We were on the road by 8:30 to drive south to Lake Naivasha. Most people had the day off so the roads were quiet. Even so, the donkeys were working hard primarily moving water. None of the tap water here is potable so we’ve been drinking bottled water.
Lake Naivasha is surrounded by flower farms, primarily for European markets. The flowers grow under huge white canopies, so we could see neither flower nor most of the people tending them. Many of the companies also provide company housing, including schools and churches. Some workers arrive on company-owned busses: smoke-billowing, retired transit busses from the 60s and 70s.
Hell’s Gate National park offers biking, hiking, and unfortunately, paid vehicle entry. We test-rode bikes, then they were stacked on the back of a motorcycle and brought up to the entry gate. Parts of this trip I’d barely researched, trusting the tour operator, and this is one of those times where if we’d known we’d be biking 16km on bumpy, dusty roads, we would’ve taken a little longer with the bike selection. We said good-bye to our driver and rode behind our park guide.
The park is beautiful, with interesting geologic features and grassy plains occasioned by ruminants including zebras, buffalos, and giraffes. There is no separate bike path, so every passing car kicked up dust. The vehicle traffic also made the central 2/3 of the road like a washboard. At the halfway mark we parked the bikes and continued on foot to the viewpoint, which is said to be the inspiration for the opening of The Lion King. On the way we saw the riverbed that used to be part of the hike until a flash flood killed seven in 2019. A more recent flash flood knocked out a huge boulder.
Back at the bikes we stopped for a snack. Vervet monkeys swarmed around us and the guide tried to shoo them away. Soren was holding a back of macadamias and a monkey jumped on their hands, trying to take the whole bag!
On the return ride the clouds came in, making the constant slight uphill more tolerable. Between Ned’s bike being too small, Soren’s general misery of the dust, and my bruised bones from the roughness and rocks, this was not a shining vacation moment. I think our driver was a little surprised we did the whole thing instead of requesting a car rescue. The views really were good though, and we saw a giraffe right next to the road.
Covered in dust, we checked into our lodge for the night. It was huge compared the other places we’ve stayed, with around 100 rooms split over several buildings. There were holiday decorations, a large cookie house at the outdoor lobby, and festively dressed families milling about. We had the rest of the day to relax, starting with a late large lunch at the buffet.
A path led from the tree-covered lawn to the lake. As at Lake Nakuru, tectonic shifts led to a water-level rise that drowned many of the acacia trees and destroyed buildings. The water was edged with a field of water hyacinth and wading birds.
I finally gave in and washed a couple of shirts in the sink. Only two days left!
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