Travels with rarecat: Kenya - Nakuru National Park

Nakuru, our last game stop on this trip, is a long two-hour drive from Naivasha. With traffic jams on the highway, the driver took a short cut which turned out to be another bumpy ride on gravel roads. We were happy we finally got to the National Park and greeted right at the entrance by a mountain gray woodpecker, with an insect in its beak nonetheless. It was also interesting to see several school buses with children in school uniforms, some of them even waving cell phones at us. It seems that these children are out on end of school year field trips - it was nice to see that happening.

Since we were still missing one of the Big Fives - the rhinoceros, we were counting on Nakuru to cough up that last sighting. And we were not disappointed. After the driver pointed out a white and a black rhinoceros at an impossible distance, we drove around and finally found one sleeping under a tree. We came back to the same spot after lunch, and to our excitement, it got up on its feet for us to photograph! Five minutes later, it's back in its sleeping position again. This whole episode highlighted how a lot of what we saw on safaris depend on luck, perseverance and of course driver/guide knowledge of the area. We have been lucky to have good guides who worked hard at their jobs.

There were lots of bird life around the lake, but as expected, the huge flocks of flamingos are no longer around. We saw just a few flamingos and a small group in the distance. So I was glad we got some nice shots in Amboseli. But it was the first time I saw a Waterbuck and with a young calf to boot. I also chanced upon a surprise lifer - a Pink-backed Pelican that I had initially thought was a juvenile white pelican at a distance.

We had a picnic lunch at the waterfall at the same time as the students. It was heartening to see the teacher taking individual photos of the students in their uniforms at the waterfall - I am guessing it would be for their year book if their school traditions are like ours.

The drive back to Naivasha was uneventful. By the time we got to Naivasha it was late on Friday afternoon and there were lots of Kenyans on the street on their way home from school/work, some obviously heading out to a Friday evening on the town.

We enjoyed a last sunset then sunrise on the lake and after a morning tour of the property, left for Nairobi after lunch. We headed straight for the airport for our flights home. This wrapped up an amazing 3 weeks on the continent.