A Weekend Trip to Amboseli: Kibo Safari Camp!

Happy New Month! 🙂 When was the last time you took a spontaneous trip…? Well my friend Dicie and I recently dove out of our comfort zone and into an impromptu weekend trip to Kibo Safari Camp, in the Amboseli…

 

It started out on a cool Saturday morning, when we bundled up in a bus with 22 total strangers, all with one mission: travel and adventure! 😀

Our meeting point was the good ol’ famous Kencom, where most weekenders’ adventures begin… And as we left Nairobi, the mood on the tour bus was warm and lively!

 

It was the first time Dicie and I were visiting the Amboseli, so our spirits were through the roof!

Still, we both fell in and out of naps severally on the 4.5 hours drive, waking up properly when we hit the rough road, leading up to Kibo Safari Camp.

As you venture in, it’s a bumpy and dusty ride…but at least you’ll catch little glimpses of wildlife…

 

Tip>> Carry a headscarf or hat, to cover your hair because of the dust, and avoid white.

 

Enter Kibo Safari Camp…

Kibo Safari Camp is well-located at the border of the Amboseli National Park, with striking views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

When we arrived, the kind staff handed out wet towels and a glass of juice to cool off…

A second tour bus checked in shortly after us and our hosts then gave us a quick welcome brief, and run-through the itinerary for the weekend. It promised to be interesting!

 

Into The Wild: A Grassland Savannah …

Dicie and I picked up our keys and dragged our weary selves to the room… The paths to the rooms are well paved, with a beautiful balance of tallish grass, Acacia trees and grand tents…

You get a nice sense of being ‘in the wild’, without feeling lost.

 

They have 73 self-contained tented rooms, with a wide variety of: Singles, Doubles, Triple and Family Rooms.

Our tented room was a double, with a very earthy, safari-like feeling to it. I could have collapsed onto my bed right then, but lunch awaited us… 🙂

 

Hearty Lunch & Conversations…

After quickly freshening up, we ventured out to join the others…

Their open-terraced restaurant looks like a feature from a Classic Safari Film, with flowing, white curtains and seats adorned with Maasai fabric!

 

Lunch was buffet, with a sweet spread of options. I must confess that during this trip, I didn’t take any food pictures… Blame it on being ‘in the moment’. But, as Dicie and I agree, the meals were delightful. 😉

During lunch, we met Mike who happens to be a Tour Operator and Wildlife specialist of sorts… He made for an interesting lunch companion, with dozens of stories to share! 😀

 

 

Of Sunsets, Poolside Games and Making Friends…

Initially, we’d expected a morning and evening game drive on the itinerary… But our hosts confirmed only one, planned for that evening.

You know that feeling of wanting to be in two places at the same time?

Having spent most of the day on the Tour bus, we opted to stay back and save the ‘famed Amboseli elephants’ for another trip!

 

After a quick refreshing nap, we could almost hear the pool calling us by name! 😀

There, we met some lovely people: Joan, Samantha, Njoki and Tomiso who invited us to join them for a ball game! This would turn out to be our best time of the entire trip!!

We broke into two teams, and had great fun nearly ‘wrestling’ for the ball! It was such a happy, carefree time, laughing and bonding with people we’d only just met. 🙂

 

The sunset though hidden, gave the sky a beautiful glow, and views of the peak Mount Kilimanjaro sneaked up behind a group of clouds… It was the perfect way to end the day. 🙂

 

Dinner and Bonfire Fun…  

Dinner was a breeze, thanks to Maxwell and Charity a young couple who kept us rather entertained with great conversations around the table!

 

And though I’m not a huge cake fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the caramel cake for desert! 🙂

After dinner, Kibo Amboseli had organized a bonfire and a Maasai Dance performance for us.

 

There’s something really beautiful about the sounds (music) Maasais make, during their jumping performances… I can’t quite explain it, but I love it! 🙂

Dicie and I retired for the night, as we planned to get an early start the next day…

 

The Early Bird Catches The Glow…

Kibo Safari Camp is gorgeous in the gentle morning light, making it the perfect time to explore…

 

We ran into Patricia Wanjiru at the Swimming Pool. Much to my surprise, I learned that she’s an avid Scrapbook Journeys’ reader and also runs her Travel Blog: Wanjiru’s World!

She is honestly the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, with a great personality to boot!

 

True Adventure never ends…

Our time at Kibo came to a swift end, after a last briefing with our hosts.

However, the trip back to Nairobi was cut short when our bus malfunctioned on the rough road…

Luckily, the second tour bus turned back for us… After trying to jump-start the bus, albeit unsuccessfully, they opted to drop us off at Kimana, a small, highway town in the area…

It felt like time had stopped, and we’d just stepped onto the set of an old Texan movie. With our rescue bus still hours away, we had lots of time to kill.

So one of the guys, Tom, found a rickety tavern and someone bought a pack of cards… The lot of us stayed there playing cards and joking like old friends. 😀

Our bus finally showed up some time around 4pm, when we made our way back to Nairobi.

***

This trip reminded me of the beauty of travel… Things might not always go according to plan, but in the end, they make for the best memories!

I’m glad we took the plunge into this Spontaneous trip, which led to meeting some amazing humans along the way. And a huge thanks to our gracious hosts at Kibo Safari Camp! 🙂

 

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS:

Njenga Mbugua

Patricia Wanjiru

&

Marion Mithamo

 

Travel Tip>> Click on the Trip Advisor Banner below for Discounted prices to Kibo Safari Camp!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave a comment down below, with questions/feedback!

 

<<Love and Light. Stay Inspired Always>>