A Kenya safari into the Wilderness of Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Amboseli
Start of the Journey – Drive to Tsavo East
Kenya is home to some of the best and wild parks in the world. In a quest to find pristine wildlife experience and look out for Elephants and other different wildlife species, we curated a journey south of Kenya. This was to be a special type of Journey, On board were two travel agents and two passionate wildlife Photographers out for a special safari experience. Seasoned wildlife safari experts, the not so easy to please people but with the Jeep well serviced and the windows removed, Open sided, we set out on a Journey into the wilderness.
Arrival was quite early at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport Nairobi. A quick Kenyan brewed coffee and off we were on the main highway towards Tsavo and Mombasa. Well referred to as the Great North Road, this road serves as a vital artery for East Africa and most importantly Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and Burundi. These countries use this road as the main transport route to sea at Mombasa. The drive for a start was uneventful, dodging trucks along the road as we rushed in a quest not to miss lunch at Tsavo albeit safely.
As we approached the busy Makindu trading center, you slowly start to see the mighty Baobab trees which are a refreshing sight and indicator you are now approaching the scenic Chyulu Hills and expanse Tsavo terrain. We soaked in the red Tsavo experience as we made a stop at the Tsavo West gate at Mtito Andei. A few elephants grace our drive as we headed back to the highway and towards the scenic Taita Hills.
Shortly we were at Voi gate into the Theater of the Wild, the Tsavo East National Park. The roads had been recently graded and we enjoyed the drive with Elephants, Gerenuks and Ostrich among other wildlife species we spotted along the way. We arrived at the Ashnil Aruba Lodge quickly settling in for lunch as we prepared for our first outing of the day.
Experience at Tsavo East National Park
Tsavo East is vast and wild. Our interest in Tsavo East was getting close to the red Elephants and spend more time observing and photographing them. Just out of the Ashnil Aruba camp, we drove to the nearby waterhole where we encountered huge herds of Elephants trotting the dry terrain coming for a drink. We took our time enjoying quietly the spectacle as the Elephants continued with quenching the thirst as they kept close tabs of the young ones. We left the Elephants and drove on in search for cats, glancing at the sandy road for any tracks and clues of cats. We would from time to time see tracks of Hyenas, Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs but couldn’t get to spot them. We returned to camp late evening and settled in for dinner and a warm night amidst the sounds of the wild. Hoping the Tsavo safari the following morning would be rewarding. The night did not pass without the obvious wildlife sounds sweeping through camp from time to time. As we approached morning, one call was distinctive and this was of a territorial advertisement by Lions that seemed not to far from camp.
An early morning wake-up call and we were out of camp with coffee and a few sandwiches to keep us going for the morning. We drove out of camp and adjacent to the Camp is the Aruba dam, an important waterhole for the wildlife. As we slowly circled the mashes and dam, we caught sight of Lions trying to stalk some Buffaloes. A pride of 11 female and one old male Lions who was limping for probably previous battles in the quest for nourishment. We sat with this specific pride for the better part of the morning as they tried to get some warmth and slowly as they disappeared into the underbrush, we set out back to camp for a hearty breakfast.
A One time experience at Satao Camp Tsavo East
Out time at the Tsavo East Aruba Ashnil Camp had come to an end and we bid the staff goodbye. We set out for our other location of stay still within the Tsavo East national Park. We had planned to split our stay as we sampled the different accommodation option ad styles in Tsavo East. Our next stop was the Satao Tsavo East Camp. We drove for another about 20 kilometers further into the Tsavo East arriving towards the Satao Camp. As we drove closer, we stopped to marvel at the sheer number of Elephants close to camp on the water hole. As we drove closer to camp, we came across more herds literally meters form camp as they strutted exited by the presence of fresh water in this hot and arid terrain. We quickly settled in camp and walked to the viewing deck to enjoy the sightings and happening of the water hole, not without a crisp cold Kenya beer – Tusker. What a better way of representing the huge and magnificent tuskers of Tsavo East.
The Satao Tsavo East camp is a rustic yet simple camp with all the amenities. En-suite tents spacious and furnished with African fabrics and furniture. All the tents face the waterhole with great unspoilt views of the Tsavo East Savannah. There is a viewing deck towards the lit up waterhole. The restaurant and bar are thatched and open to allow for air circulation in the otherwise hot climate. The camp is not fenced and wildlife will come close though there is always a guard to accompany you in and out of the restaurant at all times.
We drove out in the evening for a short drive and to experience the open landscape of the Tsavo while having a Sundowner as we whiles enjoyed the setting sun. The evening drive went on uneventful as we stopped and continued with our safari chatter discussing and sharing experiences from previous safaris. We drove back to camp eager to sit at the bar and watch Elephants as they came into the waterhole as we hope to see Lions or any cat come close to the camp. We dint have to wait for long as the Elephants suddenly became noisy and alert, one of the guards pointed into the darkness close to the waterhole and we could see the distant figure of a Lioness trying to get close for a drink albeit cautious of the huge Elephant herds. This was an exciting moment as also Impalas startled us running through camp as they and also got scent of the Lioness.
Crossing the Tsavo East to Tsavo West, Kenya
Our stay at Tsavo East and at the Satao Tsavo Camp sadly had come to an end. Good times never last. We bid our new friends from Satao camp and drove out for our last drive in Tsavo as we headed for the Manyani Gate exit. Driving through the red earth road is always refreshing and exiting. We would often stop for Elephants, Jackals, Impalas and other common wildlife species.
