OUR AFRICAN SAFARI IN 2012 – Kenya – By John de Silva
Five years had gone by and we got the urge to visit Africa again. On this occasion we concentrated on Kenya. There were two National Reserves that held our interest, Amboseli and The Maasai Mara. To make the safari worth our while we attached a visit to the Aberdare Ark, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha.
From the map you can see the travelling involved during this safari. Amboseli was the first Park where we spent 2 nights from where we travelled to the Aberdare Ark Lodge for a single night. From the Ark we stopped over at Lake Nakuru for 2 nights, the Maasai Mara for 3 nights before completing our journey with one night at Lake Naivasha
Amboseli National Park was the abode of the elephant. There were huge herds in this Park. It had been gripped by a prolonged drought that wreaked havoc with the elephant population. Once the drought broke the herds were nudged into repopulating their numbers. We visited at the commencement of this rebuilding phase. Alas the huge gatherings of the past were long gone. The presence of many baby and juvenile elephants did augur well for the future. Amboseli at times pushed us to despair as the elephants were spread out far and wide and there were low clouds that made sightings of Mt Kilimanjaro a game of hit-and-miss! You got to have an element of luck on your side when you are out on safari and in Amboseli we had our fair share. I did manage to get the treasured shot of elephants with Mt Kili in the background.
We also had a few serendipitous sightings. It was on our way out of the Reserve that we came upon a pride of lion, within the airfield, guarding a kill. Although we had far to travel to our next destination, we took the opportunity to watch them feasting. I was fortunate to record on video an aeroplane landing with the lions in the foreground. Here then are a collection of some photographs. Apart from the photos there is a fair collection of video clips to bring back memories.
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We stayed in tented accommodation at the Sentrim Camp which was very comfortable and well appointed. The African theme was unmistakable. The service was good and so was the food
Amboseli is a heaven for many animals other than the elephant. Here is a representation of the wildlife we encountered
An extract from the website is worth reproducing.
“Set in the heart of the Aberdare National Park, iconic and yes, quirky. The Ark overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick, which attracts a host of awesome wildlife. Resembling and named after Noah’s Ark, The Ark comprises of three decks from which numerous balconies and lounges provide a superb location for wildlife to be seen. So that you don’t miss any animal sightings, the night guard will buzz your room when special animals come to the waterhole. The Ark has four viewing areas for observing the ever-present animal activity.
There is also a ground level bunker – the perfect hideout for the discerning photographer. This is a circular pillbox-like structure, and it is from this vantage point that pictures of animals on the salt lick only yards away may be taken through the view holes in complete safety.
“In this intimate recess one can almost, but not quite, pat the animals, hear their sounds and smell the aroma of the night. This is a magical corner, where there is close contact with the essence that tells of an unexplored Africa, and where, very often, the visitor may enjoy in solitary state the beauty of it all.” Monty Brown’s book, Haven Under the Hill” The main ‘visitors’ were the elephant and the buffalo. We spent time resting in armchairs sipping a drink and feasting on the behaviour of the animals that visited. Our stay was short, just a day and a night. We were not fortunate in sighting a leopard at the water hole but a treat was in store for us on our return from The Ark.
A scrumptious meal was laid out for us that night. We went to bed quite late as we were gazing on the milling animals below us in the flood lit arena. The antics of the elephant calves imitating the adults in digging out lumps of salt ladened earth was quite comical. Although the buffalo and elephant are not good neighbours here at the ‘lick’ they kept a respectable distance from each other and got about their own business.
There was no ‘buzzing’ by the night-guard and we enjoyed a restful night.
During the course of the day several other animals visited the water hole. We expected to see more animals than we did but were told that it is seasonal. The large herd of elephant and the buffalo were sufficient to keep us interested and amused
The buffalo herd tended to keep its distance while the elephants got about their business of extracting the lumps of salt ladened soil. There were those though who were bolder and stayed on keeping a respectful distance.
From the Ark we motored all the way to Lake Nakuru National Park. On the way we crossed the equator, where the ‘so called’ position was indicated by a board. We watched shonky entrepreneurs taking in some of the tourists with a well organised trick. There is a myth that water let out from a sink it swirls in different directions depending on the hemisphere of the earth. This could be manipulated in many ways, but, unsuspecting tourists did not know this. At a cost they took the tourists away from the board and showed them the direction in which the water swirled. They next took them across the ‘so-called’ equator and showed them that the
water swirled out in the opposite direction! Money for jam!
Lake Nakuru is on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. It is surrounded by forest and grasslands. The lake is a heaven for birds and Bird Watchers can have their fill during the visit. We chose Lake Nakuru for two reasons; the massive flock of flamingo that visited, and, the site where some of the scenes of the film “Out of Africa” were shot
The flamingo had ceased to visit after the lake was recently flooded causing the depletion of the blue-green algae, their favourite food, due to the dilution of the soda in the lake. The National Park is the home of the Rothschild’s giraffe and is a sanctuary for the White Rhino. Extensive driving through the lush forest was required to spot the animals. Unfortunately, we encountered heavy rain on one drive that put paid to good animal photography.
The Out of Africa Lookout is located in the south western section of the Lake shore. There is a steep escarpment the top of which is reached via a pretty steep road. There is a viewing area which can be very crowded. The views are stupendous
