It was another early morning in Kenya, just over a week into my epic, bucket-list African safari. I rose refreshed, thanks to the surprisingly luxurious accommodations I had been treated to the night before, and proceeded down to the breakfast hut to meet my amiable guide, Cyrus.
As soon as we had eaten and left the hotel, I realised today was the day I would finally set eyes on the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. It was as Cyrus had said the day before - very early mornings would afford clear views of the summit, a view that would soon disappear under cloud cover.
It was a beautiful sight, and one I had been waiting for for many years. It didn't disappoint. Our party of two trundled along in relative silence for a while, driving through Amboseli National Park with our heads turned looking out the left window at the magnificent Kili. Every so often a few giraffe or a herd of elephants would also step into the periphery, creating a postcard-like image with the mountain in the background. It was breathtaking.
At one point we stopped to spy on a couple of ostriches in a mating ritual, the male shaking his feathers at the female, but other than that it was a straight shot onwards to the border town of Namaga. Today was to be my last day in Kenya for a little while - I was crossing the border to continue my adventure in Tanzania.
A little ways outside Amboseli, I had to say goodbye to Cyrus. He had been my companion and guide for only two days, but I felt like I had known him for a lot longer. Unprofessional of me though it may have been, I asked if I could add him on Facebook, and he agreed. We said our farewells then, and I hopped on a bus going over the border.
While I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I crossed the border with relative ease.The process was fairly simple, thankfully, and people were happy to try and explain what line I should queue in etc.
I simply got off the bus with everyone else, filled out a form and queued for a Kenya exit stamp, filled out another form and queued again in another area for my Tanzania visa and Tanzania entry stamps, and then got back on the same bus which, by that stage, had pulled around to the exit. The whole thing took maybe 20 or 30 minutes.
Onwards into Tanzania, then, to my resting place in the town of Arusha where my accommodation was, once again, a basic hotel room. I was glad about that, because I knew tomorrow was the start of a brand new adventure - a new group to meet, new camps to bed down in, and a new country to explore. I ate alone and had an early night.
#kenya #africa #amboseli #namanga #Africa #AfricanSafari #safari #isafricasafe #arusha #mountkilimanjaro #kili #mtkilimanjaro #tanzania #giraffe #elephant #mountain #border #visa #beautiful #landscape #travel #travelling #kenyasafari #tanzaniasafari #wildlife #animals #holiday #vacation #safariholiday
