September 3-5: Lake Bogoria National Reserve

After leaving the Maasai Mara my plan was to go west to a remote and rarely visited Park called Ruma near the shores of Lake Victoria and then head north to visit a couple of other small and relatively unknown Parks (Saiwa Swamp and South Turkana). However, as I was leaving The Mara I learned that the tsetse flies were really bad at Ruma and that they carry the parasite for sleeping sickness. SO, rather than battle the tsetse flies and risk the disease I opted to stay east and head to Lake Bogoria National Reserve. I can’t edit the map above on my tablet so you can just skip over the paths between The Mara and Lake Bogoria and go straight to Lake Bogoria.

On route to Lake Bogoria I stayed in a low-end hotel in the town of Narok because I could not find a camping site anywhere nearby. On the way up to Lake Bogoria the following day I had an uneventful crossing of the equator. I wouldn’t even have known I was crossing the equator if it weren’t for my GPS system – there was nothing on the paper maps or on the road marking the crossing. Centered on the equatorial crossing were some large sisal plantations. Sisal is in the Agave family and is cultivated for its fibres in the leaves used to make rope and other products. Here’s a photo of what that looked like:

After many kilometers of surprisingly decent tarmack roads I ended up on a stretch of rather rough track that see’s very few vehicles other than motorcycles. However, it was the only track to the Reserve coming from the south, so I had little choice but to go slow. After creeping through herd afer herd of goats and cattle, I eventually made it to the Reserve gate, where I learned that my planned public campsite was under water. Apparently, like all the other lakes in the region, including Victoria and Tanganyika, the Lake level has risen significantly over the past several years. Some suggest climate change due to global warming-induced increased rainful as the cause. And this is adjacent to areas in eastern Kenya and Ethopia that have been experiencing severe droughts. These sorts of regional and even local swings in climate seem to be one of the hallmarks of climate change. Fortunately, the Reservee substituted the lakeside campsite with a streamside campsite that was a very comfortable and serene setting right along a babbling brook under numerous shade trees, including some huge fig trees. Here’s a few photos that don’t quite capture the full scope of the peaceful riparian setting and the grandeur of the fig trees:

But if you really want a sense of the serenity of this streamside campsite, watch my 6-minute streamside flute video:

Lake Bogoria streamside flute video (6 minutes)

Lake Bogoria National Reserve (41 sq. mi.), established in 1970, is located on the floor of the Great Rift Valley roughly 145 miles northwest of Nairobi. Lake Bogoria lies in a trough below the Ngendelel Escarpment that rises steeply from the lake 2,000 ft – an awesome sight! The reserve is centered on the lake itself, which in addition to its spectacular setting is geothermically active on the western shore, with geysers and hot springs. It was once described as “the most beautiful view in Africa” – I wouldn’t claim that, but you be the judge. The Reserve is in a semi-arid area. The only major river feeding the lake is the Waseges River, which rises on the northern slopes of the Aberdare Range. The Waseges runs through productive agricultural land (mostly coffee plantations) higher up, through bush and scrub used for grazing, and then through very dry bush before entering the lake at its northern end. The lake is surrounded by dry srcub, except along the few streams running into the lake which support lush vegetation and huge fig trees. There is no terrestrial wildlife here to speak of, which is perhaps not too surprising since there are goats and cattle grazing everywhere – so much for the concept of a nature Reserve. All they seem to be reserving is grazing/browsing for domestic livestock. Not my idea of a National Reserve! Here are a few shots of the lake and setting:

The lake is alkaline, feeding blue-green algae which in turn feed the flamingoes. At times the number of flamingoes feeding in the lake may be as high as two million. I’m not sure of how many flamingoes I saw but it must have been in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps even a million. This flamingo spectacle is the avian counterpart to the wildebeest spectacle of The Mara. Here’s a photo to wet your lips, but check out the video to see the full wildlife spectacle.

Lake Bogoria composite flamingo video (10 minutes)

I know how much some of you like trying to guess mystery objects/sounds, so here’s another one for you. What is this cut log structure hanging in the tree and what is their purpose (note, these were distributed all along the road through the Reserve)?

OK, I’m off to find Rhinos at Ol Pajeta Conservancy. Wish me luck!