Guides’ Best Sightings in Amboseli

Salash Johnson

I was out with guests on an evening safari, trying to spot some predators, mainly cats. I scanned the edge of the woodland tortilis acacia forest through my binoculars and noticed two tawny eagles diving swiftly up and down. Tawny eagles are often used as an indicator for fresh meat. So, I started thinking, 'Could it be a predator kill?'

Excited, I told the guests, 'Let’s rush — there might be a fresh kill!' As we arrived, we saw a tawny eagle delivering a decisive crush with its powerful talons, followed by a quick tear of its hooked beak. It subdued the writhing serpent, a dramatic testament to the raptor’s mastery of the land, as it prepared to consume its formidable, full-length prey (a noxious puff adder).

This was something I had never seen before. In fact, the guests could read the astonishment and excitement on my face.

Stephen Sabore

At the beginning of December, I collected a guest from the Amboseli Airstrip. She was full of excitement and delighted to find that breakfast had already been set out for her.

Before we sat down to eat, she said to me, 'I love all animals and birds, but what would make me happiest — what I truly came for — is to see a cheetah. If I see my favourite, I'll be content to stay at the lodge and not go anywhere else.' I promised her with complete confidence: 'You will see a cheetah.' I knew she was staying for a few days, so the chances were good.

After we ate, we drove towards the Lodge, and 40 minutes into the drive, we were surprised. There were five cheetahs in the distance, walking towards us. 'I can see cheetahs — more than two — and they're coming this way.' She stayed calm and watched as they came closer. One came right up to the vehicle, settling underneath. The cheetah stayed near her side for more than an hour. When it finally moved off, she was in tears, so happy. It was a moment she (and I) will never forget.

Mpararia Daniel

The swamp was quiet, thick with green water. What looked like a sunken log drifted near the reeds, unmoving, forgotten. But I knew it was a rock python, coiled and waiting. 

A heron waded in at the edge, slow and careful. Its reflection stretched across the water as it hunted, neck poised, eyes fixed on the flicker of life below the surface. One quick strike, that was all it needed. The water exploded, and the python surged upward, coils snapping shut. The heron beat its wings, splashing mud and panic into the air, but the swamp offered no escape. The snake tightened, patient and unstoppable, until the struggle faded and the water grew still again. 

Alice Maintaine, Head Guide at Angama Amboseli

One afternoon in Amboseli National Park, I spotted six cheetahs resting beside a fresh kill, a Thomson’s gazelle. Their lean bodies rippled with energy as they took turns feeding.

Then, from the distance, came four old buffalo bulls, broad, dark, and lumbering. Their eyesight wasn’t the sharpest, but they must have caught a whiff of the cheetahs or the kill. Snorting and pawing the ground, they began moving closer, suspicious and clearly agitated. The cheetahs froze, tails twitching, eyes bright with irritation rather than fear. 

One buffalo charged, sending the cheetahs scattering in all directions. The scene turned almost comical as the mighty bulls chased after the swift cats, who darted and weaved with ease, always staying just out of reach. Every time the buffalo turned away, the cheetahs crept back toward their meal, only to be chased off again moments later. 

Eventually, the old bulls gave up and trudged off into the grasslands. The cheetahs wasted no time; they regrouped at the carcass. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera to capture this sighting, but it was indeed one that I will never forget.

Daniel Leshan

It was a bright morning with guests, and the plan was to visit Amboseli National Park and to see Craig the Super Tusker.

Before we left the Kimana Sanctuary, we decided to do one round to see what the early birds typically find, and we were lucky enough to see spots in a tree. Motonyi, the only cheetah in the Sanctuary, was struggling to hide from a lioness with cubs.

The morning got even more exciting as we came across a southern rock python constricting a glossy ibis in the Longinye Swamp in the National Park. It's always fascinating to see these giant snakes in action.

Elvis Omae
One perfect morning, when we headed out with guests into Kimana Sanctuary, we came across Noltulali and her cubs as they made their way along their morning trail. She looked focused and alert, clearly following a scent, though we weren’t sure what she was up to, which made it even more exciting.

Following her from a distance, she climbed an acacia tortilis tree, with all three youngsters following her. The cubs began playing with each other, tumbling, pawing, and climbing, turning the tree into a playground. All the while, Noltulali stayed still, eyes fixed on something we couldn’t see. Minutes later, three warthogs came trotting through the grass. We held our breath, expecting a chase. But none came. The warthogs passed by, and she let them go.

In the end, it wasn’t about the chase; it was about witnessing raw behaviour, patience, intelligence, and the bond between a mother and her cubs. It was a magical sighting, one that will stay with me for a very long time. 

Jeremy Lorinyo

With a newcomer cheetah at Kimana Sanctuary, there was great excitement in finding her. Not only did we find her, but we were privileged to witness her first hunt and kill in the Sanctuary. Breath held and excitement hushed, patience ripened under the night lights as the young cheetah strategically took down a Grant’s gazelle fawn two hours after sighting her. Then, with respect for the wild, we slipped away before the hyenas could steal her hard-won kill.