LAKE NAKURU – This Time, There Were Monkeys

It’s time for the final chance to meet and greet some of Kenya’s wildlife as we head into the final days of our safari. Setting out from Elementaita, we head off to explore two of the other soda lakes in the same region. The first is Lake Nakuru; which is almost invisible beneath the masses of pelicans and flamingos who crowd its shores. Nakuru is famed for its abundant wildlife both in and out of the water. Above our heads; fish eagles wait poised on the edge of nearby branches waiting to pick off wildlife below including one poor sick flamingo who we watch... as I mentioned in a previous journal, safari turns us all into blood sport enthusiasts. There are also other eagles and even ospreys darting overhead.


Baby flamingo with an injured leg limping around. All together now: awww...


Me and a whole lotta pelicans.

The park surrounding the lake is a nature reserve; and so has a more formal system of fences, gates and artificial water holes than the sprawling Massai Mara. But that also means the wildlife are even more accessible. Early on in the day we meet White Rhinos at the side of the road. Like the ones we saw in the Massai Mara, these are huge and beautifully old looking animals. They’re not white and, as Elijah explains, that’s down to an error of pronunciation rather than colouration (early colonists referred to them as ‘wide rhinos’ which was obviously misheard at some point)


White rhinos on the shores of Lake Nakuru.

One animal which has eluded us in our travels thus far has been the leopard. With low hanging trees providing plenty of hiding places, we hope to see one as we head through the park. Heading up and down the escarpments of the park we see plenty of old favorites including more zebra and buffalo. We also see plenty of Rothschild giraffes, a sub species with slightly different colouration and which are, perhaps, a touch more graceful. There’s also plenty of monkeys throughout the reserve. Baboons roam on the ground, in large family groups, whilst colobus monkeys swing through the trees above us.


Another giraffe, this time a Rothschild varient.


Baboon family at Lake Nakuru.

But as the afternoon wears on, it becomes clear that the leopard will remain elusive to us. Elijah and Samuel are disappointed; they haven’t found one for several safaris now and I think they take it as a bit of a personal failure. It may be that the drought around these lakes has driven the leopards somewhere else temporarily. For us, however, there’s no disappointment. Not just because of the abundant wildlife we have got to see, including a glimpse of the elusive leopard tortoise (the one animal on nobody’s Kenyan animal watching list which jolly well should be) but because we truly feel like we’ve had an experience of discovery and exploration. We’re all pretty sure that no zoo will be able to complete anymore.


The infamous leopard tortoise. I'd like to think it climbs trees and pounces on passers by, but I can't prove it.


Late afternoon gathering at the watering hole.

No trouble spotting the most famous residents of our final stop, Lake Naivasha. Unlike the other Rift Valley lakes we’ve visited, Naivasha is fresh water. But that means it has suffered more problems than just drought; increased irrigation of nearby commercial vegetable and flower growing operations have reduced its size exponentially in the thirty plus years since Lois last visited, and the change, she tells us, is startling. Fresh water also means different animal life and we exchange trucks for boats to go around the lake and see it’s most famous inhabitants: hippos. Hippos are reputed to be protective of their young and therefore rather dangerous, but they seem rather unimpressed with us as we float past. More interested are the fish eagles who, for the incentive of some fish thrown by our boat driver, make speedy high angle dives under the water’s surface before soaring back to their perches.


Hippos on the shore of Lake Naivasha.


Fish eagle grabs its prey!

Naivasha is also a reserve, and we spend a few minutes on dry land where buffalo and giraffes are roaming around. This is the first time we’ve been able to take any of our game viewing on foot (because, y’know, those predators in the main reserves can be somewhat pesky) and we’re treated to the thunderous roar of running wildebeest who dash across the fields just a few metres in front of us.


The running wildebeest. Not included; the ground shaking!


Boating among the hippos. Forgot to mention the extra large life jackets which would have been fairly useless in the event of an emergency. Having just been working at summer camp a couple of weeks before, these are the things I notice!

Once more back in the truck we head for our final journey back through the Rift Valley and up the escarpment to Nairobi. We return to Rock House and have a number of farewells to make. Demetrius, having cooked three meals every day for two weeks, finally gets to return home to his family. As do Samuel and Elijah; although they don’t know if they’ll be called upon to head out on safari again soon after. They have been fabulous guides and travel companions; and may possibly have picked up some new card games from us to take up Mount Kenya the next time they make the trip! The Capes are also off: Jon, Doug and Ruth have one more day before heading home to Scotland whilst Lois will be staying on to attend a conference in Nairobi. It’s always strange to go back to travelling solo after been part of a group for a week, especially when we’ve had a lot of fun getting to know each other and the country we’re exploring. But it’s time to move on… back to the Kenya Comfort Hotel for a day’s layover before I fly to Uganda.


The whole gang. From left to right: Elijah, Samuel, Ruth, Douglas, Lois, Jon, Demetrius and me!


Thanks to the wonders of slightly-underpowered-photo-stitching-software; a panoramic view of Lake Nakuru.