Lake Naivasha

John, the awesome tour guide from Hell's Gate, took us on a guided boat tour of Lake Naivasha.  We took off at the dock in the fish eagle camp.  Water hyacinth and papyrus were thick along every edge.  Both plants float on the surface of the water.  The goal of the trip was to find hippos and we weren't diappointed.  They were everywhere! 

There are about 1000 hippos in the lake and they live along the surface.  Their skin will burn in the sun, so they stay under the water as much as they can. Each territory will have one group of hippos, anywhere from 20 to 50 individuals.  The group is led by a single male, all the rest are females.  A female will leave the area to give birth just in case she has a male, because the dominant male will try to kill him, even though he sired him.

Hippos are aggressive and the number one killer of people in Africa.  They go onto land at night to graze and if disturbed will attack.  They can reach speeds of 38 km/hr.  They will also attack boats in the water.  When we were too close to a group, the male gave a warning bellow.  I'm glad he gave us time to get away.

Watching the hippos (from a distance) was a blast.  They kept popping their heads above the water and blowing air out their nostrils.  They can hold their breath for six minutes.

On the way back, John called two fishing eagles towards our boat.  It was an almost perfect mimic of their call.  He tossed a fish in the water and we got to watch the eagles feed. So cool.