Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s most popular parks, wonderful views of Mount Kilimanjaro and home to the Maasai. With more than 50 mammal species to look for, the wildlife is plentiful. It’s offers one of Kenya’s most breathtaking and classic views, the gigantic Kilimanjaro mountain, like a powerful god ruling the world from his silver throne, with its 5,985 m dominating the plains.
Before the discovery of the mountain in 1848 by the missionary Johannes Rebmann for the western world, arab legends and ancient swahili used to tell about a great inland mountain, in the summit of which lived a terrible god who punished those who dared by paralysing their hands and feet to approach his dwelling. In this very poetic way the tropical shores inhabitants described a phenomenon that was alien to them: freezing.
Kilimanjaro is not within the limits of Amboseli that was curiously enough, in fact it is not even in Kenya. But the way to avoid the Tanzanians have not found yet that one of the most famous views of their mountain is provided by their neighbours. If you look at the map, actually you will tell that the absurdly straight line that divides both countries detours to leave the mount in Tanzanian territory. The reason is that upon the partition of East Africa into German and British, two spheres of influence, which England had two mountains vs. none for Germany, so as a birthday present to her nephew-grandson, queen Victoria gave the Kilimanjaro to kaiser Wilhelm II, and the deal kept everyone satisfied.
Gazetted in 1974, the national park with an extension of 392 km?, though by a much larger reserve it is surrounded in which the Maasai people breed and settle their cattle. Amboseli is located close to the Tanzanian border, in the Rift Valley province, northwest of Kilimanjaro. Despite the park’s lands are elevated above 1,180 m, it has the high temperatures. The summits of mountain for the most part of the day remain hidden by the clouds, dawn being the best moment to catch a view of its snowy square head.
Belongs to the land of the Maasai, The Amboseli territory is the legendary tribe of shepherds and nomad warriors that feed on a mixture of milk and blood. The Maasai today keep living in the reserve surrounding the park the way they always did, moving their household and grazing their herds around the plains searching for the best pastures. Restricted today by encroachment of their territories along their migrations, the Maasai build their settlings the enkang’ or more popularly manyatta or emanyata, using wooden poles and sticks plastered with cow manure. With their slender and long bodies, their hieratic and proud faces, their plated and their colored clothes and red-stained hair, for the photographer the Maasai are a visually pleasant motif, but never take pictures of them for your own safety without their consent.
Submitted to great seasonal variations, Amboseli is a very fragile ecosystem. In fact annual rainfalls are scarce, the overall sensation is of a dry land, in the range of 350-400 mm. Occupied by the dry bed of the Amboseli Lake, The northwestern area which for a large part of the year is nothing but a huge frying pan covered with shattered saline earth populated with dusty whirlwinds. The mirages blend with the herds of wildebeest and zebra that traverse the scalding plain one after one, crestfallen and with a weary and lost look.
The rains flood the lake bed during the wet season, and the surrounding area. Though, this plentiful water does not sustain a rich vegetal variety. The cause in the lake bed is the high salt deposits, which the flood disperse and dilute hindering plant growth. For this reason few trees grow in the park, only some palm trees and small patches of acacia far off the lake. Contrariwise, salt-rich pastures grow and the herbivores are very appreciate.
Actually, Amboseli is overflowing with water all the year round, despite the first impression of a dusty and arid land, but under the ground. The Kilimanjaro’s snows of melt and flow downhill, soaking the porous subsoil layers of volcanic rocks. Converge into various underground streams, Waters rise in two clear springs in the center of the park and ooze from down under in several points giving birth to large marshes like the Loginya Swamp, in which papyrus grow and hippos, buffalos and elephants find their particular spas, together with their accompanying cattle egrets.
It is so simple with Amboseli’s geography that its description brings to mind the pirates’ treasures maps. Starts in the dry bed of Amboseli Lake, The vast plain welcomes the visitor with its desolating image. Eastward and Southward the area named Ol Tukai shows up, a patch of luxuriant green that hides some of the park’s lodges. There is a palm tree forest following southward, a cool oasis that supplies water, shade and shelter for plenty of wildlife. It’s the swamps’ reign to both sides of the forest, and at the western part rises the Observation Hill, the only height in the park, a smooth hill to be climbed on foot that displays a magnificent view of the whole park and beyond. Southward, the layers of volcanic rocks expelled by Kilimanjaro some hundreds of years back rise to the surface, giving the landscape a lunar aspect. There is another lodge, right at the edge of the lava flow the Amboseli Serena. Finally, next to the Tortilis Camp at the south border of the park lay several Maasai villages.
Amboseli is threatened by continuous pressure, both from tourists and natives. The flat and sparse geography encourages off-road driving, but this is a highly destructive activity that the park’s authorities attempt to stop. The locals keep grazing their herds within the park borders on the other hand, despite the prohibition. But, since the Maasai were already thrown away once from their historical dwelling lands, this is a thorny issue when the city of Nairobi was founded.
Other articles you might like;
- Italy is Famous with the Food
- England is a Dream Country
- The Romance of Paris
- The Beauty of Holland
- Singapore The Fine City
Related posts:
Save Bucks
Europe Hotel
Travel
Accommodation for
Cheap Accommodation