Day 147: Amboseli National Park – Day 2
We met up with Edward after breakfast for our “all day” game drive through Amboseli National Park (which ended at 3PM). The haze that had obscured Mount Kilimanjaro the day before had cleared overnight, giving us a lovely backdrop for our pictures. We had no trouble sighting Amboseli’s many elephants.
As the day went on, we noticed a few more differences between the Kenyan and Tanzanian safari standards. Whereas Joseph had to rely on his own tracking skills and binoculars, Edward’s minivan (like all the others) was outfitted with a radio, which he turned on every day as soon as we entered a park, so he could listen to the chatter of all the other guides to help him spot the animals. We got an alert that afternoon for one of the few lions in Amboseli (there are only about 35 in the park) and arrived just in time to see a juvenile crawl into some bushes for a nap. During lunchtime, Edward handed us our boxes, and told us to walk up to the top of the hill alone to eat at the picnic area, while he stayed below with the van. In Tanzania, Joseph sat with us for lunch every day.
We returned to the camp in the afternoon, and tried to use the Wifi in the common area when the electricity turned on at 6PM (it was very weak – barely strong enough to check emails), before returning to our mosquito-free tent to get ready for dinner.
As the sun comes up, we get our first view of Mount Kilimanjaro. We head into the park on our game drive after breakfast, where we have a beautiful backdrop for our pictures
Amboseli elephants, with Kilimanjaro in the background – it doesn’t get much better than this!
A stately giraffe crosses the road, with Mt. Kili in the distance
A thirsty giraffe checks to make sure the coast is clear before bending over for a drink
More animals enjoying the swampy water – a herd of Cape Buffalo, covered in mud, and a pair of lazy hippos
A huge flock of flamingos take flight at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro
Flamingos in flight in Amboseli National Park
The elephant population in Amboseli is too big for Amboseli to naturally sustain, so the park management has to fence off groves of trees to give them a chance to recover. However, the fences don’t keep out the wildebeest, who easy pass under the hanging wires on their way to grazing grounds
Sleepy Lindsay.
Lunch stop at the Observation Hill View Point – another HUGE lunch box from the lodge.
View of the Amboseli swamplands from the top of Observation Hill
Zebras and elephants both look for refuge in the cool swamp waters in the heat of the afternoon
As the day wears on, the wind picks up and we are surrounded by dust devils
The haze clears up just enough in the afternoon to give us one final view of Mount Kilimanjaro
While we are in the buffet line, a French couple tried to take our table, but Igor tells them off. Tonight, the Americans are #1!