Nakuru

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We had booked a four day safari which was going to be with a group, however the other people cancelled last minute so we ended up having a private safari for not much more money which was nice. Although it did mean having to put up with each other for a bit longer, it also meant that we had total freedom of where we went and at what time. We also had loads of room in the van.

The first stop was Lake Nakuru which is known for its flamingos which are very impressive looking birds. The sight of thousands pink and white flamingos on a blue lake is something I’ll never forget.

Lake Nakuru is known for being a bird watchers paradise and is home to the marabou stork, possibly the ugliest living thing imaginable. If you remember the scene in Roald Dahls The Witches where the head witch takes off her wig you will get a good impression of what they look like. Not a pretty sight.

The other ugly creature we came across was the spotted hyeina. Complete with slobber coming from his mouth. He was a funny looking thing and loads bigger than I had expected.

I had come on safari with the thought that we would not see much, a lion if we were really lucky which is what I really wanted to see. So imagine my surprise when we came across a leopard. We were incredibly lucky to see one as they are very elusive creatures. She was stunningly beautiful and graceful and didn’t seem bothered by us at all. She walked right past the van and up to a white rhino who was nearby with a baby. This was amazing to watch as both the mother and the baby rhino charged at her to warn her off. She then climbed into a tree to watch a group of nervous gazelles.

Seeing all this I was satisfied and ready to go back to the hotel but our driver had heard a whisper and headed off to another part of the park. We turned a corner to see two lioness’ with a fairly old cub slumbering on a rock. It was just like the lion king and was exactly how I imagined it to be. I must admit that I got a bit teary eyed as they were just so impressive. "Its the circle of life... and it moves us all.." I was surprised at how close you can get to them and they don't even flinch. Lions are known for being particularly lazy animals, apparently they sleep for twenty hours a day. It seemed strange that the drivers stay well clear of the buffalo but the lions you can go right up to, even when they have cubs near. I guess thats the bonus of being top of the food chain. Its like they are so confident that they dont have to worry.

I couldn’t believe that this was just day one and we had seen so much already. As we were driving out of the park right near the gate was a fully grown male lion sitting in a tree watching the sunset. He was amazing and the only way you can possibly describe him was regal. Unfortunately the light was bad by this point so we couldn't get a very good picture.

We stayed in a hotel for the first night in Nakuru and had some really nice food. They seem to like their meat here which is a nice change after the enforced vegetarianism of India. So after a great beef stew we had an early night to get ready for the big one tomorrow (we are so rock n roll)

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