. . . And some parting photos from our time in Nairobi.

Philip greeted us at our hotel promptly at 6:00 am, and we headed north out of town in the dark so that we could see this:

The view, taken shortly after sunrise, looks west across the Great Rift Valley, where we were headed for the day. After some oohing and aahing and a few photos, we resumed our journey. On the highway pictured below, looking in both directions.

The Nairobi-Malaba Road is a heavily used commercial route connecting the Kenyan port city of Mombasa to Uganda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and other land-locked countries in Africa.

Didn’t love that part of our drive, which was part of an otherwise wonderful 13-hour day trip from Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park and Lake Naivasha/Crescent Island.

Our private excursion took place prior to the Road Scholar safari, so it was our first experience seeing the countryside. Also a tantalizing appetizer for the feast that awaited us on the upcoming group safari.

At 73 square miles, Lake Nakuru NP was the smallest of the parks we visited. Yet all of the Big 5 can be found there (elephants, cape buffalo, lions, rhinos and leopards), plus a host of other wildlife, including over 400 species of birds. White pelicans pictured below.

Not surprisingly, the list of wildlife spotted during our short 2 hour game drive was short but included 2 of the Big 5 – a herd of cape buffalo at close range and 2 rhinos in the distance (no photo).

The Park is perhaps best known for its huge population of flamingos, although numbers have decreased in recent years due to flooding and loss of habitat. There were several hundred in this view of the lake – this is as close as we got.

We came across other animals, but the photos didn’t turn out. Quite possibly human error (still learning about my camera). A few more photos from Lake Nakuru:

Lake Naivasha & Crescent Island Game Sanctuary

After a late lunch, we were ready for part II of the day trip – a short boat ride on Lake Naivasha and walking tour of Crescent Island.

The highlight of the short boat ride across Lake Naivasha was when Isaac summoned a fish eagle to retrieve a treat he had tossed into the water.

Historically, Crescent Island was a peninsula, but due to periodic flooding and rising water levels, land access has been severed. The large mammals that formerly would come and go – giraffes, zebras, cape buffalo, wildebeest and multiple species of antelope, among others – were left stranded on the island.

With few predator species on the island (hyenas only), visitors can explore on foot, which was a unique opportunity for wildlife viewing and the main reason we went.

And by the way, the animals on the island haven’t been abandoned. They are well cared for by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Philip avoided the truck route on the drive back to Nairobi and took the more leisurely (and interesting) option of traveling through lively towns and villages. The video below captures the level of activity that was taking place on the main thoroughfare through Naivasha.

We made one more stop on the drive back to Nairobi, and it wasn’t on the official itinerary. Philip wanted to pick up fresh vegetables at a roadside market, and of course we said OK.

It was quite the experience – different from the farmers markets we’re accustomed to. No need to even leave the vehicle, as the sellers came to us, showing off their produce and hoping to make a sale.

One woman was especially happy with the outcome and wanted us to take her picture.

We were also happy with our experiences from the day.

This is the final article from our visit to Africa, and hopefully we’ve conveyed not only the many highlights, but also a sense of how special it was overall. The safari was superb, the people of Kenya and Tanzania were warm, welcoming and helpful, the delicious food featured a lot of fresh vegetables and tasty desserts, and our time in Nairobi added an unforgettable dimension to the trip. Thank you for following along!

We’ll wrap up with a few additional photos from our hotel and the streets of Nairobi.

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