Located a 2 hour drive from Nairobi, Lake Naivasha is a large freshwater lake which is rich in wildlife being home to numerous hippos and over 400 species of bird.
We spent 2 nights staying in a campsite on the shores of Lake Naivasha and while there we did the following activities:
- Cycling through Hells Gate National Park
- Elsamere boat trip
Cycling Hells Gate National Park
Hells Gate National Park with an area of 68 sq km has a craggy landscape of gorges, steam vents and volcanic activity. Its name comes from the dramatic landscape and it was named by two European explorers (Fischer and Thomson) in 1883.
Cycling is safe as *no dangerous animals live in this national park so it is a good way to explore. We cycled along tracks as the ‘friendly’ wildlife such as zebras, giraffes and warthogs got on with their thing on either side of us.
*With the rare exception of the odd leopard.
Related to the elephant, a small rock hyrax appeared as we stood under the Fischers Tower rock stack as our guide explained more of the geology of the park.
This rock stack is popular with climbers and equipment is available there should you wish to participate in rock climbing.
After a bit more cycling we disembarked and were led halfway across a plain and asked to stop, face the cliff and all shout ‘JAMBO’ at the same time. This resulted in a loud echo of jambo jambo jambo… and is said to be speaking to the Hells Gate devil!
Jambo means ‘hello’ in Swahili and throughout the trip we would hear the Jambo Bwana song being sung by locals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUrVeRGo5IM
Within the song, the lyrics mean: “Hello Sir, how are you? Visitors you are welcome in our Kenya! No worries (Hakuna Matata)”
As we cycled round a corner we came within a few feet of Pumbaa! Pumbaa is the name of the warthog from the Disney film the Lion King. Throughout the trip every time we saw a warthog (an African wild pig) it was referred to as ‘Pumbaa’!
Probably slightly alarmed by the sudden appearance of 10 cyclists Pumbaa had started to scurry off as soon as I got my phone out to take a photo!
After cycling for 7 km we left our bikes behind and then had to walk for 20 minutes or so to the gorge lookout point.
Formed by ancient volcanic activity the gorge is popular with day hikers for its unique features.
The sun was setting as we made our way back to the camp site where, again our tents had already been set up. Which was very much appreciated especially as it was dark at 6.50 pm when we arrived.
We settled into our tents in time for another delicious dinner prepared by Judy and this was washed down with a chilled local Kenyan ‘Tusker’ cider from the cool box.
Elsamere boat trip
The second activity which took place the following morning started at Elsamere Lodge, a 30 minute drive around the lake from our campsite.
This lodge is the former home of George and Joy Adamson, famous for the ‘Born Free’ book and film. The Adamson’s dedicated their lives to wildlife conservation and Born Free is the story of Elsa, their first rescued lion cub.
3 pumbaas roam around the lush tropical gardens of Elsamere Lodge.
As do Columbus monkeys.
At the small wooden jetty our group of 10 was split into two boats of 5 and together with our guides we set off to explore the lake.
The boat moved fairly slowly beginning close to the shore and the mangroves while the guide pointed out a range of birds and a couple of groups of hippos.
Many hippos can be found around the edges of the lake and they can be difficult to spot as they spend much of the daytime being mostly submerged.
The building above isn’t a temple, its a very expensive hotel. Well, it is when its open. It had to be closed as the water level of the lake is currently high and the building is no longer accessible.
When water levels are not as high flamingoes can usually be seen at the lake.
Back at the lodge we walked back through the gardens and visited the Born Free museum.
These colourful starlings were also popular at our own campsite.
Museum
We were not permitted to take any photos in the museum which contained memorobilia such as George Adamson’s camera equipment, books written by Joy Adamson, paintings and pictures of Elsa, the origional lioncub, Poppy the leopard and suchlike.
The fascinating life of Joy Adamson, her arrival in Kenya, her 3 husbands and the Born Free story was explained to us.
After the museum we watched a unique 30 minute documentary with clips of Joy & George Adamson and footage of Elsa and her cubs. It is only possible to view at this small museum.
Lake Naivisha Cresent Hotel & Camp Site
During our two night Lake Naivasha stay we had a free afternoon to spend relaxing in the grounds of the hotel and campsite.
Many waterbucks can be seen casually wandering around the hotel grounds. These gentle animals come from the antelope family and are often found near water. Apparently they are also excellent swimmers.
The hotel also offers boat trips from its lakeside location. There are signs dotted around warning you to be careful of the wildlife. The main reason for this is the presence of hippos. Usually at night they emerge from the lake and venture towards the hotel grounds.
However at night security guards are on hand to shine bright lights at the hippos if any guests are at risk as they make their way to their rooms. This didn’t apply to the camping area thankfully as the camp site was behind the hotel away from the lake.
Hippos are aggressive and are the most dangerous of animals on the planet killing 500 people each year.
Having looked around the lovely grounds I decided to sit in the bar with a cocktail, making the most of fairly decent wifi to catch up with some blogging. The weather was a perfect 24 degrees, the ambiance was laid back but the cocktail was rubbish! The worst I’ve had in a long time. Thankfully it was only 550 Kenyan Shillings (£3) but I wish I hadn’t bothered. It was like having a small glass of bitter lemon 🙁 I would struggle to give it a 1/10.
Camp life
All of the food on my Intrepid camping safari was included in the trip cost and was all prepared by chef Judy. What a fantastic chef she was! *Most of our meals were traditionally Kenyan and were always delicious. Even while staying in the Crescent hotel grounds, Judy cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for us.
*For our second night there Judy prepared fish and home made chips which were far better than those you would have in any UK pub or chippy.
Coffee, tea and water was always available and when we had supermarket stops we could purchase alcohol and ice (for the cool box in the truck) if required.
Hygiene is a top priority for camping in Africa and Judy was very strict when it came to washing up. We all participated in a well organised and efficient factory line process where each plate, cup etc transited through 3 bowls:
- Bowl 1 contained hot soapy water with disinfectant.
- Bowl 2 was hot soapy water
- Bowl 3 very hot plain water for rinsing – dunking utensils with tongs was required
- Drying was done by air, either left on drainers to dry or by ‘flapping’
Flapping (each of us picking up a couple of items and waving them in the air until dry) was needed for quicker drying and Judy would not allow a single cup or plate to be packed away in the plastic box until every last drop of water was gone.
This campsite had showers with hot water and, as mentioned, good wifi. We also had use of the swimming pool for a small additional cost.
Summary
This was a lovely couple of days where we were so fortunate to have had perfect 24 degree weather.
The costs of the game drives and most activities of the Intrepid trip are included in the overall price except the Hells Gate cycling and an optional Maasai Mara balloon ride.
While I enjoyed Hells Gate we all paid an extra 90 USD to do this. The cost was so high as the Kenyan Government has recently hiked up the entrance fees to all national parks. While expensive I hope the bulk of this entrance fee goes to wildlife conservation otherwise this was not value for money.
I really enjoyed the (included) serene leisurely boat trip where we saw such an abundance of birds and wildlife. It was interesting to visit the Elsa museum too (and note to self to watch Born Free again, a film I vaguely remember seeing as a young child in the 1970’s).
Next up
We leave Lake Naivasha and head to the Maasai community project in the Loita Hills which is our next camping base for one night.
frombluetogreen.com 