By Lydia Limbe

I land at the Amboseli airstrip exactly 35 minutes after departure from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. We are only two passengers on the flight, a reminder that it is the low season in the tourism industry.

I am relieved to see some foreign tourists get on the plane en-route to Samburu National Park. Things are not too bleak after all.

It is still breakfast time when I get to Ol-Tukai Lodge so after the check-in pleasantries, I sample the buffet. To my delight, in addition to the usual breakfast menu, there are local beans and sweet potatoes.

The local food does not stop with breakfast. The lunch menu is entirely made up of local food, from pilau, mokimo, githeri and nduma to chapati, ugali, matoke and sukuma wiki. The dishes are a big hit. I happen to chat with a German guest visiting Kenya for the first time with his family, and he mentions the delicious meals as one of the highlights of their trip.

The 17-year-old lodge’s décor is a balance of the Afrocentric and modern, with large windows that let in lots of sunlight. This concept is even extended to the bathroom, where my first instinct is to peek through the window, trying to see if my privacy will be violated as I take a shower. It appears that my modesty is safe.

Later, I stroll onto the poolside, from where there is a clear view of Mt Kilimanjaro.

“The ice cap on the peak has reduced by 80 per cent due to the changing weather patterns,” Joab Oruko, the general manager of Ol Tukai Lodge, tells me.

The property has well-manicured lawns, with all the amenities you would expect from a modern hotel. It even has a room especially designed for the physically handicapped and bush conference facilities.

Amboseli is renowned for its elephants, and they can be seen from any point at Ol Tukai. In the afternoons, they can be seen trekking down to the swamp to cool down.  Also easy to spot are the wildebeests that did not move to Serengeti during the big migration.

Beautiful birds

Having seen many colourful birds when I arrived, I am eager to go bird watching. My guide is Diwan Singh, who learnt his trade from his father, a tracker in the era when hunting game was allowed. He is also a seasoned mountain climber, having scaled the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro 49 times.

On our walk, we see the Superb Sterling, Red-billed Hornbill and the Black Smith as well as different species of kingfisher, which feed on fish from the creek in the park, and many more.

As we walk around, I also notice the monkeys. When I arrived, Candy, the guest relations officer, asked me to always keep my door locked to keep away the monkeys, but I was not alarmed because the few monkeys I had seen were quite small.

However, seeing the larger species makes me realise the need for caution.

Diwan echoes Candy’s warning, explaining that the larger monkeys can even tear the screen when a window is left open. I make a mental note to ensure that my windows and doors are locked whether I am in the room or not.

At dinner time, the barman, nicknamed Yaa, introduces me to his award-winning cocktail dubbed Obama Mos Mos. The drink came first during a barman competition at Utalii College in 2010.

Obama mos mos

Obama Mos Mos is served in a glass whose rim is laced with sugar and grenadine syrup. It is a colourful cocktail, with frozen mint at the bottom, Amarula on top of that and Southern Comfort at the very top. It is garnished with strawberry, thin slices of orange and two cherries.

The explanation for the name is just as colourful: “The frozen mint represents President Obama’s American roots, the Amarula represents his African roots, and, being the elephants’ favourite fruit, also represents Amboseli, the land of elephants. The cherries represent the American president’s two daughters and the strawberry, is his wife, Michelle.”

A guitar player belts out old classics as guests enjoy their dinner and it is clear from their expressions that there could not be a better end to the day.