After about six months of preparation, the day finally arrived for us to leave for Nairobi. We had a limo arranged; they came on time, and we headed out to the airport. Check-in and everything else went smoothly—no special situations. I was traveling very light. Between Manuel and me, we had a total of fi ve pieces of luggage: one suitcase each, one backpack for me, a small handbag for him, and my camera bag. We took everything onboard and didn’t check in any luggage. Being in business class, I had enough luggage allowance—no problem there.

The flight to Istanbul enroute to Nairobi was uneventful. The service on Turkish Airlines was excellent—something I’d notice consistently throughout the entire trip. I didn’t sleep much on the flight to Istanbul; it was a long one, nearly 13 hours.

Once we landed in Istanbul, we didn’t have much time to connect. We had about an hour to get to the next gate, and it took us a little time to figure out where exactly that was. We eventually found it and made our way there. The last time we came to Istanbul was back in 2015, and at the time, it was a different airport.

This new airport is massive—gigantic. It’s a single building with everything underone roof, it feels enormous. All the gates are part of the same structure. I can only imagine what Los Angeles airport would look like if all six terminals were under one roof—it’d probably be even bigger. In any case, it was a long, long, long walk to our connecting gate.

The flight from Istanbul to Nairobi was another long one—an overnight flight of about six or seven hours. When we arrived in Nairobi, we got out of the airport and found that Paul had already sent me a message saying that his brother Simon would be there to pick us up. Simon had brought along one of his colleagues, a woman named Lillian. The two of them came to meet us.

It took a little effort to get Simon’s car started, which was slightly disconcerting—they actually had to push it to get the engine going. I was a bit worried, wondering if this was the car we’d be using for the entire trip. But as it turned out, that was the first and only time we had any kind of starting issue. We reached the hotel, which wasn’t far from the airport, checked in, and tried to get some sleep. The next morning, we had a light breakfast at the hotel, and Simon came to pick us up at 10 o’clock. I was really tired. In fact, based on this experience, I’ve decided that whenever I go on a long trip like this, I want the first day or two to be completely unplanned—just rest and recover.

Simon, however, had a full day planned for us in Nairobi. That was March 4th. (We had left on March 2nd and lost a day due to travel, so we arrived on the morning of March 4th.) Simon had lined up several places for us to visit. One of them was an elephant sanctuary—a place where they rescue sick or injured baby elephants and nurse them back to health. It was quite touching to see.

We also went to a giraffe center. Honestly, I’m not quite sure why we went there. It felt a little staged—there were half a dozen giraffes in a confined space. I didn’t really see the point of visiting giraffes in captivity when we were just about to enter national parks where we’d be seeing all these animals moving freely in the wild.
After that, before heading back to the hotel, we went out for dinner. I had asked Simon if we could eat at an Indian restaurant, and he took us to one. It turned out to be a good choice—we really enjoyed the food. After dinner, we returned to the hotel.

Our African safari started in earnest this morning. We woke up at 4:00 AM, Manuel and I got ready, taking quick showers before heading down for an early breakfast. By 5:30 AM, we were downstairs, and breakfast was already served. It was a hearty meal, fueling us for the long day ahead.

Simon, our driver, arrived promptly to take us to the small airport nearby. Our goal for the day was to reach Amboseli National Park—one of the most iconic safari destinations in Kenya, known for its elephants and stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Our guide and driver for Amboseli, Ali, arrived by the plane and introduced himself. As it turned out, there were only two of us—Manuel and me—for him to pick up. That was fantastic news! We wouldn’t have to share our space with anyone else, making the experience even more special.

Before setting off, Ali laid out a small breakfast spread, including coffee and some snacks for us to try. The coffee was excellent, and the pastries were just as enjoyable. We happily helped ourselves while Ali gave us a rundown of the day’s itinerary and some details about our lodge.

As we arrived, we were also greeted warmly.
“Hello, how are you?”

“I’m fi ne, and you?”

“Good, good. Welcome to Amboseli.”

A park ranger named Francis welcomed us and handed over a simplified guidebook to Amboseli. He walked us through the essentials of the park:

“Right now, you are in the middle of Amboseli National Park, and you’ll be heading to Tili. The park covers 392 square kilometers and is not fenced, so animals can move freely. However, the surrounding conservancies are managed by the Maasai community. We work closely with them to ensure that no one harms or poaches the animals.”

Francis explained how lion prides dominate different areas of the park:

“Overnight, male lions make a lot of noise to defend their territories. It’s as if they’ve divided the park among themselves.”

He pointed to Lake Amboseli, which is called a “dead lake” because it only fills up during the rainy season. Right now, it was dry. Nearby, he told us, were over 400 bird species, with 85% of them found near the swamps.

We were given a mammal checklist, but Francis noted two key absences:

“There are no rhinos here. No leopards either. But all the other animals are present.”

He then flipped through the guidebook, showing us the history of Amboseli’s name:

“The word ‘Amboseli’ comes from a Maasai term meaning ‘salty, dusty place.’”

Looking at the park map, Francis pointed out a legend—Mr. Craig, Amboseli’s most famous elephant.

“Mr. Craig is the big boss here. He was born in 1972, making him 53 years old. Most of the time, he stays in one area of the park and doesn’t wander to the center.”

We also learned that Amboseli is home to The Big Five, The Small Five, and even the ‘Ugly Ones’—a humorous classification of animals. Francis shared insights into Maasai traditions, including how they draw blood from cows as part of their diet, believing it strengthens them.

He also highlighted Elewana Tortilis Camp, our stay for the night:

“Tortilis means ‘acacia,’ and it’s one of the best lodges in Amboseli.”

Finally, he shared an astonishing fact:

“Right now, Amboseli has over 2,000 elephants. There’s no poaching or hunting here. You can take photos from just 5 to 10 meters away—don’t panic if an elephant approaches your car. They won’t attack unless you step out.”

Looking toward the horizon, he pointed at Observation Hill, the highest point in the park. From there, he said, we’d get the most breathtaking view of Mount Kilimanjaro.

As we wrapped up our chat, Francis offered a conservation guidebook for 2,000 shillings ($15 USD). While I didn’t want to carry an extra book, I happily donated $20, telling him to pass the book to another traveler.

“Thank you,” he smiled. “Welcome again to the home of elephants.”

And with that, our Amboseli adventure had truly begun.

We stayed at the airstrip for about 30 minutes while Ali took care of paperwork to register us as guests at the national park. Amboseli is a protected national park, and all visitors must be documented before entry. He reiterated something we had heard before—Amboseli is home to over 2,000 elephants, making them the park’s primary attraction. Of course, there were other animals we’d encounter, but the elephants would be the stars of the show.

At around 8:30 AM, we fi nally left the airstrip and began our exploration of the park. The original plan had been to go to the camp, check in, and then head out for a game drive, but Ali suggested a change—why not start the safari immediately instead of going back to camp fi rst? That sounded perfect to me.