Abbott Family Travels

Yesterday we woke up bright and early to cross the border from Tanzania into Kenya. On the way to the airstrip we were so lucky to see a lioness with 4 lion cubs! It was the perfect goodbye to the Serengeti. We landed at an airstrip in Arusha, had lunch at the Cultural Center and then began driving to the border. We did have a minor mishap of our bus breaking down, but at least the views were pretty! After going through immigration we boarded our safari vehicles and drove to Amboseli National Park. On our way to the hotel a lioness walked right by us! It was fun that we started and ended the day with lion sightings. The next day we headed out for safari at 6:30 in the morning. The guides said that this would be the perfect time to spot elephants and they were right! We saw babies, juveniles, and adult elephants. Not to mention we had crystal clear views of Mount Kiliminjaro. ...

Morning Safari We were up bright and early again this morning for breakfast and safari in the Serengeti! We were lucky to see two male lions right outside the door of our vehicle! There is something about looking a lion in the eye that is simultaneously incredible and terrifying. In the distance we were able to see lionesses with cubs on a rock ledge. It reminded me of Pride Rock from the lion king. We also saw some giraffes, hippos, and ostriches. We learned that the male ostriches are black and the females are gray. The male that we saw was a breeding male because his neck was bright pink. Our guide also shared that since the males are black they guard the nest at night, while the females guard during the day.  On our drive we mentioned to our guide that David has been really into spotting and identifying birds on this trip (he even has his own beginner guide for birds in East Africa). The guide went out of his way to spot some real...

On today's morning safari we had fantastic luck! We saw the three big cats: lion, leopard, and cheetah! Here are just a few pictures. Richard was able to get the leopard on his camera, so I will have to add those later!   After a lunch and rest break we went out for a another early evening safari. The boys rested up by taking an extra long bath and Richard and I enjoyed our balcony that overlooked the watering hole. The safari was amazing, the sunset was gorgeous and we saw two mated pairs of lions. It was the perfect way to end the day!