LAKE NAIVASHA AND LAKE NAKARU

Back track.  Daripada Masai Mara National Reserve berpatah balik melalui Narok memasuki lebuhraya utama menuju Nakuru.  Enam jam perjalanan ZBA sampai ke Tasik Naivasha.  Sungguh pun jalanraya bertaraf lebuhraya namun kenderaan bergerak perlahan kerana ini merupakan laluan utama ke utara, Uganda dan ke negara-negara sebelah timur.

Terletak 56km ke selatan Lake Nakaru.  Terdapat banyak hotel-hotel bertaraf antarabangsa dan amat sesuai sebagai tempat riadah dan istirehat dihujung minggu.  

ZBA mengambil masa 2j untuk berehat di Lake Naivasha.   

Lake Naivasha is one of the fresh water lakes of the Great Rift Valley. It connected towns like Kisumu and Nairobi.  Lake Naivasha is a major tourist attraction as well as an important source of water for floriculture farms around it.

A number of streams, and rivers like Malewa and Gilgil empty their water into this lake, though there is no visible outlet. Lake Naivasha is situated in the highest point of the Great Rift in Kenya. Crescent Island sits on the deepest part of the lake.

Crescent Island is the lake’s main attraction, and one of the best places to enjoy a quiet picnic in the Great Rift Valley. Enjoy relaxing game walks alongside giraffes and zebras on the island. Over 400 species of birds call this lake home. You can also spot hippos in the freshwater.

You can also combine a tour of the lake with an excursion in Hell’s Gate National Park, Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant, Lake Oloiden, Crater Lake and Lake Elementaita

A lot of international hotels on the shores of the lake include Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, Naivasha Kongoni Lodge, Elsamere and Kiangazi House. These luxurious hotels offer scenic view of the lake, and a host of activities for safari enthusiasts.

Elsamere is one of the memorable places to visit. There is a museum on-site with items from the retirement home of George and Joy Adamson, a couple remembered for immensely contributing to conservation projects in Kenya.

Masa berlalu begitu cepat.  Selepas satu jam bersiaran di Tasik Naivasha,  ZBA beredar meninggalkan Lake Naivasha Resort dan meneruskan perjalanan ke Lake Nakaru.  Hari mulai petang dan kami tiba 2 jam kemudian dan bermalam disebuah hotel*** tepi tasik.  Pemandangan agak suram kerana hari telah mulai malam dengan azan maghrib berkemundang dari masjid bersebelahan.  Walaupun di Nakuru terdapat agak ramai masyarakat Islam tetapi kami tidak digalak keluar daripada hotel bila malam hari demi keselamatan.

Kami ditempatkan di Hotel Citymax diantara hotel terbaik di Nakuru. Kelengkapan serba lengkap namun demikian service  amat mengecewakan. 

Lake Nakuru National Park is 140 KM West of Nairobi, Kenya. The park measures at 188km and is centred around a huge lake, which is surrounded by grassy plains. The park has three entrances. The main gate - which links between the main highway between Nakuru and Nairobi, the Lanet gate and the Nderit gate.

There are many different places to stay   within   the   National   Park, including   Lake   Nakuru   Lodge, Lion   Hill  Lodge   and   Mbweha Camp to name a few.

The park is inhabited by a large selection of bird life, most famously the flock of over one million flamingos that feed on the algae within the lake to create the famous 'sea of pink' that you may hear the lake described as. There are also many other varieties of aquatic birds that live on or near the 3.5km deep lake including spoonbills, marabou stalk, pied kingfisher, hamerkop, fish eagle and goliath heron.

Four of the 'big five' can be spotted in Lake Nakuru National Park. black rhino, cape buffalo, leopard and the masai lion. You can also try to spot more of the fifty six animals that inhabit the park, such as cheetah, spotted hyena, hippo, white rhino, warthog and thomson's gazelle dotted around the park. Reptile species such as tortoise and pythons can also be seen on the rare occasion.

Walking around the park is not permitted unless you are at one of the spectacular view points which enable you to see the whole of the National Park from a great height, the view points are name Lion hill and Baboon cliff and are definitely worth climbing on a clear day to set the scene.

If you are planning to visit Kenya on safari then be sure to include Lake Nakuru in your itinerary because it truly is a spectacle to behold.

Pemandangan Lake Nakaru daripada Baboon Cliff.

Selesai urusan kemasukan  di Gate Utama,  ZBA memasuki Lake Nakuru seawal jam 0700am.  15 minit kemudian kami melihat  ribuan kuda belang dan sekumpulan kerbau liar sedang meragut.  Tidak kurang juga binatang-binatang kecil lain berkeliaran dipadang. Seterusnya kami meneruskan perjalanan kearah barat Lake Nakaru sehinggalah ke Baboon Cliff.  Dari situ terus keselatan tasik yang merupakan main point dimana secara keseluruhan semua binatang liar berada disitu. 

Satu pengalaman yang amat mengujakan.  Menjadi kenangan manis seumur hidup yang tidak dapat dilupakan.   Dalam fikiran apa ada kepada sebuah zoo jika dibandingkan disini.  Bahagian paling unik ialah di selatan Lake Nakuru.  Jutaan burung flamingos berkampung dengan bebas mencari makan didalam tasik.  Juga rhino binatang yang paling sukar untuk dilihat.  Tapi disini kami melihat rhino dalam jarak kurang daripasa 10m. Alhamdulillah, missi kami untuk melihat "Big Five" rupa-rupanya terkabul di Lake Nakaru.

2H/1M masa yang amat singkat. Didalam Lake Nakaru kami menghabiskan masa 6j safari sebelum beredar keluar melalui Nderit Gate ke jalan utama menghubungkan Nakaru dan Nairobi.

Selepas makan tengahari kami bertolak menuju Nairobi dan pada petang ini terus bertolak ke Arusha, Tanzania bagi meneruskan safari di Serenggeti dan Norongoro.

SERENGGETI AND NORONGORO