Here is the general area of our African Tour, map courtesy of Alexander and Roberts travel agency.
We started in Nairobi, flew to Masai Mara and are finishing our visit there before flying to Amboseli National Park later in the day.
Last night we were "serenaded" by the hippos wading in the river just behind our tent. They sound like elephant seals with their grunting and spitting water as they come up for air every five minutes or so. We just had to laugh every time they would start their chorus of grunts that Lin dubbed "The Hippo Lullaby".
We stopped briefly at a rhino sanctuary. They had two rhinos, one of which was born in the area, that they were protecting from horn poachers. Rhinos are endangered and a combination of official and private sanctuaries are aggressively protecting them.
 |
| Looks like they should be roaming with dinosaurs.... |
We did another early morning game drive in Masai Mara where we were treated yet again to some wonderful wildlife spotting.
 |
Acacia Tree
|
 |
| This is a "road" which we sometimes were on, or often just driving through the grasses avoiding rocks and large warthog holes |
 |
| Eland antelope |
 |
| Eland (antelope) |
 |
| Jeep traffic jam in the bush when something important is spotted. If we weren't in a hurry, sometimes we even went around the bushes instead of over them. |
 |
| Wart hogs |
 |
| Warthogs in a hurry |
 |
| Female ostrich doing her dance, hoping to attract a male |
After lunch we headed back to the small airstrip for our short 1 hour flight south to Amboseli National Park near the Kenya/Tanzania border. It is a relatively small park compared to the Serengeti and Masai Mara, and it is known for providing views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, if you're lucky. Like other large mountains, it often is shrouded in clouds, but we were amazingly fortunate to see it two days in a row along with its famous large herds of elephants. Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and about 35 miles away.
Amboseli had a paved airstrip and a building - quite exciting!
 |
| Snow-capped Kilimanjaro in the background |
 |
| When you've got an itch........ |
Our hotel here is the Old Tukai Lodge with an old-Africa feel with lots of dark wood and individual chalets for rooms. Monkeys and baboons are everywhere and we were cautioned to make sure our doors are closed and locked at all times to avoid having surprise visitors!
Our front window and porch look out onto a large plain where large herds of zebra and elephants roam. Unfortunately, it also brought some stupendous odors of recently deceased zebras, suffering from hoof and mouth disease.
 |
| The view from our room - zebras, elephants, wildebeest |
 |
| Our 'chalet' room |
The next day brought an early morning game drive with lots of wildlife sightings, followed by a free afternoon.
 |
| Cape Buffalo |
 |
| Cattle egrets |
 |
| Massive flocks of flamingoes |
 |
| Gazelles fighting |
 |
| Wildebeest |
 |
| Amboseli Park Street Sign - we did have to stay on the "roads" in this park |
 |
| Baby nursing - they are brown when they are born and gradually turn black and white starting on the bellies and working their way up to the back. |
 |
| Flamingoes and Mt. Kilimanjaro |
 |
| Cape Buffalo |
 |
| Pelicans just swimming along |
 |
| Circling their prey |
 |
| Catching their meal |
Our group of 9 plus guides had Sundowner cocktails (five o'clock happy hour) outside overlooking the plain filled with animals with music and some fun line dancing! A delicious dinner followed - dinners are always at 7:30, so that by the time we are finished eating, it is time for bed - after all, we haven't seen a TV since Amsterdam and it is unsafe to walk around the hotel grounds at night. These hotels are not close to any towns - often an hour or more away from any civilization. Plus, we are 7 hours off our normal time and are tired all the time, but of course, we often find we can't get to sleep quickly because our bodies think it's about time to wake up!
Just another typical day on safari in Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment