Day 148: Lake Naivasha
We left Amboseli in the morning and had a short drive to our next location – Lake Naivasha. We checked-in to our Sopa Lodge in time for lunch and had a few hours downtime to enjoy the grounds before our excursion on the lake. We were super excited when we found out our boat ride on the lake included a walking safari on the predator-less Crescent Island! After weeks of being cooped up in SUVs and safari-cars, we really appreciated the opportunity to get out and WALK.
Checking-in to the Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge in time for the buffet lunch – which was delicious! We asked Edward later if we knew who owned the Sopa Lodge chain, and he said the owners were Kenyan and Indian – which totally makes sense now, since every buffet had a large selection of Indian food. YUM!
The Lake Naivasha location was our favorite Sopa Lodge. While we had a long walk to our room, it was very comfortable – cable TV with English-language movie channels and a second floor balcony with a view of the grounds
The Sopa Lodge grounds were not fenced, which meant animals were free to roam across the property. As we walked across the lawn, we were able to get really close to the herd of waterbucks
Boarding the minivan for the short drive to our excursion on Lake Naivasha
Heading out for our boat ride on Lake Naivasha
Pretty flowers in the wetlands
What an ugly face! Lots of Marabou Storks fishing in Lake Naivasha
Shy hippos hiding in the waters of Lake Naivasha
We dock at Crescent Island for a guided walking safari – since the island has no predators, we finally get a chance to leave the confines of a car!
Crescent Island, Lake Naivasha
A herd of Thompson’s Gazelle graze on Crescent Island, a scenic spot that was one of the filming locations for the movie, “Out of Africa”
Walking amongst the animals – zebras and waterbuck
Exploring the island on foot, we have the opportunity to get really close to a herd of giraffe, including this adorable baby
Lindsay creeps up slowly on this beautiful female giraffe by hiding behind a tree, however when she sticks he hand with the GoPro out from behind her hiding spot, the giraffe gets spooked and runs off
A fish eagle, swooping down for a catch!
High up in the trees we catch a quick glimpse of a Colobus Monkey, and tons of darter birds
Back at the Sopa Lodge, we take another stroll unescorted around the grounds before sunset, where we spot another big waterbuck grazing in the duckweed
We spot more giraffes at the edge of the property and walk over to snap some close-ups
Ah, now *this* is good Wifi! We bring our computers with us to the common area so we can catch up on emails before dinner