Fam trips are always a suspense on many counts. Firstly, you don’t really know what is in store for you – you often wonder if the hosts understand that living in Dubai we are used to some basic levels of what is often termed as ‘luxury’ in some parts of the world. On the other hand, meeting up with a fam trip group at the airport is a bit like a blind date – you secretly scan every passenger coming towards you hoping that the odd looking ones aren’t part of the group.
Fortunately for this trip, we had a friendly and fun-loving group of travel agents and media people who were just happy to get away from the summer heat in Dubai. Nerves calmed and initial introductions over, we boarded our flight from Dubai to Nairobi.
On a wildlife safari across Kenya: Far from the madding crowds
Once we landed in Nairobi, it was amazing to see how much better the traffic flow has become since I last visited the city many years back. Of course, driving is still chaotic but with better roads it moves a lot quicker.
We stayed at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club, one of the better known accommodation options available in Nairobi and a perfect hideout for travellers from the Middle East. Our cottage offered a breathtaking view of the lush Windsor golf course and indigenous forest. Undoubtedly, the hotel is a perfect place for family vacations or a fun weekend getaway with friends. For the fitness freaks, the hotel has a 5-kilometre jogging track, a fully-equipped spacious gym, heated swimming pool, tennis and squash courts.
After a delicious lunch with disciplined, attentive waiters, we were off for a city ride across the Nairobi. The night was spent at the city’s famous restaurant, The Carnivore, tasting some of the most exotic jungle meats. As you enter the this world-famous restaurant, you see whole joints of meat, huge animal haunches and the rumps of various animals roasting over a huge, spectacular charcoal pit that dominates the foyer of the restaurant. You can taste a wide variety of meats here – including ostrich, camel, cow, sheep, crocodile and chickens. Not mention their speciality, the Ox Balls!
The Treetops Hotel Aberdare offers an exciting ‘wild’ experience
The rest of the seven days were spent travelling across the country on a wildlife safari. After spending a thrilling night at the Treetops Hotel Aberdare, we visited Amboseli, Samburu and the Masai Mara and stayed in typically African lodges set amidst mystical jungle settings.
Back in Dubai after a hectic trip to Kenya, my daughter asked me what I thought is the best job in the world. My answer was simple – do something you love, it will automatically become the best job in the world. In fact, I often tell my colleagues that we are lucky to be working in an industry where you get paid to go on holiday (I mean a fam trip), meet a bunch of friendly travel agents and journalists who then become your friends… doesn’t that sound like the best job in the world?
I think it does!
