Entering Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Entering Amboseli National Park

  When we asked our driver what his favorite park in Kenya was Amboseli was high on the list. It is located right on the border with Tanzania, in a dry and dusty open plain ecosystem. The big draw for animals is the fact that meltwater from the top of nearby Mt. Kilimanjaro bubbles up in the middle of this arid land to form a swampy oasis. This is a magnet for animals from elephants to buffalo to gazelles and of the course this brings in the predators that feed on them as well.

  Our base for our two day stay here was the Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. It feels like an oasis within an oasis and is located right in the middle of the action. Vervet monkeys are a constant concern, as Chris and I quickly found out. He left the back door open for a couple moments, which was just enough time for the sneaky monkeys to rush in and steal some of our instant coffee packs. We later heard that monkeys ripped through our neighbors screen door which we attributed to our same monkeys all hopped up on caffeine.

Submerged hippos in the swamp

A lake of pink flamingos

  Out and about in the park the main focus are the swamps. Many animals braved the dusty trip to get to these lifegiving oasis of water. The green vegetation stood out in stark contrast to the fine white dust everywhere else. Some animals fully immersed themselves like hippos, buffalo, and elephants, while the zebras and giraffes focuses on the surrounding green grass.

Amboseli Sunset

  The landscape here is a stark change from our time in Tsavo. Shrubland gives way to the vast flatlands where giraffes look like construction cranes and elephants like moving semi trucks on the horizon. All of us where shocked to turn a corner and see a horizon full of pink. A seasonal lake had formed ontop of a salt pan and was filled to the brim with thousands of pink flamingos. It seems that even after all these visits Amboseli still had a few surprises. One thing that didn't surprise was the magnificent sunsets and sunrises.

One of my favorite African scenes of all time, zebras emerging from the dust of Amboseli

Dust tornados spotted the horizon

The shadow of Kilimanjaro