Category: Rift Valley

For my last weekend in Kenya, we made one last trip into the Rift Valley. This time we visited the very beautiful Lake Naivasha National Park for a bit of easy hiking and a bit more wildlife spotting. We did another crater rim hike, but is was not nearly as spectacular as Mount Longonot – although it did have a lake in the middle. It was fittingly called Crater Lake. We could see giraffes on the volcano floor along with a number of warthogs. Outside of the crater were plenty more giraffes, impalas, and other herbivores.

Crater Lake Volcano Hike

We stopped by the Ranch House Bistro for lunch as we started our return journey to Nairobi. Afterwards, as we continued our trip, we dropped by Elsamere for a cup of tea and a browse around the house that was home to George and Joy Adamson of “Born Free” fame. The property was named after Elsa the lion – and star of the same film. There was a 45 minute documentary to watch and many of their possessions on display. The house was built in a beautiful location on the shores of Lake Naivasha. A group of baboons, and later, colobus monkeys, swung around in the trees next to the lake to keep us entertained.

After a final early morning game cruise on Lake Baringo, we got ourselves back to the mainland for the long drive back to Nairobi. Along the way we took our time and swung through the Lake Bogoria Nature Reserve to see if there were any flamingos still hanging around. The lake attracts over a million flamingos at certain times of the year. We were happy enough to have found several hundred still there. The lake is also famous for its boiling hot springs (which the locals like to boil eggs in).  The nature reserve is also one of the only places you will find kudus in Kenya. We saw a group of kudus in the southern part of the reserve as well as some dik-diks, which are dwarf antelopes that always live in pairs.

All of the Rift Valley lakes had undergone severe flooding in recent years. Lake Baringo saw its water levels rise a whopping 12 meters. There were different theories as to why, but extra water in the atmosphere and associated storms around the equator due to polar icecaps melting was a common culprit.

The main road through the Lake Bogoria Nature Reserve had been submerged due to these rising lake levels, so we were forced to take a newly carved out road that was very rough.  We were advised to come back out the way we came in, but decided to drive straight through – which was worth doing because of the remote beauty.  It took us a while to get back on the main road, but we eventually got back on paved roads – only to find the usual horrendous traffic all the way back to Nairobi.

After being greeted with fresh coffee outside of my tent, I went up to the restaurant for a nice breakfast before heading out on a boat for a trip around the lake to see some local wildlife – mainly comprised of bird watching. We started by circumnavigating the island to spot local birds, hippos, and some bubbling hot springs at the opposite end of the island. While the camp section of the island was full of cool leafy trees, the rest of the island had largely been stripped of all trees for firewood – a major problem throughout Kenya.

Then the boat took us across to a locally run conservatory of animals.  We saw lots of birds, including ostriches with eggs and big owls.  We also saw a number of giraffes, monkeys, and rock hyrax, a rock dwelling elephant-related mammal (with small tusks).  We fed a fish eagle a dead fish by whistling for it and then watching it swoop down to pull the fish out of the water.

Lake Baringo Game Cruise

We all took a shot at paddling one of the tiny homemade fishing rafts, made entirely of locally sourced balsa wood. The rafts are very light and fragile and held together by nylon string.  They are very tippy and will sink and fall apart easily if too much weight is added – which included most of us.

After another hot day in the tropics, we were treated once again to a late afternoon storm blow in an cool the climate down beautifully for the evening.

Out of the Rift Valley one day, back in the next. Unfortunately, the drive in and out can be very exasperating. It happens to be part of the main highway between Kenya’s port city of Mombasa and the country of Uganda. Although a modern rail line is supposedly under construction, most freight must take this route and it makes for some chaotic driving. Between the endless freight trucks, unmarked speed bumps, regular police checks, and constant potholes, the drive can be very stressful – with roads deteriorating to barely passable by the end.

Nevertheless, we headed off for a 3 day weekend on Lake Baringo’s Island Camp resort. The lakes in the Rift Valley are all part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for, among other things, its diverse range of 460 bird species. The lake is just north of the equator (which required the obligatory photo op) and full of crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and much more. 

