The hotel offers old world charm amid tranquil landscaped and peaceful gardens.”

The Fairmont Norfolk has been in continuous operation since Christmas Day of 1904. The Lord Delemere Terrace at the front of the hotel has been part of this tradition. The hotel has had various additions throughout the years and a main feature of the hotel is the wonderful courtyard. The hotel marketed itself as a traditional starting hotel for Kenyan safaris and it was neat to have been part of this history by completing a pre-safari stay here.

The city has pretty much grown up around The Norfolk’s Old World Charm. The hotel offers 27 suites and 143 rooms set around tropical landscaped gardens.

How we Booked:

We were staying at two separate properties in Kenya, the Fairmont Norfolk in Nairobi, then later transferring outwards to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club in the Maasai Mara. While there were a few other independent hotel chains, it made sense to stick with Fairmont. We were transferring to the Maasai Mara via small propeller planes and we intended to leave our checked baggage containing the majority of our clothes behind. The Fairmont was able to store our baggage for us for the time while we were up in the Maasai Mara and made this transition as seamless as possible.

We booked direct via the Fairmont website. As Fairmont President’s Club Members at the time, we ended up earning Fairmont Silver Status for the year thanks to our three separate stays.

Transferring to the Fairmont Norfolk:

Given the security concerns of Nairobi, I had arranged for a car transfer service from Helen at Pamoja Tours and Safaris. I was referred to this company by the Fairmont hotel, as we wanted to book several car transfers with them. The greeter was outside as promised and she called the driver who met us curb side.

After the bags were loaded into a Hyundai Van, we set off to the hotel during rush hours. Our driver mentioned that the city was very “sad” after the Westgate Mall incident. He also indicated that the security detail at the Fairmont hotel had increased.

The smell of gasoline and diesel smoke filled the air. The route to the hotel is through a rough industrial area on the main Nairobi – Mombasa highway. The highway was over run by pedestrians, matatus (colored buses translated literally into “three cents a ride” in Swahili) and mini buses looking to pickup workers. The traffic was thick and congested headed to the hotel.

Traffic and Roadway Animals on the way into town

Traffic on the way to the Fairmont Norfolk

I’ve done a fair bit of travel over the years and have been fortunate enough to have traveled to over 55 countries. I usually wing it and take a local taxi or public transport on arrival at an international destination to get us to the hotel where we are staying. On this stay, I was really glad to have arranged the car service on my arrival. There were a lot of local driving rules that didn’t make much sense, such as driving through obviously red lights and yielding to other vehicles and cows in the roadway. I’d encourage you all to do the same if you are arriving on your own in Nairobi. I’d also highly recommend Helen and Pamoja Tours since all emails were answered within 24 hours, the driver’s turned up on time as promised and the prices were reasonable. It made our trip much much easier.

Arriving to the Fairmont Norfolk:

We were welcomed to Fairmont Norfolk with a warm Swahili Jambo! by a beautifully colored jacket doorman at the Fairmont Norfolk. Given the recent Westgate Mall terrorist attack incident, our driver had mentioned that the security detail at the hotel had increased. Indeed, our bags and handbags were submitted to a full Garrett Wand screening, and our body was fully wanded. In my experience, the hotel security metal detectors at the front door are usually more for show than anything else. The Fairmont Norfolk was the most through security check that I have had compared to visits to other countries such as Indonesia, Egypt and Colombia. Two military guards were also posted at the front of the hotel on static detail with M-16 rifles.

The Room: Beautiful Deluxe Courtyard, King Non Smoking

We were led in by concierge to check in which was completed without any issues. Free WIFI was provided compliments of Fairmonts Presidents club.

We were led to our room by two porters situated in a beautiful leafy courtyard on the top floor. I had intentionally requested an upper room for security reasons as I didnt want any possibility of break in- no matter how remote that may have seemed. An introduction to the room was provided, along with thermostat setting instructions, and a friendly reminder not to drink the tap water. The porters were also able to point out interesting history information about the hotel and periods of construction.

Passing through the Courtyard at the Fairmont Norfolk

The room was a bit compact but perfectly comfortable for one night.

The room offered a small classic desk space for working.

Desk Space appointed in classic wood style

There were also two chairs for seating near the windows. This was a smart touch as there was no physical space to set down a couch, given the small footprint of the room.

Seating Space for the Room with Courtyard Views

A massive washroom fit for two:

The bathroom offered a stand up shower and a single vanity. Although compact, it was exceptionally clean and featured everything we could have possibly needed.

In a classy touch, there were fresh yellow roses in the bathroom. The bathroom, along with the room itself appeared to have been recently refurbished.

A Room with a View:

The room had pleasant views facing the Fairmont Norfolk Courtyard.

Around the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel Grounds:

After dropping the bags at the room, we wandered around and took in the pool and leafy gardens on a large and intricate cubby holed complex before retiring to the room to re-pack for our small light aircraft safari flight. The hotel was designed in a square format with many rooms looking inward onto the beautiful courtyard.

