Big Island - October 2024

My wife and I recently returned to the Big Island to relax for a few days. We stayed at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, which was a favorite hotel location of my parents. Despite being 30 years old, this 250 room resort is well maintained, has beautiful grounds and has direct access to Hapuna Beach. There are also cultural programs in which guests can participate.

During our visit, the Kona Ironman competition was underway. We weren't aware of this scheduling. We learned that the vehicle traffic along Kailua-Kona roads and Highway 19 would be severely restricted on race Saturday. Several locals told us that on race day, a typical 45 minute drive from our hotel to one of our favorite Kailua-Kona restaurants, Jackie Reys, could take over two hours. We pivoted to a Waimea restaurant in the opposite direction from race activities.  A lesson learned: check local event calendars when planning your travels.

 

Here's a short summary of a few trip highlights:

Mahai'ula Bay

We spent an early morning at Mahai'ula Bay. There is a parking lot for this location right off Highway 19, near the sign for Kekaha Kai State Park. There is yet another parking area closer to the Bay, but the road has a few very gnarly spots. We drove our Chevy sedan rental about half-way towards the more distant parking lot before deciding it would be best to park the car along the unimproved road and simply walk the rest of the way. When we left the bay to return to the highway, the sedan bottomed out in a couple of locations due to uneven and rocky areas - higher ground clearance was needed. I learned that this road was paved a very long time ago, but maintenance has been very limited. I was told that paving the original park dirt/lava road  may have led to unanticipated weather related drainage problems. This issue could have caused greater erosion in some spots. I later read reports of some sedan drivers poking a hole in their engine oil pan on this road. It is best to park at the lot near the highway unless you're driving a Jeep or SUV.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

About 90 minutes from the Westin, along Highway 19, near the towns of Onomea and Pepeekeo, is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. This 17 acre garden provides a wonderful opportunity to view lush tropical rainforest plants, waterfalls and ocean views. The garden is home to over 2,000 plant species. Garden preparation started in 1977 by the owners, Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse. The garden is now operated by a non-profit trust.  

We wandered through the garden paths for a little over an hour. Much of our time was spent admiring the beautiful flowers, collected from throughout the world. It was challenging not to stop and take photos of every flower bloom we viewed. 

Note to those that are physically challenged, the garden planked/paved path is steep in some places. Walking sticks and canes are permitted. However, garden staff considers the path to be too steep for safe use by mobility devices, such as wheelchairs, scooters or crutches. The garden is exempt from ADA standards as reducing the steep areas would alter the natural Onomea valley topography.

Below are just a few photos from the garden.

On our return drive, we stopped for lunch at the Onomea Country Market (about ten minutes from the garden). The market has a gift store, fresh fruits and and food prepared by Piilani Kitchen. Note the smoothies and paninis here are especially delicious. The market is located on Old Mamalahoa Highway, in Pepeekeo.

If you enjoy shortbread cookies, the drive from the Westin to the garden goes through Paauilo, home of Donna's Cookies. We stopped at the bakery on our morning drive and purchased 2.5 gallons of cookies (for family) to bring back home. These cookies easily crumble, so we placed them in our carry-on luggage during our flight back to California. The bakery is closed on weekends and is open until 2pm on weekdays.

On the return drive from the garden, we stopped at Tex Drive-in, in Honokaa, for malasadas and coffee.

Donna's Cookies Bakery

Tex Drive-In

Pu'ulohola Heiau National Historia Site

This stone Hawaiian temple is a sacred structure built in 1790-91 by Kamehameha I. The stone structure, measuring 224 feet by 100 feet and a height of up to 20 feet, was built by thousands of men, using water-worn lava rock. This location was the site of the last confrontation between Kamehameha and Keoua Kuahu'ula, which ended with Keoua's death and the unification of the Island of Hawaii. By 1810, Kamahameha was the king of all the Hawaiian Islands. 

The historic site is about a ten-minute drive from the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. It can be very warm while visiting the Heiau, so I suggest bringing a hat and water. The visitor center provides a video which describes the site's history. The walking path through the site is a little steep in some places and may not be sufficiently improved for mobility devices.

Dining Recommendations

Bamboo Restaurant, Hawi 

About 25 minutes from the Westin is the North Kohala town of Hawi. This small town has several art galleries, a few restaurants, boutiques and a small market. Our dinner destination in Hawi was the Bamboo Restaurant and Gallery. This restaurant only serves dinners on Thursdays and Fridays, so advance reservations are a must. Bamboo is known for its great dining atmosphere, delicious food, reasonable prices and helpful staff. The Pina colada was the best we had on the island.  

Forc, Waimea

This was our first visit to Forc Restaurant in Waimea. This location was about a 20 minute drive from the Westin. Advance reservations are advised. We had dinner here on a Friday night and it was very crowded at 5:45pm. We later learned there was a Jake Shimabukuro concert in Waimea at 7pm, hence the busy early dining. We recommend Forc be on your Big Island restaurant list.

Napua, Mauna Lani

Napua Restaurant offers terrific dinner selections, nice view of the nearby beach and friendly service. The meals rely on local farms, fresh seafood and ranches. We dined at this restaurant last year and, again, it was an enjoyable visit.

