February 2023 was supposed to see Toby heading off to explore Odzala National Park in the Congo Basin. Sadly RwandAir had other ideas and so that trip is postponed to later in the year. 

To say he was excited about the prospect of tracking lowland gorillas, watching forest elephants, and in general getting to know a remote part of the continent would be a considerable understatement! 

Not one to sit around and miss out on an adventure, Toby used the opportunity to explore an area of Kenya that none of us at Team Bonamy have visited before, Amboseli National Park. We’ve had a number of tentative enquiries about this area, particularly from photographers, so a chance to scope it out was perfect.

Below is Toby's Report:

Setting off from Cape Town, the journey could not have been easier. A quick flight up to Nairobi, a short sleep at the airport hotel, and then an early morning transfer to one of my favourite airports in Africa, (just because if I’m there it means adventure) Nairobi Wilson. The flight down to the Amboseli, south-east from Nairobi takes about 40 minutes and is stunning, particularly the last bit (sit on the right of the plane for a chance to glimpse Kilimanjaro). 

Amboseli National Park is itself a relatively small area sat on the flat plains at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, and the highest ‘solo peak’ in the world. The area has been suffering from a terrible drought for over four years now and is in dire need of good rain. While for photographers the low grasses and dust makes for great atmosphere and shots, you can’t help but feel devastated for the wildlife. 

The national park itself spans 390km², but spills out into the greater area, all of which is unfenced so there are no physical boundaries to stop the wildlife wandering. At the centre of the park are  wetland marshes, an oasis of constant water that fills from the underground streams running off Kilimanjaro. Were it not for these marshes the area would be in a worse state of drought than when the hyenas took over the pride lands in the Lion King. The rest of the region is made up of open plains and acacia forests. The once large Lake Amboseli is now almost entirely dry (fingers crossed the next rains fill it up again). 

I only had four nights to explore the area and the lodges we think would be most fitting for you, our guests, so it was a relatively whistle-stop tour, but enough to give me a good idea of the experience that one could expect in the area, which areas we would recommend, and how to make the most of it. 

Over the course of the four nights, I spent the first three in the immediate surrounds of Amboseli at properties called Tawi, Elerai and Tortilis. The first two lodges are found to the east of the park, and while the lodges themselves are all lovely, the location of Tortilis on the west of the park makes, in my opinion, for the best experience of this selection. From Tortilis you start your morning game drive heading east watching an unbelievably beautiful sunrise, whereas for the others you have to head west, missing the sunrise behind you as you (and several other vehicles) head through the park gate making a beeline for the best of the game viewing areas. 

Each lodge offers game drives, and some walks in their respective conservancies. In terms of the wildlife you can find during your game drives, the Amboseli is renowned for its enormous population of elephant, including some of Africa’s last remaining true Tuskers. I was lucky enough to get a chance to see what is believed to be the largest tusked elephant still alive, Craig. 

 Seeing Craig was phenomenal, a sighting I would consider a highlight of my safari-ing for at least the last five years! 

Other than elephants there are amazing numbers of general game from giraffe, to zebra, wildebeest, gazelles and more. You also have a great chance of seeing spotted hyena, which I adore, as well as cheetah and lions.  The big cat sightings are harder to come by, and like anything on safari, can’t be guaranteed so I would recommend combining Amboseli with a few days in the Masai Mara to give the best chance of seeing the cats.

In terms of the lodges themselves, Tawi and Elerai are both lovely lodges with great views up onto Kilimanjaro, there are waterholes out in front of the lodges which often attract wildlife, at Elerai elephants were descending constantly. Tortilis on the other hand is a camp, it’s a relatively large camp with 16 tents. The tents are spacious although don’t have views up onto Kilimanjaro, and could probably do with a revamp in the next year or so. At Tortilis there are two other units, the family tent and the private tent. Both of these are wonderful, with their own private pool, and wonderful views up onto Kilimanjaro. I would highly recommend Tortilis as a whole, but especially these rooms if availability and budget allow. 

For my final night I headed east in the direction of  Tsavo. I spent the night at the unbelievably beautiful Ol Donyo Lodge owned and run by Great Plains Conservation. The lodge is set in the Chyulu Hills and looks out towards Kilimanjaro. The level of service, food, wine and accommodation is outstanding, and if budget is no problem then I would definitely suggest a few nights here at the beginning or end of any Kenyan itinerary. While you’re here you can go on drives, there are lions, cheetah, elephant bulls and general game here, although after a couple drives you may find it a little repetitive, but there is also the chance to go horse riding, bike riding, walking, and soon on adventures in their helicopter. You can engage in community projects or just sit back and relax at the spa. Each room also has its own star bed on the roof, meaning that if you would like to sleep under the stars, as I did, you can do that every night. 

Overall this was a hugely worthwhile adventure/recce trip. It was amazing to get to know the Amboseli, at least a little bit, as well as stay in some of the lodges/camps that we would incorporate into some of our itineraries.  

I pray that it rains soon though, and if it does, I don’t think there will be anywhere more beautiful in the world than on the emerald plains of the Amboseli and Chyulu Hills.