Looking Towards the Hotel Reception from the Courtyard

There were some interesting lawn features, including a water feature embedded into the mature growth garden.

Landscaped Water Features in the Gardens of the Fairmont Norfolk

A small outdoor pool was also available on the hotel grounds. It was tucked away in the back and had partial view of other buildings. It was almost an afterthought but at least there was something available to guests within the inner compound of the hotel.

There was also an antique car that was perhaps a hotel car at one time in its life.

Food and Beverage at the Hotel:

Dining on the Lord Delamere Terrace

We enjoyed a nice dinner along with an included breakfast the next morning at the Lord Delamare Terrace in the hotel. Given the open configuration to the outside street, I partially kept one eye open for hand grenades being tossed in. I wish I could say that I was kidding, but Kenya has had a fair amount of terrorist attacks from hand grenades in 2012-2013 so you can never be too careful. Fortunately, dinner and breakfast were without incident.

For dinner, the mood on the terrace is open aired elegance, with a view to the street. I went with a local spice chicken with rice, whereas MrsWt73 went with a traditional pizza for dinner.

A Dinner Memory at Lord Delamere Terrace Captured in a Photo

Breakfast the next morning had a slightly different mood on the terrace. It was still a nice place to visit.

The next day, our medium suitcases were tagged for storage at the Fairmont Norfolk (without charge) and we departed for Wilson Airport with a small 15kg rollie bag and our laptops in our carry on’s.

In Summary: The Fairmont Norfolk:

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Fairmont Norfolk. The hotel was hospitable and appeared to be well run- something that is likely of a challenge operating a hotel in this part of the world. The food was of good quality. The hotel also offered a comprehensive approach in transferring to its sister property, the Fairmont Mara Safari Club in the Maasai Mara. We would easily stay here again as a first choice if our travels took us back to Nairobi, Kenya.

Tags: Fairmont Norfolk, Fairmont President's Club, Hotel Review, Nairobi Hotel

Review: South African Airways Business Class A320-2, Johannesburg – Nairobi

Posted on March 9, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airbus 320 + Airline + Business Class + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + South African Airways + Trip Report

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South African Airways offers medium haul services from Johannesburg to Mauritius. British Airways’ South African franchise also offers service on this same route four days a week on much older B737 aircraft. Today’s experience was on SAA’s newest aircraft and offered a really pleasant way to get to Mauritius.

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Review: South African Airways Business Class A320-2, O.R. Tambo International Airport Johannesburg, South Africa – Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi, Kenya.

Allright – finally getting on to the Safari portion of the trip. When we booked this trip, we were initially going to do the safari part first, having initially had seats on Swiss Business Class going down from Europe and the Americas. Unfortunately, the ticketing agent had requested two seats from one Aeroplan account, not realizing that the points were coming from two separate Aeroplan accounts. When ticket agent tried to move the ticket over, one of the reward availability seats disappeared and of course, there were only 2 seats available this flight for reward redemption. We were unable to fly the original routing requested, unless we downgraded to economy. The solution was to fly the trip in reverse – making the safari stop last. I decided that we would try out the Maasai Mara as this was one of our free stops on our reward ticket, and would be an entirely new experience for both of us.

South African Airways
Business Class
JNB-NBO (O.R Tambo Johannesburg International – Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi)
SA 184 – Business Class (I)
10:10 AM – 3:10 PM
November 21, 2013
Booked: Boeing 737-300
Flown: Airbus 320-200

After another night at the Hyatt Regency Johannesburg in Rosebank, we checked in at the usual priority check in on the Terminal B side. We returned to the Terminal A side for departure. We decided to invest 60 Rand ($6 USD) in plastic wrap this time for the suitcases as both Johannesburg and Nairobi had past reports of luggage tampering.

We did some final shopping and a swing by the South African Airways Baobab Premium International Lounge. We also stopped by the Big Five duty free and picked up some duty free wine for Kenya.

Boarding the Flight:

About 55 minutes before the flight, we wandered down to bus gates A28 where the African boarding process began. The boarding was a mess again, but we were pretty used to it by this time. No priority boarding today as we entered into the mass scramble to the bus to take us out to the aircraft.

Priority Boarding – South African Airways style

We managed to squeak onto the first bus and headed out to another new South African Airways Airbus A320-200.

On Board South African Airways Business Class:

Similar to our flights on South African Airways Johannesburg – Mauritius, and Mauritius – Johannesburg, we settled into the new short to medium haul South African Airways business class. The seats are fitted in leather equivalent materials and look sharp. A combination of pictures from our flights on the similar aircraft over the past 7 days.

Pre-Departure Beverage Service:

A pre-departure beverage of water, orange juice or Simonsig Cape Classique sparkling was offered. There were two cabin staff in the front taking care of us today with a load of 13 / 24 in business.

