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Lake Baringo Safaris
Lake Baringo is at the
threshold of Northern Kenya, and its freshwaters are an oasis in the
arid plains.
Lake Baringo is the most northerly of the Rift Valley Lakes. It can
be reached from Nairobi in a day or you can break the journey by
stopping at Lake Nakuru or Lake Naivasha - both worth a visit in
their own right. From the other side it can be reached from Samburu.
Some guides recommend that if you're coming from Samburu you should
stop at Maralal to break the journey, it can be done in a single day
(we've done it several times) but be prepared for a hot, dusty,
bumpy and long trip (7-8 hours). Once you get there there's a couple
of hotels, one on an island in the lake, and a camp site to stay at.
This is the traditional home of the Njemps tribe, a unique people
who are the only pastoral, cattle herding, tribe who also fish.
Among other pastoral tribes such as the Maasai, eating fish is a
taboo.
The 129 sq km lake is well stocked with fish, and attracts many
Pelicans, Cormorants and Fish Eagles. The Lake is also well
populated with Crocodile.
The lake itself is truly beautiful, surrounded by volcanic ranges
that stretch as far as the eye can see.
At the lakes heart is Ol Kokwe Island, a stark rocky island that is
home to Njemps villages and a well appointed camp. This is an
excellent base for exploring the lake, with boat trips ideal for
bird and hippo spotting.
Baringo is an ideal stopover on a safari to Northern Kenya.
The lake is fed by two rivers, El Molo and Ol Arabel and has no
obvious outlet, despite this it's is one of only two freshwater
lakes (it is in fact slightly saline, but not enough to bother the
crocs, hippos or people who swim in it) in the Great Rift Valley in
Kenya. The climate in the region is generally hot and dry and away
from the lake shore the surrounding countryside appears quite
barren. However the imposing cliffs house a variety of bird life and
are also home to the Rock Hyrax (a small rodent-like mammal). The
Hyrax are really rather endearing and quite interesting to watch,
but from a birders perspective they are of interest as the favourite
food of Vereaux's Eagle, which as a result are sometimes seen
soaring over the basalt cliffs near the West shore of the lake. The
scrub around the edges of the lake also has some interesting birds
-if you can find them. Heuglin's or Three-banded courser is not
uncommon and you may also be able to see Lichtenstein's Sand-grouse
and the Spotted thick-knee. Your best chance of finding them in the
scrub is with a local guide, but beware, a number of the "guides"
will promise to show you a phoenix if that's what you're interested
in - at a price of course.
While it lacks the spectacle of some of its saline neighbours such
as Lake Bogoria and Lake Nakuru with their huge flocks of flamingos,
it more than makes up for this with the sheer variety of birdlife to
be found in and around its shores. (It's also very well placed for a
daytrip to Lake Bogoria.) More than 470 species have been recorded
there in total, and more than 300 have been recorded in a single
day. A recent bird census, carried out in two three hour spells on
consecutive days recorded just over 280 species in the 6 hours, and
that was outside the main periods for northern or southern migrants.
While you're unlikely to see all 470+ species in a short visit,
there are plenty of birds to be seen even by novice birders. Pale
and dark phase Gabar Goshawk, Paradise Flycatcher, African Fish
Eagles, Marabou Storks, Shikra and White-faced Scops Owl are amongst
the regular sightings, while some the less common birds that can be
seen there include Hemprich's Hornbill (along the cliffs), the
African Darter and occasionally the African Skimmer.
The Gabar Goshawks are an interesting local fixture. Lake Baringo
Club has a pair which have been nesting in the grounds for a few
years now. The pair is made up of a pale phase female and a dark
phase male, in each of the years they have nested there they have
raised 2 chicks, one pale and one dark! The presence of nesting
Hamerkops also gives you the opportunity to see some of the other
birds which take advantage of the extraordinary constructions that
these birds build. Since 1999 this includes a pair of Grey Kestrel
that have taken up residence in a Hamerkop nest, an unusual sighting
since these birds are only occasionally seen this far east in Kenya.
The lake used to boast a large Goliath Heronry but, although
Goliaths are still breeding around the lake, the Heronry has
disappeared. Zimmerman does describe the Goliath breeding as being
"sporadic" around this area so maybe this vanishing act is only
temporary!
The Baringo district is also at about the most southerly (and
easterly) end of the range for Jackson's Hornbill, although they are
still very common in the area. Further south and east these birds
are replaced by Von der Decken's Hornbill which they closely
resemble (except that they have white spotted wings). Some
authorities consider the 2 to be conspecific.
6 Days: Lake Bogoria
- Lake Baringo -
Lake Nakuru Safaris - Masai Mara
Day 1 Nairobi - Lake Bogoria
After
breakfast, depart to Lake Bogoria Game Reserve. Lunch
en-route. Lake Bogoria is famous because of
thousands of Flamingo and the hot
springs. Proceed to Lake Baringo
for overnight in the camp.
Day 2 Lake
Baringo
After
breakfast spend the morning at leisure in Lake Baringo.
After lunch enjoy a boat ride to the Njemp Island.
Dinner and overnight ate the camp
Day
3: After breakfast depart to Lake Nakuru National Park. This lake is
famous for its Flamingos but there are other types of birds living
and feeding there. and offers a wide variety of small game such as
Rhino, Waterbuck, Impala, Gazelle and Buffalo. All meals will be
provided at the mobile campsite. Overnight at Nakuru.
Day 4: Depart to Masai Mara Game Reserve. You will cross the valley
floor to Narok entering Hemingway's country “Serengeti Plains”. By
late afternoon you will have arrived at the campsite and have time
for a game drive before being served dinner and overnight rest.
Day 5: Full day in the reserve on game viewing. Game to be seen
includes Zebra, Giraffe, Antelopes, Hyena and virtually every type
of wildlife available in Kenya. It is home to all the big five
(Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, and the Rhino). Besides mammals,
over 350 bird species have been recorded here. Dinner and overnight
at the Campsite.
Day 6: Early morning pre-breakfast game drive in the park. After
breakfast depart to Nairobi .
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