Kenya 2016 - A trip to Lake Turkana

[optig]

@@Botswanadreams I'm encouraged by your photos of Kakamega forest. I'll be visiting Kakamega Forest and Aberdares soon with @@Zarek Cockar.

[Zarek Cockar]

Apologies for my prolonged silence and the subsequent lack of progress on this trip report! I've been in and out of Nairobi with only intermittent spans of time for "social" time online.

As you've probably seen up until now, this trip was all about "firsts" for all of us. @@Botswanadreams was keen to plan the itinerary so there'd be plenty of locations that I was completely unfamiliar with mixed in with those I knew well. I learned about the Cheranganis in Geography class when I was around 11 or 12 (same as the Chalbi). I'd always seen them on the map, and I knew "Marich Pass" was one of the most spectacular drives in Kenya. More recently, having believed for many years that all the Bearded Vultures in Kenya had disappeared*, I learned that there were still several pairs living happily in the Cheranganis. It then became a mission of mine to go find them. When Christa mentioned she wanted to visit Western Kenya, to see some nice scenery, and that I should recommend where to go, this was the first place I mentioned.

*Now, a little background on Bearded Vultures. I intentionally do not call them "Lammergeiers", as this name has a negative connotation. I believe it comes from German, in which it means "Lamb Vulture" because it was believed for a long time (and still is in some areas), that these birds kill lambs. Due to disturbance at nesting sites and intentional killing by farmers/pastoralists, these birds declined rapidly across Kenya. Simon Thomsett, Kenya's legendary raptor man, in the early 2000's, tried to reintroduce a captive pair into Hell's Gate National Park which was once one of their strongholds. He spent 2 months living in a cave at the top of the cliff with this pair of birds, feeding them and flying them every day. Unfortunately, the Maasai in the surrounding community had some beef with KWS at the time, and knowing they had this project going, purposefully killed on of the birds. The other, I believe, disappeared and was thought to have been a victim of the nearby Geothermal Power plant. I was lucky enough to be camping one day in Hell's Gate when they were both still alive, and I saw them from my campsite. This was my first and only (spoiler alert) sighting of a wild Bearded Vulture in Kenya. Years later, when I met Simon for the first time, I met another Bearded Vulture with whom he had further plans of reintroduction into the wild. You can read more about Simon and his Bearded Vulture escapades here: http://simonthomsett.wildlifedirect.org/tag/mutt-the-bearded-vulture/

Back to the cheranganis. Christa has covered the drive from Baringo to Kitale pretty well. It was "eventful" to say the least - and a very tiring day of driving indeed, despite the fact that it's all on good tarmac and the distance really isn't very far! Of course your wind-screen wipers stop working THE DAY it starts to rain. I don't know who Sod is (or Murphy, for that matter), but he can take his law.....

Anyway.

I had organized for a local guide, Maurice, to join us for our day in the Cheranganis. I have birded Kitale, Saiwa, the Kongelai escarpment, and the Suam River with Maurice in the past, and he is genuinely one of the best local bird guides in the country. Maybe not QUITE on the same level as David Ngala from Arabuko Sokoke, but close enough. He knows where the Bearded Vultures are most often seen, and knows the roads in the Cheranganis like the back of his hand.

So off we went. Vincent had nothing to do back at Barnley's Guest House (where we were camping), so he came along for the ride.

The Cheranganis are the highest non-volcanic hills in Kenya, rising to around 3400m (+11,000ft) at their highest point. There are some patches of "untouched" forest lower down, around 2000m, but most of the area has been settled. Potatoes and Pyrethrum are the two main crops, while dairy farming is also common. The dairy farms hold the most biodiversity as they have not chopped down many of the larger trees, only clearing the smaller trees and undergrowth for grass to grow.

Unfortunately, on that day, the higher we got, and subsequently, the closer we got to the vultures, the more the clouds closed in around us, creating weather that Bearded Vultures are not fond of flying in. Everywhere we stopped, the Maurice got out and chatted to the locals, showing them the birds in his book. They all knew exactly what he was talking about it, and had a local name for it (which I've since forgotten). They described how at any large party, wedding, or funeral, the Bearded Vultures knew there'd be a feast waiting as all the attendees threw out their mutton bones in a heap on the side. No one seemed to have a negative view of these birds, so it seems for now, at least, that intentional persecution is not a major threat. As long as their nesting sites are not disturbed, I hope they'll be there for years to come.

Anyway, fate would have it that we were not supposed to see the birds that day. We all enjoyed the scenery, which was at several points very dramatic. We saw plenty of other birds, and enjoyed learning about the area from Maurice.

