There are up to two million lesser and greater flamingos in Lake Nakuru. The sight of huge flocks of these flamingos along the Nakuru lakeshore seems like a mirage from a distance because of its combination of white feathers and fuchsia-colored legs. In fact, at times, the lake’s surface is almost never seen. The patterns of flamingo migration are quite mysterious too. Sometimes they depart at night on long journeys between the many different alkaline lakes situated along the Rift Valley. So, it is never easy to predict at which lake they are. Flamingos almost never breed in Lake Nakuru.
Game drive
Little did the British colonial government know when they were splitting and developing Tsavo National Park that it would turn out into one of the most visited wildlife spots in the world. Both the West and East parks have their unique charm. While Tsavo West National Park is a stunning scenic beauty, Tsavo East National Park is slightly larger and closer for a day visit. Hopefully, with the conservation measures put in place by the wildlife authorities and the efforts of other stakeholders and well-wishers concerned, the population numbers of elephant and rhino may be restored to the former times.
The beautiful and picturesque Nakuru, located 164 km from Nairobi, rises from the floor of the East African Rift Valley and is surrounded and dominated by an undulating terrain of acacia woodlands, open rough grassland and euphorbia forest, characteristic of the vegetation in the rift valley. Nakuru encloses the park, the lake, and its adjacent lands. The word Nakuru in the Maa language of Maasai means dust. The name is such perhaps due to its vast savannah whose soil loosens during the dry season. The place is ideal for bird watching and hiking and is a 2½-hour drive from Nairobi.
Amboseli’s history is as ancient as human civilization. Excavators have discovered many fossils here. Although the Bantu people settled in Kenya over the first millennium, the Maasai established themselves in Amboseli. They were a Nilotic tribe but have amalgamated the customs of other tribes to form their culture. They named the region Empusel, which means salty and dusty open place in the Maa language. Maasais are fierce warriors, much like their ancestors, but living in peace with the wildlife population. Hence, the European explorers avoided them initially until an expedition arrived in the region in 1883 led by Joseph Thompson.
One of the geologic wonders of the world is the East African Rift Valley System, which is the largest fracture on the surface of earth. People also call it the Afro-Arabian Rift Valley. It is where the tectonic forces of this planet have created new African plates by splitting the old continental crust apart in the same way it does mid-ocean ridges. So, the East African Rift Valley is a divergent boundary in a region of continental crust. Debates are still going on as to how exactly rift comes into being. But the process is well displayed in East Africa.
Naivasha’s history embarks on a journey of facts and tales revealing the life of its people. Setting foot here unfolds the traces of its momentous events. The population is about 158,680 according to the Census of Kenya of 2009. Commercialization has crept into this quaint little town that Maasais once inhabited before the British colonised it. Lake Naivasha is the iconic feature of Naivasha fed by Malewa and Gilgil rivers flowing down the Aberdare Mountains. The water supports a horticultural industry and geothermal projects. However, this is taking its toll on its biodiversity resulting in environmental degradation, which are unsustainable.
Top 12 Safaris In Africa are Mara, Serengeti, Kruger, Okavango, Ngorongoro, Luangwa, Etosha, Amboseli, Hwange, and Bwindi. From the vast savannahs of Kenya to the pristine wilderness of Tanzania, the continent is home to some of the world’s top safari destinations.
Wildlife had declined by about 2 thirds since the 1970s. The main causes of decline in wildlife numbers in Kenya include land pressures, population growth, sedentarization, drought, poaching, over-harvesting, habitat loss, climate change and ecosystem degradation. But the most serious is settlement and subdivision. Wildlife numbers in the country declined sharply following the subdivision of land. The migratory herds of zebra, wildebeest, eland, and other species had all vanished due to the impact of burgeoning permanent settlements as well as privatization in the open pastoral lands. Several smaller migratory species including impala, Thomson’s gazelle, oryx, and kongoni have declined too.
The 2 famous tourist lakes of Kenya are lake Naivasha and lake Nakuru. Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake situated in the southwest of Naivasha town at an altitude of 1,884m and is at the highest elevation of African rift valley. The lake is approximately 100km from Nairobi at the foot of Mount Longonot, which is a perfectly shaped volcano. Lake Nakuru is in East African part of the great rift valley, which is 156km northwest of Nairobi in the district of Nakuru. There are some rocky outcrops as well as the largest African euphorbia forest on the eastern side.
The East African rift valley system has paved the way to two branches – eastern rift valley and western rift valley. The two branches divide Kenya north-to-south and enters Tanzania where it dies out. Lake Victoria is between these two branches. These fractures follow the old sutures between continental masses and the Tanzania craton. Both the eastern and western branches are grouped with Ethiopian rift to create the East African rift system. Thus, what appears to be a whole rift is actually a sequence of related rift basins that create the distinctive topography and geology of East African rift valley.