Our day started early in the morning at the park gate, which happens to be home to some of the most mischievous Vervet monkeys and Olive baboons you'll meet anywhere. While we got ready to go into the park, Jane and I were standing about five feet away from the car with the doors open. Before we could even react, a vervet monkey ran up to the car, scampered along the hood, and dove through the driver's door. He jumped into the backseat and immediately opened up my bag, grabbing a bag of chips and escaping out the door and up a tree. I have no idea how he knew EXACTLY where to go for the chips, INSIDE a duffel bag...it was so amazing that I wasn't even mad! I did get a chance to snap this quick photo:
Our first stop after entering the park was the lakeshore. LNNP is a fairly small park (especially compared to the Mara), and it centers around the beautiful Lake Nakuru - an alkaline lake that is a perfect habitat for the small fish and little creatures that tons of different birds love to eat. It's most famous for pelicans and flamingos, and the flocks flying and floating around just as the sun rose over the hills and the mist settled on the water were gorgeous.
A few minutes after leaving the lakeside, we came upon a freshly killed buffalo and a pride of lions having their breakfast. Part of the benefit to driving yourself on a safari is that you can stop when you want, where you want, and you don't have to feel pressured to make everyone happy if some people in the group want to spend all day looking for a lame pigeon or something. We ended up hanging out at this spot for at least an hour, and had our own packed breakfast along with the lions! It was fascinating to watch the drama play out - whenever the lions would tire of eating and back off to rest, a pack of 10 or so hyenas and two jackal pairs would creep in to eat their share. Immediately, a few of the lions would come charging back to protect "their" kill, scattering the hyenas and jackals in fits of shrieks and confused running around...amazing! At one point, six or seven lionesses and two cubs were all eating at the same time, with the gorgeous backdrop of the forests around the lake.
After checking out some amazing viewpoints, watching giraffes and elands, and hanging out at the stunning Makalia Waterfalls, we settled in for a leisurely lunch and rest at the Lake Nakuru Lodge. We reflected on how blessed we are to have a place like this just an hour and a half away from "home"...sometimes living in Kenya can be challenging, but these are the perks! From lunch we drove back to the southern end of the lake to check out the fascinating pink flamingos - they are odd birds, and their reflections in the stillness of the lake made them look even more interesting.
At this point, we knew we needed to find one of the most famous residents of LNNP - the White Rhino. A very endangered species, they flourish in this park and are one of the reasons that more and more people are making Lake Nakuru part of their African safari experience. After a bit of looking and fleeting glimpses of far-off rhinos, we spotted an adult and juvenile about 100 yards away from a road, slowly grazing through the grass. We picked a spot on the road and turned off the car, then watched and waited for about 30 minutes while the rhinos walked directly towards us, stopping to look intently at the car from about 20 feet away before passing right in front of us across the road. It was absolutely breathtaking - these animals are HUGE and totally pre-historic looking, and it seemed like we had a dinosaur staring us in the eyes as we held our breath.
All in all, it was an unbelievable day and a fantastic way to start wrapping up our time in Kenya before Christmas. Despite the parts of this country that can be frustrating at times, it has so much to offer in terms of unique creation, and I feel privileged to have experienced so much of it! Here are a few more fun pictures to leave you with, and feel free to check out more at this link if you're interested...http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2239019&id=4708957&l=4811ff7d4a
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| Jane's monkey friend |
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| To show how CLOSE this rhino is to the car |
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| Makalia falls |
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| Flamingo pose! |
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