Breathless in Selenkay
1 Jun 2014 7:14 PM GMT
Once upon a time, the terrain around an area today known as Amboseli, saw an infinite growth of grassland and bushes that was teeming with wildlife. In the 90s, this land had disappeared leaving behind barren territory, and not a single sighting of any form of game.
Today, I go for the first time to this area, now known as Selenkay, to the north of the Amboseli National Park and marvel at the sight that greets me: acres and acres of untouched territory, endless sightings of incredible wildlife and the most remarkable sensation of being one with nature. Every sound is heeded and every breath is deep. I sit in a 4x4 and we drive away from the airstrip. We stop. I see uneven black spots in the grassy space ahead of me – the space forms into a shadow that now shifts at my slowly approaching vehicle. We are just few meters away from these uneven forms. The car comes to a complete stop and we wait. The engine is switched off, and the only sounds I can hear are the soft breathing of my driver guide and spotter, and the beating of my own heart. I look again at the area that has drawn us. The sun is creating deep shade under the tall grass, and I know there is something there. I can feel it. We wait. My guide lifts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and focuses on that area. He knows it is there too. As we wait patiently, my mind is begging the Gods for something spectacular, and my heart is racing as the silence continues to spread. I dare not shift my eyes from that spot as I know that the moment I do, I will miss whatever it is that I am supposed to see! The guide does a panoramic sweep with the binoculars and pauses as his focus shifts in the opposite direction of our initial focal point and he smiles. I cannot resist temptation as it makes me turn my head (for just a second I say to myself) to face that same direction. At that exact moment (of course…) the spotter, who never shifted his focus, pointed to our original spot.
‘Ona!’ He exclaimed in Kiswahili. My attention snapped back and the irregular spotting that I had seen earlier moved upwards to reveal an extended stretch of the back of a sleek and stealthy body which could only belong to a cheetah, undeniably waking up from an early afternoon nap… I felt the hair rise all over my body and could feel the sudden appearance of Goosebumps. As I continued starring at this magnificent cat, another one raised its mid section and opened its mouth to release the biggest yawn I had ever seen! I was awestruck by the scene unfolding in front of me. I couldn’t believe there was no one else witnessing this spectacle. I couldn’t take my eyes of them and I am glad I didn’t, for just behind the yawning cat, a third cheetah awoke from its slumber. This one stood up for a full out ‘downward dog’ yoga stretch and smoothed it out by a flicker of its head. I sat there, with eye brows raised and a gaping mouth as I saw the silhouette of a 4th cat coming from the other side of the bush that had hidden these creatures from plain sight.
I didn’t know what to think anymore. My mind was taking in the unfolding scene and processing what I was witnessing. It was absolutely magnificent! I didn’t want to leave so we stayed for another twenty minutes watching these beautiful animals perform their morning ritual of their awakening. For me, it is already a trip of lifetime!
My journey continues into the dry terrain of Selenkay. The sky is an intense blue, and the air is dry. In the distance, the tallest mammals on the planet take a peak from the top of thorn trees to take a glimpse of my vehicle as it zig zags around the bushes. I count at least five giraffes! My heart still hasn’t slowed down after its encounter with the world’s fastest cats! My thoughts kept returning to what I had seen that morning. An elephant stops in our path, give us a once-over, his ears flap open and he raises his trunk. I forget the cats suddenly and hold my breath as I hear the sound of a trumpet blaring from him. My heart rate increases as we make eye contact…I look at his face, and glimpse the beginning of a smile. He winks and continues crossing the path…he is then followed by the rest of his entourage. I am mesmerised by these large mammals as I watch them move together shielding an offspring from all corners. I can barely see the baby elephant, but catch a glimpse of its little legs running to keep up with its bigger counterparts.
Within minutes of my landing, I was thrown into a thrilling experience of ‘man meets wild’, and this was only the beginning. I had two nights to spend here. The reality of the space I was going to explore brought every one of my senses to life as I couldn’t wait to see more, to hear the sounds of wilderness, to smell the bush scent, to taste what would become without a doubt one of the best meals I would have out in the middle of nowhere, and to have mother nature touch me to the core with her blessed landscape.
Selenkay is an area that covers 15,000 acres, and the first in Kenya to have been set up as a conservancy. The presence of only one permanent tented camp, the Porini Amboseli Camp, for the high end traveler, combined with the accommodation for the more adventurous one at the Gamewatchers Adventure Camp, makes this area unique for the explorer who wants to experience wilderness at its utmost natural.
