In
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania we followed the ungulates: herds of impalas,
Grant's gazelles, dik diks. 
Our
Land Rover frequently stopped for ostriches. The ugly birds demanded the right
of way and we had a good look at the bald heads and long awkward legs, but then
we saw a bird open its wings and it looked elegant.
Gazelles and other Antelopes
Typical
of the antelopes is this herd of impala, with one beautifully horned male
surrounded by a large harem of females.
This
is an oryx and this a eland
The
daintiest of the antelopes is the tiny dik dik.
Masses
of buffalo can be seen by the water, such as these seen in Doum Palm, Samburo.
At
Amboseli in Kenya we saw hundreds of giraffes. They browse on the acacia trees
and seem to have no itinerary other than wandering with their young. When
thirsty they splay their legs and bend their long necks to reach down to a river
or a lake. 
Their
cousins, the gerenuks, have shorter necks and legs but are tall enough to browse
on shrubs and bend low to reach the water. They occupy a unique niche in a land
that beckons every wild creature.
At
drought-ridden Tsavo in Kenya we saw huge herds of elephants. They are too large
to be cuddly but they are endearing. The mothers are protective of the young,
they are actually doting parents. The adults make friendly overtures to
partners, coiling their long trunks like "kissin’ cousins" at a
party. 
But
they are powerful beasts and to assuage their thirst on the dry plains they
uprooted baobab trees, sucked the moisture, and left the overturned vase-shaped
trunks on the savannah woodlands, creating a Dantesque landscape.
It was time to leave the wildlife behind and head on to Lamu
and South Africa.
