Experiencing the Beauty of Amboseli

As I mentioned yesterday, we our now in Kenya and will be here throughout the rest of our safari. l'll give you a few fun facts about how Kenya got it's name:

• Kenya was originally named Imperial British East Africa by the British government.

• In 1920 the British named the British East African Colony Kenya, because that is what they heard the tribes calling it.

  • Kenya meant the place with the ostrich and white capped mountain.

  • The male ostrich has a white head and neck and black body. This is similar to Mount Kilimanjaro and that is why the tribes had been calling Kenya.

Within Kenya we are staying in Amboseli National Park. A few fun facts about Amboseli:

• The Maasai tribe form the largest population in Kenya and some live in Amboseli

• Amboseli means a salty dusty place in the Maasai language

• There is a lake in Amboseli in October/November and again in February/March when it is rainy. It is about 1 foot deep.

• 390 square miles - much smaller than The Serengeti

• Amboseli has a VERY large elephant population

• VERY open area-not many trees

• 2nd most visited park in Kenya-after the Masai Mara Park

• The Amboseli park looks hazy- but it is actually dust being blown around

• It is estimated that by 2042 there will be no more ice on top of Mt Kilimanjaro.   That will cause the underground springs dry up and drastically change the landscape of Amboseli.

• Mt Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania, but you get a better view of it in Kenya

We started our day early and got to experience another beautiful African sunset. If you look closely ou can see the wildebeests under the tree. You'll see in the photos from today how different this landscape is from Serengeti. I am so glad we are getting to experience so many unique areas.

After the sunrise our guide got an alert that there was a big group of cheetahs nearby. This is very unique as you don't usually see many cheetahs together and so active. The other two times we have seen cheetahs they were sleeping so we were excited to see this site. It was actually a group of male cheetah brothers who had jump been sent out to learn to live on their own by their mother. They were stalking a heard of gazelle but weren't doing a very good job.

We saw a Grand Gazelle which is unique as it is bigger than the other two Gazelles and it's behind looks like an owl's face.

As I had mentioned Amboseli is home to many elephants. As we were returning from the cheetah viewing , we ran into a large group of elephants crossing the road. It was both adults and babies. They were on the move to go to the swamp for the day.

We returned to the hotel for breakfast them headed out to visit a Masai community and learn about how they live. We got off the jeeps about a quarter of a mile from the village and the Masai met us and walked with us to their village, educating us along the way about Amboseli and their lifestyle. We started with a welcoming dance, a tour of the community, talk from the chief and then a chance for us to buy their crafts. Some of the group even danced with the tribe.

We came back to the hotel or lunch and rested a bit then headed out for a late afternoon / evening game drive. We saw a Thompson's Gazelle and her new baby, we think it had be born today. A few facts about Thompson's Gazelles:

• 2nd fastest animal 50MPH

• Black stripes down sides

• Prefer grass

• Runs 70-80 kilometers or 40-50 mph 

• At 6 months, they can mate an mate 2 times each year

• Live around 9-10 years

We then saw a large group of elephants relaxing in the swamp. Maybe it was the group we saw this morning.

We next ran across a very fun hippo just off the side of the road.

The last event for the day was a surprise from Tauck, our tour company. We hiked a small hill to an observation point. At the top Tauck had cocktails and appetizers for us. We got to watch sunset as a group with a fantastic view of Amboseli and Mount Kilimanjaro. What a perfect ending to a fantastic day, experiencing all that Amboseli had to offer!

Lastly, we did see Mount Kilamanjaro today. It is often not visible due to clouds or haze but the best chances to see are early morning or sunset. We saw it both this morning and this evening. It is right behind Meredith and I in the photo.

Also a few photos of Mount Kilamanjaro from this morning! In one you can see the snow cap.

Thanks so much for following our incredible once in a lifetime journey!