Following our adventures in Lake Nakuru, we headed to anther freshwater lake close by, called Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is the highest of the Rift Valley lakes, located at 1884 meters above sea level (that's higher than one mile...). Again, because of the rains, the lake has been flooded, but it did not affect our viewing experiences. Before checking in to our lodge (which turned out to be amazing, and completely made up for our interesting lodging experiences for the past two nights...), we stopped by Lake Naivasha to take a boat ride around the lake.
Our boat driver, David, was very friendly, though he was definitely limited in his English-speaking abilities.
While touring around Lake Naivasha, we saw a bunch of cormorants making their nests in dying trees. We were also able to see their hungry babies impatiently waiting for food in their nests.
In addition, we saw both white and pink-backed pelicans (although we thought the white pelicans looked more pink than the pink-backed...).
Hippos seemed to be hiding in the shallow areas of our lake, and David was able to make them briefly appear by smacking his hand against the side of the boat. Whenever I tried to do it, I made very little noise and just ended up hurting my hand...
One of the highlights was seeing the fish eagles diving in to the water to pick up their next meal.
In addition to the animals around the lake, there were also many fisherman in colorful sailboats, who were fishing for talapia, carp, bass, and crayfish.
As a slight detour during our boat trip around Lake Naivasha, we took a small walking safari around Crescent Island. Crescent Island, which is a small area left by the protruding rum of a collapsed volcanic crater, is located in the middle of Lake Naivasha. It is completely free of predators; therefore, it is one of the few locations where tourists are permitted to take walking safaris. We were able to get relatively close to giraffes, zebras, impalas, wildebeest, and Maribou storks. Again, because of the rainy season and consequent floods, we were unfortunatey unable to see much of the island.
There were many children, however, swimming around in the flooded lake, which was an interesting sight to see.
Following our morning full of adventures, we headed back to our lodge, the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, to rest for the remainder of the day. The lodge is lovely, with delicious food. And the best part is that the animals literally come right up to your room and to the main lodge! It's like a safari without having to sit in a bumpy van...
Our boat driver, David, was very friendly, though he was definitely limited in his English-speaking abilities.
While touring around Lake Naivasha, we saw a bunch of cormorants making their nests in dying trees. We were also able to see their hungry babies impatiently waiting for food in their nests.
In addition, we saw both white and pink-backed pelicans (although we thought the white pelicans looked more pink than the pink-backed...).
Hippos seemed to be hiding in the shallow areas of our lake, and David was able to make them briefly appear by smacking his hand against the side of the boat. Whenever I tried to do it, I made very little noise and just ended up hurting my hand...
One of the highlights was seeing the fish eagles diving in to the water to pick up their next meal.
In addition to the animals around the lake, there were also many fisherman in colorful sailboats, who were fishing for talapia, carp, bass, and crayfish.
As a slight detour during our boat trip around Lake Naivasha, we took a small walking safari around Crescent Island. Crescent Island, which is a small area left by the protruding rum of a collapsed volcanic crater, is located in the middle of Lake Naivasha. It is completely free of predators; therefore, it is one of the few locations where tourists are permitted to take walking safaris. We were able to get relatively close to giraffes, zebras, impalas, wildebeest, and Maribou storks. Again, because of the rainy season and consequent floods, we were unfortunatey unable to see much of the island.
Following our morning full of adventures, we headed back to our lodge, the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, to rest for the remainder of the day. The lodge is lovely, with delicious food. And the best part is that the animals literally come right up to your room and to the main lodge! It's like a safari without having to sit in a bumpy van...
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