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Blogs from Amboseli NP, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Africa
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In The Shadow of Kilimanjaro
Published: January 7th 2012Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Amboseli NP
January 6th 2012
Greetings from Kigali, Rwanda but that is a story for another day. Last Monday (2 January 2012) we said goodbye to Mon's family and friends (Christian had already set out for his Kili climb) and took off for Nairobi, Kenya and Amboseli National Park - the land of Blixen and Finch Hatton (of Out of Africa fame for those who don't know those names), David and Daphne Sheldrick (orphaned elephant rescuers), the best views of Kilimanjaro, Cynthia Moss (elephant researcher extraordinaire) but most of all, elis, elis and more elis. With some travel delay but our wits (and luggage) intact, we arrived at dusk and took a roundabout route to our lovely hotel, seeing a bit of the city as we went. In a city that is considered rather unsafe (it has the unfortunate nickname 'Nairobbery'), ... read more
Monkeys, elephants everywhere!
Published: June 5th 2011Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Amboseli NP
May 28th 2011
Today was amazing! After breakfast, a visit to a Masai village or Boma. First, I don't believe in many Masai customs, and Seth aluded to female circumcision as a topic we all agree upon, so it wasn't touched upon. I am reading "Facing the Lion, Growing Up Masai" which delves into the reasons why Masai do as they do. But it can't explain it until you see it. It is so primitive, yet such a lively culture. The physical adornments, the bead work, the colorful clothing gleaming in the sun. This group lives in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, herding cattle. The children are precious. Only the very young were in the boma today, the older children were in the school supported by the Serena for this and another village. There was a demonstration of how they ... read more
August 13th 2009
7/28 Tuesday Today we let Okundis house outside of Homa Bay. Everyone was so joyous, taking pictures and handing out gifts (lots of Obama buttons and stickers) but the day of course was tinged with the sadness of leaving. I was still not feeling well so I wasn’t as merry as the rest but it was still just as hard to leave everyone. Zilpah and all the children kept asking when I was coming back, which I’ve learned to respond “I hope to come back one day God willing” because they understand more that I really don’t have huge control over when I come back. I would be back next summer if I could but there are more issues to returning than they can imagine, especially because the children think of mzungus as all being very ... read more
August 7th 2009
After some kerfuffle, I finally got the all clear from the doctor that all was okay to travel and thankfully we made it to Africa! We met up with lovely Fiona on Thursday night who picked us up at the Nairobi airport, and then the next morning we were immediately off to one of the Kenyan Wildlife Services Park - Amboseli. We took the two 4WDs, boys (Paul and James) in one car, the girls in the 'hungry hippo car'. The terrain in Africa is immediately identifiable as we travelled along the road; the thorny acacia trees; massive termite mounds; red soil and Masai tribe villages with thatched rooftops. We stopped off at Namunga and then we hit the shall we say, more 'interesting' roads which involved more of a roller-coaster ride at some points and ... read more
September 6th 2008
After a catching a few hours sun inbetween the typhoons and Vic having a diving lesson we decided to get out and explore a little more, and in true Matt n Vic style decided on a 2000km trip around Kenya through Tsavo East and West and into Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengetti national parks, and then onto Nairobi, come on bring it on... We arrived in Amboseli at around 14.30pm after a 9 hour drive, and wow just on the way to the tented camp we saw in abundance giraffes, wilderbeast, wart hogs, gazelles, monkeys, elephants, and birds with so many colours it was unbelievable. Once we arrived at the tented camp we were greeted with a much welcomed hot flannel and cold drink. The camp was amazing situated right in the middle of the ... read more
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August 6th 2008
Leaving behind the comfort and luxury enjoyed in Africa thus far, we set out on our budget camping safari and fell back to earth with a great thud in dusty Amboseli. Maybe we are just getting soft in our old age, but in hindsight we probably would have done ourselves a favour to experience the budget safari experience PRIOR to the luxury version. As previously mentioned Carissa and I had opted for a budget camping safari to round out our final week in Africa. The tour encompassed Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and finally Amboseli National Parks. Six of us set out from Nairobi: the driver Nixon (not his real name) and cook Mugu, two Swedish sisters Matilda & Josephine (I don't know what it is with the tours we do and Swedish backpackers?? However, it is ... read more
October 11th 2007
I wanted to share a few random facts about the Masai. The men pierce their ear lobes and gradually enlarge the opening with small round disks. It’s an interesting fashion statement with the disks in, but it looks a little stranger without the disks. Sometimes they will flip the hanging part up over their ear, possibly to avoid catching it on something. Ouch. As the Masai mainly inhabit rural areas, they are heavily oriented to agriculture and livestock. Having seen them at work as shepherds, I can say that they will sometimes spend hours out in a field with no shade, keeping watch over their flock. Someone explained that the Masai men will often grab lunch while at work, i.e. drink blood from the cow. They are able to puncture the cow’s neck without killing it ... read more
Who put that mountain there?
Published: December 3rd 2007Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Amboseli NP
October 10th 2007
This morning I emerged from my hut (a bit roomier than the one in Onyolo) and realized that there was a little mountain in my backyard. Desperate to find my inner National Geographic photographer side, I took some assorted pics of said mountain—which the locals call “Kilimanjaro.” Having spent too long staring at that mountain, I now have it on my list to tackle one of the local peaks. The word is that Kili is manageable or the peaks adjacent to Mt. Kenya (in Meru) are also suited for climbing rookies. Really, it doesn’t seem to big in the pictures... does it? Before heading back to Nairobi, we bounced around Amboseli to see more of the wildlife. At one point, the road crossed a narrow bridge of land, bordered by swamps on either side. There were ... read more
Kenyan roads are unforgiving
Published: December 1st 2007Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Amboseli NP
October 9th 2007
Early on Tuesday morning, we headed to Amboseli National Park, south of Nairobi. And when I say south, I mean far south. I’m not entirely sure, but I think the trip took about 6 or 7 hours. Our safari crew consisted of Fr. B, his two visiting yankee lady friends, Sr. Margaret, Sr. Winnie, another brother of Sr. Winnie and me. 75% of the roads were in decent shape. However, once we passed Namanga, the last town on the road to Amboseli, all bets were off. In short order, the road went from occasional potholes to “bone-jarring, hold on to your dentures and shake it like a Polaroid picture.” When you put a low-budget, well-worn safari van on a road like that, it is amazing how completely the rattle of windows, doors (and everything else) overpowers ... read more
October 6th 2007
After Mt Kenya, we had a few days rest and then organised a trip to Amboseli National Park. This was in part to see the park as well as to try and recover some money from a corrupt tour operator! ("Kanga Tours" not to mention any names.) As it turned out Amboseli was one of the best national parks with plenty of animals and Mt Kilimanjaro in the back ground. The highlight of Amboseli was seeing a herd of a 100 or more elephants cross our path on their way to water.... read more
