Our flight left from Wilson airport which handles all the domestic flights. It was a short drive from the park to the airport. When we arrived we were escorted personally by an airport employee all the way from our van to the plane. The service was exceptional.
At this point, I need to back up and mention that for all these domestic flights we were told we would be limited to 15kg (33 lbs) of luggage including carry on. We figured this would not be an easy task since my camera backpack was 20 lbs all by itself and Karen's snacks probably weighed that much as well. So, not only did we have to buy a new lightweight bag but we practiced packing to be sure we could hit that limit. Let me tell you we left quite a few items at home in order to make that weight limit (like my yellow ducky pajamas).
Well, all that trouble was for naught because they didn't even weigh our bags at the airport. They just went in one end of the X-ray machine and quickly out the other. The same was true with our next flight out of Wilson too. Heck we could have packed 50 lbs of plastic bags and no one would have been the wiser.
Anyway, the flight to Porini Amboseli was only about 30 minutes and since all the passengers were ready at 7AM, that's when the plane left.
Arriving at Porini Amboseli:
Shortly after our arrival a couple vehicles showed up dropping off folks that were leaving and picking up us new arrivals. We met Daniel and Amos who would be our guides/spotters for our time at Porini Amboseli and we liked them both.
It was now about 8AM and time to head out for what would be about a 3 hour game drive.
We didn't get far before we found one of my must see animals of the trip.
Gerenuk:
These are one of the coolest antelopes around. They are slender with great looking horns and their ears stick out "Will Smith style" from their heads:
But, the coolest thing about them is that they have really long necks and have evolved to stand upright to reach more tender leaves. No other antelope can do that and it's awesome!
The Selenkay Conservancy had a lot of birds so here is a taste of what we saw on this drive.
Buff-crested Bustard:
Little Bee-eater:
Red and Yellow Barbets:
Black-faced Sandgrouse:
Superb Starling:
Long-tailed Fiscal:
Black-shouldered Kite with lunch:
European Roller:
Lilac-breasted Roller:
Black-headed Heron:
We also saw some good looking Warthogs (No, I don't think that is an oxymoron). They must have just come back from the salon. Check out those blonde highlights:
Giraffes were abundant on this drive so we got some great looks. The coloration of the Masai Giraffe is really pretty and their tails were spectacular.
There is a watering hole close to camp that has a a platform set up so you can get out of the vehicle and see some of the animals from a higher vantage point. It didn't take long for the elephants to show up.
Showing some nostril:
They made a bee-line for the water.
And they took some mud baths...
The Elephants were great fun to watch.
After watching them for a bit, we climbed back in the vehicle for the short drive to the camp. Just like at Nairobi Tented Camp, the tent we had was very nice. Notice the Gerenuk curtain to the bathroom:
En-suite Bath:
The Throne:
Now, I know you are wondering if I was able to stand up and pee in this tent. The answer was "yes". But, photo evidence has been withheld for obvious reasons...
The camp itself was very nice. The Selenkay Conservancy is filled with large bushes but the camp was built among some cool looking trees. Before our afternoon drive, I wandered around camp and found lots of things to photograph including the camp itself.
Dining Tent with the Masai "gift shop" back and to the left.
This little bird bath attracted lots of birds to the camp.
And here's a shot of the typical Safari Vehicle. This one had OK leg room but the back row did not work for tall people so Tim and I had to sit elsewhere.
The trees around the camp were not only occupied by birds but they were also occupied by Vervet Monkeys.
Northern Pied Babbler:
White-headed Mousebird:
Unstriped Ground Squirrel:
Beautiful Sunbird (That's actually its name):
Vitelline Masked Weaver:
White-bellied Go Away Bird:
Nubian Woodpecker:
And finally, another Vervet Monkey:
Our afternoon game drive left at 4:15PM and we got back at around 7:30PM. We saw quite a bit in that time.
Lesser Kudu:
Von de Decken's Hornbill:
More Giraffe of course:
A pair of Black-shouldered Kites:
White-browed Coucal:
Our first Dik Dik! This is a Kirk's Dik Dik and it was really cute but they don't tend to stay still long.
Emerald Spotted Wood Dove:
Black-chested Snake Eagle:
Male Lesser Kudu:
As the sun was going down, we headed back to the camp to have sundowners on the platform by the watering hole. The light was just about perfect.
Blue Wildebeest:
If you ask nicely, the Elephants do tricks...
Our first African sunset wasn't that spectacular but I liked the cloud formations.
Some Zebras came in to drink:
As did some Giraffe. Although the young one in the back never got up the nerve to actually drink. Because they are so vulnerable when they drink, the Giraffes were really cautious around the water.
At that point, we lost too much light for photos. But, it was certainly an exciting day and we saw tons of wildlife. The trip was certainly off to a great start.
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