Nderit

The main activity for today was going to be the game drive within the National Park. This is well known for a large population of Rhinos as well as providing a good chance of seeing Flamingos. This proved true as almost immediately we saw a family of 3 rhinos just roaming the grassland. We could get quite close, but with binoculars, you could see the animals incredibly well. It was really cool. As we headed toward the lake, we were shocked at how close the rest of the animals let us get. We started by getting up close and personal with gazelles, Buffalo, and plenty of monkeys. It was crazy how relaxed they were around people and how unphased they were by our presence. There were monkeys everywhere, and the babies were so cute that we sat for a while and watched the play with themselves. We then went to our next destination, where our guide parked up on the side of the road and looked into the binoculars. I do not know how he saw it, but somehow, he spotted a leopard parked up in the tree. Even when I was told exactly where it was, I struggled to see it. But when i did finally see it, it was incredible. Such a beautiful animal and so well disguised in the trees. We stuck around for quite a while and tried to get better photos. Eventually, the other group joined us and saw him right before it went down the tree out of sight. This meant that we had now all seen the big 5 on the trip, and we actually got to take some photos this time. We moved a little bit but didn't want to leave the spot in case he resurfaced. And sure enough, he did. This time much, much closer to the truck, and in much clearer sight. It was incredible. After some time watching and tracking him, we once again had to move on. We didn't get far until we were stopped by a bunch of giraffes blocking the road. Given that I was in the front seat, I had the best view of the giraffes where we were within arms reach of them. This was also really cool because you could see all the details of the amazing animal and I was so shocked that they were once again, unphased by our presence. We spent quite a bit of time here, mostly because we wanted to but also because they were blocking the road constantly, and multiple giraffes refused to move for us. Eventually, though, we made it to our lunch spot where we ate and then wandered around the waterfall that was inside the campsite we had stopped at. We didn't stay for long, though, as we just used this to eat because we were going to a lodge that overlooks the national park for a quick swim and a drink. This was an incredible view and a nice way to break up the game drives. Some of the other ones were very full on and tiring, so this was very welcome. We were having a successful drive, though, and thus, we wanted to continue and see what else the Lake had to offer.

Then, in a hilarious show of irony, we spotted a lion. But despite everyone looking side to side for animals, the driver once again managed to spot it first. This is mostly because he was wandering in the middle of the road. We had no choice but to follow him and see where he went. And we got close. Only when another car came from the other direction did it get a bit awkward, but the Lion walked past barely even registering the vehicle. Eventually, he found an amazing spot to park up for a lie down. Thus, we managed to see the illusive tree lion. He climbed the tree and laid down on a branch that overlapped the road slightly. This meant he was at our eye level just a couple feet from my face. If he wanted to, he could have easily lept into the car and caused mass casualties. But, instead, he sat there calmly, looking around at us and eventually closed his eyes for a nap. It was an unbelievable experience to get so close. After this, we finally found enough time to go to the lake and see the aquatic life. This was mostly Flamingos and Ibis, and the like, but still a cool display to see the colourful animals lighting up the lake. Something I was worried about after the first few game drives was going to be getting bored of seeing the same animals, but this one reinforced the unique circumstances and situations you can find the animals in and how exciting it remains as a result. This was, however, the end of the safari and so we headed back to camp for food and bed.Read more