The Amboseli Sopa Wildlife Lodge

The Amboseli Sopa Lodge was located outside the Amboseli National Park at the base of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. We arrived at the lodge at around sunset and it was another surprisingly beautiful lodge. The main reception building and all the lodges in the sprawling ground were designed after a Masai hut. The interior was comfortable with en-suite bath and toilet. Electricity was available throughout the night.

 

Mount Kilimajaro  was not covered by clouds in the evening

 

we arrived at the lodge at sunset

lovely comfortable Masai huts sprawled in the expansive bushland

 

the Lodge's restaurant

 

the reception lobby

 

the thatched roof

 

the central pillar of the main lobby

 

 outdoor dining

 

Joseph checking our group at the reception

 

inside the lodge's hut

 

mosquito net

a night cap after dinner at the lodge's bar

To the Amboseli National Park, Kenya

From the border town, it was another 3 hours of drive on a rough off-road track to the Amboseli National Park. We passed through some little villages and along the way, saw a  Chinese ( Taiwanese) Christian Missionary Boarding School and Health Centres.

 

It was only quite late in the afternnon that we finally made it to the gate of the Amboseli National Park. Some Masai men and women came to our vehicle when our guide-cum-driver went down to register our entry into the park. They tried to peddle some jewellery and wood carvings - and pakdokter's partner managed to steal some shots of them from within our vehicle - much to the displeasure of these tribal folks. They expected to be paid for the pictures taken of them.  

Masai village

 

the track in the Amboseli Park was not so bad

 

 

 the Kilimanjaro Mountain was visible and not covered by clouds

 

Into Kenya

We had a set lunch at a hotel in Arusha City after which we left for the border of  Kenya located about 1 hour or so from the city. The road linking Tanzania to Kenya is a brand new highway built by contractors from mainland China who have come to Central Africa in a big way to expand their businesses here.

 

Along the way we drove past the Meru Mountain - the second highest mountain in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro could not be seen as it was covered in a blanket of clouds.

 

The border town of Kenya and Tanzania was a small shanty-town looking corner. The immigration officers from Tanzania were very friendly and gave us a survey form to report our holiday experience in their country. However the same could not be said of the Kenya border officers. One officer tried to 'trick' pakdokter into paying  USD50 for an entry visa when there was actually no such requirement. We were told by our tour company in Kuala Lumpur that we would have to pay a USD 50 visa fee to enter Tanzania but were pleasantly surprised on arrival at the Kilimanjaro Airport a few days before that such a visa was no longer required of Malaysian visitors!

 

After clearing the immigration - we bade goodbye to our Tanzanian guide, Noel, who had done a really good job for us. We were introduced to our guide in Kenya, Joseph, who had waited for our arrival at the border with his vehicle, a Toyota 4WD van.  Our bags were transferred to our new vehicle and the safari of Kenya started from here.

 

 

border crossing

 

 

 

Noel and Joseph parked side by side

 at the border of Tanzania and Kenya

 

 

 

On the highway to Arusha City

 

From the Lake Manyara viewing point, our drive took us through some of the towns that we had passed through on our way up to the Serengeti - Karatu, the Mosquito Valley etc etc. Pakdokter's partner managed to steal some of these scenes while we sped through the villages and townships.

 

 

tee-shirts and blankets

 

fruits and art

 

kampong folks

 

a ride to town?

 

Masais for a picture?

not for free anymore...

 

a fine balance

 

at a toilet stop just outside Arusha City

this art and curio shop is more expensive than the

one at our earlier stop

 

we stopped for lunch at a hotel in Arusha City

before proceeding to cross the border into Kenya

Lake Manyara Viewing Point

Wednesday, 22nd August 2012

 

After the stop at the curio shop in a little village at the foor of the Ngorogoro Mountain, we drove down further and made a stop at a viewing point from where we could see the Lake Manyara.