On our way out of Nairobi, we make two stops in the town of Karen before heading to Lake Nakuru. First is the Giraffe Center which is connected to Giraffe Manor. We see the same giraffes, Betty, Jock, Stacy and Kelly with her baby, that we had breakfast and lunch with only 24 hours earlier! The second stop, pictured below, is the Karen Blixen Museum, the home of Karen, aka Isak Dinesen, the author of "Out of Africa". She lived and farmed here for about 15 years before her coffee plantation went broke and she moved back to Denmark. We visited here two years ago, but it is so beautiful and peaceful a person could go back many times.
Sentrim Elementaita Lodge
As we are getting closer to Lake Nakuru the rain starts to fall but it is okay, because there is no game drive until the next morning. We are at the same lodge that we had stayed at on our first trip to Kenya--very nice and on the lake! In the morning there is no rain and we head towards the national park for the game drive. Once inside the park we have our eyes open wide for the search! It seems that the animals have taken a vacation also! Finally we come to an open area which is filled with zebras with babies and very tall giraffes! How wonderful just to sit quietly in their space, close and personal! We spot two giraffes using a short dead tree for a scratching post. The positions they get into and the faces they make are wonderful to see! After looking at the pictures we find that we have captured more than positions and faces--one of the two that we have been watching was taking the time for a little personal grooming by putting its long black tongue up each nostril....
Great pictures!
Lake Nakuru National Park is known for the thousands of lesser and greater flamingos that gather here, but not now. The lake is overflowing with fresh water, thereby losing the salt water environment for the algae which the flamingos feast upon. We are disappointed that we do not find very many animals in the park but the drive-through is still fun with the anticipation of seeing more.
Impala
Amboseli National Park
Sentrim Tented Camp
This is the second time for us at this camp. Last time the weather was really warm and the tents got so hot we didn't ever want to return. But this trip is going to the same tented camp. What a pleasant surprise it is to be in Amboseli with cooler weather plus the tent this time is on the very end and backs up to the outside of Amboseli National Park. We are able to keep the blinds open for a cool breeze, plus we see Mount Kilimanjaro in all its glory each morning!
Amboseli is known for all the old, big elephants who survived the days of terrible poaching because the park was full of researchers at the time.... The rains are trying to start after a long hot dry season. It rains part of one afternoon, but that doesn't stop us from our game drive. Our land cruiser just moves on, and we find water birds at a beautiful deep blue marsh.
And as we continue driving we spot an elephant and then we are lucky to see a large herd with the tiniest baby!
There just isn't enough water for all of them.
We soon come across some lions that are not happy with it raining, so we just move on.
The rain doesn't last long so we go back and check on the lions, who are now rolling, stretching and pawing each other. It is so delightful to watch them play!
The rain has been following us but we seem to be able to get in the game drives, and even a private guided walking safari! We have a Maasai guide in traditional dress who tells us about his people as we walk in the the wilds outside of the national park.
He tells us a funny story about the day he was watching the cattle. The Maasai people live on the land that includes areas very close to the national parks of Kenya and Tanzania. They build little huts for sleeping that circle around the corrals where the cattle and sheep are kept at night.
During the day the animals are let out with a Maasai shepherd looking over them all day. Our guide was out with the cattle one day and became very tired, so he laid down and fell fast asleep! When he woke, all the cattle were gone--not an animal in sight! He was anxious and decided to run the nearest and tallest termite mound. He climbed to the top, shielding his eyes, and he was able to scout out his cattle.
Tarangire National Park
Tanzania's third largest national park features nine distinct vegetation zones--grasslands to woodlands, deep gully vegetation to scattered rocky hilltops, a varying geological landscape and diverse wildlife--with the largest concentration of breeding bird species in the world!
White-bellied Go-away-bird
Lilac Breasted Roller
Von der Decken's Hornbill Crested Hoopoe
The Tarangire River dominates the scenery and
Baobab Trees are in view across every landscape!
The Secret Life of the Elephants
It seems that we don't go a day with out seeing at least one lion! And as we are leaving the park there sits the King of the Jungle!
We just sit, watch and they come!
Birds of Prey--Tawny Eagle
Beautiful Gray Crowned Cranes
Secretarybird Sacred Ibis
Kori Bustard
Ngorongoro Conservation Area:
a conservation area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Rhino Lodge
As we look down into the Crater our breath is taken away! A person could sit and watch the whole day away--we use our naked eyes, cameras and binoculars. Someone sees a rhino with a baby--even though they are far away we know it is a Black Rhino because Black Rhino babies walk in front of their mothers (just like the babies in Africa, their mothers carry them on the front to protect them) and the White Rhino babies walk behind their mothers (just like the babies in the US, their mothers carry them on the back to protect them).
We drive 2,000 feet down into the Crater and hope to cover most, or as much as possible, of its 100 square miles. The area is home to a population of over 25,000 large animals, most being ungulates (hoofed animals), and the highest density of predators in Africa. Also found are a range of endangered species, the black rhino, wild or painted dogs, golden cat, and over 500 species of birds.
Plus the largest animal migrations on earth, over 1 million wildebeest, 72,000 zebras and about 350,000 Thompson and Grant gazelles.
We find these guys on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater-- the wide Crater is home to a large lion population.
