News Bulletin 26

Kenya Safari

After our short sojourn in Tanzania, the last leg of what many think is our Africa holiday

(not realizing that all the running around we do is actually hard work) is another very

brief Kenya safari. It is a short drive on a good road (well good for East Africa!) to the

border town of Namanga where we meet our old friend Julius – who tried so hard to

make our Kenya safari complete by finding leopards for us in the Masai Mara! With

words tripping across each other, we tease him that no sooner had he headed back to

Nairobi than we found leopards on two separate occasions!!

We are heading to Amboseli which is where many start their East Africa holiday (though

we are going in reverse). Amboseli is home to the best observed elephants in the world –

indeed much of our current understanding of these intelligent and complex creatures

emerged from these observations by Cynthia Moss and her research team! Since

elephants are known for their huge impact on the environment, our introduction to

Amboseli is to the dry and dusty plains their habitation has largely created. John is quite

unimpressed with the landscape but I am enchanted with the dust devils that dance along

the parched plains. It seems like we have entered another dimension as mirages merge

land and sky and dangle the images of shimmering oases before us.

The saving grace of Amboseli, and one of the reasons to include it on an East Africa

holiday itinerary, is, being at the foot of the snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro, it has a

constant supply of water. Filtered through the volcanic rock, it funnels into two

elongated springs in the centre of the park. Confused by the mirages, it takes us a while

to realize the swamp created by the springs are real! The ribbon of green is in marked

contrast to the dry plains and offers a welcome respite to a whole array of animals and

birds – a good introduction to a Kenya safari (albeit we see it in reverse!)

We are expected for lunch at Tortilis Camp which takes its name from a type of acacia

looking a bit like open parachutes that are common in the area. The camp, which is

fenced and boasting its own resident baboon chaser – armed, would you believe, with a

catapult, is located appropriately enough in tortilis acacia woodland in a concession just

outside the Park. The relief manager, Barbara, offered us a very enthusiastic welcome.

Her hospitality even extending to an impromptu invitation to stay, which we gladly

accepted as we’d had done enough travelling for one day. Perched on the side of a hill,

overlooking a popular water hole, Tortilis offers a comfortable start to an East Africa

holiday with Nairobi only 140 kms or so away.

Our first game drive was in the concession where there are less onerous rules than in the

park. The gnus (wildebeest) struck us as a different colour, covered as they are with fine

volcanic dust – must be extra careful to protect the camera! Looking around these semi –

arid plains we figure the predators would need to be very strategic in this very open park

or the game very unobservant. We watched a pride of lions for some time who seemed to

be hungry though not, as far as we could determine, starving. Thus we dismissed the

possibility that they would dine tonight especially given that all we could see in the

vicinity was a single ostrich – imagine our surprise therefore to be informed at dinner that

no sooner had we left than the lions managed to ambush a hapless gnu! As we keep on

saying it pays to be patient in an Africa holiday!

The location for the traditional Kenya safari sundowner on the first evening was quite

spectacular – on the top of observatory hill with 360 degree view of the concession and

the park. We were even treated to a peek at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro – when,

despite the timing of our visit being on the cusp of the short rains, the clouds

momentarily parted! Our guide responded to what he must see as an inevitable question

given the location of Amboseli with “I have climbed Mount Kili numerous times with my

eyes”. Clever man, as too many underestimate the challenge of scaling its 5,900 meters!

Certainly not my idea of a dream Africa holiday!

Our last adventure at Tortilis was a delightful bush breakfast – which no matter how

many you have had are always a delight! This one appeared to be particularly well

planned – even stretching to the luxury of a “ladies loo” – an imaginative construction

consisting of a toilet seat suspended over a newly dug hole by camp chair legs and

strategically placed behind a screening bush – every Kenya safari should have one!!