Kenya and Tanzania - Day 11
We were up and out before sunrise. Baggage out the door at 5:45 am, breakfast and we climbed into the jeeps at 6:30 am. It was a short bumpy ride to the Amboseli airstrip. It is a single building on a dirt run way. We only waited a few minutes for our plane to arrive. We boarded the plane and were airborne in a flash. No security check point, just get on the plane and select a seat.
The Amboseli airstrip is the only building for miles.
We still need to see a black rhino to complete our Big Five and we need a picture of a vulture and Maribou Stork to complete the Ugly Five. We shall see.
It was only a 45 minute flight to the Komok airstrip in the Oj Pajeta Animal Conservatory.
This restroom is the only structure at the Komac airstrip.
Our new drivers were waiting. OJ Pajeta is a private game preserve so there are fewer Jeeps chasing the same animals.
Within minutes of departing the airstrip we encountered our first animals.
There was a herd of elephants crossing the road eating grass next to us. Elephant families are matriarchal and led by the strongest female. Elephants have up to 150,000 muscles in their trunk. Elephant tusks are enlarged incisor teeth. Elephants eat 70 pounds of grass, leaves and shrubs per day. A baby elephant weighs 200 pounds at birth and can walk within 20 minutes.
Our driver advised that black rhinos are common in this park. With some luck we might see one.
Hurray! We have seen the Black rhino and have completed our siting of the Big Five.
Rhinos are most killed for their horns. The Chinese believe the powder ground from a rhinoceros horn is an aphrodisiac. Chemical analysis determined the composition of a rhino horn is the same as a human fingernail.
Just around the next corner we encountered another new species.
This is the reticulated giraffe. The markings are much more distinct than the Maasai giraffes. Their legs are six feet long and they can run at 35 miles per hour.
Our next stop was lunch at the Sweetwaters Serena Camp. This is platform tent hotel.
It is also built on the the equator at 0.00 latitude.
These are canvas tents built on platforms with thatched roofs. We will stay in something similar in Maasai Mara.
After lunch we had a great view.
Mount Kenya is an extinct volcano and is the second highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro at 17,057 feet. At least 150 people have died trying to summit Mount Kenya. This mountain is between 2.6 and 3.1 million years old. It was was first summited by a European in 1929.
One more animal siting on our way to our hotel.
A pair of chris crossed reticulated giraffes.
After a short ride we arrived at the Mount Kenya Safari Club. This is a Fairmont hotel. We will stay here for two nights.
This safari club was once owned by the American actor William Holden.
Kenya is located in the Horn of Africa .
Kenya is boarded by the Indian Ocean to the east and the countries of Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. The capital is Nairobi. There are 42/tribes in Kenya. The largest tribe is the Kikuyu people. They represent six million of the total 52 million population of Kenya.
Our schedule is becoming less hectic. The first activity for tomorrow is bird watching at 9:00:am followed by a tour of a spinners and weavers factory at 10:30 am. There is an animal orphanage on property that we can tour at our leisure. It is nice to relax a little bit.