The camp is actually one of the oldest western tourist camps in Kenya, built in 1972. It had a very tranquil setting with individual rooms opening up to views of the huge lake.  Malaria is rife around here, so mosquito nets surrounded all the beds.  From the island you can see the walls of the Rift Valley on either side of the lake.

Had nice swim in their island-top pool and a nice dinner.  We tried to find some hippos in the evening but we’re told they didn’t come out of the water until 1am and went back in at 4am.

After slothing around a few too many tour bus tourist destinations, I decided to put a bit more exertion into my activities and do a somewhat strenuous hike in the Rift Valley. It became one of the highlights of my trip to Kenya: a hike up to the top of Mount Longonot along with a full circumference of the rim.

Mount Longonot Hike

After a fairly steep and exhausting climb, I made it up to the rim and admired the volcano floor (last active in 1860) deep below. I took my friend’s advice and continued to navigate to nice little recommended lunch spot on a small bench under a small Acacia tree. While munching away on a few of my mini sandwiches, I couldn’t help but notice some thunderstorms brewing on the far eastern side of the Rift Valley. Nothing to worry about, I thought, as I proceeded on my circumnavigational journey.

About 1km along the circular path, I came across what appeared to be distinctly large cat tracks with large nearby cat scat. Oh no, I thought, could there be lions around here? I thought it would be best to return to where I passed some other hikers who had brought a guide with them to make sure. “There are leopards and cheetahs on the crater floor,” their guide told me, “but no lions to worry about. The leopards and cheetahs won’t bother you.”

Off I went with only slightly more confidence. I aimed to hike in a counter-clockwise direction to get the most strenuous climbs around the wavering rim out of the way first. I made my way up a few more steep climbs and rewarded myself with some amazing views from the highest point over the Rift Valley floor. Unfortunately, it looked like those thunderstorms were getting bigger and bigger and heading more in my direction.

I thought I should better get this hike over with before the storms got to me, but about half way around the rim I found myself with no way out and no where to take cover. The storm swelled to encompass the entire Longonot Volcano. To make a long story short, I got thoroughly drenched, but managed to avoid being struck by lightening. The temperature really dropped during the storm and I was awfully cold, but it gave me another adventurous story to tell.

My second day in Kenya and it was time to head for the hills. Well, the valley, anyway. The Rift Valley, which is just west of Nairobi and full of recreational opportunities. Our first stop was to visit Solio Ranch Game Reserve – about half way between Mount Kenya and Aberdare National Park. A bit pricey for tourists, but full of wonderful African wildlife.

Among Solio’s prized possessions were many white rhinos. Their breeding program is the largest and most successful in all of Africa. They supply white rhinoceroses to other parks throughout the region. All wildlife is considered to be owned by the government of Kenya in Kenya, so no private ownership or hunting is permitted.

Besides about 50 rhinos, we saw lots of other native wildlife, including roschild giraffes, a pride of lions, warthogs, countless impalas, endless monkeys, exotic birds, stacks of zebras, and many an antlered animal, etc

The drive up to Solio was interesting. Countless hidden speed bumps and continual heavy traffic made the drive treacherous. Every 10kms or so a police checkpoint would present itself. Pure bribery in action, I was told. They never bothered us, but many other motorists were pulled over and given “fines” for alleged traffic violations. Most people just paid them on the spot because they didn’t want any trouble, but expats were more likely to know their rights and demand due process – usually resulting in a wave through after a thirty-minute delay.

The car was equipped with numerous monitoring devices that scored drivers on their driving ability.  Alarms would go off if drivers drove too fast or braked or accelerated too quickly.  Each driver has their own unique key so they could be individually identified.

Stayed in a homey German run guest house nearby at foot of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain.  Between this place and the The Talisman restaurant I visited on my first night in the Nairobi suburb of Karen, I couldn’t help but think of the scene from Apocalypse Now Redux – when the boat crew had dinner at and old French colonial plantation. It all felt a bit out of touch with its surroundings.