Picnicking in Lake Nakuru NP
July 2007: On Safari with the Kraabels
Picnicking in Lake Nakuru NP
In late June, our friends the Kraabels from
Seattle came to visit. The Kraabels consist of Tim, my friend
since junior high school, his wife Beth, son's Geoffrey and Nick, and
daughter Aubrey. They came first to Kenya for a two week
visit, then on to Egypt for another week.
We first went to Lake Nakuru NP where we
stayed at the WWF house. We saw lots of animals the first day and
during the evening we were wondering: are there really lions in Lake
Nakuru park? We had never seen one. Well, the next day we
answered it conclusively: we saw a leopard about 10 minutes from the
house and then a lion about 5 minutes later. Good thing we werent
out for a walk! We of course, saw lots of other animals at Lake
Nakuru, including rhino's, flamingos, giraffe, zebra, and tons of
gazelle. Lake Nakuru is tough to beat for animal viewing!
From Lake Nakuru, we headed off towards Mt
Kenya. We tried to pass through Aberderes NP along the way, but
unfortunately, we took some wrong turns and ended up at
Nyahururu (Thompson's Falls). We took a look a the famous falls,
had a picnic lunch,
and then did a bit of souvenier shopping before heading off to Naro
Moru. Geoffrey turned out to be quite the bargainer.
In Naro Moru, we stayed at one of our favorite
places, the Naro
Moru River Lodge. The kids had a great time
playing in the pool and also building a dam across the river.
Later in the day, we went over to the Mt Kenya
Safari Club where Tim,
Beth, Cara, and I went horseback riding in the park and Ruma took the
other kids swimming. We saw zebra, bushbuck, and an elephant out
on our ride. After we returned to the lodge, it started to
rain heavily but the kids were determined to see the local animal
orphanage. So, Tim and Beth took all the kids off to the animal
orphanage in the rain (and lightning) while Ruma and I stayed back and
had biscuits and tea in the
lounge. We thought we had the better half of the bargain, but
when the others got back, they were very impressed with the
orphanage (and no one was electrocuted). At the orphanage, they
met the local animal keeper there who let
gave them a real insider tour.
From Naro Moru, we headed North, to Samburu
NP. Along the way, it started to rain again and when we got past
Isiolo, things were starting to look rather dodgy. The main
highway was OK, but it was pure mud on either side, and we had to get
off the main road at Archers Post. From there, it's another 30 KM
of small roads to our lodge in Samburu. I was worried. We
got off the main road at Archers Post
and basically started driving up a stream (formerly the road).
However after about 1
KM, the rain and stream just stopped. As we entered the park, it
was dry, in fact it was even dusty. Very strange. I've
never seen weather so discreet.
In Samburu, we saw lots of animals including
lions, reticulated giraffe, grevy's zebra, gerenuk, and one of my
favorites, oryx. We stayed in the Sopa lodge, which was nice, but
it's a bit out of the way. After two days touring Samburu
and Buffalo Springs, we made the long drive back to Nairobi. On
the way back to Nairobi, we had some trouble with one of the
cars but luckily, we were able to get it repaired in Isiolo and were
able to drive back home.
Back in Nairobi, we took the opportunity to do
laundry and prepare for our Mara trip. But, we also managed to
see the elephant orphanage, have lunch at Carnivore
restaurant, race go carts, and feed giraffes at the Giraffe
Center. So much for an off day.
Friday meant it was time to head to the
Mara. But not before we had a chance to hit the Masai Market at
Village Market. Here, Geoffrey was again back in his element,
working
deals that his mom & dad could only dream about. Around
eleven,
we jumped in the cars and headed West to the Masai Mara. We
entered through Sekenani Gate and camped at Talek gate (no more
C13!). While
setting up camp, we found we only had 1 tent; our second tent was
somehow mispacked from a previous trip. Luckily, the campground
had a spare tent for hire.
We spent 2 days touring the Mara. We saw
lots of elephants, buffalos, lions, and several cheetahs. In the
Mara river, we saw lots of hippos and a few crocodiles. Didnt see
many zebra or wildebeest though and no crossings; we were a bit too
early for the
migration. I heard later that if we had gone to the Sand River
along the southern border of the Mara, we might have seen some.
Back in Nairobi, we went to the animal
orphanage where we were able to pet cheetahs, and then did one last
go-cart race before heading home to so Tim & Beth could prepare for
their Egypt trip.