We had a bit of a wait today as we taxied to runway 3 L. Looking out the window, I happened to see the dreaded old SAA Airbus 340-200 was in operation today. I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing it, but many seem to fear it. This is probably because it’s the oldest plane and doesn’t have monitors in the seat backs, leaving entertainment to overhead protector screens. SAA have 1 in their fleet and use them to swap out Airbus 340-300 / 600’s that have gone mechanical. It taxied beside us on the way to the hold line at runway 3L at Johannesburg.

South African Airways A340-200; used as a spare

While we were taxiing, the “Johannesburg to Regional” menus were distributed. The celebrity chef Reubens made a return. However, the food and wines were the same as our last ex-Johannesburg flight to Mauritius. In fact, the wines remained the same throughout our 7 flights whether they were long haul or regional.

And as a reminder, these were the wines stocked on South African Airways for the month we were travelling.

South African Airways Wine Cards: Sparkling, White, Red, and Dessert

The Meal: A Full Lunch by Reuben Riffel

The meal service started soon after take off. The food followed the usual SAA process, starting with an Amuse Bouche.

Amuse Bouche paired with Stellenrust Chenin Blanc

Although Reuben Riffel was the celebrity chef, I ended up enjoying menu items that wren’t actually designed by him. For the starter, I passed on the Reuben Riffel Kingklip and went for the Caprese Salad with basil pesto dressing, which was reasonably executed.

Trying some variety, for the main course, I also bypassed his Beef Fillet en Croute and went with the Parmesan and Thyme encrusted chicken breast, served with savoury rice balls, aubergine cannelloni and tomato beurre blanc.

Parmesan and Thyme Encrusted Chicken Breast, with savoury rice balls, aubergine cannelloni and tomato beurre blanc

Never passing up food on a plane, a coffee cream mousse for dessert.

The In Flight Entertainment:

The movie again, Shanghai Calling (for the third time) on the main screen. It was till an enjoyable watch. After it ended there wasn’t much to do other than gaze out the window.

There was some interesting lake scenery over Malawi along with miles of desolation and remoteness with the occasional controlled brush fire. It’s always pretty spectacular to get views of remote areas that you wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to fly over.

Landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport:

After miles of flying over desolation, we landed in a more colorful Nairobi, Kenya.

Views of Nairobi on approach to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

As many of you will recall, Jomo Kenyatta airport terminal sustained a major fire caused by electrical problems on August 7, 2013. On our visit, the international arrivals hall was still out of commission. All planes were parking at gate positions, without jet bridges being extended. Yep – there is a building of architectural marvel. “The Migration has begun” alright…

The out of order Jomo Kenyatta Terminal; closed by structure fire

Instead, we exited down to the ramp and were led to a very worn military green “National Youth League” motor coach for transfer to the temporary arrivals hall. The coach was not built for airport transport, as you had to climb up 5-6 steps into the coach and there was no room for the storage of any rollies or carry on’s.

The new international terminal was presently under construction and was far enough behind from being finished that you could see right through it.

The New Jomo Kenyatta International Airport; under construction

The temporary arrivals hall was located in the basement of a converted parking garage. Immigration cards were not given on the flight in and as a result, all passengers crowded a small counter to complete the immigration card, and the Visa Application form. There was also likely a Customs declaration card that we missed.

We joined the Other Nationals immigration line for twenty minutes. Despite several planes arriving, there were only 3 agents working for “other nationals”. Each entry involved a fingerprint scan of all 5 digits for both hands and a digital picture capture. Of course, many people without Visa’s ended up in the Other Nationals line instead of the Visa line and as a result, further delays ensued. I saw several immigration officials collecting $50 USD casg for visas, with receipts being issued but with Cash lying all over the counter. The immigration line took approximately 25 minutes to get through as we had an Emirates Boeing 777 just a head of us.

Temporary Arrivals Hall of the Jomo Kenyatta Airport

After locating the bags on the wrong SkyTeam belt (the process was the “find your bags on any available belt” method), we headed for the exit. At the exit, there was a temporary currency exchange counter prior customs, and a Customs’ Interview for each passenger. This process took about 15 minutes to get through as each passenger was interviewed by one central lead host. The majority of passengers appeared to be have their bags opened up and inspected with the rest of the line waiting until further customs officials we ready to take on new passengers. We didn’t fill out of the form but we were waved up and through when we said that we were from “Canada”.

Given the security concerns of Nairobi, I had arranged for a car transfer service from Helen at Pamoja Tours and Safaris. I was referred to this company by the Fairmont hotel, as we wanted to book several car transfers around Nairobi with them. The greeter was outside as promised and she called the driver who met us curb side.

Transfer Hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Arrivals Area “outside the parkade” at NBO

My Last Thoughts on South African Airways Medium Haul Business Class:

This was our seventh and last South African Airways flight on this trip; five of which were in business class. Our South African Airways regional medium haul service was, like our other trips, very pleasant and enjoyable. The service was fulsome, consistent in execution, and more than you’d expect from mid haul carriers in North America, with meals consisting of a full three courses paired with South African wines. Although the entertainment wasn’t so exciting since it appears to be the same entertainment throughout the network in any given month, staring out the window over rural African landscapes was also equally appealing for me. I would fly South African Airways again in a heartbeat.

