MY ROAD TRIP TO THE AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

MY ROAD TRIP EXPERIENCE TO THE AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

BY WANJIKU THUKU

On Sunday 5th June 2022, I drove out of town with some Friends to an exclusive destination The Amboseli National Park located between Namanga and the border of Tanzania. It was quite a sight to behold as we left Nairobi at 5:30am to begin our journey in a huge 10-seater land cruiser with a sunroof that extra African safari effect. We got to the Amboseli National Park at about 11am after stopping over at a petrol station to have ‘bathroom breaks’ as well as eat at a nearby restaurant a few bitings for breakfast. We presented our national ID cards to the KWS officials at the main gate office as we danced and took photos at the main gate of the national park.

Some Maasai Ladies were quite aggressive to sell to us Maasai regalia which a few of us managed to purchase to support them as they pushed the merchandise in our faces through the car windows to convince us why we should buy the items from bracelets to chastity belts to anklets and chains all made from African beadwork. We drove around the park for a

few hours seeing wild animals like hippos, elephants, monkeys, ostriches, and birds like Egyptian goose, hadadah ibis, blacksmith clover bird, goliath heron, wildebeests, spoonbill white bird, sagret ibis, Thompson gazelles and grand gazelles, zebras, as we passed through ol tukai and serena hotel within the Amboseli national park as the third hotel had been closed due to el Nino. We also got to see Mount Kilimanjaro in all its glorious height covered by clouds that gave us a sneak peek of its pristine ice cap.

We also enjoyed cutting cake, singing, dancing, and enjoying the view at the ‘observation Point Hill’ where the history of Amboseli National Park is written on stone plaques as the picnic site overlooks the gorge, which was quite a magical moment for all of us. We then drove out of the park while seeing more wild animals including the ‘dancing elephants’ which seemed to enjoy our music and were even posing for pictures from us and other tourists within the park.

The journey back to Nairobi town started at about 3pm as we drove slowly but surely using the new expressway to our advantage and ensure we reach securely to our destination. The network for Safaricom and airtel was affected both ways while crossing the border to and from the Amboseli National Park, but all in all it was worth the wait and sacrifice organized

by Afrique adventures tour company and was a huge dream for all of us especially me who got abit emotional due to the overwhelming love and support shown towards me from my friends who made the trip fun, exciting and a whole different experience for me.I lived every bit of it and smiled all the way in high spirits dining and wining with my friends on this great adventure to the Amboseli National Park…The Hidden Treasure!