This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a night camping INSIDE Lake Nakuru National Park, and it was an amazing experience! My good friend Joe's parents are in town for a few weeks, so they made arrangements for a special campsite, transportation, and food for the night. Ten of us loaded up in a Land Cruiser and a safari van on Friday afternoon and drove about two hours north to Nakuru, where we entered the park and drove around for a little bit before heading to our campsite.
The campsite was absolutely beautiful - a grassy area in the shade of giant acacia trees, with a view out over the grasslands toward the lake beyond. ACTS provided a bunch of tents and equipment, and we had a few of their staff to help set everything up and cook for us - plush! The evening was made a little bit more interesting by intermittent rain showers, but we had big tarps and an even bigger fire, which made for a great night sitting around the fire laughing, talking, and eating. Speaking of eating, our cooks whipped up a fantastic meal of steak and squash cooked over the fire, salad, baked potatoes, cold drinks, and tea. Meals are always better when you're out in the woods, and this had to be one of the best dinners I've ever eaten! There was something magical about walking to my tent at night, knowing that there were nothing but trees and bushes between me and the lions, buffalo, leopards, and rhino that live in the park - this knowledge can make you feel very small, but the mystery of not knowing what crept behind the bushes was amazing!
The next morning we woke up early and went out for a sunrise game drive. The landscape was covered in a layer of mist, and the sunrise through the mist and the trees was simply beautiful. Before too long we came upon a group of 6 lions with a freshly killed buffalo, so we cut off the Land Cruiser and watched their morning play out. At first they were barely visible through the mist, but after a few minutes the sun came out and lit up the lions as they took turns tearing into the buffalo. Much to our delight, after eating their fill the lions decided to walk right past our truck to a group of bushes for a nap - one by one they made their way directly towards us, passing within 10 feet of the van and watching us closely with their huge yellow eyes. One adolescent male paced through the grass until he was just feet away from where I looked out of the window, cocking his head to the side with an incredible combination of curiosity and a confident lack of fear.
Later in the morning we went back to camp for a giant breakfast under the trees, complete with bacon, eggs, and porridge. We broke down the camp and packed up the vehicles, and then drove around for a couple more hours before heading out from the park. We came upon a gigantic white rhino with her baby, along with herds of giraffe, zebra, and buffalo. Lake Nakuru is famous for its flamingos, and we spent a few minutes walking by the lake, marveling at the enormous flocks of bright pink birds walking in the water and flying around in the background - a truly gorgeous sight! All in all, the trip was an amazing experience and gave me a whole new look into the beautiful, mysterious landscapes that this country holds.
The campsite was absolutely beautiful - a grassy area in the shade of giant acacia trees, with a view out over the grasslands toward the lake beyond. ACTS provided a bunch of tents and equipment, and we had a few of their staff to help set everything up and cook for us - plush! The evening was made a little bit more interesting by intermittent rain showers, but we had big tarps and an even bigger fire, which made for a great night sitting around the fire laughing, talking, and eating. Speaking of eating, our cooks whipped up a fantastic meal of steak and squash cooked over the fire, salad, baked potatoes, cold drinks, and tea. Meals are always better when you're out in the woods, and this had to be one of the best dinners I've ever eaten! There was something magical about walking to my tent at night, knowing that there were nothing but trees and bushes between me and the lions, buffalo, leopards, and rhino that live in the park - this knowledge can make you feel very small, but the mystery of not knowing what crept behind the bushes was amazing!
The next morning we woke up early and went out for a sunrise game drive. The landscape was covered in a layer of mist, and the sunrise through the mist and the trees was simply beautiful. Before too long we came upon a group of 6 lions with a freshly killed buffalo, so we cut off the Land Cruiser and watched their morning play out. At first they were barely visible through the mist, but after a few minutes the sun came out and lit up the lions as they took turns tearing into the buffalo. Much to our delight, after eating their fill the lions decided to walk right past our truck to a group of bushes for a nap - one by one they made their way directly towards us, passing within 10 feet of the van and watching us closely with their huge yellow eyes. One adolescent male paced through the grass until he was just feet away from where I looked out of the window, cocking his head to the side with an incredible combination of curiosity and a confident lack of fear.
Later in the morning we went back to camp for a giant breakfast under the trees, complete with bacon, eggs, and porridge. We broke down the camp and packed up the vehicles, and then drove around for a couple more hours before heading out from the park. We came upon a gigantic white rhino with her baby, along with herds of giraffe, zebra, and buffalo. Lake Nakuru is famous for its flamingos, and we spent a few minutes walking by the lake, marveling at the enormous flocks of bright pink birds walking in the water and flying around in the background - a truly gorgeous sight! All in all, the trip was an amazing experience and gave me a whole new look into the beautiful, mysterious landscapes that this country holds.
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