Saturday game park Lake Nakuru

The weekend has given us a chance to see a bit of Kenya, and it is a beautiful country! Saturday we went to the Lake Nakuru Game Park, which is about three hours away from Nairobi. To get there, you pass over the Great Rift Valley, a spectacular sight at 8,000 ft. altitude. The view was a bit hampered by the weather; it started raining in the morning, and the clouds obscured the view of the mountains. But we could still see the lush green valley. After surviving the “bumper car” like ruts in the part of the road under construction, we began our safari. There is nothing like seeing magnificent creatures in their natural habitat! As we wove through the park, we encountered antelope, impalas, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, hyenas and warthogs. We were initially greeted by many baboons and monkeys, who seem quite used to humans and ran up to anyone “begging.”
What incredibly entertaining little critters they are! Lake Nakuru is also the breeding ground for flamingos. As you approach the lake, the first thing you see is a wide ribbon of pink surrounding the water. The closer you get, you begin to see the individual birds clustered all around the shore of the lake; a gorgeous spectacle. By the time we got into the park, the clouds had lifted, the sun began to peek through, and we had a gorgeous day.

We ate lunch on the top of a high ridge overlooking the lake. The area was swarming with baboons and monkeys! They are quite aggressive animals and weren’t hesitant at all to approach people. The little ones were so fun to watch; they wrestle and play like children, and even get in “spats.” But when “Daddy Baboon” approached, he didn’t seem so playful. He sauntered up to where our group was eating. We’d been told to hold onto to our food, but we hadn’t thought about a bag containing some bottles of juice. The Big Guy strutted right up to us, grabbed the bag, and high tailed it over the cliff, right in front of our noses! We were caught off guard, but none of us attempted to rescue the juice. He stopped on a ledge below the ridge to examine his “find.” We watched him attempt to open the plastic bottles. After a while, he just bit into the bottle and juice spewed all over him. It didn’t seem to faze him one bit, and he continued to drink it up. Life in the wild!

After several hours of watching in awe as we encountered various animals, it was getting late, and we knew we needed to get back on the road. Just as we were about to exit the park, we noticed a number of vans gathered near the entrance. Figuring that they had found something interesting, we joined them to discover two lionesses and two cubs perched high up on a fallen tree!! This was our first lion sighting, and they are truly magnificent! They seemed to pose for the crowd, and we were so thankful for this special treat, as they aren’t often seen. As we left the park, we looked out at the mountains to discover a beautiful rainbow that had formed after the rain, the perfect ending to a wonderful day. It’s easy to see why the Kenyans are so proud of their country. It is a rare beauty.

The gorgeous day turned sour as we began the trek home. Fog set in, and it was a tough drive on the rutted, dirt road. After lots of prayer, and thanks for our very able driver, we made it back to Nairobi. It was a wonderful day, one that made us remember how the scripture tells us that all creation sings and bears witness to our Creator, and we join in the chorus!