Sansei Restaurant,  Waikoloa

Sansei Seafood and Sushi Restaurant is our casual and unpretentious local dining stop on each Big Island visit. The menu offers a wide variety of dishes and each is done well.   

Kenya (Part 4) - August 2024

Mara North Conservancy and Masai Mara National Reserve

Our final Kenya stop was at Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp, located in Mara North Conservancy. The
conservancy was established in 2009. It consists of 70,000 acres and borders the even larger 128,000 acre Masai Mara National Reserve. The conservancy has many species, including Cape buffalo, zebras, hippo, crocodiles, giraffe, elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, elands, hyenas, topi and warthogs. The geography ranges from shallow sandy areas, tropical savannah, to deep silt areas with poor drainage. This location allowed us to devote one full day (6am -6pm) visiting the Masai Mara National Reserve - and a chance to view the massive wildebeest and zebra migration through the Mara River.

We stayed at this location for four nights, which was our longest stay in a single Kenya bush camp.

Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp

This camp consisted of ten bush tents, two of which were larger suite tents. The relatively small number of tents translated into about 20-24 guests at any one time.

The tents were nicely furnished with king bedding (or twins), electricity, purified water containers, WIFI, dual bathroom sinks, shower and toilet.  Tap water was not used for teeth brushing. The tent was not as luxurious as our Sirikoi tent and seemed to reflect an older time bush tent vibe (though with running hot and cold water). There were no electric fences, so an escort was needed when walking in the camp during the dark early hours or after dinner. Our tent was a bit weathered near the front zipper entry area but was otherwise well-maintained. During several hours of rain on one evening, the tent remained dry and comfortable.  

Meals were served in the large common tent, with separate tables for each safari guest group. In-camp breakfasts were ala carte. Lunch included five to six small servings to be shared at our table for two. Dinners were from a menu selection. The meals were delicious and varied. We particularly enjoyed the lunches and the creative offerings available for this meal. There were also opportunities for both a post-game drive bush breakfast and a bush lunch if you choose an all-day activity.

I walked around camp and briefly viewed the kitchen area, vegetable and fruit gardens, solar array and batteries, vehicle maintenance area and produce and food storage container.  

This camp, similar to the others, was based on full board. This included all meals, drinks, game drives and bush walk option.  After viewing from a safari vehicle for many Kenya game drives, we decided to spend one morning on a bush walk. This approximately 2 mile walk allowed us to view animal tracks and local plants and flowers with descriptions of traditional Masai use. We were accompanied on this walk by a guide and two Masai guards with spears. The walk was one way and we all returned to camp for breakfast via a safari vehicle. Note we did have to sign a responsibility waiver prior to the start of the bush walk.

Elewana Collection

The Bathroom Area is Behind the Drapes
Elewana Collection

Common Lounge and Dining Areas

Delicious Lunch Selections

Another Lunch at Elephant Pepper Camp

On Safari in Mara North and Masai Mara National Reserve

We were able to participate in four game drives and one bush walk in Mara North Conservancy.  One day was devoted to Masai Mara National Reserve. During our game drives, we viewed the elusive leopard and cheetah. These cats were present but not seen in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy or Amboseli. 

Bush Walk Group

Our all-day visit to Masai Mara National Reserve allowed us to see massive herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra. These herd sizes were not seen at the other Kenya camp locations. 

In the Reserve, we devoted several hours watching smaller wildebeest herds and zebras considering whether to cross the crocodile laden Mara River. This crossing is part of the annual migration and visitors often see thousands of animals crossing the River from the Serengetti to Masai Mara National Reserve. However, the late rains and climate change delayed the annual crossings this year. Despite devoting our attention to the Mara River, smaller wildebeest herds inspected the river area and backed away, deciding to cross another day. As this was our last game drive day in Kenya, we left pleased with memories seeing the large grazing herds.

Wildebeest Herd

Cape Buffalo Herd

Topis

Spotted Hyena

Wildebeest Herd

How Many Zebras?

Vultures Picking at Carcass

Cross the River?

Waiting in the River

Bundled Up for a Morning Game Drive

Our Final Airflight from Mara North to Nairobi

Upon arriving at Wilson Airport in Nairobi at noon, Origins staff brought us to the Four Points Sheraton at the Nairobi International Airport. We had about a seven hour layover at the hotel before Origins representatives guided us through Emirates check-in, Customs and lounge entry. Our flight departure was at 10:45pm, with a scheduled arrival in Dubai at 5am. 

In Dubai, we spent five hours in the airport business lounge before starting our very long Emirates 380 15 hour nonstop flight from Dubai to San Francisco.  Although this was a long set of flights, we found the pricing of these tickets very competitive. 

Overall, this was a wonderful trip. Fish Eagle Safaris and Origins Safari put together both a great itinerary and a set of three bush camps - each a bit different than the other. While traveling as a couple in Africa, rather than in a group, we were always in great care by Kenyan staff.

Latest Update

It was shared with me that Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp will receive a substantial upgrade in November 2024. The existing ten guest tents will be replaced with new tents and five more guest tents will be added to the camp. The dining, reception and gift/library tents will also be replaced with larger tents. In addition, the guest bathroom near the dining and reception area will be upgraded. Quite a few changes for Elephant Pepper Camp for the 2025 season!