My African Safari
Part II
Samburu National Reserve and Lake Nakuru National Park
by Howard Norfolk
Original to Aquarticles
All photographs copyright Howard Norfolk
After three days at Amboseli National Park, we began the two day drive north to Samburu
National Reserve. We crossed the Equator:
The photos tell the story. To see an enlargement of a
photo, click on it, then go "back." I don't expect you to look at them all!
  
At the exact line of the Equator, "Dr. Williams" made a
clever living by showing tourists how water drains clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere
and anti-clockwise in the Southern. I was surprised when he showed us that we only had to
walk about thirty yards (or metres) for this effect to take place. The good doctor sold us
each a signed "Certificate" that we had "Crossed the Equator, at Nanyuki,
Kenya."
We spent a comfortable night at a hotel near here in the foothills
of Mount Kenya.
In the hotel garden, I made the mistake of getting too close to this
turkey when photographing it.
It attacked me! - which amused some gardeners who were working nearby.
Continuing north, we followed a convoy of International Red Cross
aid trucks which was heading to the famine in Somalia.
 
We stopped at small towns to get supplies.
 
A crowd of children came to look at us in our van. They were a
little worried about having their photo taken at first, but once they saw the image on my
digital camera they rather liked the idea.
Wherever we stopped. our van was immediately surrounded by
salespeople. I bought some of this man's carvings.
We arrived at the Samburu National Reserve
 
Samburu is north of Nairobi.
 
The scenery was wonderful, and very "African."
 
We saw more reticulated giraffes...
...and elephants...
...and zebras
  
And also warthogs, a dik-dik, oryxes...
 
...a vulturine guinea fowl, and buffaloes.
 
This cheetah ran away in a hurry
We spotted a leopard asleep in this tree, with its tail hanging
down.
 
A family of lions rested in the shade on the sands of a dry river
  
A troop of baboons decided to cross this bridge while our van was on
it.
  
There were crocodiles in the river. Two small crocs can just be seen
in the photo on the right.
 
Our camp, especially the cooking area, attracted a hornbill...
  
...and other colourful birds.
  
An evening visitor to our camp was this spotted genet, a nocturnal
animal. He liked my chicken!
 
 
We went to a nearby lodge for a meal, and watched a performance by
Maasai dancers.
The lodge had a fenced off area where wild crocodiles came to be fed
at night.
We visited another Maasai village:
 
Here are our guides. The huts in this village had plastic covered
roofs, and were not as picturesque as the ones at Amboseli. (But no doubt they were more
practical - dung roofs leak!).
We are in an enclosure of thorn bushes which the elders use for
their meetings.
 
These men showed us how they could make fire by rubbing sticks
together. They were pleased when they were successful.
A family having a picnic.
  
Maasai children
 
We were invited inside a couple of houses. (My camera's flash made
the mother on the right close her eyes).
The village school
When we left, many people from the village lined up along the path
to offer us handicrafts as souvenirs.
 
I bought a bow and arrows and a spear from this lady. The spear was
too long to fit into my bag, so her husband shortened it with his huge knife.
After three days at Samburu we headed back south, stopping for lunch at Thomson's
Falls
Scenic Thomson's Falls
Two Kikuyu tribesmen were at the Falls, dressed in their traditional
costume so that they could charge tourists for photographs.
We arrived at Lake Nakuru National Park.
This park was created in 1961, and is a relatively small one with an area of 180 sq.km.
It is in a fairly well populated area, so it is surrounded by an electric fence.
We first came across buffalos and pelicans.
But just past them there were many flamingos standing close to the
shore of the shallow lake.
There was a wide ring of pink around all around the entire lake.
This consisted of millions of flamingos!
 
Lake Nakuru is a good place to see rhinoceros, which we saw in the
woods and near the lake.
We spent a night at a hotel near Lake Nakuru, and the next day continued driving
south-east to the Masai Mara Game Reserve:
Go to Part III: Masai Mara and
Nairobi
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