Emli Bendixen
The most popular guy in all ofsouthern Kenyahas to be a 51-year-old named Craig.
Did you see Craig?
And when you reply not yet, the news will be met with a disappointed shake of the head.
The elephant known as Craig, seen in front of Mount Kilimanjaro, walks through southern Kenya’s Kimana Sanctuary.Credit:Emli Bendixen
He comes up at breakfast; hes the subject of discussion at lunch.
Then a text message came through to my guide, Johnson Salaash.
Charlie Romeo, code for Craig, had been spotted.
From left: Cheetah spotting in the Maasai Mara near Angama Mara; safari guide Johnson Salaash on a game drive near Angama Amboseli.Emli Bendixen
A buzz ran through the bunker.
Over the decades, Craig has become a highly sought-after photographic prize.
That afternoon we saw cheetahs, buffalo, hyenas, and innumerable birds, but Craig remained elusive.
From left: Dennis Adikinyi at work in the shamba, or kitchen garden, at Angama Mara; a picnic lunch in Amboseli National Park.Emli Bendixen
That afternoon we saw cheetahs, buffalo, hyenas, and innumerable birds, but Craig remained elusive.
The thing is, I was never really an elephant guy.
Of course I can marvel at their majesty, and I found Salaashs enthusiasm for the creatures infectious.
Angama Amboseli’s communal guest area, where meals and drinks are served.Emli Bendixen
But when it comes to wildlife spotting, Im slowly turning into my bird-watching parents.
Black-headed lapwings shimmied through puddles on the side of the gravel track.
But Mitchell, who took over as CEO in 2022, is confident the region is on the rise.
From left: The mnara, or observation tower, at Angama Amboseli; flying over the saline waters of Lake Magadi en route to Angama Mara.Emli Bendixen
Then you look at the conservation side, Mitchell continued.
Being here enables this place to continue to thrive as a sanctuary for elephants and other animals.
People think, Its a lovely little spot here in the wilderness, and thats no longer the case.
Patrick Kisiara, a Maasai guide at Angama Mara.Emli Bendixen
For Millar, luxury tourism is one answer.
so that make it sustainable, we needed a really high-end facility, he said.
That changed when Angama came knocking.
The author on a hot-air balloon ride over the Mara River.Emli Bendixen
Off the bedroom is a spacious dressing area that carries through to an enormous double-vanity bathroom.
The place buzzed with chirps and cries and calls and howls.
I felt blissfully disconnected even though the camp has Wi-Fi and cell service.
A giraffe catches the post-storm sun in the Kimana Sanctuary, near Angama Amboseli.Emli Bendixen
Checking the weather forecast was pointless: rain could appear or disappear at any moment.
We all dashed for our cameras when the snowcapped summit finally emerged.
Unlike the Serengeti or the Mara, Amboseli is for much of the year an arid, dusty place.
A male lion sighted near Angama Mara.Emli Bendixen
We passed shallow lakes brimming with birds, stopping every now and then for photographs.
Salaash spotted two cheetahs slinking across the plain.
Despite its fabulous density of wildlife, Amboseli faces threats.
My final day at Angama Amboseli was cloudless, and the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro was in full view.
Bendixen and I rendezvoused with Salaash for one last drive around the sanctuary.
Craig snapped up a branch here and there, slowly approaching us.
He flapped his gigantic ears.
He tore a limb from an acacia tree with his trunk as though it was a tiny twig.
Every so often, Salaash would reposition our Land Cruiser to keep pace with the herd.
You went looking for Craig, but then he came to find you, he said.
Turns out I was an elephant guy all along.
(Angama will arrange for a private transfer on smooth, paved roads.)
Elephants are the star of the show there, and game drives can be scheduled around the clock.
Lodge staff can also organize walking safaris, bush picnics, sundowners, massages, and other personalized experiences.
