Shuttling in the land of elephants

In just two days Crystal Okusa sampled the beauties of Ol-Tukai Lodge, Serena Safari Lodge and Kilima Safari Camp in Amboseli in a rare safari marathon

A 70km drive on Mombasa Highway and a detour at Imbirikani junctionbrings us to the dusty yet scenic plains of the Amboseli National Park. Our first encounter here is Maasai nomads who are too cautious to be taken photos unless we are willing to part with Sh500 per picture.

Leaving them to enjoy their tourism status with eager foreigners willing to pay them we venture into the park with our tour guide, Moses Odhiambo, a warden with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Right at the Iremito gate we came across two elephants at a watering hole. As the other shies away, one continues drinking, unmoved by our presence.

A sweet sensation runs through me, I have never been this close to an elephant. It is far bigger than our Pajero, I’m willing to see how close I can get. However, my colleagues, who are all men, are too scared and beg nay force me to roll up my window.

Driving through the park we finally arrive at Ol-Tukai Lodge and are welcomed with cold wet towels to wipe the dust off our faces and hands. One look at the towel after wiping the face is enough to make you rush for the showers.

"At Ol Tukai we have an upper hand as we have the best view of the park just from within the hotel," boasts Moses Odawa the assistant manager.

After indulging the delicious meal, it is time for a game drive and we bid farewell to our host. A young female staff takes a liking for me and quickly adds the prefix ‘En’ to my name. Throughout my stay here I become ‘En Okusa’ much to the delight of my colleagues.

That Amboseli is the land of elephants is no doubt we do not have to drive far to catch another herd grazing together.

"According to the recent census of the game park, the current numbers of resident elephants in the park are 811 while there are 1,300 in total in the whole eco system comprising the Chulu, Magadi, Emali and the Kenya-Tanzania boarder," says Joseph Nyongesa, a senior warden.

maasai inspired

We are running out of time as our first night host Serena Safari Lodge is awaiting. Nestled beneath a canopy of giant acacia trees and beside a gently flowing natural spring lies Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. The beautiful snow-capped peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen beyond the lodge.

It is a bit dark but with the help of the lit pavements we are led to our rooms. Inspired by the local Maasai manyatta, the entrances of the rooms are designed with rough sticks to create the literal hedges like the manyattas. Inside the rooms are murals of game animals paintings on the walls.

The lampshades are designed from authentic African baskets, while the mirrors are framed with the Maasai beads; it is a beautiful sight. The way to the dining hall is paved with traditional guards hanging as lampshades. Exhausted, we all retire to bed anxious for the next day.

I am up by 6am so that I can capture the clear view of the peak. Other guests are also up and go for breakfast before the morning drive. The hot spots in the park at such times are the water holes. The wild is a peculiar place, if you are late by a couple of minutes and the sun — which rises earlier than normal — comes up, you might miss a lot of animals as they seek shelter from the hot sun.

Elephants

As expected elephants are our first encounter, they are literally everywhere in the park. I enquire from Moses if I can adopt one and he agrees but dampens my spirit when he takes a breath then adds: "But it still remains in our possession. You can name it Crystal and you pay for its upkeep but you cannot take it away."

We meet up with one of the tour guides who tells us how we had missed the opportunity to see ‘kichwa’ a coin name for lions in game parks.

 We put the kichwa’s off for later as we opt to drive to the biggest of the only two swamps in Amboseli. Enkongu and Oldare swamps are permanent springs flowing from Mount Kilimanjaro and the greatest aid to survival of Amboseli even during drought.

observation hill

Enkongu, the largest of the swamps, forms into a small lake right under the observation hill in the centre of the game park. From the observation hill, you can see a wide angle of the park that sits on 392 square kilometres.

 I spot a hippo enjoying the fresh morning grass while drinking water from the swamp. Ostriches are also seen and heard from a distance bellowing.

By now the sun is overhead and very few animals are spotted on our way back to the hotel. We arrive at our third location the Kilima Safari Camp — part of the Mada Hotels, at lunch hour and go straight to the dining area.

Located a kilometre outside the game park, Kilima is literally in front of the Kili where you can have a spectacular view right from the lounge or the Kibo situated up a three-storey spiral staircase from the dining area.

Lion wildebeest chase

It was yet again time for a game drive and this time we were treated to a scene straight from National Geographic, one of Brady Barr intense scenes. A lion and a lioness set out to get a wildebeest for dinner.

Since we were no Brady Barr, it was against the park rules to go too close to the animals. But with the help of our binoculars’, we could catch it all from the distance.

The lion kept guard as the lioness gave the poor beast a chase in circles through the plains. We were ready to stay on until the beast was taken down but as the sun gave way to the moon, it was time to get out from the park. In my mind, however, the chase still played on.