Arriving in Amboseli

Today was about getting from Masai Mara National Reserve, where we've spent the last three nights, to Amboseli National Park, where we'll spend the next two nights.


It rained overnight, leaving Masai Mara looking green and lush when we woke up this morning.


The dining room was deserted for breakfast, one of the benefits of being here during the off-season.



The pool area was empty when I went for a swim before packing up to check out.



My little buddy kept an eye on my shoes.
Our guide Willie had driven to Nairobi with most of our luggage yesterday afternoon, and he was on the road again at 5:30AM to drive down to Amboseli to meet our flight. Meanwhile, we checked out and were driven to the air strip near our hotel by a driver named Bensen.


As Bensen pulled up to the air strip, he said "that structure straight ahead is the VIP lounge, you can wait there for your flight." We liked Bensen.






We waited in the VIP lounge until our plane arrived for Mombasa Air flight 002 to Amboseli. I had put my camera away so this is a blurry phone shot, but there were several giraffes nearby to see us off.
Our pilot was great, extremely professional and efficient. After landing and putting down the ramp, it only took him a few minutes to load our bags in the cargo area, brief us on the flight, and begin taxiing down the runway to take off.






The flight was slightly over an hour. We got a nice view of our hotel just after takeoff, then traversed a variety of Kenyan wilderness areas. As we descended to the Ambroseli air strip we saw several herds of elephants, and after landing we spotted Willie and his Land Cruiser waiting for us.
Ambroseli National Park is known for its elephants, which are larger than the ones we've been seeing in Masai Mara. There are over 2500 elephants in Ambroseli, in an area roughly 12 miles square. Ambroseli is also known for its views of Mount Kilimanjaro.





we ate lunch at an outdoor table while waiting for our rooms to be prepared. From my seat at the table I snapped photos of elephants, buffalos, and dust devils in the distance.



There are many baboons and monkeys around the hotel, and the staff warned us to keep the door locked so that they can't come into our rooms. Just after we arrived, I spotted this monkey trying to get into Marsha's room.
Monkeys were everywhere around the hotel grounds.



Our hotel feels like an old colonial lodge, decorated with Kenyan sculptures. Many (most?) of the employees are from the Maasai tribe.
After checking in, we relaxed for a couple of hours and then went for a safari from 4:30 to 6:30.










There are so many elephants around Amboseli that we drove past a herd every half mile or so.






We came upon some cheetahs protecting their kill of a Thomson's gazelle. Willie said that hyena nearby is waiting until dark, when many hyenas will come to the kill site and fight over it.


Another first for our trip: zebras. Later in the week we'll be at Tsavo West, where there are large numbers of zebras.


On the drive back to the hotel we watched a herd of elephants heading to their favorite place to spend the night, passing in front of Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance.



Baboons near the hotel.



We had a drink in the bar before dinner, while a Maasai man started a fire nearby.

Tomorrow will be a long day, with our earliest safari of the trip (we leave at 6:00) and later in the day our only night safari of the trip. Good night!