Tags: JNB, NBO, SA 184, South African Airways

Review: South African Airways Business Class A320-2, Mauritius – Johannesburg

Posted on March 8, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airbus 320 + Airline + Business Class + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + South African Airways + Trip Report

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South African Airways offers medium haul services from Mauritius to Johannesburg, connecting the island nation to the continent of Africa. British Airways’ South African franchise also offers service on this same route four days a week on much older B737 aircraft. Like on our trip out, today’s experience was on SAA’s newest aircraft and offered a really pleasant way to get to Mauritius.

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Review: South African Airways Business Class A320-2, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius – O.R. Tambo International Airport Johannesburg, South Africa.

This flight described the South African Airways Business Class service from Mauritius to Johannesburg. Please see this report for our inbound trip on South African Airways Johannesburg to Mauritius.

After leaving the excellent Air Mauritius Business Lounge, we headed over to find Gate 19. Passing by the flight boards, it’s a real eclectic mix of flights departing from Mauritius around the Indian Ocean sector.

I’d probably fly to anywhere on that board in a heartbeat

South African Airways
Business Class
MRU – JNB (Mauritius – O.R Tambo Johannesburg International)
SA 191 – Business Class (I)
4:45 PM – 7:15 PM
November 20, 2013
Booked: Boeing 737-300
Flown: Airbus 320-200

We eventually found our gate and our plane parked at it. The green mountains close to the airport sure make for an inspirational place to wait for a flight.

South African Airways A320-2 against a mountain backdrop

At the gate, boarding today was through two lanes, but via only one jet bridge.

On Board South African Airways Business Class:

We eventually were called to board and found ourselves in the usual 2-2 configuration on the new Airbus 320-2 for South African Airways. We found our usual seats 3A and 3C without incident. I was happy to see that we were again with the new equipment type that we had on route over to MRU.

We had a stretcher version of business class with six full rows of business class on offer. The load was 22/24 full today, served by two crew.

Pleasant modern looking cabin; from Row 3

The branding extended to a rawhide style of stitching on the head rest.

Our ground crew quickly buttoned up the plane. The views over the wing while we waited to depart were of an Emirates B777-300 at the neighbouring gate.

Emirates B777-3; the Middle East way to get to and from Mauritius

Pre-Departure Beverage Service:

A pre-departure beverage was offered, in addition to the usual insecticide spraying of the cabin. I covered my glass for once to avoid any unwanted chemicals. . . I have to say that South African does the glassware right. These stylish glasses look great, set the mood and are much better than the throw away plastic highball cups I get from United Airlines.

Pre-Departure Beverage: Cap Classique Sparkling

As we started to taxi to the departure runway, we got an opportunity to look around. It’s always a treat to see other airplanes that you don’t normally get to see at your home airport. Today’s viewing included the not often seen Air Austral’s sole ATR-72 in its fleet and also an Airbus 340 flying for the flag carrier of Mauritius: Air Mauritius.

Air Mauritius Airbus 340 in the hangar at MRU

We had an absolutely spectacular view of the reefs around Mauritius as we departed and climbed to altitude. It’s not every day that you get a few like this on a climb out of an airport.

Gorgeous Reef Views on Climb to Altitude

The Meal: A Full Dinner

While we were on the ground, the menus were distributed. There was no Reubens celebrity chef on offer this time, but I happened to see that the air catering departing Mauritius was by Oberoi Hotels according to the truck along side the aircraft.

The wine list contained the same wines as on our international segments and included Taittinger Champagne. A recycled photograph from earlier this month.

An “canapé” was offered once we had reached a safe altitude, starting tonights dinner service.

I went with the Lemon and Herb Grilled Scallops with Citrus Salad and Saffron Mayonnaise as a starter.

Lemon and Herb Grilled Scallops, Citrus Salad and Saffron Mayonnaise,

For the main course, I went with the Roast Beef fillet with gratin dauphinoise, charred peppers and zucchini and pink pepper sauce. It was a better cut than was on offer at the St Regis Mauritius restaurants surprisingly, however it was a bit overcooked for my liking and not red at all.

Roast Beef fillet with gratin dauphinoise, charred peppers, zucchini and pink pepper sauce

I finished with Chocolate and Mint Cheesecake dessert. This was much better than the usual squash-able cake typically served on airplanes and was tasty and sweet.

If that wasn’t enough, they passed out Kit Kat chocolate bars to finish. I enjoyed this while looking at the South African Airways route map, which covers an unusual part of the aviation world.

While we cruised at altitude, we enjoyed some interesting over the wing views of the volcanoes on the island of Reunion on the way over to Johannesburg.

The In Flight Entertainment:

As with on our way out, there was no video monitors in the seats, just the blank iPad holding location with no iPad. The movie again on the overhead monitor was Shanghai Calling– same as on the way out.