We exited at the Manyani gate, drove for a short distance and got to the Tsavo River gate, which is the entrance to Tsavo West national park. Tsavo East and West are separated by the Nairobi Mombasa highway and literally you cross the highway and from one park to the other. We still had our hopes high at spotting some of the rare and priced species like the Wild dogs and Leopards. We started our drive towards our lodge – The Kilaguni Serena Tsavo West. As we approached the Rhino Sanctuary, suddenly we caught a glimpse of Wild dogs right ahead on the road side. Excited and happy, we slowly approached them as they crossed into the bushes still close to us and settled down. Wes at with the Wild dogs happy to have spotted some of the rare and exiting species found in Tsavo and Kenya. The Wild dogs slowly moved into the thick underbrush and we embarked on our journey towards the lodge happy and contented.
On the shadow of Elephants into Amboseli
With Coffee on board early morning, we left the Kilaguni Serena and headed for the Amboseli. The drive from Tsavo West to Amboseli is a short and scenic one. We made a coffee stop over the Shetani Lava flow, enjoying the expansive black massive rock from the relatively recent volcano that flowed over the Chyulu Hills. Shetani is a Swahili word for Devil. The locals who witnessed this phenomenon experience the wrath of the molten magma as it swept and swallowed everything in its wake, thus referring it to the devil “Shetani”. We drove further no as we soaked in the picturesque Kilimanjaro for the distance.
Our drive to the lodge was uneventful save for the Elephant herds and the dust devils from the distance rising towards the cloudy and now covered Kilimanjaro. We quickly settled in at our lodge the Amboseli Serena as we prepared for our sunset tour.
A short drive out of the lodge and we were face to face with one of the largest and most iconic tusker of Kenya. Craig. This male was in musths and was quite unsettled chasing other males looking for females to mate with. As he was shuttling around the marshes, the otherwise cloudy Kilimanjaro was clearing from the lower evening temperatures and we had the pleasure of getting the iconic image of Elephants with the Kilimanjaro backdrop.
An rare and extraordinary sighting at Amboseli, Kenya – The Melanistic Serval Cat
In the recent months, there has been an extraordinary sightings of a rare Melanistic Serval Cat. On our priority list for animal sightings was the Melanistic Serval Cat. This is one rare cat and as the name suggests, its all Black and quite rare in the world. The presence of Melanin makes the cat have a dark coat and stand out from other cats of the similar species. On our first safari outing at Amboseli we drove towards the specific area this cat was last spotted. We combed the marshy area for quite some time and dint get any luck spotting this cat. We drove back to camp with our spirits high and hopeful we will catch a glimpse of the Serval at least the following morning. Early morning which is the best time to spot these cats, we sought out with breakfast in tow and lunch just in case we needed to be out the whole day. Stopping to see other different wildlife species along the way, we got close to the marshes and slowly started scanning each and every movement on the grass. Suddenly the Serval jumped out of the grass hunting some rats and we caught a glimpse glance at this magnificent species. We followed it trying to get a glimpse as we could only see the dark back. The Serval got to a small opening and we were able to take some images and sit and enjoy and marvel at its beauty as it stood out as a sore thumb with the dark coat against the green backdrop. Such an amazing sighting. We spend the better part of the day hoping for a more clearer image with very little success but quite pleased with ourselves. What a great day this was turning out to be, little did we know it could only get better!
Big Cat experience and Elephants at Amboseli
As we headed back to the lodge, we got wind of an impending lioness hunt. The light was quickly fading out and practically impossible to make any meaningful images. We followed cue and got to a secluded area with some wildebeest and Elephant grass. The Elephant grass offered the Lionesses a good vantage and hiding point. The wildebeest did not seem to have any clue to the presence of these predating cats.
With military precision, the Lions ambushed the Wildebeest with darkness slowly creeping in and making it even more difficult for the Wildebeest to figure out its eminent death. The strike was quick and strangulation swift. Within minutes the Wildebeest had stopped kicking and the Lionesses had started devouring the dead Wildebeest. One Lioness did not seem interested in the hunt and suddenly walked away calling out softly. Out of the tall grass small cubs of about 5 months walked towards the Lioness and to our excitement, the 7 cubs ran to the dead Wildebeest. We could now almost barely make out the cubs and they walked to the Wildebeest as darkness had engulfed Amboseli. Gladly and exited at spotting these cubs we returned to our nearby lodge for the night.
End of the Wilderness Experience and Big Cats and Giants Safari
Our stay and visit to the Amboseli National Park had come to an end and we were sad to be leaving this magnificent park in Kenya. We bid our friends from Amboseli Serena goodbye and started of our safari towards Nairobi. We enjoyed our last drive visit the dry Amboseli Lake and out towards the border town of Namanga.
As we approached Nairobi, we decided on a quick tour of Nairobi National Park to try and see if we could get a glimpse and image of the Nairobi skyline and sunset. A short drive from the east gate we spotted a Rhino and did struggle to get a vantage point as we tried to capture that sunset image.
Well after a few click and just sitting quietly around the Rhino, we had to exit since the park was closing. We drove out contented and out to the airport where we dropped our photographer friends with a promise to ourselves. The adventure just started and we will soon be back to capture more on another Kenya Safari.
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