Time for my first safari!!! We were up at 5am and after a quick breakfast on the road by 6am.
The truck we're going to tour the park in is really cool. The top pops up, forming a covered viewing area.
At the center of this park is Lake Nakuru, which is home to the most bird species in Kenya (according to our driver). The first big mammals we see upon entering the park are water buffalo, zebras and impala, a type of antelope. Then our bus got stuck in the mud. After a helpful tow from some park officials we waved down we were back on our way. It was chilly in the morning and clouds ringed a lot of the area around the lake. The lake usually takes up about 44 sq km of the approximately 250 sq km park. Due to recent heavy rains, the lake has stretched to cover close to 77 sq km.
Family groups of baboons sat in the trees surrounding the lake.
Guinea hens along the sides of the road
Another type of antelope, a water buck, was grazing closer to the water. The horns have beautiful rings on them.
Giraffes were grazing in the trees. Their golden coloration stood out brightly against the dark bark of the trees. The only giraffe species present in Nakuru is the Rothschild giraffe, which has three horns. The giraffes can grow up to 20 feet tall and one kick can kill a lion. They also have a unique gait. Rather than alternate legs as they walk, they step forward with both on a side, placing all their weight to one side each time they take a step.
The were also pumpaa, warthogs. Their tails stuck straight up in the air as they ran.
Gazelle were present in the grasslands, smaller than the impala with thick black stripes on it sides. They were grazing alongside a herd of white rhinos. White rhinos, as compared to black rhinos, live in herds and are found in grasslands.
The lake was filled with hundreds of flamingos and thousands of pelicans. There are two types of flamingos in the lake. The greater flamingo has a white body with hot pink legs and beak. When it flies, it's wings are also bright pink. The lesser flamingos are smaller and completely pink.
Suddenly, our driver picks up speed and starts whipping the truck around corners and down treacherous muddy dirt roads. A group had found lions and was sounding out on the radio! They were along an airplane runway. At first, they were laying lazily around, but then they started to move. There were 6 lions in total. They acted like cats as they paced along the runway, stretching and rolling around on their backs. Later we found a male perched on a rock, sleeping in the sun. His own pride rock.
Lions hunt at night and the females (lioness) does the hunting. However, the lazy males eat first (how typical). There are about 50 lions in the park and each pride has anywhere from 5 to 8 individuals. The antelopes in the area were very skittish, but there were two water buffalo that showed no fear. Apparently it would take a minimum of 5 lions (2 males and 3 females) to bring down one of the big male water buffalo, so they were in the clear.
Further into the park we came across some black rhinos. They had gigantic horns!! Black rhinos don't move in herds. However, we were lucky enough to come across two females, each with a calf. One was 9-12 months old, the other one not more than a month or two.
At the lookout, which was stunning, there were colonies of hyrax, which looked a bit like guinea pigs.
The day was made perfect by spotting three hippos out in the water. The only animal we failed to see were the leopards.
It was a perfect animal viewing day.
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