Over the years, I have watched countless documentaries on National Geographic and I have always been fascinated by wild animals. I like how the lions run after and capture their prey. How the hyenas trail the predators and feast on the leftovers from the lions. I like the melodious chirping of birds in the wild. How they work in harmony, making nests, hunting and forming beautiful patterns when they fly is enough to marvel at. However, these documentaries do little to satiate my wanderlust. They only raise my interest to travel more. As a young chap, I travelled to the Nairobi Animal Orphanage, but all memories I have about the place are vague. Lake Bogoria however, famous for its geysers, was such an amazing experience that I feel that not sharing about it would be such a selfish thing to do.
The road trip from Nairobi to Nyahururu shows you some of the beauty Kenya has to offer, and depending on the time of year or season, there are so many sightings you’d make – gentle rays of the morning sun hitting the distant hills is a sight to be behold, you’d grow eye extensions just looking at it, if you were cartoon. Kids heading to schools adorned in clothes meant to shield them from the chilly weather that is characteristic of this place. Young ones strapped on their mothers’ backs, probably reluctant to go to school, as is evident on their faces. Crying and fidgeting and their mothers not open to hear any of it. School, like food, is mandatory. You get a sense of déjà vu right there, remembering all the times you had to fight with your mum or feigning illness just to skip school. Time flies. Fast.
Along the way (Nyeri-Nakuru route), do stop at the Subukia View Point where you get a vantage view of Subukia town and its environs. This town sits at the floor of the Rift Valley. You can see the roads that snake to and from the town from this point. This, the large plantations of wheat, oats, carrots and the very green scenery from this point, is breathtaking.
Lake Bogoria sits at 107 square kilometres, and its altitude ranges between 3160 to 5000 feet above sea level. Thousands of flamingos colour the lake pink. It is a magnificent sight to behold. And they are quite the shy type; they fly away at the slightest provocation.
We get to the steam jets and geysers eventually, after feeding our eyes on the Impalas, buffalos, zebras and leopards that roam around freely near the lake. The water really is boiling and to prove it, because we are Africans who only believe what we see or in this case taste, we wrap eggs in a polythene bag and place them at the mouth of the springs. In a few minutes, they were ready! It is a bittersweet experience, sweet because we can’t believe the amazing extent of God’s creation, bitter because some of us have had one too many eggs, and the rest of us normal eaters are silently cursing and readying our noses for the unpleasant smells we are in for later on.
Finally, if you’re not too full after eating eggs, and you’ve still got time to kill, make your way to the Menengai Crater. The road to it is rough and bumpy but the crater sight is every bit soothing and worth it.
So take that road trip today. I tell you, memories are made of these. Thank me later.
Check out
Travel: 9 reasons to visit #Nakuru County
Travel: 10 places to visit in Nyeri
