Wonders of the Natural World

Despite my new found love of camping, I embraced the wilderness from the comfort of a lovely banda during my trip upcountry a few weekends ago.  And by wilderness I mean exotic birds and hammocks. 

My mom came to visit me in early June for just over a week.  It was her first time to Kenya as well as Africa in general.  Since there's not many touristy things to see and do in Nairobi proper despite it being quite cosmopolitan for the region and the hub for East Africa, I was all too happy to get out of town to show her Kenya's natural beauty.  Getting away for a weekend and surrounding myself with animals, nature, and gorgeous scenery are among my favorite things to do here.

Lake Elementaita

She's not so much the outdoorsy, camping type so instead I found us a nice lodge to stay by Lake Elementaita.  Our accommodations at Sunbird Lodge were ah-mazing.  The banda overlooked the lake and I spent most of my time with my friend Brittany lounging in the hammocks on our patio during the afternoon storms.  It was beautiful and oh so relaxing.

It's a rough life.

While there we visited the Menengai Crater and Nakuru National Park.  Again, not a ton to do, but then again, who cares, it's so gorgeous, it's nice to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Menengai Caldera

The Rift Valley is just a couple of hours outside of Nairobi so it's a super convenient jaunt down the highway. Since my mom is a bit of a freak over flamingos, the fact that millions of them hang out in those two lakes was a huge draw.

Pelicans and flamingos on the lake

Alas, we didn't get to see any large cats while there and all of our rhino sightings were from afar, but a fun and relaxing time was had by all and hopefully my mom had a glimpse of one of the many reasons why I love this country so much.