The great rift valley, almost exactly at the equator
First stop, the great rift valley viewpoint
Our driver at the gate of Hell's Gate National Park.
Map of our long walk from Elsa Gate to Hell's gate...
Oenanthe lugens
Wheatear, Mourning (M)
Wheatear, Mourning (F)
Merops bullockoides
Bee-eater, White-fronted
Most people go by car or bike... we are walking.... pfff
Bubulcus ibis
Egret, Cattle
Phacochoerus africanus
Warthog, Common
Always looking for (small) animals
A little shortcut over the hill
Hot, but we made it!
We are being watched!
A pause so the buffalo can move on before we descend.
Equus quagga
Zebra, Plains
This guy had interest in the appels we were eating!
Lanius collaris
Fiscal, Common
Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi
Giraffe, Masai
Gyps rueppelli
Vulture, Ruppel's
The walk through the park took us 2,5 hours and was very hot, but well worth it
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Monkey, vervet
After a steep descent we reached the bottom of Ol Njorowa Gorge
Terpsiphone viridis
Paradise-flycatcher, African (M)
Walking down the Lower Gorge in Hell's Gate National Park
Water eroded walls so narrow that they almost block out the sky
Motacilla aguimp
Wagtail, African Pied
The famous hot springs - doesn't look like much but the water is real hot!
Dessonornis caffer
Robin-Chat, Cape
Cinnyris venustus
Sunbird, Variable (M)
Apalis flavida
Apalis, Yellow-breasted
Ploceus baglafecht
Weaver, Baglafecht (M)
Ardea alba
Egret, Great White
Mycteria ibis
Stork, Yellow-billed
View from our tent at Crated Lake Camp
Crithagra citrinelloides
Citril, Abyssinian (M)
Mau Forest Guereza, very noisy in the early morning!
View of the Crater Lake seen from the crater rim
Crater Lake Camp seen from above
Coracias caudatus
Roller, Lilac-breasted
Crithagra sulphurata
Canary, Brimstone
Landscape of Crater lake Game Sanctuary
Myrmecocichla aethiops
Chat, Northern Anteater
Turdoides sharpei
Babbler, Black-lored
After seeing a small Thomson's gazelle we are now walking straight up to a giraffe.
Next up are a couple of Black-backed Jackal - I love game walks
Dicrurus adsimilis
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Taurotragus oryx
Eland, Common
Emberiza poliopleura
Bunting, Somali
Laniarius aethiopicus
Boubou, Tropical
Village life in Kenia
Giraffe just browsing near the road to Naivasha
Fully dressed in school uniforms - even on hot days
We reached Lake Nakuru, the first completely fenced national park we visit.
Our first view of Lake Nakuru
Code red is no surprise, it's really hot and very very dry.
Joni has already found a guineafowl feather to decorate her shirt. Using the waiting time at Nakuru gate to look for birds.
Bostrychia hagedash
Ibis, Hadada
Yes, found a Hadada Ibis!
Sunbird, Variable (F)
Our tent at Flamingo Hill tented camp Lake Nakuru
Restaurant area at Flamingo Hill tented camp
The best lunch we had all holiday - freshly baked nan bread
Wine tastes better in Africa - especially if you each order your own favourite :-)
Beuatiful tables in the bar area at Flamingo Hill tented camp - would love to have one at home
Afster dinner they bring out the chairs and lit the fire under the Jacaranda tree
Pycnonotus barbatus
Bulbul, Common
Spilopelia senegalensis
Dove, Laughing
Turdus pelios
Thrush, African
Diceros bicornis
Rhinoceros, Black
Scopus umbretta
Hamerkop
Lake Nakuru
Using the camera as a pair of binoculars
Buteo buteo
Eurasian Buzzard
The dead trees look a bit sinister early morning
Always a special moment, a Black Rhino crossing in front of our car.