The flight drew to a close pretty quickly.

We had a smooth landing back in Johannesburg and we arrived to a non gate position. There was a slight delay off loading the plane as there were no busses immediately available so ground staff delayed de-boarding.

While we completed the disembarkation process, we had a nother 25 minute wait in the Immigration line while the passports were stamped. Again there was no fast track voucher on offer or fast track line available. A definite area of improvement for SAA if they are looking to improve things.

We passed by the uniquely advertised KFC in the O.R. Tambo Airport which is encouraging the “new economy” to purchase meals at their outlets. I had to snap a photo since the advertising campaign is so unique to this part of the world.

My Final Thoughts on South African Airways Medium Haul Business Class:

Overall the “regional” service as SAA describes it’s medium haul service today was another pleasant and nicely appointed flight. There were full meals were served and the wines were identical to the SAA long haul routes, which were a nice touch. The only real disadvantage was the lack of AVOD, which we didn’t miss all too much. Overall, I would easily fly them again.

Tags: JNB, MRU, SA 191, South African Airways

Review: Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge, Mauritius

Posted on March 7, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Air Mauritius + Lounges + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + Trip Report

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I wasn’t expecting to locate an excellent lounge in Africa, but were pleasantly surprised by the Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge in the Mauritius airport. In my experience, the lounges in Africa have been hit and miss over the last twenty years. Thanks to a new build airport, Air Mauritius has taken an upper floor level and transformed the space into a bright and airy location that makes it one of Africa’s top lounges.

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Review: Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius

“The flagship Air Mauritius Business Lounge featured Duval Leroy Champagne, along with spacious lounge seating, high ceilings and a pleasant vibe with stellar apron views..”

We filled up our rental car with gas at the Engen petrol station one roundabout away from the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. They took credit cards with a small bank fee for the credit cards (15 MUR) and it was 530 MUR for 15 L (about $1.31 a litre). We returned the rental car to Sixt without any problems and after a quick visual inspection, we were on our way to the new Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Departures building.

In May 2013, Mauritius completed construction of a new terminal building for all international departures. The goal was to handle Airbus 380 traffic and connecting traffic – developing Mauritius as a hub to connect with Air Mauritius through the South Indian Ocean. The end result is one of the most spacious and pleasant airport experiences as most of the current traffic consist of smaller jets with the occasional wide body jet. Connection traffic at the moment appears to be almost non-existent. It’s easy to say that Mauritius clearly have the lead on Indian Ocean airports that we’ve visited, having been fortunate enough to call in at the Maldives, and the Seychelles at various times throughout our lives.

The Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge is the Business Class Lounge and flagship lounge for the flag carrier of Mauritius. Air Mauritius also now operates a second lounge for Air Mauritius Premium Lounge; which is targeted for pay per use economy class departing passengers and transit passengers.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Departures, Mauritius

Checking into South African Airways:

We entered departures “Hall A”. we headed over to the South African Airways check in desk where we were mandated by line dragons over to the computerized kiosk to check in. After the process was completed, we were permitted over to the South African priority check in baggage drop to leave our bags. Our luggage’s were accepted and our hand baggage was marked with “Cabin Baggage” tags. A small plastic sign at check in indicated that buy up’s to business class were being offered on today’s flight.

We were given a hand written lounge invitation to the Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge near gate 28.

Locating the Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge:

The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam airport experience was similar to being in a private terminal as few other flights were departing at 10 AM. We passed through a deserted outbound passport control and deserted, near private, security check point. We were the only ones present aside from the screeners and the immigration police.

Proceeding through a large duty free shop, we made our way to the Amédée Maingard Lounge. The lonuge is located to the right of security towards the end of the departures concourse. We were pleasantly surprised with what we found.

Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge Entrance

Accessing the Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge:

The Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge is the flagship international lounge for Air Mauritius. Access this lounge is available for Air Mauritius Business Class passengers and Air Mauritius Kestrelflyer Gold members. Air Mauritius Kestrelflyer Gold is received after flying 100,000 qualifying miles.

Passengers travelling with partner airlines and those who are members of partner airport lounge access programmes are also invited to partake of the lounge facilities, subject to eligibility. As they say, th lounge was accessed today courtesy of our business class ticket on South African Airways. South African Airways had contracted with Air Mauritius for the use of this lounge.

The lounge is also a member of Priority Pass and therefore can be accessed through a Priority Pass membership as a stand alone membership, or accompanied by select high end credit cards.

Inside the Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge:

The Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge is split into two levels. The main entry level is called the Tamarin Lounge and the more upscale lounge upstairs is called the Chamarel Lounge. The lounge has won several awards from the World Travel Awards as the best lounge in the Indian Ocean Zones for the years 2014 – 2019; six years running.

At check in, our invitation and boarding cards were reviewed and accepted. At the time of our visit, according to the Air Mauritius lounge website, they were also accepting cash visits for economy passengers on Air Mauritius for 2,000 Mauritius Rupees ($67 USD).

