Prepare your nostrils! This is why you should take your nose for a scented journey across the Eastern-African plains’
Shortly after my Stargardt’s diagnosis, my parents orchestrated a trip to two of Africa’s most biologically diverse countries – Kenya and Tanzania – to fulfill my childhood dream of seeing some ‘Lion-King’ characters in real life. Little did I know, I would be most surprised by the aromas…
📗- Entry 1: The Smell of Diversity
Our Kenyan guide Baruk skilfully parks our four-wheel drive beside a low, yet robust tree in Samburu National Park. ‘Time for your first steps on the savannah’, he announces. As I hop off the jeep, my hands eagerly clutching the binoculars, I gaze impatiently through the lenses onto the expansive, yellowish terrain unfolding before me. The plain is dotted with the same tree type as I’m standing next to, reminiscent of Rafiki’s abode in the Lion King. A sigh escapes me; no animal in sight.
In a moment of surrender, I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath. Curiously ignited, I repeat the inhalations, marveling at the sharp contrast with my usual, pollution-filled urban air. Wow. The fragrance of the savannah unfolds in layered notes like a high-end perfume. Initially, the soothing top note of vegetation communicates the dryness of the grass and the presence of herbs. Then, an earthy hearnote emerges from the ground, accompanied by a fresh breeze from a nearby waterhole. On my third inhale, the underlying base of the fragrance reaches my senses, as the undeniable presence of animals tickles my nostrils 🥹.
Baruk notices my emotion and joins me. He explains the dynamic nature of scents in this region, influenced by the time of day, weather and season. Together we delve into discussion about distinct scent profiles: the musky odors of elephants, the grassy traces left behind by herbivores like zebras and wildebeest, and the pungent territorial marks of predators such as lions and hyenas, indicated by their urine. ‘Though it takes a trained and sensitive nose to detect these subtle differences’, he adds, ‘you can start by identifying the stinky puffs of the animal’s dung, an unmistakable sign of life!’. We share a laugh as we re-enter the jeep. My seemingly ‘dynamic’ Western world suddenly feels static. I can’t help but draw a Disney-parallel:
Is this what Simba smells as Rafiki lifts him up on Pride Rock?
– Entry 2: The Smell of Nature’s Cycle
Arriving in Tanzania, our new guide mr. Ali, informs us he received a note of two lions feeding on a carcass. We’ve crossed the green plains of the Masi Mara to enter the Serengeti, a habitat housing over 90 mammal species that together form a complex food chain. Nature’s laws dictate that certain areas carry the scent of death, an aspect I’m about to confront.
Indeed, I smell the carcass before seeing it. The lions’ prey is reduced to bare bones, exposed to the scouring African sun for decomposition. I am guessing it once embodied a lively herbivore with horns and hoofs. Besides it rests a young male lion and a lioness, their full bellies almost touching the yellowish grass. In an attempt to escape the pungent cadaver scent, I turn my head, recalling how I instinctively close my eyes during nature documentaries depicting hunts or kills 
.
Is this truly a ‘bad scent’? Though unwelcome, it serves to highlight the reality connected to the meat on our plates- meat that was once a living animal. If I’m ready to consume that, I must also confront the reality of a carcass, especially one obtained through effort. The odor is a natural outcome of the lion’s effective utilization of every part of the prey. Recognizing the inconsistency in my avoidance, I redirect my nose to the scene, imagining:
Is this what Simba smells at the Elephant Graveyard?
🙉 Hakuna Matata, For Whom?
Regardless of your visual acuity, I trust these passages have inspired you to channel your inner-Simba and be attentive to the scents of the savannah and the potential lessons they communicate. Spotting the big-5 is merely scratching ‘the tip of Pride Rock’! Such multi-sensory travels are meant to go beyond physical sensations, reminding us that we share this planet with fellow inhabitants, who, much like us, deserve to live more ‘Hakuna Matata’ too.
* VIP = visually impaired person. Or very important, as you wish 🙂
✍️ Practical Tips ✍️
→ A safari is a trip you will want to plan in advance (especially in Kenya and Tanzania). My parents organized this trip with a smaller, local travel agency that made an itinerary for us.
→ We visited 7 national reserves in total, 4 in Kenya and 3 in Tanzania:
- Kenya: (1) Mount Kenya, (2) Samburu National Reserve, (3) Lake Nakuru and (4) Maasai Mara
- Tanzania: (1) Serengeti, (2) Lake Manyara and (3) Ngorongoro Crater
→ The Maasai Mara and Serengeti are famous for ‘the Great Migration’. Each year, countless lemming-like wildebeest (and other herbivores) cross the Mara river from one reserve to the other, in search of fresh grazing. The best period to observe the Great Migration is during the dry season, from July to October. If you wish to learn more, visit this article.
→ Don’t forget to pack (quality) bug spray! Bring long, but thin trousers and shirts plus a hat that also casts a shadow on the back of your neck. Of course, a pair of binoculars will come in handy too!
🧑🦯 Accessibility 🧑🦯
→ The great thing about safaris is that you can enjoy the environment from the comfort of your seat. This means you won’t have to navigate yourself, which, if you ask me, is always a plus for us VIPs! We drove from reserve to reserve, but you can also choose to take local planes. If you opt for the car, keep in mind that most roads are very bumpy so there is a higher risk of motion sickness.
→ We stayed in well-maintained lodges where there was plenty of African food, music and even dance.
All in all, it’s a holiday worth saving for!
