Amboseli National Park, Kenya

As dawn raisers go, Mount Kilimanjaro in all her glory is a sight to behold. Over breakfast Sami's prediction comes true as gradually the clouds part and there she is, huge and magnificent, standing 5891 metres high, her crater-formed crest tipped with snow.

To the left of the main summit is a smaller, jagged peak, once all part of the same even-mightier volcano. Local Chagga legend tells that the peaks are two sisters who used to gather firewood together. They both had identical domes but Kibo, the bigger of the two, became convinced that Mawenzi was being lazy and stealing wood from her pile. She was so enraged she grabbed a log and beat her sister over the head, resulting in the shape seen today.

The main mountain was first climbed in 1889, when it had enormous glaciers coursing down its slopes, but scientists believe global warming will mean the peak becomes snow free by 2020. And the heat outside as we get in the jeep at 8.30 in the morning makes it hard to believe that we can actually see snow in Africa.

As we drive to the Amboseli National Park we see villagers herding cows to waterholes with the mountain backdrop creating picturesque scenes. However, entering through the Kimana Gate a few minutes later, clouds start to form once more and a veil is drawn across the sisters for the rest of the day.

It doesn't matter though as before us lies one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. The Amboseli reserve itself is very flat and most famous for its more than two thousand elephants. It's also host to vast herds of other animals who all flock during the day to the swamps and marshes, and the much diminished central lake, which means spotting wildlife is easy. Take one look and it's all around you.

As we drive around, the assembled inhabitants are all gathering for their morning drink. We watch zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and gazelles in large migrations, crossing the roads on their way to the water, with the rare oryx antelope also amongst their number. Families of baboons follow alongside, some mating, others grooming, while chomping on trees, giraffes roam the plains, and hippos wallow in the waters.

But nothing matches the sight of large families of elephants slowly crossing the land, following paths they have trod daily over generations. Some groups pass us at incredibly close range, more than twenty at a time, including babies, young elephants, mothers and huge bull elephants weighing more than seven tonnes, all marching to the beat of the leading matriarch.

Amboseli is home to the longest-running elephant research project in Africa and has been tracking some of these animals for forty years. It was this project that discovered elephants talk to each other using subsonic frequencies, which explains why they all sometimes stop at the exact same moment, dictated by the matriarch, before simultaneously all starting to march again at her command. It's humbling and amazing to watch.

Soon we pull onto vast grazing lands that stretch almost as far as the eye can see in all directions. Thousands upon thousands of animals are on the open plains, the safest place from the big cat predators that hide in the more wooded parts, and as we span the full panoramic 360 degrees we're overwhelmed by what we are witnessing.

This almost prehistoric sight is like a veritable Garden of Eden, utterly breathtaking and deeply spiritual. Words cannot do the sight justice. It's profoundly moving just watching these magnificent animals, these families, slowly and sedately doing what they do every day. It's no surprise that this crucible of life was where mankind first evolved.

Yet during this moment of great beauty, the sounds of phones, cameras, jeeps and safari planes punctuate the silence. It's a reminder of our intrusive, post-industrial presence. One can only hope that we do not destroy such breathtaking wonders in our relentless quest for progress.

Amongst the four-legged animals stride ostriches, and avian life abounds in the water and air alike. Among many others we spot the African fish eagle and its cousin the tawny eagle, egrets, Egyptian geese, blacksmith plovers, herons, the Malachite kingfisher, the African jacana, flamingos, pelicans, ox-peckers and the fabulously named superb starling.

As the morning progresses we stop for a break at Ol Tukai Lodge in the heart of reserve. A super swanky five star safari hotel its pool, gardens, rooms and restaurant all face straight out onto the reserve and as we sit having a drink in the bar we look out on the plains we've just driven through, watching the wildlife in total luxury. How wonderful it must be to stay here, right in the heart of this natural paradise.

Later, as we leave the park to have lunch in a specially constructed campsite restaurant, we see warthogs chasing each other and watch mini tornados, or dust devils as Martin calls them, dotting the landscape, whirling and twisting into the sky.

Finally just before our exit a group of hyaenas emerge right before us, having been sheltering from the heat of the day in an irrigation tunnel under the road. The last of the Ugly Five, our scorecard is complete. Next stop Nairobi and a flight to Tanzania to see what wonders lie there.