After we had checked in, a host came up to us after check in and encouraged us to visit the upstairs. The upstairs really impressed us with a brand new facility. If you are a lounge lizard like we are, then I’d encourage you to arrive early and leave yourselves enough time to enjoy this space.

Chamarel Lounge – Level 2:

The lounge was absolutely humongous and the upstairs was completely deserted. We were the only ones present, enjoying space likely built for almost 150 occupancy. The lounge was decorated in attractive colors with a paper airplane décor overhead. There was abbundant natural light and a view of the ocean.

A Dedicated Children’s Area:

Similar to South African Airways lounges in South Africa on Johannesburg and Cape Town, there was also a dedicated kids area on the upper level.

Food and Beverage in the Lounge:

There was Champagne Duval Le-Roy was on pour from the upstairs bar, in addition to several French whites and reds. This was impressive to me as aside from the Etihad Pearl Business Lounge in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, I haven’t found many business lounges serving champagne.

Central Bar in the Lounge – with airside views

Champagne Duval Leroy on offer for all passengers

Tamarin Lounge – Level 1:

Rounding out the tour of the lounge, the downstairs level offered a full snack buffet, and also most of the passengers in a windowless space.

The downstairs was similar to any windowless lounge made slightly a bit brighter by a green wall. Surprisingly, this appeared to be the place where most visitors hung out, too dis-interested to take the elevator to the better place upstairs.

After a few glasses of champagne, we headed over to Gate 18 for the next leg of our adventure.

The Bottom Line: Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge:

The Air Mauritius Amédée Maingard Lounge was a wonderful surprise. We weren’t expecting access to such a nice facility when departing Mauritius. Instead, we were treated fine champagne, a pleasant atmosphere and comfortable space to relax in prior to departure. This has to easily be my most favourite lounge in both Africa and the Indian Ocean zones thanks to the comfort and quality of furnishing. It’s easily a winner so make sure you allow for a little extra time on your trip through Mauritius to get spoiled with your visit.

Tags: Air Mauritius, MRU, Priority Pass Lounge

Review: The St Regis Mauritius – Le Morne Peninsula, Iridium Spa and House Reef

Posted on March 6, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Africa + Hotels + Mauritius + South Africa, Kenya & Mauritius via SAA, Swiss and Air Canada Business Class + St Regis + Trip Report

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We had a five day stay in Mauritius at the enjoyable St Regis. While there are many choices of resorts to stay at in Mauritius, we were happy to be down in quiet Le Morne under the large views of this scenic part of the island.

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Review: The St Regis Mauritius, Resort and Beach, Iridium Spa and House Reef, Le Morne Peninsula, Coastal Road, La Gaulette, Mauritius

“The St Regis Mauritius is nestled in the middle of Le Morne Peninsula, one of the most spectacular settings for a beach resort in the world. Kayaking on clear blue reef waters with a mountain in the background is an experience that you’ll never forget”

Our five day resort stay was interesting and peaceful. Given the amount of activities that we did at the resort, we’ve split up our experience into two separate posts. This post outlines the Resort Area, our experiences at the St Regis Iridum Spa and the wonderful house reef. This previous post outlines our transfer, arrival and room experience at the St Regis Mauritius.

Around the St Regis Mauritius:

We spent our entire 5 days on the property. We enjoyed morning coffee service on the outdoor terrace, some great sun tanning, some very good snorkeling on a nice house reef and kayaking with awesome, unforgettable views. The weather co-operated with four and a half out of five sunny days.

The Main Building and Pool:

The main pool is a pleasant spot. One of the nicest features of this property is the looking Le Morne mountain immediately behind the hotel. The pool often had many of the family visitors staying there.

The Boathouse was the restaurant area at the pool and beach. It offered open concept all day dining, including service near the pool.

The St Regis Mauritius Beach on Le Morne Peninsula:

The hotel is fronted along prime beach real estate. There is a lot of beach shore line which is fronted off a good to very good house reef. A little bit about the beach itself, the beach is somewhat composed of broken corals. Sandals were needed at times but not on all trips if careful navigation was employed. The resort had lounge chairs set up along the length of the beach for those wanting more private relaxing instead of at the busier family oriented pool.

St Regis Beachfront (our suite is on the second floor in the top left)

A nice sunny long beach – Le Morne Peninsula

St Regis Mauritius Beach – Le Morne Peninsula

I’d give the beach on Le Morne Peninsula a “very good” to “excellent” rating. The only thing making the beach not perfect was the fact that it was a bit stoney. This meant that it required some navigating with your sandals off.

The hotel offered free kayak rentals and we were able to take advantage of this. We got out on the water and had some really enjoyable views padding around the area.

