I thought we've seen enough animals at Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) but no, we are headed next to Amboseli National Park, famous for its variety of birds and large elephant population. It is not as well known as Serengeti or Masai Mara but it still attracts a sizable number of safari tourists.
We took an early morning flight from MMNR to Nairobi. Our drivers/guides picked us at up at the airport in two Toyota Land Cruisers and we first drove through Nairobi before heading to Amboseli NP, which sits in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. Its peak is over 19,000 feet above sea level and it's the tallest mountain in Africa. It is a popular climbing and hiking destination. The hike up the peak takes about 7 days, according to friends who have hiked to the peak.
One of the highlights of this portion of the trip is a visit to a Masai Village followed by a visit to a Masai school. There are seven Masai villages in the area. In spite of all the encroachments from the outside world they try to keep their traditional way of life. We were welcome by the chief of this village. He did not speak much English but one of the villagers spoke excellent English and interpreted for us.
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| Masai Elders. The chief is dressed in red |
They keep cows and goats and trade them for stuff they need. As part of the cultural exchange with tourists I am sure they receive tourism dollars to supplement their living. They don't look poor or unhealthy. They probably keep most of their traditional way of living as a way to show the outside world.
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| A Masai mother with her two children in front of their house |
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| This village owns many cows |
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| They also own many goats |
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| They plaster their houses with cowdung |
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| The village has a beautiful view of Mt. Kilimanjaro |
One of the traditionsl practices of the Masai is drinking the blood of the cow, mixed with milk. The chief showed us how it's done: they used an arrow to puncture a wound in the artery in the neck and collect the blood. The Masai told us that the cow does not feel any pain. After collecting enough blood they cover the wound with a certain kind of leaf that stops the bleeding.
There was also a serious discussion about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a common practice in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Some called it female circumcision. Many modern organizations, including Christian churches, NGOs' (Non-Governmental Organizations) and United Nations Organizations have opposed it. Many countries have also outlawed this practice. A social worker who is herself a Masai, came to lead the discussion on FGM. Many of the older women in the village had FGM but it is now outlawed in Kenya, and many younger women do not have it.
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| Social worker (L) and village women discussing FGM |
We continue our education of the Masai culture by visiting a Masai secondary school. This school is supported by the Grand Circle Foundation, the philanthropy arm of OAT. The Foundation has built a dormitory, wells for drinking water, toilets, to help the school.
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| A big class - about 50 students |
The teachers explained to us how the school works. Some of the children stay in a nearby dormitory and some students have to walk 10km one way to attend school. Masais carry a short stick to ward off animals and defend themselves. The children said they are not afraid of lions but afraid of the elephants. I guess they are also afraid of the hippopotamus, which get out of the water at night to forage for food in the dark. It is very dangerous to encounter one of these animals.
The children sang to us one of their Masai songs and we sang a couple of American schoolchildren songs to them as well. It was a wonderful learning experience to understand how they live.
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| Amboselli means dust devils, which are common here |
We continue our game drive in the afternoon and saw many animals. It is not as crowded as Masai Mara but we don't see as many of a variety here.
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| One of the beautiful species of bird |
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Elephant in the swamp
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A group of lions hanging out
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| One of the entrances to Amboselli No Problem |
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Our tented lodge at Sentrim Amboselli
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Although the game viewing here is not as interesting as in MMNR, the visits to the Masai village and school was one of the highlights of the trip. Most safaris don't include this type of cultural learning. We would have never experience visiting a Masai village without the arrangements by OAT.
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