Monday 12 May 2014

Amazing Amboseli

So we had our first of 2 safari weekends outside of Nairobi.  We were picked up at 6am - which I just loved - on a Saturday, but we all had to sacrifice.  We had a boy bus and a girl bus based on who wanted to shop and who wanted to sit in car while the others shopped.  It was an eye opening drive south from Nairobi, especially through the industrial area of town where so many people work and live.  Even at 6:30 in the morning it was teeming with people going to work.  Shifts start at 7am and it is not unusual for people to walk the 15km to work before their shift even starts. 

About an hour outside the city you can find giraffes wandering the fields.  How cool is that?  Not dogs or cats or deer or cows, but giraffes.  Right by the highway!  I still am having trouble digesting it.  As we continued south you can tell the population was thinning out and that we were heading into more rural areas. 
Kenyan drivers
About 3 hours and 28 heart attacks later, we arrived at Amboseli National Park.  Why heart attacks?  Check out this picture. I have to say though that our driver was very safe.  It was just the others :-)











Masai


Amboseli lived up to all its expectations.  It is located in Masai country and we were fascinated to learn about the Masai culture and how they still live within their own traditions.  They are a nomadic tribe who travel to where the pastures are. 







Kilimanjaro showed itself as did the animals.  I know I'm missing some here in the list but I remember elephants, giraffes, gazelles, baboons, hyenas, hippos, cheetahs, birds, birds, birds and oh, birds.  Wildebeest, zebras, more elephants and ostriches (which I guess are birds)...it really was spectacular and as I said in the jeep its hard to not think you are looking at a zoo.  It is them in their natural habitat. 



The lodge was very nice and we woke up to find a hippo and and elephant just grazing outside while we had our pre-game drive snack - again at 6am.  I wish the animals would sleep in a little. 



 The view from the lodge on Sunday morning. 









I must say that some of the inhabitants were very rude and just walked into your room unannounced. 
Baboons at the lodge



Seriously, a baboon had the door open and was half way in to our room before I could chase him away.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend and after a little shopping and more animal sightings we arrived back in Nairobi for about 5pm.  Exhausted and dusty but happy :-)


2 comments:

  1. Photos seem like they are from a magazine. Hard to imagine this is happening outside your window. Hopefully you don't find any unwanted bed guests in the morning!

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  2. Wow! So amazing, and what an experience! The animals apparently aren't afraid of humans. Is there a reason for that? Incredible pictures.

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