The Beach with the St Regis and Le Morne in the background

Getting some paddling in with spectacular views

The St Regis Mauritius House Reef:

Snorkling on the Le Morne Peninsula Coral Reefs:

We snorkeled every day of our stay and were happy to see some well preserved corals. Despite the corals, there was not a wide variety of fish and we ended up seeing many of the same fish types over and over again. Despite this, the St Regis Mauritius featured the second best house reef that we had experienced – just behind the Park Hyatt Maldives. The corals were in very good condition and were in excellent growth. Visibility was usually very good and the waves broke well out from shore, making it a fairly smooth experience.

St Regis Mauritius Iridium Spa:

St Regis has an “over the top” purpose built spa at the St Regis Mauritius. It’s hidden away from the rest of the resort but central to everything. During our stay, we both elected for 45 minute neck and back massages.

I wasn’t expecting much given that some foreign massages are more relaxation than actually targeted to sore areas. My experience here was that I got a very targeted and one of the firmest massages I’ve ever had in spots on my body that I never knew hurt.

Full Featured Ensuite off the Treatment Rooms

There was no option for gratuity when it came time to settle the bill. The costs were $100 per person for 45 minutes taxes in – which I felt was reasonable. Overall we had an excellent experience at the Iridium Spa.

Sunsets on the Beach:

While we did enjoy some sunsets from the comfort of our suite, we also enjoyed most of the sunsets from the loungers on the beach. We self catered these with our own wine purchased at the local supermarket. The resort did not seem to mind this at all – as in, we were not approached by resort staff and encouraged to purchase their liquor from the bar. It seems most of the food and beverage along the beach area catered by the Boathouse Restaurant is over at the end of the day and aside from the lobby bar, which can be a substantial walk from your room, the property did not seem to mind us drinking our own wine.

St Regis Champagne Sabering:

Several days before our arrival to the hotel, a member of the St Regis Butler Service Executive Team contacted us by email to ask for information surrounding any room preferences of the stay. Within this message, there was also information that the St Regis was offering a complimentary champagne sabering experience for SPG Gold Members on Friday night. It appeared that this was a regular paid event for other guests, with the fee’s waived for the SPG Platinum and Gold members. The event time was at 6 PM and only occurring once per week.

Unfortunately, after arriving off of our South African Airways Flight Johannesburg – Mauritius at 3:40 PM, we got delayed in the regular course of travel, rental car pick ups and eventually getting to the resort. We didn’t get to the property and checked in until 6:20 PM. After the check in process, we rushed ourselves over and presented ourselves to the event at about 6:45 PM and found that the event had clearly ended. There was seating for about 30 persons and a group of 5-6 French nationals that were sitting down discussing and enjoying the balance of their wine. However, the sommelier. Vinosh was able to arrange a special sabering lesson for us. We each got a lesson on champagne sabering; how to find the seam in the bottle and the appropriate methods of chilling the bottle to prevent shattering. We each got a slice err saber and Sommelier was especially thrilled at the clean cut of my particular bottle.

After the sabering, Vinosh poured us a glass of bubbles from the bottle we had just sobered. As a bonus, he offered the balance of the bottle to have with dinner and arranged to have it transferred to the resort restaurant of our choosing. Overall, this was a great introductory experience for champagne sabering, St Regis style.

My final thoughts on the St Regis Mauritius:

For the most part, I enjoyed our stay at the St Regis Mauritius. A stay at at St Regis is always a special experience. While the resort was very good, there were a few minor issues that were more distractions than serious service failures. We had some odd experiences with the food and beverage, the suite cleaining left a little to be desired. Despite this, the suite itself was outstanding, the beach enjoyable and the time we spent snorkling and water sporting was really enjoyable. Overall we’d give this place a soft endorsement with enough tick marks to warrant a return trip in the future.

Our stay at the St Regis Mauritius on Cash and Points at the rate of $150 per night. The regular rate was over $950. This led us to some interesting comparisons.

For $1,000 a night, you have your pick of some pretty awesome beach resort places in the world. Amanpulo in the Philippines, over water bungalows in the Maldives and villas with awesome mountain views in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. This doesn’t even take into account that for about $500 a night, you can say at many equally spectacular resorts in SE Asia at half the price.

Does the St Regis Mauritius command the $1,000 a night price point? We don’t think so. Although the resort was nice, it was not excellent. There were several shortcomings in the service delivery. The rooms show some signs of wear and tear for a property that’s only 1 year old. We were also a bit put off by the food and the shortage of staff. Needless to say, we decided we would not be in a rush to return. If we were paying $1,000 a night, we’d be headed to the French Polynesia or the Maldives.

Did the St Regis Mauritius command the $150 (now $180) a night price point on SPG Cash and Points? Maybe – the property was comfortable and spacious. The room size was much larger than what you’d get in SE Asia at Le Meriden Khao Lak or at JW Marriott Phuket in Thailand. The sunsets were beautiful and I enjoyed the unspoiled and untouched house reef. We certainly enjoyed our time and the view of Le Morne as we kayaked. However, I’d budget an extra $170 a day for the most basic food necessities and upwards of an extra $250 a day (per couple) if you wanted full decent meals. In reality, our bill averaged $350 per day with food and accommodation and taxes. Those expecting a six star experience at a value price may be disappointed.

