We had turned back West and were slowly making our way from the Kenyan coast, back home to Kampala, Uganda, with several stops planned. After Chyulu Hills, we had a short drive to Amboseli National Park, one that has been touted as a favorite among safari-goers in East Africa. Amboseli is a small park, and therefore it its wildlife is more concentrated and supposedly easier to find. Mount Kilimanjaro, which looms across the Tanzanian border, also makes a stunning background for the already beautiful scenery.
We camped outside the park at Elephant Gorge (AKA Winnie’s Camp). At each of our destinations, no matter how spectacular, it was the campsite that could make or break the experience. At Elephant Gorge, our first impressions were not favorable. It was hot and the sun was harsh. There was no shade at the campsite and as we got the boys out of the car, we noticed thorns all over the ground, an ant’s nest just a couple of steps away, and a few “Nairobi Eyes” (small red and black beetles that leave a burn on your skin). I couldn’t put Pax down on the ground to help set up camp. But we were soon saved by Joseph, the manager of the place. He promptly brought a large tent to give us shade, as well as a sprawling rug for the boys to sit on. He was incredibly helpful and kind, making a less-than-ideal site (for young kids) very do-able.
I noticed several lovely birds flying around, so I kept my camera close by. As a rule, I would always take my camera to the bathroom with me during the trip because I would often see something lovely and unexpected. On bathroom trips at Winnie’s Camp, I saw a stunning little Purple Grenadier and a Green-winged Pytilla.
After having lunch, setting up camp, and putting Pax down for a nap, Leo and I had some time to walk around a bit. We carefully avoided the several Nairobi Eyes that we saw in the tall grasses as we found animal tracks around the campsite. We looked up to see a few zebra and a couple of giraffes looking back at us. Leo gathered some grass to “feed” to them, but of course we didn’t get very close.
At night, we enjoyed our s’mores around the fire (part of our camping bedtime routine), and played monster trucks in the tent until bedtime. After the boys were in bed, there was always more work to do, so Eric and I forced our tired bodies out of the tent and into the cold darkness so we could do dishes and pack everything away. It was then, at night, when I appreciate the lack of shade trees around our campsite, as it offered us a wide-open view of the night sky.
In the morning, we were making breakfast and preparing for a day in the park when Joseph came over and asked if we had seen Kili yet. He pointed South and sure enough, just behind the bushes, we had a clear view of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent. As we headed into the park for a game drive, it loomed beautifully in the background for most of the morning before the clouds covered it for the day.
We had a fun day cruising around Amboseli, although a good part of the park was not accessible due to the heavy rains. We made it through several large puddles, but thought better of it when the puddles turned into small lakes. We enjoyed watching large families of elephants strolling through the grasslands and flocks of pink flamingos gathering in the water. Although antelope quickly become uninteresting while on safari, a highlight was watching a group of impala close to the road. On our left side, there were dozens of females and one male, who seemed to be the head dude. On the right side of the road were several other males who were play-fighting one another. The big guy with the females bellowed out to the other males, almost mocking them and daring them to come challenge him. We did not hire a guide or ranger, which is usually helpful if you want to see any big cats, but as we passed other cars and asked them if they had seen anything, they all said no. It seemed the lions and leopards were hiding that day.
We did, however, have quite the adrenaline rush at one point. As we explored some of the side roads, we came upon a lone bull elephant, who are known to be quite aggressive. He indicated that he didn’t want us there, so we stopped and let him graze for a while, waiting for him to move on. When we thought he had moved far enough away from us, we slowly proceeded on the road, but it seemed he still had a point to make. He promptly turned around and charged our car, running right at us. I started yelling “GO GO GO!!!” to Eric, who kept his eyes on the road. After gunning it for a few hundred yards, we came to a huge puddle covering the road and had a moment of panic, not knowing how deep it was and if our car could make it through. For a couple of seconds, we were trapped between the washed-over road and a charging elephant, but as I looked back to see how close he was, the elephant graciously decided to let us off the hook. Now we were faced with the decision to try our luck at the puddle or turn back and face the elephant again. Wisely, we chose the puddle. We made it through and we stopped to catch our breath. I was shaking and laughing. Pax had no clue what had happened and Leo started asking a million questions.
We continued on with our drive, now a bit more weary around elephants. We left the park early, knowing we had to set up the tent again and make dinner, all of which had to be done before nightfall.
The next day, we would drive to Nairobi, where we would ring in the New Year with pizza and ice cream and friends. We set up camp on our friends’ yard, appreciated the chance to talk all about the highlights and struggles of the trip, and enjoyed a good internet connection.
