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That night we stayed on the outskirts of Lake Bogria reserve, in a little community hotel. I would strongly suggest not staying where we did, since sadly the people there were just rip off merchants, overchargin us for inferiror service becuase of our white skin. It happens in many places in East Africa, although at the same time in many places one has a wonderful experince with the locals: it’s just pot luck in many ways.
The next morning we left asap and entered the park, driving down to the gizas, where hot pools bubble near the lake and steam gently pours out over you, a wonderful expericne and very good for your health. We didn’t have any eggs, so Isaac went back to the entrance to buy some, leaving me and Sheila to enjoy the steam while john went for a walk along the shore. Taking the car, though, Isaac had taken the suncream. Being in the hot steam, I didn’t notice the height of the sun and so soon became quite pink and had to seek shade. By the end of the day I looked like a flamingo – oops! Mosituriser was in desperate need. Luckily I had brought soem with me, so there was no dramas, and I have ended up with an ok tan, so overall not too bad, even if not too healthy.
When Isaac did return, we used some ropes we had in the car to tie a net and then me one one side and john on the other held the net of eggs in the boiling water, hardboiling the eggs. They tasted fantastic when cooked, and shortly after a school came along and we helped them cook their eggs while Isaac and John explained how the gizas exist, before getting his fishing rod out for the next group and pretending to fish in the hot pools.
Next we went to the hot springs – what I call the sperm killer. The water is really hot, and almost scolds, but not quite. That said, one cant spend more than about 10 minutes there or you might start to boil. The day was also at its hottest now, so Isaac took us to a little strem that provides fresh water to the saline lake. ALthough this was lovely and cool. there were tztse flies everywhere, and I got bitten every minute I think, so we didnt stay their too long – just a quick cold tusker and picnic lunch before going to another, non tzste inhabited spot for a siesta.
We had a good rest, in a wonderfully calm and peaceful spot, where slolwy by slowly a group of olive baboons came to investigate us, forming a ring around us in the trees. They were perfectly safe, and soon left when we began to stir and get ready for our late afternoon game drive.
It was a great way to end the day, since we saw several rock hyrax chilling on some rocks, three lesser kud, one of which was stood close to the steam, warming herself up, and also some dwarf mongeese. The rok hyrax were particulary interesting, since they have a polarising filter in their eye which allows them to look up at the sun without blinding themselves, giving them protection from the eagles who hunt them.
We spent the night in baringo at anothe community hotle, which was fine, before heading back to Nairobi the next day so that Sheila and John could get the bus back to Dar es Salam the next morning. We had one last meal together before saying goodbye. It had been a wonderful safari I was privliged to have been on, and I was sad that it was ending, although obviously Isaac was even more so. We left to get some sleep before heading back to Naivasha the next day, to rest up before Isaac had another safari, and one which I was able to help him out on, which was fun.
Filed under: Diary
Sheila had recovered sufficently for us to leave for Kisumu, and Isaac had returned from Nairobi, so we set off to see Isaac’s family in Kisumu. I already knew them, and had lived with them for several months on my previous trip, but for John and Sheila it was their first time to see their Goddaughter, Isaac’s daughter, Impala. On the way, we stopped at the tea hotel in Kericho, the home of Kenyan tea growing and an old colonial house now renovated into quite a nice hotel.
We arrived in Kisumu in the evening, so went to the house and slept before going down to the shores of lake kisumu and digging into a huge plate of fish and ugali for lunch, again an absoloute must if one is in kisumu. It is not very expensive but it is very filling, and in general an enjoyable thing to do in Kisumu, especially as there isn’t really that much else there, except a possible boat trip on lake victoria or the bog standard city things.
After spending time with them, we left for Kakamega forest, arriving in the early evening and booking inot a fully contained sort of house/banda. It was very comfortable, but we didn’t spend much time there, wanting to walk down to the waterfall before sunset. Again there was a wonderful aray of birds, and a large number of monkeys calling and screaching to another, before we arrived at the waterfall and watched a hamerkop take a shower in the light spray that bounced of the rocks. It began to get dark quickly, though, so we headed back home.
After a simple dinner, sleep and then egg and crisps for breakfast (the only supplies we had left), we went for two more walks around Kakamega, admiring the diversity of tree as well as bird life – beside many trees there are signs saying what they are called, based on research that is done in Kakamega. After a good walk, it was time to leave for Bogoria.
I love Kakamega forest, and it is a very interesting place to visit, except for those who are more interested in big game, it will not be that enjoyable. However for those who like birds and forests and enjoy a walk through them, it will be enjoyable and worthwhile. Also, fairly close by is Saiwa Swamp, a tiny reserve, with just a short walk to a viewing platform where one can see the Sitatunga antelope in the swamp and possibly also the rare de brazza monkey. It all makes for a nice trip, and a slightly different route to the usual big game parks and maasai mara, although it can easily be combined with these things on a longer trip.
Filed under: Diary
On our next day we took a trip to lake elementatia. This is yet another lake in the Naivasha region, on the way to Nakuru. We had been told of a new camp that was open, and so went to search for it, only be told it was just planned to be built, not actually open. A pity, since it was meant to be next to the hot springs with a good view of the lake, which would have been lovely. AFter searching through some more camps that said they were open when they weren’t, we eventually found flamingo camp and set up tents.
It is not a bad campsite, except there is no real bar at the moment and the number of lake flies is unbelivable, so when they start flying around you its very annoying. Also, they told us at 9:330 the next morning that we had to be out by 10 or face paying for another day, so in the end not too great an experience. HAving been told to leave, we did and went for a game drive around the lake, seeing a wonderfularray of birds, as always expected in naivasha, including the black heron.
This is a fascinating bird, who opens his or her wings and creates a shelter, so looking like a ball. He then pokes his head down beneath the shelter created by his wings and fishes, tricking the fish into cming nearer the surface becuase of the cover created. We didin’t actually see him fishing, but i saw it on a documenatry of Isaac’s once, and it really is quite strange, although wonderful at the same time.
We also saw the carcass of a buffalo, loads of flaminoges and pelicans nesting on small rock islands just in from the sure, using the protection of the water to help keep their nests safe. Again this was an interesting thing to see, and only happens when the lake is deep enough for the rocks to be surrounded by water, rather than on dry land on the shore. The lake has recided in recent years, too, so again it was a fortunate sight to see.
Sheila had gone man down at this point, contracting a fever that had been going around naivasha recently, and so once we’d finished the game drive we decided to return to Fishermans camp for her to rest up before going to kisumu the next day.
That night, though, we had a wonderful candlelit dinner on the veranda of karibuni cottage at fishhermans, which is lovely in itself and has a wonderful view over the lake. Indeed, if a family or a group of friends its a good place to rent out for a week, time which you can easily fill with interesting things around naivasha, since it is very comfortable and fully self containeed, giving you a not too expensive but still quite luxurious base from which to make trips.
