5 August -- Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru (by David)

Last night, we ended our evening dinner by having coffee outside on the lawn of the Navasha Country Club. The hotel had dozens of tables and chairs set up out side under a few garden lights. It was very cool out, so the hot drinks were very welcomed! After about 20 minutes, the ghostly, silent silhouette of a herd of Water Bucks came creeping up to nibble on the manicured lawns. We enjoyed watching them walking around the grounds until a group of loud Spaniards starting stalking them, scaring the Water Bucks away.

After breakfast Friday morning, we hit the road about 8:00 a.m. for Lake Nakuru National Park, our driver (Justus) answering our questions about various plants and birds as we drove along.

Along the way, we saw a monitor lizard, and from a distance, Lake Nakuru. From a distance, it looks like the shores of the lake are covered with pink foam. These were the famous flamingos of Lake Nakuru. There must have been over a million of them! As far as the eye could all around the entire lake.

We did some bird-watching this day too in a beautiful grove of yellow barked acacia trees….absolutely enchanting.

We checked into the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge which overlooks Lake Nakuru. The lodge is built into a hillside. (After the hike up to our cabins, we were quite winded!)

During the game drive this afternoon, we were very happy to see 7 or 8 rhinos (White Rhinos) grazing on the grass just off of the side of the road. They were truly amazing to watch. Later on, we were very lucky to also see a leopard on a rock bluff. Several Land Rovers were already lined up so we knew something was catching their attention. As we approached, we spotted the leopard, but only got a decent view of its head from where we were. After only a few minutes, the leopard all but posed for us. It stood up, the walked from one side of the ledge to the other, spraying its territory. We could not have been in a better location...an absolutely perfect view of this magnificent cat.

Driving back to the lodge, we had one final treat for the day. Just off the road, we glimpsed two dik-diks making their way through the brush. These are the tiny antelopes of Kenya that are about the size of small dogs. (So small, in fact, that our guide said that they are often carried off by some of the larger birds of prey!) They looked like miniature deer with incredibly large, dark eyes…and tiny horns.

This evening, we enjoyed the entertainment provided by the lodge: dancers performing various traditional dances to a drum trio. Caroline and Linda got up and joined the dance at one part when they asked for volunteers. Very funny!

For dinner, we had a huge buffet. The theme was one of “bar-b-que” which consisted of grilling a variety of meats, including chicken, pork and lamb, if I remember correctly. They had lots of good Indian food as well, soups and salads…and one of our favorites dessert snacks to date: a very yummy peanut brittle.