Lake Nakuru – The Wet Patch on Kenya -
A shallow water lake in the rift valley, Lake Nakuru in the local language stands for Waterbuck haven. The ‘soda lake’ has been created naturally by the collection of water in a volcanic crater in this rift valley region which was the point of immense tectonic activity many years ago. An ornithologist magnet, Lake Nakuru attracts a large variety of some of the most splendid birds in Africa.
The Birdwatcher’s Paradise
For those wishing to reduce their journey time to a mere half an hour, flights can be chartered in Nairobi. They land at the Naishi airstrip from where the journey takes another half an hour by road.
Lake Nakuru is located around 150km north west of Nairobi and is best traveled to by road. Most people hire cars to tour the country of Kenya. These are usually open topped mini vans which double up as game viewing vehicles when inside the national parks. We were on a tour of the entire country of Kenya and hence drove up to Lake Nakuru from Mount Kenya, a journey which took around five hours. A bumpy, dusty ride brought us from beautifully pleasant mountains to hot and sultry plains. The four kilometer drive from Nakuru town felt almost never ending as our mini-van jumped leaped and sprung on the uneven roads. Do take care to hold on tight because if you don’t already have a back problem, you might develop one on these roads.
The Welcoming Milestone
It’s almost ironic that I titled this post ‘The Wet patch on Kenya’ because this region is actually one that gets the lowest rainfall in Kenya! Pleasant temperatures prevail throughout the year – usually in the twenties degree Celsius. The best time to visit Lake Nakuru is from June to September and January to March. The time we visited was the Kenyan winter which was amazing because rain showers and temperatures were at their minimum.
Luxury
The Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is a great option for luxury seekers. With room rates quoted at around 450 USD a night for a standard double room during the peak season, indulgence obviously does not come cheap. The lodge has 64 chalet style rooms and extravagant services to boot – sauna, an outdoor swimming pool, a conference room, a baby sitting facility, and other five star facilities.
Standard
The Lake Nakuru Lodge is where we stayed. I will not lie to you, we were disappointed but only because we had just arrived from the lap of luxury – the Mount Kenya Safari Club. If looked at objectively, the Lake Nakuru Lodge offers one almost all the facilities of Sarova Lion Hill at around 100 USD cheaper. With a small outdoor pool with breathtaking views, a lovely stone viewing deck and varied cuisine.
The Busy Reception
A pool with a view
The cottages we stayed in
The astounding view of Lake Nakuru from the Lodge
Budget :
There are various camp sites in the region which clearly make for the cheapest accommodation.
This 180 sq km national park is home to more than 400 species of birds, most of them waterbirds which cross tens of thousands in their population count. We cannot however ignore the fact that this waterbuck haven is home to a variety of other animals – wild buffaloes, zebras, lions, Rothschild giraffes, warthogs, impalas, elands and endangered white rhinos. The Lake Nakuru attracts the largest population of flamingoes every year than any other part of the world thereby coming to be known as a ‘Bird Spectacle’. To watch this spectacle, try and get hold of BBC’s documentary show Massive Nature – The Trap.
The wild buffalo – gazing and lazing
Animal Spotting
The animal we were trying to spot. Can you spot it?
Our ancestors at their social best
Late afternoon, we set out for our game drive to see what all Lake Nakuru had to offer. Over a three hour game drive, we were overjoyed with our sightings.
Funnily enough the large population of Baboons in the region has resulted in a cliff being named after them. Baboon Cliff is in fact one of the high spots in Lake Nakuru National Park from where bird life can be observed.
White Rhinos
The drive around the national park leads us to the soda water lake around 2 hours later. The sun has lowered itself in the west and the time is around 5pm. The rays glisten off the salty waters of the lake and you can almost see the greenish blue shade of the algae that floats on the ripples. This algae is in fact the reason for the thriving population of flamingoes in this region.
Flamingo Town
Soda Lake Birds – Seagulls, Pelicans and Flamingoes
The storks occupy their own spot away from the water
If the sight of a million flamingoes creating a light pink horizon at sunset hadn’t been enough to enthrall us, on our drive back towards the Lodge, in the thicket, far away we spotted three lions, well actually one lion and two lionesses. Our first lion sighting in Kenya until that point, we were absolutely thrilled until our car driver told us to keep quiet and take a closer look through the binoculars. We all had to slap our hands on our mouths to keep from squealing in awe and delight at the sight we were looking at.
A rare rare sight – Lions making babies!
Considering you’re inside a national park, you obviously are confined to eating within the hotel, however the lodge offered a variety akin to a king’s feast. Cuisines on offer included Indian, Chinese, Kenyan and Italian with live counters for Pasta, Salads and eggs.
There is a lot of volcanic scenery that surrounds the Lake Nakuru. One must visit site is Lake Naivasha – a lake formed at the bottom of a volcanic crater. The Crater Lake Lodge here is one of the best tented camps and is known to be the best weekend getaway from Nairobi which is a two hour drive away. It is around 30 kilometres from Nakuru. The Lodge costs approximately 200 USD a night for a standard double room.
Closure
While an individual trip to Lake Nakuru would work out quite expensive, there are package tours covering the whole of Kenya which would not cost more than Rs 1 lakh per person for a period of 10 days (inclusive of airfare, hotels, meals and transport).
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