Thanks to the generosity of friends, I had an amazing opportunity to drive up to Nakuru National Park from Nairobi for a few hours, circumnavigating the lake and seeing some wonderful wildlife. I hope that the pictures below capture something of the beauty of the place. It was interesting to see, in particular, how the lake has increased in size in recent years, leading to many acacia trees being flooded and consequently dying. The decrease in alkalinity of the lake has also been blamed for a reduction in the number of flamingoes, and so we were especially fortunate to see them, as well as a group of lionesses!
The park has been hit heavily by tourist concerns over potential terrorist activity, as have all of Kenya’s tourist destinations. This is so sad for the Kenyan economy, and all those people who earn a living from tourism. However, it did mean that there were very few people there, and so we were able to get some excellent views of the wildlife.
Thanks Juma, Peter, Mika and Robert for a great – albeit tiring – day! Peter – you were a fantastic driver – thanks so much for being behind the wheel for so long!