Final Safari

For my final safari in Kenya, I visited Amboseli National Park.  Amboseli is known for having lots of elephants.  And it didn't disappoint.  On our very first game drive, we must have seen a gathering of over 100 elephants, no joke.  Here's a group of them that crossed the road just in front of our line of cars.

I also got a final look at my favorite animal, the Thomson's Gazelle.  I know, I know...how can my favorite animal be a small deer-like-creature, when there are hippos, elephants, lions, and cheetahs around?!  But the Thomson's Gazelle is so darn cute and I just love the strikingly dark stripe running along its side.

Amboseli has a hill called Observation Point, where you can get out of your vehicle and enjoy a 360 degree view of the park.  My friend Angela and I were glad to stretch our legs and snap some photos.  

Besides elephants, the other big selling point of Amboseli is views of Mount Kilimanjaro.  Mt. Kilimanjaro is located just across the border in Tanzania, and is the highest peak in Africa.  (See my earlier blog post about climbing Kilimanjaro.)  Unfortunately, Kilimanjaro was shrouded in clouds during most of my time in Amboseli, but it did peak out a couple times.

My final safari did not provide an opportunity for many great animal photos.  We saw plenty of elephants and gazelles of course, and a fair amount of hippos.  But the only lions we saw were too far away for good photos.  And we raced across the park to see a cheetah, only to discover he had left the scene by the time we arrived.  But Mother Nature did provide some fabulous cloud formations and a stunning sunset, a fitting tribute to my final days in Kenya.