Friday was
This time we decided to take our tents and camp for two nights in the park. The park is much more exciting when you give the animals a chance to eat you at night.
Just five minutes after passing the west gate of the park, our car was immediately surrounded by a family of seven elephants. Normally dangerous, the Amboseli elephants are comfortable around cars and can even be a little too friendly.
We dropped into the posh Serena Amboseli Lodge a few times for some lunch or coffee on the picturesque veranda.
The rest of the time we spent driving through the rough back roads of the park in search of lions and cheetahs. No cheetahs this time but we made friends with plenty elephants, hippos, zebra, hyenas and a few lazy lions. The real thrill came when we returned to our electric-fenced campsite for a night of rest. Monkeys ransacked our site each day but fortunately never made it into our padlocked tents. The terrifying nocturnal roars and cries were chilling enough to keep anyone from sleeping for a few days. Craig and Crystal bought local produce and cooked some gourmet dinners for me over the campfire each night.
The local Masai people are indigenous to Amboseli and recently regained ownership of its management. As a result, the stick wielding, shawl wrapped Masai often came politely come through our campsite. They seemed pleased just to be speaking and even invited us to see their villages (for a hefty fee). The Masai still drink cow’s blood and kill lions so I decided to stay on friendly terms with all of them.
In the next few weeks I will be in the
