Amboseli

Wow.

Just, wow.

Safari means “journey” in Swahili and it was every bit as magical as I had ever imagined. I’ve been very fortunate and have had a lot of incredible experience in my life. This has been my favorite.

In the Masai Mara, the animals are everywhere. Not just a grouping here and there, but everywhere. You can’t look a direction and not see an animal. Birds shone like turquoise jewels in the sun and the wildebeest covered every green surface. We circled cheetah and walked beside hippo. We ducked right beneath giraffe, wove between zebra, and sat with the elephants. I couldn’t believe the diversity and abundance of wildlife. An occasional splash of vibrant red as the Masai people walk past, nudging their valuable cows with shiny-worn sticks.

We had the chance to visit one of the Masai villages and learn about their way of life. We danced together and sat as guests in their small mud hut. I ducked into the dim room and sat by his fire that he said has been burning for 6 years. He said the boys go out and live in the bush for 5 years and cannot return until they have killed a lion. He said 5 died in the last batch. What an interesting and unique culture!

In the Masai Mara, the roads are more like suggestions. I looked at our van, doubtful in its ability on the rough dirt tracks. Boy was I wrong! Those vans can get through ANYTHING. Roads I would hesitate to tackle in our 4×4 were nothing to these safari drivers in these vans. I learned very quickly to have the utmost respect for these drivers that bounced and bumped their way over the Serengeti. We even edged our way into Tanzania for a moment or two.

In Lake Nakuru, the foliage is much greener and supports herds of water buffalo. Flocks of flamingo stood twiggy legged and pink in the blue water. A large male rhino walked right past the front of our van.

Amboseli is set against the striking backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. The translation means “Hide and Seek Mountain”. It often hides behind clouds but we got an incredibly clear view during our bush walk in the morning. Weaving beneath the umbrellas of acacia trees, we inspected giraffe track and examined bone-white hyena poop. Our tent was right in the bush with little antelope bounding last our porch. The game drives here brought impressively large herds of elephant and prides of lions gathered around fresh kills. We even got a great look at 3 small cubs as they finished their meal and were led around our van and into the tall grass.

I loved it here. We soaked up every minute of this incredible safari.

Other thoughts:

People walk here. Everyone, everywhere. It’s a walking culture. Its a culture that has probably been strong since ancient times.

I didn’t know you could have so many kinds of potato in one meal. And to shake things up, they add plain plantain. Which tastes just like potato.

Our budget safari went to the exact same places as the expensive ones. Just sayin.