Lake Nakuru

The first National Park we visited was Lake Nakuru. It is relatively small but has loads of biodiversity. It holds more than 500 different bird species and is home to the black and white rhino. Gorgeous!

Some of our sightings were:

Giraffes-a-plenty

Carmine Bee-Eater

Starlings

Lilac-Breasted Roller

We slept at a nice resort right in the park. The children could swim while Axel and I gazed out to view wild zebras, baboons, and rhinos. We also awoke to this beautiful, misty morning:

Buffalo

Even though they are everywhere, I can't get enough of photographing these creatures. They look like they are staring into your soul. Not thinking much, but piercing your inner core nonetheless.

Flamingos at the lake

We used to see these birds all the time in the UAE. Dubai has a beautiful sanctuary that we would pass at least once a week on our way to church. If you asked Sedona what her favorite animal of the trip was, the flamingo would be it. Elephant? Meh, it's grey. Not pink.

The white rhino was not actually named for the color, but was really a miscommunication between the Dutch using the word weit (wide-referring to its square lips that can cut grass so efficiently) and the natives.

Impala, usually found with one male and over 15 females. Not a bad way to work, if you ask me.

Who can resist a zebra's butt?

The restaurant at our hotel hired a baboon beater. His sole job was to periodically beat a baboon with a stick so the baboons didn't steal food.

Note the nasty Marabou Stork in the background.

I am not sure where he was when this baboon took over Heavah's chair and began eating her food. Xavier didn't flinch. He sat right beside the baboon and offered him his fries. My children are far too comfortable with monkeys. The baboon didn't seem to care that I yelled and slapped my hands to scare him away. It wasn't until the baboon beater came back with his stick that he finally scurried off. He earned his wage for the day.

Black and White Colombus

Vervet Monkey

Olive and Yellow Baboon

Next- Masai Mara. My favorite.

Lake Naivasha

Our flight to Nairobi was easy and uneventful. Traveling seems to get easier and easier the older my kids get. It also helped that Emirates had some addictive video games to play for the entire 5 hour flight. We arrived in Nairobi in the evening and waited in the airport for my mom to arrive from Canada. It was a great reunion and there was plenty of excitement. The following morning we were headed off on our first safari.

Our first stop was Lake Naivasha, a beautiful freshwater lake in Rift Valley, known for its hippo sightings and bird watching. It was a great place to whet our appetite for things to come. The setting was serene and calm. It was amazing and slightly scary to come so close to some of the most dangerous animals (to humans) in the world.

The clouds were magnificent. I have never been in such awe over clouds before, but it was truly breathtaking.

Our first hippo sighting

Local children playing and swimming in/near the hippo infested lake

Our first bird sightings:

African starling

African Fish Eagle

The dik-dik (luckily, my kids are still too young to make fun of his name. Instead, they laughed about elephant poop for hours)

A Peek at Kenya

I am currently sifting through 2000+ pictures from our Kenya trip. It ranks as one of the most spectacular trips our family has ever experienced. It was an overindulgence of all my senses and I wish I could document the feelings, the smells, and the pure emotion of the trip. I will attempt to do so in several proceeding posts but must emphasize that the English language and pictures are limiting and will never do it justice. It should be a must on everyone's bucket list, add it next to bungee jumping.