DECEMBER 11-Tsavo East NP Game Drive
We took a traditional African Safari in the Range Rover through Tsavo East National Park. The term used here is a "game drive."
There is no way I could tell the number of species seen this day. From the beginning I tried to keep track, but finally gave up. Our driver, Tony, was very good at identifying and having tidbits of information. This is what he's been doing for twenty years.
Giraffes apparently have an incredible ability to kick.
This was an especially good day for seeing elephants. I would guess we saw nearly one hundred. Tony said there are days he has seen only one or two on the same game drive.
These nugus are cute, but can also be a pests. A guard told us nugu is a term used to call your spouse if they are annoying you.
Impala, gazelles, and all sorts of similar species were everywhere.
I wasn't expecting the variety of birds. I believe he called this a Maribu stork.
You have to look close to see the hippopotamus (hippopotami?).
Here is the list of what we saw that I wrote down. There were many, many more than listed. (Please excuse spelling)
Nugu
Impalas
Mangoose
Maribu stork
Kudu
Zebra
Hartebeest
Giraffes
Crested eagle
Battaluer eagle
Somali ostrich
Gerenuk
Hippopotamus
Marshall eagle
Waterbak
Grant's gazelle
Thompson's gazelle
Warthog
Sand grouse
Goliath heron
What an amazing day. Tony was disappointed we didn't see any cats (lions, leopards, or cheetahs), or crocodiles. I was just in awe. Staci got a picture of a zebra, giraffe, and elephant all standing together. Superlatives can't do this place justice.
This is the off time of year, and tourism is way down. During migrations, July and August, tourists used to flock here. It was nice to have very few others in the park for our safari.
DECEMBER 12-Travel to Amboseli National Park
After taking care of chores we drove five hours to the outskirts of Amboseli NP where we camped. It's amazing to be driving through open land, not close to any park, and to see zebras and giraffes.
