The short drive to Lion Hill Lodge allowed us to view the Great Rift Valley , which is more than 5,400 miles long. It's basically a crack in the African plate but is sharply defined through the highlands of Kenya.
The lodge sits on a plateau in the valley overlooking Lake Nakuru. Our room resembles a chalet and has a great view of the lake from the front deck.
After lunch, we boarded the vans for a game drive. We headed out to the shores of the lake. Before getting there, we came upon a young female lion resting in a tree. We could tell she was young because she still had spots on her legs. She straddled a branch of the tree with her paws dangling below her. Our clicking cameras never startled her. She continued with her nap long after our vans moved on.
Our driver told us that Lake Nakuru sometimes appears to be pink. That's due to the large number of flamingoes that visit the lake for food during migration. Millions of flamingoes have been known to line the shores at one time.
Eastern White Pelicans also populate this beautiful lake. On one of our stops a large flock gently swam along the shore. These birds swim in a horseshoe formation with the bottom of their bills open and in the water, in order to catch a few fish on their trek.
One of the first things you notice about the white pelican is its size. Plump piles of white feathers glide along the water in sharp contrast to the sleek brown pelican that dive bombs into the water to obtain its catch.
Lake Nakuru National Park is also known for its black rhino population. We viewed more black rhino here than in any other park. Rhinos thrive at Lake Nakuru because this park is difficult for poachers to enter. Therefore many other parks move their rhino here for protection.
The Rothschild's giraffe, introduced to this park, became another favorite of our group. This giraffe has chestnut colored patches that are separated by broader white lines with no spotting below its knees. As always, the game drive ended too soon. But we were treated to an African rain storm on the return trip to the lodge.
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