Christmas in the Rift Valley

We escaped the grimy clutches of Nairobi for a long weekend in the Rift Valley. Along the way, we were greeted (at a roadside police checkpoint) by a pushy Kenyan cop wielding a machine gun and a request: for a Christmas bribe. Having done nothing wrong, and not really feeling his Christmas spirit, we nonchalantly brushed him off with a nervous, “Christmas njema. We’ll be heading off now...” With hearts pounding and fake smiles ear-to-ear, we pulled away slowly. Fortunately, he didn’t follow. A couple of hours and some serious potholes later we pulled into Mbweha Camp just outside of Lake Nakuru National Park. We stashed our gear in the tent and set out for a walk around the place. The camp sits on the boundary of the park, so the wildlife was abundant. Within minutes we were surrounded by baboons and gazelles. And then, if that weren’t good enough, we received a call (yes, the cell phone worked from this remote part of the Rift Valley) from Andreas and Elanna with news of their engagement. The baboons squealed with excitement.

The next morning we awoke at the crack of dawn and headed into the park. The rest of the day was spectacular. As the sun was rising we were situated along the southern shore of the lake, staring out at hundreds of flamingos methodically searching the alkaline lake for food. Then we noticed that a hyena had approached within a few hundred feet, so we decided to retreat to the car. We drove slowly past the now-slumbering hyena and over to a small herd of buffalo chewing their cud in a nearby field. The African buffalo is a funny-looking animal with horns that resemble little schoolgirl hairdos. Just past the buffalo was a white rhinoceros and calf. The mommy rhino was serving both as protection for the calf and as a feeding platform for several small birds that were grooming her back. Good symbiotic folks. The remainder of the morning involved a slow circumnavigation of the lake, a stop at the main gate to pay and get harassed by monkeys, and a failed search for a recumbent leopard. After an overpriced and overdone Christmas lunch with unnecessary and unending carolers at the Lion Hill Lodge, we returned to the car for an afternoon in the southern end of the park, the highlight being a pair of male gazelles rutting to establish their mating hierarchy (see video here).

The next day we visited an Achuelian ruin near the town of Nakuru and then drove up to Menengai Crater, which is an impressive 12 kilometers wide. A hair-raising drive down the A104 later and we were perched comfortably on the front porch of the Elementaita Lodge, gazing out at galloping stallions while overlooking the lake. We heartily gobbled down another overpriced lunch and then got fleeced out of 1000 shillings ($13) by a Maasai gate-keeper in order to pass out into the field below and down to the lake. Oh, but was it worth it. The light was low over the stark volcanic cones on the far side of the lake, a slight drizzle cooling the air. The flamingos munched and once again we gawked. Pulling ourselves away, we headed past a hot spring on the opposite side of the lake and then down a washed-out road, through the expansive farm of one former Lord Delamere, back to camp.

On our final morning we decided to take the back roads home. Although not always clear where we were headed and not always confident the car would handle the mud-slicked roads, we spent the next several hours passing slowly through the Kenyan countryside. The people live simple lives, working hard on the land, walking for miles for water and firewood, but seemingly at peace. We were greeted by smiles and waves from almost everyone we passed. We finally seemed to have gotten a taste of the heart of Kenya. Can’t wait for more. (Click here for photos.)