20260816 Globus Kenya & Tanzania: The Safari Experience Day 12 of 19 - Amboseli National Park and Maasi Village

Globus Kenya & Tanzania: The Safari Experience - Amboseli and the Maasai

It was another early morning. That is the way of life on a safari trip. We departed at 6:30 for an early morning game drive.

Waterbuck

We spotted some activity off the left side of the road and were rewarded with an unusual sighting.

Honey Badger

It was being harassed by a pair of Bat-eared foxes

It was no surprise that we spotted elephants leaving the sleeping area to graze for the day.

A nursing baby - elephants' mammary glands are on the front of the female's chest, just like humans

The egrets called Elephant Uber for a ride

Off we go

Kori bustard

A termite mound - the black patches are repairs made by the termites after elephants used the mound as a scratching post, damaging it

I haven't posted a Thompson's gazelle in a while, so I didn't want them to feel neglected

Osterriches are a regular sighting

We were treated to a hippo sighting on land this morning

Nom, nom, nom

Another Thompson's gazelle, with a nice butt reflection

An Egyptian Goose, cruising along

Time for a swim

Those eyes

Winding Cisticola or Zitting Cisticola - they're too similar to tell

We found a big group of Helmeted Guinea Fowl, chowing down on something

Wildebeest, grazing

We returned to the lodge for breakfast.

Kanya has banned single-use plastics - I guess this qualifies as a second use

The vervet monkeys at the lodge are fun to watch

This is the key display at the lodge - the stick is a Maasai weapon, but it sure seems like a gas station restroom key situation

As we left the compound, we found a huge group of banded mongooses

They were all digging for food

The native African Verizon tree - it is a poorly disguised cellphone tower

At 10:00, we left for a visit to a local Maasai Village. The Maasai have lived independently and continue to do so, with some rules from the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments.

This is Richard

He is the son of the tribal chief and our guide for the visit

The compound is surrounded by unwelcoming plantings that keep predators away from the camp

Warriors came to greet us

As did the women

They performed a traditional dance that included jumping. The warrior who jumps the highest is considered the most attractive and has an easier time finding a wife or wives. Guests could also try the dance.

The women only modestly jumped

The men, however, were amazing

Who is that, dancing the Maasai women's dance?

We received a traditional blessing before beginning our tour. The Maasai are Christian, but follow some non-traditional worship methods.

Richard, explaining our visit schedule

The fencing around the camp was constructed by the men. They also patrol every night to ward off predatory animals and protect the camp.

The houses are built by the women - ten women build a house over two weeks - five gather the materials, and five do the construction

They are constructed with dung, hay, wood ash, and a waterproof paper for the roof

There are 47 homes in this village, with 184 residents.

Curious Maasai children

This is the son of the Medicine Man for the village

He explained how they go to Kilimanjaro to gather roots and herbs for the tribe twice per year - these were shown on a Cape Buffalo horn and can treat joint pain, stomach issues, malaria, and erectile dysfunction

All care is done locally, unless surgery is needed or other care that is beyond the Medicin Man's capability, at which point they will go to a hospital.

Next, we were shown how the Maasai create fire twice daily.

Richard, whittling a hardwood stick

Elephant dung as a starter

They break up the dung and put a softwood tool on the dung

They place the hardwood stick on the softwood guide and start spinning the stick

They take turns so nobody gets too tired spinning the stick

Smoking

The dung catches fire

Blowing to intensify the burn

Adding dry grass to create the fire

With the fire, Maasai women will bring a hardwood stick to light in the communal fire to take back to their house to light the house fire for the evening to provide light and cooking.

Next, we toured a home.

The bed, with an animal skin covering

The kitchen

Firewood for the fire

The sitting room

The entry

If you look closely at Richard's face, you can see the tribal swirls on his cheeks, applied with a hot iron at four years old - they are also circumcised at this age as are the girls

His adornments

Finally, we were shown to the market area where the residents showcased their crafts.

Richard's wife

Richard's mother and wife of the Chief

Flies were everywhere, as you can see by the ones on this dog's nose

This is a schoolhouse

Maasai children are required to attend public school. Before that, they are schooled here.

The kids were fascinated by Arlona's pale skin and white hair

The entry to the village

It was an eye-opening visit to a lifestyle unlike anything you can find in the United States. We returned to the hotel for lunch and a couple of hours of downtime. On the way back, we spotted more interesting wildlife.

 Kori bustard

 Taita fiscals

These are the cows belonging to the Maasai

The government allows them to roam in the park

We had a briefing at 3:00 to discuss tomorrow's plan, plus go over what we have done. In addition, our Tour Director, Evens, conducted a classroom session on Kenyan culture, geography, and more. It could have been a little shorter, in our opinion, but he had a platform and used it. We departed around 4:20 for our 4:00 game drive.

Unsurprisingly, we saw a lot of elephants

 Malachite Kingfisher

 African Jacana

Squacco Heron

Grey-crowned crane

 African Spoonbill 

Long-toed lapwing

A big group of Grey-crowned cranes

All of a sudden, we spotted movement off the right side of the truck. We were treated to a beautiful view of a Serval Cat.

What a beautiful animal

The Serval Cat and a Wildebeest

Black-headed Heron

Elephants, in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro - an African icon

Someone has been rolling in the mud

Our final Kenyan game drive came to an end too soon. We returned to the hotel. Globus sponsored a Sundowner Happy Hour for us with drinks and appetizers in the back lawn of the hotel.

They had a mobile bar set up plus appetizers that served as dinner for many of us

Our group with Evans walking in front

We enjoyed an hour of snacking, drinking, and talking. Some headed to the dining room for more substantial food, as the rest of us headed to our rooms. Tomorrow is yet another early day. Our bags need to be out at 6:30, and we need to be ready to roll at 7:15. We will be heading to the Tanzania border tomorrow. Evans will bid us farewell and hand us over to a new Tour Director for Tanzania.

One thing that worries us is that he advised us to expect bad roads tomorrow. We've been driving on horrible roads for a week. I can't imagine what's waiting for us tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a long day as we change countries, go through immigration, and drive for considerable distances on really bad roads. Time for packing and bed.