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Naivasha is always a good idea…

Naivasha is always a good idea…

A weekend getaway after a hectic work week to Naivasha has been one of the most popular plans amongst young travelers from Nairobi and ย other towns in Kenya.

For a long time, I kept resisting the Naivasha bug, but the defiance did not last long. I have since visited Naivasha more than ten times in less than two years. Everytime I get there, I discover new stuff that I never knew existed.

In one of my visits, I had the pleasure of joining Orange Adventures for an organized trip. This was the first time I went to Naivasha with a tour company.All my other instances have been on solo trips or with a few friends and yours truly got to plan the logistics.

I was flattered by the idea of sitting pretty and having everything organized.

There were a few delays that morning as we waited for every one to get to the meeting point and when everyone else got there and we were ready to leave, there was a bit of drama with Kenya police as one of the organizers was charged for double parking you don’t want to hear the end of it. Despite the bumpy start, my spirits were not dampened.

As a solo traveler, trying out group travel with new people can be a bit of a challenge especially if the other guys know each other. Not to mention when everyone else is a couple!(Well I am exaggerating for effect) Can you imagine it was a Valentines getaway?I was totally unaware… Exit Bonita on Safari,enter Bonita the third wheeler… I wanted to turn back at this point but well, it was a bit too late.

We got to Naivasha slighlty after an hour and a half, made a quick stop at Buffalo mall then headed straight to Crater Lake Game Sanctuary, where we were to go for a two hour hike round the crater, have lunch while at it,then head back to Cray Fish Camp where we were to spend the night.

Surprisingly enough, the group wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be.

I had underestimated the hike but it got me breaking a bit of sweat.

Crater lake is a green volcanic lake at the bottom of an old volcanic crater inside the game sanctuary. Occassionally, a flamboyance of flamingoes can be seen on the shallow ends of the lake, stubborn monkeys, warthogs , zebras and graceful giraffes on the other bushy sides.

The two hour hike was so picturesque, it felt like walking in a virtual world, floating in the clouds above and having an aerial view of the Lake.

 

We stopped to have lunch at one of the highest point of the crater where one is able to see Lake Naivasha and Lake Oloiden. Geographical history has it that all the three lakes was one big lake before a volcanic eruption that ended up splitting them.

 

The route back to the reception was through Crater Lake Lodge, a cosy,lake-facing, romantic getaway that immediately debunks a not so promising picture originally painted by a floating restaurant that looked like it could use a make over and an underwhelming small swimming pool at a corner.

When I checked out the tented camps… I was pleasantly surprised.

 

From Crater Lake lodge, we went straight to Crayfish Camp.

I had never camped at Crayfish until that day. It was all fun and games until it dawned to me that I was going to spend a long night inside a tent in the cold Naivasha night. I showered, overdressed and immediately after the early dinner, I decided to sleep early to keep my space warm.However that was a mission in futility. I woke up at 10:00pm to warm myself in the bonfire because the shivering! I felt my intestines shrink and my organs quivering.

One by one, everyone else went to sleep and I was left there seriously trying to keep myself warm. The sky was clear and the moon shone so bright. An occasional puffing of the hippos from Lake Naivasha that was a stone throw away to the rustling of dry leaves as the night guard did his routine security checks kept me awake. I repeat, I don’t like camping.

A few minutes to 5:00am, I left the fire place and went to sleep inside the van. The warmth in the car was the best thing that happened to me that weekend. Smokeless warmth.

I thought I’d wake up early that morning to catch sunrise but well, lets just say I was so fatigued.

Day 2.

The next morning was so bright and sunny. Everyone else was up, half of the guys had gone to swim, some of them were having breakfast, other were folding up their tents, and a general good vibe in the air could be felt. I walked down the lake hoping to see a few hippos but I captured more than I bargained for!

I guess Naivasha’s never ending to-do list ranks it highly compared to other touristy destinations in the country.

We wound up the trip on that Lazy Sunday afternoon…

NB: Please share with me your camping hacks! I want to be a cool kid too.

 

 

 

 


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I travel, I write about travel. I take travel photos. Talk to me about destination reviews,cultural trips, and responsible tourism.

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  1. REBMINLU

    26 June

    Your photos are absolutely stunning! I can’t imagine how cold it must have been. I went camping on the Great Wall of China a few weeks ago and I also had a difficult time sleeping because it was so cold… ๐Ÿ™

  2. Bee

    26 June

    These wetlands look like a gem. Glad you got to spot some wildlife too! The floating restaurant is pretty cool too.

  3. Una-Minh

    26 June

    Oooh Naivasha looks like something out of a movie, the colours of the water and trees make it look so inviting. Love the look of the rooms (dรฉcor is fab! Especially the flamingo stained glass!)

  4. Danik

    27 June

    Wow! Everything in this post looks fantastic. I would so love to hike in this area and chill out by the lake afterwards with a few beers. ๐Ÿ™‚ The accommodation looks clean and welcoming as well. Great write up ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Thanks for this great overview of Naivasha; really liked the layout of this post. We didn’t visit it on our last trip in Kenya, but hopefully we’ll visit this gem on our next vacation. We love your photos too much!!

  6. Pete

    28 June

    Your photographs can be beautiful. It’s easy to see where your eye is on the beauty, and where it is on telling the story. For example the unhappy floating restaurant, that’s a story shot, but your “after dawn” photos are made with beauty in your heart.

  7. Great place. Wonderful article. Thanks for sharing it.

  8. johny

    30 June

    Great piece. I like the pics in the article. They are very clear and were well taken. Kudos.

  9. Jayson

    30 June

    Thanks for sharing.

  10. I have never been to Afrika and I dream of visiting.. Kenia is very high on my bucket list! I actually thought about volunteering to a environmental project there ๐Ÿ™‚ I have one question; do you know why the pool is green?

  11. Esther

    1 July

    wow i must say naivasha i s beautiful. nedd to visit soon

  12. Linda

    1 July

    Thank you for sharing about Naivasha.

  13. What a beautiful place

  14. Eddy

    1 July

    Hi, seems like a great place to spend up to a week… thanks a lot for the great article and all the information, liked the photographs too. Cheers, Eddy

  15. Nice! That is a cool trekking and camping destination. It’s very scenic, especially when viewed from above. I’m just concerned about the hippos though.

  16. Naivasha is indeed a revelation. Was not aware of this place. But the place looks so close to Nature and the landscapes are pristine. Would love to head out to this unspoilt part of the world and bask in the beauty of nature.

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