We leave the Ngorongoro Crater and head to the southern part of the Serengeti, when a kaleidescope of giraffes come right toward us and cross over the road in front of our jeep! The final count was fifty giraffes!
They are so graceful walking on their long legs and holding their heads up high with their long strong necks.
Although we see few wildebeest in the Crater, about an hour after leaving the giraffes behind we come upon many, many wildebeest!
We find ourselves right in the middle of the start of the migration! It is hard to comprehend but such an awesome sight.
They are all around us--our land cruiser is right in the middle of this migration--and we are astounded by the magic of this situation. They are a mile ahead of us and a mile behind us and all around us... We just watch--it takes about an hour and they are gone. And there we sit wondering, "What just happened"?
This trip has been unbelievable--we think we have seen so much or the best thing ever but there is more to come. As we approach and enter the central area of the Serengeti, we are all still in awe over being in the middle of the migration. We come back in the moment when we see about 15 jeeps parked, the occupants watching something. As we drive up, our drivers get us in great viewing spots in between other jeeps--what we see is a leopard coming down a tree.
We watch the leopard walk across and through the tall green grass. First, we see him and then we don't. We think we have lost him and then there he is again. We watch and move our vehicle to follow--we see him and then we don't.
It is again a magical time--seeing this beautiful animal creeping through the grass and heading somewhere with purpose.
We watch and move again, anticipating that something is going to happen!
Our friend just keeps creeping through the grass, like he is stalking. And then all of a sudden a reedbuck springs up and is on the run!
Oops! Still licking his lips but dinner got away this time!
On our way to the Hippo Pool we see a beautiful pair of little Dik-Diks. They mate for life, so frequently one can see both male and female in the same area.
The Hippo Pool is full of these big, bad and ugly creatures: the most dangerous animal in the jungle!
All the big animals want to have the oxpeckers on them to get the ticks and bugs off and to clean off their battle sores and scars.
The hippopotamus is often considered the second largest land animal after the elephant.
It seems that the biggest mouth has a lot to do with the strongest male and head of the herd.
And the position in the pool is very important to these huge mammals. Yes, they are mammals... The habitat of the hippo does mislead people to think that they are amphibians but the hippo does have a term, amphibious, meaning that it is capable of living both on land and in the water.
My desire to get a great picture of the African Hoopoe is the reason for our return to Africa, believe it or not! We captured a Hoopoe in our camera lenses on the last trip but it is difficult to get a good picture of this medium-sized bird, due to its quick movements from here to there. The old photos were not good at all. For almost three weeks the drivers and our trip leader are on the lookout for the very special Hoopoe!
On the second to the last day of this marvelous adventure the African Hoopoe is spotted!
The next morning we are up and out on our game drive early but as we are driving along we come upon a road block! An okay road block for us but on the other side of the lions, several trucks carry workers trying to get into the park. There is an awful smell but we don't care because we are witnessing a day in the life of the lions! The five lions lying in the road have just finished breakfast, lunch and dinner--
but these ladies are still enjoying. We are told that they are indulging on an unfortunate hippopotamus which smells to high heaven. The aroma doesn't seem to discourage the ladies at all, for they are in a muddy watering hole just feasting away!
After pulling, ripping, and chewing, this female enjoys some stretching and yawning before she is ready to join her sisters on the road block.
But before the carcass is picked clean, they keep coming!
Our last day on safari we find baby lions with mom!
We start on our way to the air strip to fly out of the Serengeti (boo) to Arusha, then drive to Mount Kilimanjaro Airport, fly to Amsterdam, then L.A., and finally to Phoenix after being in Africa for 40 days!
But just down the hill from the Serengeti Simba Lodge and before we get to the airstrip we stop to see the lion that has been talked about for the last day or so. He is under a small bushy tree where he has been hiding after being injured. The rangers have been called because if the lion doesn't get attention soon the predators and scavengers will be there. If you look at the lion's back you can see the injury.
Thanks for the MEMORIES, Africa!!!
On the second to the last day of this marvelous adventure the African Hoopoe is spotted!
The next morning we are up and out on our game drive early but as we are driving along we come upon a road block! An okay road block for us but on the other side of the lions, several trucks carry workers trying to get into the park. There is an awful smell but we don't care because we are witnessing a day in the life of the lions! The five lions lying in the road have just finished breakfast, lunch and dinner--
but these ladies are still enjoying. We are told that they are indulging on an unfortunate hippopotamus which smells to high heaven. The aroma doesn't seem to discourage the ladies at all, for they are in a muddy watering hole just feasting away!
After pulling, ripping, and chewing, this female enjoys some stretching and yawning before she is ready to join her sisters on the road block.
But before the carcass is picked clean, they keep coming!
Our last day on safari we find baby lions with mom!
We start on our way to the air strip to fly out of the Serengeti (boo) to Arusha, then drive to Mount Kilimanjaro Airport, fly to Amsterdam, then L.A., and finally to Phoenix after being in Africa for 40 days!
But just down the hill from the Serengeti Simba Lodge and before we get to the airstrip we stop to see the lion that has been talked about for the last day or so. He is under a small bushy tree where he has been hiding after being injured. The rangers have been called because if the lion doesn't get attention soon the predators and scavengers will be there. If you look at the lion's back you can see the injury.
Thanks for the MEMORIES, Africa!!!
