Love, Lions, and Lessons: Our Summer Safari Adventure at Amboseli National Park

“The elephant is in Kenya, but the mountain is in Tanzania.” I saw this caption on an Instagram post. The post featured an elephant mother and a background of Mount Kilimanjaro. It captured my objective, and this was a motivator for my family safari in Kenya to explore Amboseli National Park.

To cut to the chase, Laura and I met our vacation guide, Peter from East Africa Safari Guides, at the airport (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport), and everything changed from there. He made every step we took in Kenya worth it. He was charming, and his description of Nairobi City as we flew to Amboseli Airstrip, the only airstrip in Amboseli National Park, was exhilarating.

The essence of Amboseli National Park

We have been in some African national parks and noticed that their names usually mean something in the local languages. So, we were dying to know what Amboseli meant. Peter said Amboseli is the Maasai word for salty dust. We were delighted by how the Maasai used their mother tongue language to name the natural beauty, like Amboseli, the Serengeti, etc.

We fell asleep in a spacious room after dinner and a briefing about our safari tour. The next day, we dreamed about our adventure in Amboseli. The night was pretty short and quiet. Peter arrived in the morning, and after breakfast, we got into an open-roof Land Cruiser to search for the Big Five.

The search for the Big Five

Laura is a big fan of polite animals like elephants, buffalos, and rhinos. She was in the right place because elephants are pretty common here. We spent a much longer time near the herds of elephants. She was in awe as a young elephant calf scampered to catch up with its mother. As we looked at the elephant herd, Peter knew all about elephants. Laura told Peter, you are the best ecology teacher, and we laughed.

Something different from Laura’s choice: I like seeing aggressiveness in the wild. I prefer watching lion or leopard hunting. Peter knows where to find the big cats, like lions and leopards. We drove to the savannahs and luckily found a lion pride basking in the sun.  The playful nature of the cubs caught our eyes to the point where we did not resist the urge to take photos. 

Peter said the male lion stays a few meters away from the pride. He added that distance does not mean total isolation, but this giant male roars to warn any animal or human from getting close to the pride.

Then, we spent several hours in the woodlands. We were eager to see leopards hunting. Peter said hunting is good in the early morning and dusk since the big cats are nocturnal. Luckily, we spotted a leopard scanning for its next prey. It amazed me because of the way it blends with the surroundings.

Beyond the Big Five in Amboseli National Park

As we drove past savannahs, the views of Mount Kilimanjaro caught our attention. The snowy top of this mountain was visible from Amboseli National Park. Mount Kilimanjaro lies in Tanzania, near the Tanzania-Kenya border. The sky was clear. So we saw Mount Kilimanjaro from a distance.

We climbed the observation hill, where we could freely and privately observe the mountain without interference since it was not crowded. From the peak, we observed the diverse habitats, such as the dried-up beds of Lake Amboseli, savannahs, and woodlands. We also saw many wild animals from atop, such as herds of elephants, buffalos, and zebras. As we drove past zebra herds, Peter told us a fun fact: each zebra has unique stripes like human fingerprints.

The less, the more

What I like about East Africa Safari Guides is how they know how to excite their clients in the wild. We drove far away from the crowd and experienced the majestic wilderness of animals. Peter had a clue as to where we could enjoy our safari the most. He said animals run away from frequented and crowded areas, so we had to drive far from the crowds to reach them. Driving far was never an issue since we had enough time and all the required facilitation. Of course, we had the perfect guide who knew where we could enjoy the game while avoiding the crowd.

As we drove past swamps below the observation hills, we were amazed by the views of animals. Peter said they congregate near these swamps to relieve their thirst. Elephants and buffalos are common here, while birds like pelicans and Egyptian gooses decorate the area.

Our safari in Amboseli National Park was all about nature and wildlife. As we stared at the yellow-billed hornbill (a flying banana), Peter signaled the presence of a graceful giraffe drinking from a stream. As a leopard finished eating its kill, hyenas tumbled each other in pursuit of left bones. A cheetah basks on a granite rock, while wild dogs in packs hunt collectively to kill.

The cultural immersion

We finally visited the Maasai. They reside on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park. We bought them gifts. Upon arrival at the Maasai village, we went to a local water-catchment dam project aimed at providing water supply to the Maasai. This project helps minimize human-wildlife conflict; thank you to East Africa Safari Guides for supporting this as part of their charity projects to give back to society. The Maasai will no longer rely on the water sources from the park, which they previously did. The Maasai have conserved wildlife down the ages. We were thrilled to give our donations to this project.

Laura and I like to try new things. We put on the Maasai dress. Laura looked beautiful in a Maasai dress decorated with beads and shanga. I made the outfit perfect with a shield and a spear.

Peter says a spear-throwing competition with the Maasai locals is worth trying. I enjoy challenges; therefore, I accepted the task. We rushed a little after the countdown and hurled our spears. The winner is the person who hurls the spear the farthest. I finished second on the list of winners. We also observed a traditional dance and eventually joined it. The Maasai jump was so interesting. The higher you jump, the stronger you are.

What a super fun retreat in Amboseli

We will never forget it. The super-luxurious services we got from our lodge made us feel at home. Everything was so perfect. They had our dream food prepared exclusively for us. Their services were personalized, not to mention the large family room with adequate space plus all the associated amenities. We also viewed the natural surroundings from a private balcony.

We cannot wait to revisit East Africa. If you are considering traveling to Amboseli National Park or any safari destination in East Africa,  East Africa Safari Guides is the best and most reliable tour operator you can book your safari with. The hospitality we received from East Africa Safari Guides, especially our travel guide, Peter, is unmatched.