Published in
BBC.com
We were returning from an afternoon safari when the first bell buzzed over the intercom. Having already spent a night at
the Ark, a quirky Noah's Ark-like lodge tucked into the thick, verdant forests of Kenya's
Aberdare National Park,
I was familiar with the drill: one bell meant elephants arriving to the
salt lick and watering hole that the back of the lodge overlooks. Two
bells signalled a rhino. While I would have jumped at the chance to
catch even a glimpse of either a few days back, Kenya's easy proximity
to buffalo, giraffe, zebra and other African wildlife has an odd way of
dulling your senses. Rather then run to the lodge's triad of decks with
camera in tow, I turned down the hall toward my room. But as I reached
my door, the bell buzzed a third time – a pattern we had never heard
before.
We were returning from an afternoon safari when the first bell buzzed over the intercom. Having already spent a night at
the Ark, a quirky Noah's Ark-like lodge tucked into the thick, verdant forests of Kenya's
Aberdare National Park,
I was familiar with the drill: one bell meant elephants arriving to the
salt lick and watering hole that the back of the lodge overlooks. Two
bells signalled a rhino. While I would have jumped at the chance to
catch even a glimpse of either a few days back, Kenya's easy proximity
to buffalo, giraffe, zebra and other African wildlife has an odd way of
dulling your senses. Rather then run to the lodge's triad of decks with
camera in tow, I turned down the hall toward my room. But as I reached
my door, the bell buzzed a third time – a pattern we had never heard
before.
A
small group had already formed on the third-floor outdoor deck when I
arrived, breathless. Charles Mathenge, the Ark's affable ”captain”
during my stay, was beckoning us with one hand while motioning to be
quiet with the other. Partially hidden in the brush was a leopard, its
yellow fur covered in densely packed rose-shaped markings that
illuminated it against the dark green backdrop. He was staring intently
at a mother warthog, her four tiny piglets foraging nearby.
“You
remember Pumbaa, the warthog from [the film] The Lion King?” whispered
Mathenge.
“Pumbaa means “stupid” in Swahili.” At that exact moment the
leopard leapt from his perch, bolting toward one of the piglets. The
mother warthog ran after him at a surprising speed, grunting and
repelling him backward.
“That didn't look dumb to me,” I said.
“No”, Mathenge said, “but now watch this”.
Within
seconds the mother warthog had turned her back on the leopard, grazing
obliviously as though the entire scene had never taken place. It is hard to beat Kenya for its unfettered access to wildlife
, but
visitors often forget that getting up close does not have to mean being
confined in a vehicle. For example, while much of your day at the Ark
may be spent roaming Aberdare National Park in 4x4 jeeps seeking out
playful monkeys, elusive lions and the occasional waterfall, at the
lodge you are still sleeping within the animals’ hunting grounds. Step
into the Ark's ground-level, wildlife-viewing room and you may find
yourself within steps of a black rhino, easily photographable through
the thick window. Or curl up with a hot water bottle as the temperature
drops and listen to the whoop calls of hyena as you drift off to sleep.
One evening I stood on the deck and watched more than two dozen
elephants – including a mother and baby – grazing on the lick below.And the Ark is just one of many alternative opportunities within a few hours of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.
Boat safari on Lake Naivasha
There is no shortage of hippos in Lake Naivasha, a freshwater body
lying 1,890m up in the highlands of Kenya's Rift valley, 120km northwest
of Nairobi. And most nearby lodges offer boat tours, including
Lake Naivasha Sawela Lodge.
As
your guide navigates the motorised boat past papyrus stands and
fisherman standing waist-deep in the water, it is easy to envision the
hippos rising up like sharks at any minute. But once you spot them –
their disproportionate ears and widespread eyes hovering just above the
water's surface – you almost forget your fears. Huddled together in
pods, they seem surprisingly (and wrongly) nonthreatening, their massive
bodies gliding around the bottom of the lake. But hippos are not
Lake Naivasha's only wildlife; it is also a bird-lovers paradise. The
lake is home to hundreds of bird species, from mohawked pied kingfishers
to brightly-coloured brimstone canaries to majestic fish eagles that
glide easily through the air. Meanwhile, buffalo meander along nearby
swampy banks and beyond them, black and white colobus monkeys dangle
lazily on the crooked branches of flat-topped acacia trees.
Bicycling through Hells Gate National Park Its
name is intimidating enough (though Hell's Gate actually refers to a
narrow break in the cliffs at the park's entrance), but the – albeit
slim – prospect of coming upon a voracious lion while riding nothing but
rubber tires and a metal frame is downright formidable.
Hell's Gate
is one of only two national parks in the entire country that you can
walk and bicycle through. Imagine, cruising along on two wheels while a
group of zebra graze curiously from a few metres away. You are likely to
encounter herds of hartebeest, Thompson's gazelle and buffalo. And
while the occasional carnivorous feline does make an appearance, they
are extremely rare. The park itself is exquisite, with hot springs and
nesting raptors. In fact, its jagged Fischer's Tower –a tower of basalt
rock ideal for climbing, in the park's northeast corner – is the main
inspiration for Pride Rock in Disney's 1994 film, The Lion King.Hell's Gate is about 90km northwest from Nairobi, and the city's
Goshawk Tours offers day-long bicycling and walking tours with round-trip transportation.
Walking among giants in Aberdare Country Club A course where a baboon absconds with your golf ball is not your typical putt-putt, but rather daily life on the grounds of
Aberdare Country Club,
a sprawling 1,300 acre wildlife sanctuary with a nine-hole golf course
and lodge surrounded by primates, warthogs and more. Peacocks wander the
trails and lounge on the rooftops, while giraffes graze on the trees a
few hundred meters away. Aberdare's nature walks and horseback riding
tours also get you up close to the animals, literally wandering among
zebra, elands and impalas.
Despite a recent renovation, the
property has the relaxing feel of an old-world country retreat like
something you would see in the movie Out of Africa. In fact, cast
members from the early-20th century period piece stayed here during
filming. The lodge, located 190km northeast of Nairobi, offers
spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, and is the perfect
spot for simply enjoying Kenya's vast natural beauty – preferably with a
Tusker lager in hand.
