ambling in amboseli

people throw around the phrase 'trip of a lifetime' from time to time.. but i can't think of any trip i've been on that's closer to that approximation than this one. just the word 'safari' seems to conjure up that idea, i think. (of course we were shooting photographs, not animals. i wish that went without saying but i guess it still doesn't.) there's so much variety in terms of sights and animals throughout africa so we debated and researched for a while the best place to go in november. we eventually settled on kenya, hoping for a diverse animal population and views of kilimanjaro. when we planned the trip i didn't know what to expect beyond that. i had hoped we'd catch a glimpse of some of the animals we'd heard so much about. i was completely blown away by the sheer quantity as well as variety of animals we actually saw. i've never been on any trip that comes close in terms of wildlife.

when we arrived in nairobi (after three long flights) we were taken to a nearby, and somewhat generic, hotel. we saw little of the city except what we could see from our taxi along the road. it looked quite a lot like the outskirts of any rapidly-growing indian city - the same nondescript cement buildings and ubiquitous billboards. we lazily decided against venturing out again and had a nice but expensive dinner at the hotel restaurant. the next morning it was up at 5 to make our very early flight out of the city's tiny airport. the plane itself was similarly tiny - the twelve-seater really seemed more like a van than a plane. the flight only took about 40 minutes and as we started our descent i started to spot little dots of animals below. when we touched down we were thrilled to see wildebeests just at the edge of the airstrip, a sight that would become almost commonplace by the end of the day.

we were greeted by our maasai guides, jonah and julius, who promptly set up a tray to make us tea. after much research on my mother's part, we ended up booking our tour through gamewatchers. their porini camps are totally unique in that they're entirely staffed by local maasai people (and who would know the land better, after all?) and are completely solar-powered and eco-friendly. the (very nice) tents we stayed in had running water (though our showers were provided through buckets of heated water graciously brought by the staff) and everything could have been picked up and moved at any moment if need be. we were so impressed with everything from start to finish and i can't imagine our trip any other way.

the bulk of our time at amboseli was spent driving and, well, safari-ing. there's really no better way to explain this part of the trip than through the photos we took. so without further ado...

one of the first sights was a variety of monkeys, this one with her baby clinging to her belly.

we saw all kinds of birds in the marshy areas just near the road. this one is a grey crowned crane.

a silly zebra. scratching a hard to reach itch? or just dusting himself?

we went to an overlook to stop and have lunch. just below is a permanent wetland that attracts animals.

the overlook had many of these lovely superb starlings (much more colorful than our all-black european variety)

these african conifers seem to be everywhere, although they look very different at different stages of growth.

a family of ostriches and passing warthogs. so neat to see these different animals living side by side.

aren't these acacia stately? the cape buffalo is one of the most dangerous animals. the loners have been known to kill for fun.

we happened upon some hyenas with a carcass. their jaws are powerful enough to break a giraffe's hip bone. we could hear the cracking and slurping from 30 feet away.

we spied some hippos wallowing, and occasionally play-fighting, in the marsh.

my favorite bird sighting here was this kingfisher. i've never seen one so close! and their coloring is gorgeous.

this adorable pair were just leaving the watering hole with their herd.

as we drove from the national park and into the selenkey reserve, the landscape seemed to change every ten minutes. the color of the soil, the type of brush, and the small animals we saw scampering away from our noisy vehicle.

our tent (note the solar panel)as that dusky golden hour was beginning.

we asked to go somewhere to see the sunset and were taken to a nearby watering hole. they strategically create watering holes and build small overlooks so we can watch approaching animals.

at last we got our first views of mt. kilimanjaro. though we had been in its proverbial shadow nearly all day, the distinctive peak had been covered by clouds. apparently this is quite common throughout the day.

as the sun went down our guides offered us drinks (wine or gin and tonic) and we discussed changing life in their villages and going to school. they were amused to learn that there are places, even in the US, where our cell phones don't get reception, either.

the next morning we were up early for a ride through the selenkay reserve. there were beautiful spiderwebs like this one all over and i was dying to get out and take more photos of them glowing in the sun.

we only saw giraffes in the reserve, not in amboseli. there aren't enough trees there for them to eat.

this group visited our nearby watering hole. apparently warthogs have terrible memories. they'll often get startled and start running but stop after a few seconds because they've forgotten why.

eventually we stopped at another outpost and watering hole, where we were quickly joined by some zebra.

you know i love spotting a bike.. i spied a couple of locals making their way through the reserve.

occasionally we had a very faint glimpse of kilimanjaro. a few giraffes approached the watering hole but were very wary of us and never did stop to drink.

jonah and julius were incredible guides. we stopped to admire this tawny eagle that they had somehow spotted at the top of this tall tree. (thank you, zoom lens!)

we stopped for a visit at a local maasai village. the camp we stayed at provides them with water and resourves in exchange for allowing visitors. i was attracted by the bike but also the young man sharpening his stick.

the chief of the village explains the symbolism of the beads our fellow visitors were wearing.

after a short and awkward visit we wandered away and i was entranced by all the colors in this tree bark. it's almost like an iridescent oyster shell.

we crossed paths with an elderly man returning to the village. his shadow looked so stately.

a peek at the 4x4 we spent so much time in and of course our wonderful guides. what we didn't realize is how little time we'd spend actually walking. though of course staying in the vehicle is for our safety; animals are used to these but still wary of people on foot.

back at our camp there was a small variety of wildlife (mostly birds). these helmeted guinea fowl quickly shuffled away each time i came near.

at dusk we went back to our watering hole and were greeted by several waves of elephants coming to drink and play-fight.

the dust they kicked up looked golden in the sunlight.

a newcomer approached the group and tried to make his way in. they gave us quite a show on our last night at the camp, even coming within a few feet of the lookout tower we were standing in.

on our final drive through the camp the next morning we had rare daytime views of kilimanjaro along with some maasai and their herds of cattle.

overall we were amazed at the wealth of wildlife we saw. we never dreamed we'd see all the different animals we did. we were truly blown away, and this was just the first leg of our trip.