There are no other vehicles, and the experience is out of this world. The authenticity of the area, with its colorful Maasai living in their ‘bomas’, makes Selenkay ideal as one of the world’s most unique destinations.
Today, I go for the first time to this area, now known as Selenkay, to the north of the Amboseli National Park and marvel at the sight that greets me: acres and acres of untouched territory, endless sightings of incredible wildlife and the most remarkable sensation of being one with nature. Every sound is heeded and every breath is deep. I sit in a 4x4 and we drive away from the airstrip. We stop. I see uneven black spots in the grassy space ahead of me – the space forms into a shadow that now shifts at my slowly approaching vehicle. We are just few meters away from these uneven forms. The car comes to a complete stop and we wait. The engine is switched off, and the only sounds I can hear are the soft breathing of my driver guide and spotter, and the beating of my own heart. I look again at the area that has drawn us. The sun is creating deep shade under the tall grass, and I know there is something there. I can feel it. We wait. My guide lifts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and focuses on that area. He knows it is there too. As we wait patiently, my mind is begging the Gods for something spectacular, and my heart is racing as the silence continues to spread. I dare not shift my eyes from that spot as I know that the moment I do, I will miss whatever it is that I am supposed to see! The guide does a panoramic sweep with the binoculars and pauses as his focus shifts in the opposite direction of our initial focal point and he smiles. I cannot resist temptation as it makes me turn my head (for just a second I say to myself) to face that same direction. At that exact moment (of course…) the spotter, who never shifted his focus, pointed to our original spot.
‘Ona!’ He exclaimed in Kiswahili. My attention snapped back and the irregular spotting that I had seen earlier moved upwards to reveal an extended stretch of the back of a sleek and stealthy body which could only belong to a cheetah, undeniably waking up from an early afternoon nap… I felt the hair rise all over my body and could feel the sudden appearance of Goosebumps. As I continued starring at this magnificent cat, another one raised its mid section and opened its mouth to release the biggest yawn I had ever seen! I was awestruck by the scene unfolding in front of me. I couldn’t believe there was no one else witnessing this spectacle. I couldn’t take my eyes of them and I am glad I didn’t, for just behind the yawning cat, a third cheetah awoke from its slumber. This one stood up for a full out ‘downward dog’ yoga stretch and smoothed it out by a flicker of its head. I sat there, with eye brows raised and a gaping mouth as I saw the silhouette of a 4th cat coming from the other side of the bush that had hidden these creatures from plain sight.
I didn’t know what to think anymore. My mind was taking in the unfolding scene and processing what I was witnessing. It was absolutely magnificent! I didn’t want to leave so we stayed for another twenty minutes watching these beautiful animals perform their morning ritual of their awakening. For me, it is already a trip of lifetime!
My journey continues into the dry terrain of Selenkay. The sky is an intense blue, and the air is dry. In the distance, the tallest mammals on the planet take a peak from the top of thorn trees to take a glimpse of my vehicle as it zig zags around the bushes. I count at least five giraffes! My heart still hasn’t slowed down after its encounter with the world’s fastest cats! My thoughts kept returning to what I had seen that morning. An elephant stops in our path, give us a once-over, his ears flap open and he raises his trunk. I forget the cats suddenly and hold my breath as I hear the sound of a trumpet blaring from him. My heart rate increases as we make eye contact…I look at his face, and glimpse the beginning of a smile. He winks and continues crossing the path…he is then followed by the rest of his entourage. I am mesmerised by these large mammals as I watch them move together shielding an offspring from all corners. I can barely see the baby elephant, but catch a glimpse of its little legs running to keep up with its bigger counterparts.
Within minutes of my landing, I was thrown into a thrilling experience of ‘man meets wild’, and this was only the beginning. I had two nights to spend here. The reality of the space I was going to explore brought every one of my senses to life as I couldn’t wait to see more, to hear the sounds of wilderness, to smell the bush scent, to taste what would become without a doubt one of the best meals I would have out in the middle of nowhere, and to have mother nature touch me to the core with her blessed landscape.
Selenkay is an area that covers 15,000 acres, and the first in Kenya to have been set up as a conservancy. The presence of only one permanent tented camp, the Porini Amboseli Camp, for the high end traveler, combined with the accommodation for the more adventurous one at the Gamewatchers Adventure Camp, makes this area unique for the explorer who wants to experience wilderness at its utmost natural.
There are no other vehicles, and the experience is out of this world. The authenticity of the area, with its colorful Maasai living in their ‘bomas’, makes Selenkay ideal as one of the world’s most unique destinations.
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