Amboseli is famously known for its herds of big tusked elephants and its incredible views of Mount Kilimanjaro which is located in its neighbouring country Tanzania.
Earlier in March of 2023, Panthera Photo Safaris had our first photography workshop in this incredible destination. We started the safari in Nairobi, boarding a small plan from Wilson Airport. After an easy 1 hour flight we arrived at the Amboseli Airstrip. We then checked into Ol Tukai where we would be staying for three nights. The lodge’s chalets offer an amazing view of the wilderness and views of Mount Kilimanjaro right outside your door. You also have the chance of spotting wildlife metres away from you, and often have the Yellow Baboons and Vervet Monkeys playing on the large open lawn in front of the camp. After lunch we departed on our first afternoon drive with our guests in search of wildlife. We drove along the salt marshes which are bright green and stand out in contrast in the arid and dusty plain of the park. The marshes are a vital source of water for all animals living around Amboseli National Park and we noticed it was a great habitat for water bird species.
We saw herons, kingfishers, egrets and plenty of black-winged stilts.
One of the sightings that stood out for us in the marsh area was a female elephant who had beautiful long tusks on her. These tusks were not your usual long tusks to the ground, but ones that were growing towards each other. The female elephant put on an amazing show for us, drinking and eating in the beautiful greenery, before finally walking a few feet past the vehicles, which showed off the incredible size of her tusks.
Once she had moved off we continued our game drive enjoying the variety of different landscapes and colours. It is amazing how the scenery can change within a matter of a few kilometres, moving from waterlogged greenery to an absolute desolate dry endless plain of dust.
While driving it was getting closer to every photographer’s dream “Golden Light” and luckily for our guests, we came across a sighting of four cheetahs who were on the move in the dusty open landscape. It was an unusual sighting as a troop of yellow baboons decided they would chase the cheetahs around to try and make them move to a different area. The next morning we all woke up early and grabbed a quick cup of coffee before setting out for the game drive. The early mornings are not to be missed, as overnight the dust settles you get a clearer view of the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Our mission was to try and find animals in front of the mountain before it disappeared in the haze.
Our first sighting of the morning was a spectacular one. A serval who was on her way home, walking through open plains for about twenty minutes and even crossed a small stream Infront of us. She was also the first animal we photographed in front of the mountain, albeit at very slow shutter speeds and very far away!
As we continued on we checked out the local hyena den. There was a bit of activity going on with the pups out and about exploring while the parents relaxed. We didn’t spend to much time here however, as we wanted to get into the heart of the reserve to explore. As we travelled we came across a number of beautiful sights. Gazelles sparing in the beautiful back light as the sun was rising, ostriches around every corner, crowned cranes, a beautiful martial eagle and even a herd of buffalo. After stopping on top of a tall hill for breakfast we slowly made our way back to camp. When the sun gets high in Amboseli the light becomes very harsh, a great reason to do some editing around the pool!
Just before arriving back to camp we got a very long range visual of a small herd of elephants with Kilimanjaro towering above them. After arriving back in camp we got notified from our guides that Craig, the elephant we were all really hoping to see, was spotted just outside the park in an area that would be great for photos.
We decided to have an early lunch and get back out on the road before the rest of the safari goers to try and have a sighting of Craig alone….and boy did it pay off!
We found Craig with two other large bulls feeding in a small clearing. the temperatures were quite hot, so he was mostly sleeping. This did however allow us to get some beautiful images of him as a very low angle. Eventually Craig made his way towards a small village before we left him, but not before spending over one and a half hours with this amazing gentle giant.
On our way home we saw a baby elephant that could not have been older than a day or two. It was so small in comparison to Craig, and w all wondered if it would perhaps be holding the super tusker genes. As we continued our way back to the lodge, the beauty of Amboseli shone through. The light went from a harsh grey, to beautiful shades of orange and purple. Day three we set out early once more to look for herds of elephants, hoping to line them up with the mountain. We went looking in the South Eastern part of the reserve where there are beautiful big trees and the elephants tend to spend time in. Unfortunately for us we only managed to capture the back end of the cheetahs again as they walked off into the thickets. The mountain was looking beautiful, but with the dust from the vehicles driving and the fact they haven’t had proper rains for years, it was fading away quickly. As we continued our search we came across herds of zebras, flocks of flamingos and a sleeping civet, before finally finding a beautiful breeding herd of elephants. The afternoon we decided to spend most of our time around the marsh, focussing on the birds we had not photographed yet, elephants and a pair of breeding lions.
We had to chuckle when some elephants walked past the lions, and the big male promptly went and hid behind the female….king of the jungle?On the day of our departure we were heading onto our Tanzania Safari. As we headed towards the boarder, we drove over what was supposed to be Lake Amboseli for about an hour. Miles and miles of absolutely nothing but dry scorched earth. Eventually we came across a giraffe who was entering the park from the villages surrounding it where there were more trees. A long statue in an endless see of nothingness. If you would like to join us in Amboseli in 2024, keep your eyes peeled! Our next workshop dates are soon to be announced in the button below!Join us in Amboseli!
