Have you ever looked down at a landing strip and noticed that there were animal dung deposits all along the runway? That was our welcome to Amboseli.

Our tour director, Evans, accompanied us. We landed, left the little plane and re-loaded into four new land cruisers meeting our four, new, driver/guides. They were just as wonderful as the first four had been.

The Maasai Mara was not as dry at Ol Pejeta, but not as lush as Lake Nakuru. Amboseli was a shock. It’s like a fictional movie set. One side of the road was so dry it was literally white and barren of almost any vegetation.

On the other side of the road was a marsh, filled with floating green grass and with elephants up to their ears in it. Again, we had thought the amazing days could not continue, that something was soon to be a disappointment. We realized immediately it wasn’t going to be Amboseli.

Our resort here was nothing short of ab oasis. Our rooms were attached, and were authentically decorated. The pool area was amazing, and we spent one afternoon there watching the game and trying to keep the monkeys from stealing our sunscreen. Food and service were again fantastic. It was here that a mother black faced monkey joined me on my balcony and nursed her baby. What an incredible experience.

Our game drives here left us bewildered. The number of different species, all wading off into the marsh, was mesmerizing. We saw a pride of lions get a little too close to a mother elephant and her calf, and boy did she let those lions know she wasn’t going to have it. They moved off and didn’t beat around the bush about it.

We saw a matriarch elephant round up her group of all ages and sizes and march them single file into the forest at sunset one evening.

We saw hippos galore. This was also our first introduction to wildebeests, one of the 5 ugliest creatures in Africa. The calves look like baby cattle here, but within a few short weeks they are almost as ugly as their parents.

Mount Kilimanjaro is here, and just outside of our gates was a stunning view of it, clear as a bell and usually complete with wildlife. I have a great shot of a baby elephant near my land cruiser with Kili (as the locals call it) in the background.

There were two abandoned lodges here, due to a flood 18 years ago. We thought those would make the perfect setting for a Walking Dead episode. It was very spooky.

Our final night in Kenya was spent here. We enjoyed a lovely outside event, with excellent “biteables and an open bar. Our Tour Director Evans said a heartwarming goodbye to us, and we wondered if Tanzania would be the part of the tour that finally disappointed us. So far, every day has been a total homerun. We were the happiest bunch of campers you ever met.

Tomorrow, off to Tanzania.