It seems we only saw a relatively small part of the hills, though, despite driving ALL DAY. I will be back there again some day, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, to explore some more, and hopefully see a Bearded Vulture!

I seem not to have taken a SINGLE photo while we were there! You'll just have to rely on Christa's photos, which are far superior than mine would have been anyway.

Next up, when I have a chance, which will hopefully be soon - Saiwa Swamp, Mt. Elgon, and Kakamega
(Quick fact: Kakamega is technically prounounced "Kghakghamegha" (with rough, phlegmy, throaty sounds on the "kgha"), and means "Ugali", which the Luhya people LOVE. Vincent, who is a Luhya, confessed to me that if he never had to eat chapati, rice, or beans ever again, it wouldn't worry him, as long has he had his ugali. He can literally eat 2 plates full of ugali and nothing else - no exaggeration.

[Zarek Cockar]

Saiwa, Mt. Elgon, and Kakamega

I’ll try to keep this brief, as I’ve been holding up the train here and Christa is keen to show you all Naboisho and get on with the rest of the report. I’m sorry for the long delay between posts and drawing this trip report on.

Saiwa swamp is a gem of a park. It’s tiny, and I would never have expected to be so impressed by it. My first visit was a couple of years ago on a birding trip. The sheer variety of birds in this 3km square oasis of indigenous vegetation and wetland amongst the eucalyptus and grevillea-lined farms of Western Kenya is astonishing. Add DeBrazza Monkeys and Sitatunga to that, and you’ve won my heart. As many of you may know, Saiwa Swamp NP is the only park in Kenya with Sitatunga. They do, of course, occur sporadically outside protected areas in wetlands in Western Kenya, but their numbers are not known, and their meat is not off-limits for many lower-income residents of the area as a source of cheap (free) protein. The park is also home to Guereza Colobus, Vervet Monkeys, Bushbuck, Marsh Mongoose, and a few other smaller mammal species.

As with previous visits, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and we had an especially nice view of a couple of female sitatungas at close range, as well as a few DeBrazza monkeys who had just returned to the park from raiding the neighbouring farm. Obviously, the neighbouring farmers don’t appreciate these raids and this is a cause for small-scale human-wildlife conflict.

Off we went to Mt. Elgon. Despite Richard Barnley (from Barnley’s Guest House in Kapenguria) sending his auto-electrician to sort out my windscreen wiper issue the night before, a little bump on the road out of Saiwa created a short circuit again and my wipers ceased to work. Again. This was getting frustrating. I suppose one has to be prepared for this with owning an older car. So we stopped at the fundi’s (Swahili general term for handy-man, mechanic, specialist, etc.) workshop and he proceeded to gut the electrics from the dash, engine bay and side paneling. After hours of waiting, he hadn’t found the problem, but we were convinced my rear wipers were part of the problem, so we disconnected them, put everything back together (what a mess), and FINALLY got on our way. Thankfully, it was a short drive to Mt Elgon and we got to the KWS Kapkuro Bandas in time to unpack, crack open a beer, and sit by the fire before dark. I’ll spare you the story of the long ordeal at the gate. Inept KWS booking staff at their head office caused us much grief. Nevertheless, we sorted it out, eventually.

Great drive up through the lower forest to the two caves. There was plenty of evidence of elephants, but we had no sightings. Elgon was hit a few years ago by an uncontrolled spate of poaching incidents, but KWS does seem to have it under control now. It seemed to me that it would take a while for the elephants to relax and begin to show themselves more readily when they hear a vehicle or human voices coming along.
The higher we climbed, the bigger the trees got. The Podocarpus (now I believe it has been split and these on Mt Elgon are Afrocarpus) trees were the highlight of the forest for me. The word “mighty” comes to mind. Some were just very straight and unbelievably tall. Others had trunks that could rival some of the bigger Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Firs of the Western United States (Cascades, etc.). Not much in the way of wildlife, but once we broke out onto the moors, above the bamboo, we began to see a couple of buffalo, waterbuck, and bushbuck here and there. In some ways the forest and vegetation in general reminded me of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares, but in other ways it was very unique. Once on the moors, the vistas really open up and you begin to see the scale of the mountain. It felt a little more ‘epic’ to me than the Aberdare moors. Maybe some of that was because of the dramatic clouds and shafts of sunlight, but the valleys, scattered inselbergs, and craggy peaks all just made it seem very “lord-of-the-rings”y (yes I’ve read the books twice and watched all the movies too many times).

