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Elephants of the Kilimanjaro
In Amboseli live many large adult bulls in their 40's and 50's |
It's the classic East Africa picture: a huge African elephant against the backdrop of the even bigger Kilimanjaro. The location where those photos are taken, is Amboseli National Park in Kenya. The Kilimanjaro, actually located in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa and raises its peaks almost 6 kilometers up in the sky.
Queen Victoria of Britain gave the Kilimanjaro as a birthday present to her nephew-grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany |
One has to get up early to catch the mountain in its full glory. The heat and dust in the air conspire to form clouds that will quickly gather around the peak and hide the top of the mountain from view. Thus, at 5.30AM phones start ringing in the Amboseli Serena Lodge rooms as the receptionist wakes the guests to prepare for their game drive.
Elephants announce their presence by rumbling loudly, a practice referred to as contact calling |
A quick cup of tea with a slice of cake and off we all go. According to our driver Mohamed, more than 100 people gathered in the lounge of the lodge for the early morning tea only a week ago. Today, however, it's closer to a dozen or so.
The Kilimanjaro is almost 6 kilometers high, Africa's biggest mountain |
Right outside the lodge's gate we are treated to a glorious view of the Kilimanjaro. The sun isn't even up yet and the fields are still cloaked in darkness. The mountain's peaks, however, are clearly visible against the lighter sky. We made it three meters from the lodge grounds before we started shooting our first pictures...
Elephants eat a wide variety of foods including grass, leaves, shoots, flowers and bark |
Amboseli National Park is famous for its elephants. It's here that Cynthia Moss has studied them extensively since the 1970's, the longest continuous elephant study. During those years, the number of elephants has gone up from 400 to the 1,100 of the big animals that nowadays live in the 392 km2 of the park.
Classic East Africa picture: elephants in front of the Kilimanjaro |
Every evening at dusk the herds trek into the hills for the night. And every morning at sunrise they parade back to the savannas to graze and drink. It is therefor not rare to take the famous 'elephant and Kilimanjaro' photo. Of course, an amateur shot can't beat the many professional shots out there. But this is my picture, and that makes it special.
Sunrise is spectacular, and fast! In less than an hour we go from full darkness to bright sunshine. The mountain glows pink when the first rays of the sun touch its sides.
The rising sun colors the sky in pastels as the elephants make their way to the watering holes |
An hour or two later, after having enjoyed the rare sight of three cheetahs on the hunt, we are on our way back to lodge and a much-deserved breakfast, when we come across a herd of a dozen elephants and their young. Their matriarch is leading them toward the water on the right side of the road. Mohamed stopped the car to give them the right of way.
The Kilimanjaro glows pink in the first rays of the new day |
Close to the watering holes, hidden deep in the green grass, lies a small pride of female lions. They have eaten already and are lazing around at their leisure. Word goes out over the radio and in no time several vans have gathered behind us, blocking the road, their occupants busy with binoculars.
 
Amboseli is one of the few places in Africa where the elephant population spans the whole range from newborn calves to old matriarchs in their 60's; even lions respect the large beasts |
The elephants, in the meantime, cross the road at their leisure, undisturbed by traffic. The close proximity of the lions disturbs the matriarch and with an angry trumpet she orders the lions to move. Or else... The lions, wary of the huge gray beasts, comply.
Our stomachs growl loudly, reminding us that, unlike the lions, we have not yet had our breakfast. We decide to leave the wildlife for what it is, and return to the lodge.
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