We leave Nairobi behind and after a few hours journey along the edge of the Great Rift Valley we drop down into Lake Nakuru National Park. The park’s main feature is , not surprisingly a huge lake; one of many shallow alkaline lakes that dot the Great Rift Valley. As we enter the park we can see the large expanse of the lake in the near distance through towering acacia trees with green mottled trunks capped by a broad flat crown of feathery leaves. The shore of the lake appears to be fringed in pink foam. A quick glance through the binoculars reveals the pink fringe is in reality hundreds of thousands of flamingos colored by the pink algae in the lake that they feed upon. We quickly pitch our camp of three man dome tents that appear to be deformed mushrooms sprouting beneath the acacia trees. We eagerly gobble a quick lunch of cold cuts and vegetables while fending off a persistent troop of baboons and pile in the truck for our first safari. The sky is now obscured by dark grey clouds that threaten rain as we drive out to the lakeshore. As far as the eye can see the shallows of the lake are blanketed with flamingos in every shade of pink. Intermingled amongst the flamingos are African Pelicans that stand over four feet high. Perched in the acacia trees near the shore, grotesque Maribou Storks seem to preside over the scene but in reality are scavengers with vulture-like features.
A water buffalo idly gazes at the mini van loads of tourists that frantically click away with their digital cameras. The dark clouds now start to drop their wet load and we reluctantly pile back into the truck to continue our safari.
In short order we come upon a small herd of Zebras dressed in there striated coats. They graze unconcernedly again to the sound of digital cameras frantically clicking. We continue on to find a giant tortoise ambling through the forest followed by gazelle of every size and description. We see Thompson, McDonald, and common gazelle. We also see a water buck which looks like a gazelle on steroids. A short way further on we spy three white rhino in the distance but they are too far away for a clear view or camera shot.
The rain starts to come down in torrents and we drive along without seeing much of anything other than the beautiful acacia forest that thins into a half mile wide meadow to the shores of Lake Nakuru. As we turn to head back to camp we come upon a few giraffes. A bit further on, we see a whole herd or tower of giraffes. Our trip leader quickly identifies them as the more rare Rothschild giraffe. The final thrill of the day was provided by two white rhinos posing by the side of the road. The rain intensified as we drove the last few miles back to camp and we knew we were in for a wet dinner and night.
The rain cooperated briefly for us to get dinner on our plates and we retreated to the truck to at least eat in a dry environment. Shortly after dinner, I was done for as the combination of jet lag and lack of sleep due to a flooded bathroom in N the night before had overwhelmed my normal stamina.
I went to turn in for an early night to discover my tent had leaked and our sleeping pads, which were a good imitation of a sponge, were soaked. Our trusty guide Pesh provided us a new tent and sleeping pads and in short order I was down for the night.
We were up before dawn the next morning for a quick nosh and game drive. Through the moisture clogged morning air a deep orange sun rose over the lake back lighting the widely spaced acacia forest. A large herd of water buffalo with nostrils steaming in the humid air amble towards the lake and a day of grazing on the lush green grass. We drove on a bit further and John, one of our fellow travelers, spied a leopard lounging in a tree. Our truck spooked him but we all got a good view as he wandered off into the undergrowth.
As the morning wore on we saw several zebra, water buffalo, a variety of gazelle, and even a family of wart hogs. We drove along a half mile wide band of forest and meadow bracketed by the steep escarpment of the rift valley on one side and Lake Nakaru on the other. We had the good fortune to get a sighting of the more rare black rhino browsing through the brush on the slope above. A huge troop of baboons numbering in the hundreds kept us entertained for a while. After a brief rest stop at the eastern entrance to the park we headed back for camp and brunch. Our hunger and plans were thwarted by an unplanned for stop in two feet of mud. The driver quickly managed to spin the wheels on one side into the mud up to the axle. After several fruitless attempts to dig out and drive up onto the sand mats the driver finally called for help. Two hours later another truck arrived to pull us out and we raced back to camp with brief stops to view another tower of giraffes, assorted rhino, and gazelle. A final bonus lion spotting capped the drive.
We finally arrived back at the campground to break camp followed by a late brunch while continually being harassed by the aforementioned troop of baboons who wanted our lunch as much as we did.
We quickly packed up and hit the road after a quick stop in Nakuru town for supplies. Next stop Eldoret.
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