Ultimately, we decided that this property is perfect for those adding on to a South African holiday, or residents of South Africa looking for a close exotic getaway. It was nice to have visited. However, I can’t see the value in traveling here from Europe or the Americas when there are so many other better places to visit.

Tags: Champagne Sabering, Hotel Review, Le Morne Peninsula, Starwood Preferred Guest, UNESCO

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Review: Air Kenya Cessna 208B Caravan, Ngrende Airstrip – Nairobi Wilson, Kenya.

Air Kenya Mara Ngrende – WIL (Ngrende Airstrip – Nairobi Wilson Airport)XAK 952 – single class of service.4:15 PM – 5:45 PMNovember 25, 2013Booked: Unassigned on purchaseFlown: Cessna 208B Caravan.

Our views from our flight out of The Maasai Mara:

Landing at Wilson Airstrip:

My Last Thoughts on Air Kenya:

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Activity: Dancing with the Elders at a Maasai Village in the Rift Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya

About the Maasai:

Visiting a Maasai Village:

Dancing with the Maasai:

A Maasai Fire Starting Demonstration:

Being Welcomed Inside a Maasai Home:

Summing up our visit to a Maasai Village settlement:

My thoughts on our time on safari in The Maasai Mara:

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Activity: Being Surrounded by Lions in The Maasai Mara, Kenya

The Lions of the The Maasai Mara:

Watching Lions Tussle:

Enjoying the Majestic Cheetah:

Catching a Fresh Kill

Summing up the animals seen on our Maasai Mara adventure:

Animals sighted:

My thoughts on our time within the Maasai Mara:

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Activity: Locating elephants, giraffes and rhino’s in the Maasai Mara, Kenya

The Logistics of Game Drives with the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

About the Maasai Mara:

Other Details of our Game Drives in The Maasai Mara:

The General Landscape of the Maasai Mara:

Locating your Favourite Game Animals:

Experiencing the Height of Tall Giraffes:

Zebras Grazing on the Savannah:

Bodacious Baboons:

Catching up with Kenyan Elephants:

Some random extras making up our cast of characters:

My thoughts on our first drives within the Maasai Mara:

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Review: Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Deluxe Tent, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

How we Booked:

Transferring to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

Arriving to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

The Room: Deluxe Riverfront Tent, Queen, Non Smoking

A Tented Washroom with an Outdoor Shower:

View from the Tent: A Hippopotamus Bathing Hole

Around the Resort:

Food and Beverage at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club:

In Summary: The Fairmont Mara Safari Club

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Review: Air Kenya Twin Otter, Nairobi Wilson – Ngrende Airstrip, Kenya.

Landing at Ngrende Airstrip:

My Last Thoughts on Air Kenya:

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Activity: Travelling The Gritty Streets of Nairobi, Kenya

Crawling through the Central Business District of Nairobi:

Passing through Kiberia:

My thoughts on the Streets of Nairobi:

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Review: Hotel Fairmont, The Norfolk, Nairobi, Kenya

How we Booked:

Transferring to the Fairmont Norfolk:

Arriving to the Fairmont Norfolk:

The Room: Beautiful Deluxe Courtyard, King Non Smoking

A massive washroom fit for two:

A Room with a View:

Around the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel Grounds:

Food and Beverage at the Hotel:

Dining on the Lord Delamere Terrace

In Summary: The Fairmont Norfolk:

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Review: South African Airways Business Class A320-2, O.R. Tambo International Airport Johannesburg, South Africa – Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi, Kenya.

South African AirwaysBusiness ClassJNB-NBO (O.R Tambo Johannesburg International – Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi)SA 184 – Business Class (I)10:10 AM – 3:10 PMNovember 21, 2013Booked: Boeing 737-300Flown: Airbus 320-200

Boarding the Flight:

On Board South African Airways Business Class:

Pre-Departure Beverage Service:

The Meal: A Full Lunch by Reuben Riffel

The In Flight Entertainment:

Landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport:

My Last Thoughts on South African Airways Medium Haul Business Class:

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Review: South African Airways Business Class A320-2, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius – O.R. Tambo International Airport Johannesburg, South Africa.

Air Kenya
Mara Ngrende – WIL (Ngrende Airstrip – Nairobi Wilson Airport)
XAK 952 – single class of service.
4:15 PM – 5:45 PM
November 25, 2013
Booked: Unassigned on purchase
Flown: Cessna 208B Caravan.

South African Airways
Business Class
JNB-NBO (O.R Tambo Johannesburg International – Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi)
SA 184 – Business Class (I)
10:10 AM – 3:10 PM
November 21, 2013
Booked: Boeing 737-300
Flown: Airbus 320-200

South African Airways
Business Class
MRU – JNB (Mauritius – O.R Tambo Johannesburg International)
SA 191 – Business Class (I)
4:45 PM – 7:15 PM
November 20, 2013
Booked: Boeing 737-300
Flown: Airbus 320-200