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After a meeting in Nairobi the night before for brief trip instructions as well as getting acquainted with the other safari members, we were off in our large overland truck towards Lake Nakuru. Along the way we passed the expansive Rift Valley, with views extending over the large plains. Before we even arrived at Lake Nakuru though, wildlife was along the road, including buffalos, zebras, and impalas. After a couple hours we arrived at Lake Nakuru, home of the famous hoards of flamingos. Due to high water their concentrations were not at their normal breathtaking levels, but several fairly large groups still occupied the lake.

The plethora of animals along the shoreline

Baboons swarmed the gatehouse area while we got our entry permits. We then headed into the bush, wildlife spotting along the perimeter of the lake. Several roads were flooded, but detours had been built around the obstructions. We found many animals as we traversed the shoreline, including rhinos — both black and white — zebras, impalas, gazelles, flamingos, and buffalos. They grazed in the fields near the road, with some wandering quite close to our truck. We even passed a lion cub resting only a couple feet from the road. On the far side of the lake the animal species mixed, with rhinos, zebras, flamingos, and impalas all occupying the same fields.

We camped deep in the park by Makalia Falls, set up our very heavy tents, cooked dinner, and enjoyed each other’s company. The next morning we drove back out of the park and saw even more wildlife. Many were the same kind as the day before, but we also came upon a herd of giraffes using their long tongues to lick leaves from the thorny trees.

Although it sounds naive, completely comprehending that all these animals lived there naturally was hard for this child of suburbia. I of course knew that to be the case but was still so accustomed to large animals being rare or confined to cages.

Animals around Lake Nakuru