Fever trees bordering the lake
Uraeginthus bengalus
Cordon-bleu, Red-cheeked (M)
Cordon-bleu, Red-cheeked (2xM)
Cordon-bleu, Red-cheeked (M/F)
Malaconotus blanchoti
Bushshrike, Grey-headed
Landscape of Lake Nakuru National Park
Aquila rapax
Eagle, Tawny
Sylvietta whytii
Crombec, Red-faced
Fish-eagle on the lookout
Haliaeetus vocifer
Eagle, African Fish-
Platalea alba
Spoonbill, African
A luxurious toilet for the tourists
An obligatory stop at Thomsons Falls
Thomsons Falls
No signs but this is our exit!
On our way to Laikipia, off the beaten track.
Beautiful Grey Crowned-Cranes in the field!
Balearica regulorum
Crowned Crane, Grey
We pass enormous herds of goat in this dry country.
Communication facilities in the middle of nowhere
That's the way we like it!
Local transport
Flat tyre...
Masks to protect the driver from the dust
Another local transporter
What is he doing?
The first dry-country special five we see is the reticulated Giraffe
African Beehives
Laikipia Wilderness Camp, our absolute favorite of this trip!
Loxodonta africana
Elephant, African Bush
Afternoon walking safari in Laikipia
We're sitting outside, watching them from 200 meters
We didn't know they have hedgehogs in Africa, but they do!
Madoqua guentheri
Dik-dik, Günther's
Tracking the wild dogs
Procavia capensis
Hyrax, Rock
Tockus erythrorhynchus
Hornbill, Red-billed (F)
Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata
Giraffe, Reticulated
Aepyceros melampus
Impala (M)
Tockus deckeni
Hornbill, Von der Decken's (F)
Pternistes leucoscepus
Francolin, Yellow-necked
The Ewaso Ng'iro river is almost dry
Oenanthe oenanthe
Wheatear, Northern
Litocranius walleri
Gerenuk
Tracker Steven looking for Lion spoor
Eland, Common (M)
Spilopelia senegalensis & Streptopelia capicola
Dove, Laughing & Dove, Ring-necked
Streptopelia capicola
Dove, Ring-necked
Messor Angularis
Ant, Harvester
Eland, Common (I)
Quelea cardinalis
Quelea, Cardinal (F)
Preparing for a coffee break during the morning safari.
Beautiful Opuntia ("prickly pear") but invasive and actually a real problem.
Stigmochelys pardalis
Tortoise, Leopard
Bradornis microrhynchus
Flycatcher, African Grey
Cisticola chiniana
Cisticola, Rattling
Typical landscape of Laikipia
Melierax poliopterus
Chanting-goshawk, Eastern
Game drive circuit in Laikipia
Posing and eating does not always go well at the same time
Equus grevyi
Zebra, Grévy's
Canis mesomelas
Jackal, Black-backed
Acryllium vulturinum
Guineafowl, Vulturine
Goodmorning everybody, allmost seven o'clock. Start of the golden hour.
A new day, a new chance of finding the wild dogs
Trying to find the signal on higher ground
This morning the fever started to rise. Fortunately, it was over again after a day.
Trachyphonus darnaudii
Barbet, D'Arnaud's
An extremely dry season in Kenya this year
Corythaixoides leucogaster
Go-away-bird, White-bellied (F)
Nilaus afer
Brubru (M)
Heterohyrax brucei
Hyrax, Bush
Plocepasser mahali
Sparrow-weaver, White-browed
African endless roads
Sporopipes frontalis
Weaver, Speckle-fronted
View of the complete camp
Turtur chalcospilos
Wood-dove, Emerald-spotted
Vegetable shops
Vegetables and exotic fruits
Isiolo, one of the bigger towns up north
Street view on our way to Samburu
A typical Samburu village
Lion King Bush Camp on the map of Samburu National Reserve
The Ewaso Nyiro is the same river as in Laikipia
The main gate of Samburu National Reserve
Wow, we love the Samburu landscape
Our tent at Samburu Intrepids Tented Camp
Samburu people digging for water