No safari is complete until you get stuck. Ok, we didn’t get stuck, but came close a couple of times as springs crossed the black cotton soil. After almost turning back a couple of times, we found alternative routes, pressed on, and eventually came to the end of the road. From that point it’s a further 4km walk to the highest peak on the Kenya side, Sudek. We had no intention of doing that walk that day, but I will be back. I’ll camp at the end of the road and start out early in the morning. After taking a few photos and enjoying the scenery, it was time to start heading down to get back to the bandas before dark. Uneventful drive down, but we did see some more wildlife, including a Side-Striped Jackal that zipped across the road in the thick of the forest near the headquarters (now we had seen all 3 species!). A quick stop at the “Elephant Platform” revealed the dramatic line that demarcates the edge of the park - lush indigenous forest on one side, open farms and eucalyptus on the other.

One final night and an early morning start to Kakamega. We would have made good progress, but the numerous police barriers (which are technically illegal), and the infinite speed bumps of Western Kenya frustrated us no end, and it took a long time to get to where we needed to be. After a long, hot, slow drive, it was very good to pull into Rondo Retreat in Kakamega Forest, where the air is cool and the singing of birds all around you soothes your soul (yes, I can be a little cheesy). My previous trips to Kakamega have all been for serious birding. I still kept my binoculars and bird book on me at all times, but I allowed myself to relax a little and let the birds come to me. The highlight of Rondo for me is always the Crowned Eagles. This time, we had plenty of time with the immature bird who had recently been kicked out of its nest, but he adults were not around. When I had visited in April 2016, he? She? was just fledging, taking short flights across the garden, from one big tree to the next. We watched it struggle to get back into the nest, not being able to generate enough lift to rise to that height. After enough coaxing from the mum, it managed a few more flights and hops to get back to the nest, whereupon it plonked itself down, refusing to move again, despite much noise from its mum. This time, it was flying around confidently, calling constantly, waiting to catch a glimpse of the parents. Each time it flew, the Colobus monkeys and Blue Monkeys went wild with chatter, but the eagle seemed uninterested in hunting them. While they do eat monkeys, research has shown that the majority of the food brought back to the nest is made up of bushbucks, duikers, and other small/medium antelope. Pound for pound, these are some of the most powerful birds in the world.
Rondo’s meals are delightful. While they’re run by a Christian mission (Trinity Fellowship) and don’t serve alcohol themselves, they seem not to have a problem with guests drinking their own alcohol privately. So, the beers we had bought in Kakamega town on the way in, were brought to the rooms for post-dinner down-time on the veranda overlooking the forest. 2 Nights of this. Relaxing, birding, short walks, eating, chatting, sitting on the veranda. We all felt like we needed it – and Vincent enjoyed being home.

The drive to the Mara involves another long stretch of innumerable speed bumps, and of course, when I go to the mara, it rains. Happens every time. More on Naboisho next time.

 

Edited March 8, 2017 by Zarek Cockar

[offshorebirder]

@@Zarek Cockar - maybe I had a substitute cook when I was recently at Rondo Retreat. Because he/she was pretty poor!

[Zarek Cockar]

@@offshorebirder strange, that. I've never been disappointed with the food there.

[Botswanadreams]

@@Botswanadreams. Lovely trip through Western Kenya. What beautiful views and it's so nice to see that beautiful forest. This has been a great trip so far and I have really enjoyed visiting all these less-visited but very worthwhile places with you.

 

I enjoy the translation. It is like doing a crossword puzzle trying to work out the meaning sometimes - other times it is perfectly clear.

 

Thanks so much for your kind words. I think it was a very nice mix of beautiful places far away from the normal touristy places and the well known reserves full of animals. If I had to take this decision for our first trip to Kenya again I would do exactly the same. Now I have a new crossword puzzle for you. I can see that sometimes google translate a mess but I don't see a way to make it better.

 

I'll be visiting Kakamega Forest and Aberdares soon with @Zarek Cockar.

 

 

@optic I hope we can read your trip report soon. I read that it was postponed.

 

Thanks @Zarek for his input. He always reminds me of a few things like the Side-Striped Jackal that was out of my mind.

 

 

Lets go to the Mara. Part 7 is online. You are very welcome to come with us. Whether you only take a look to the pics or you struggle with this funny google English it's your choose.

 

 

Welcome in the Mara Naboisho Conservancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pault]

@@Botswanadreams I did not know camping was even possible in Naboisho. Great place to camp, although from the lion incident it sounds like you probably needed a chamber pot!

 

The story of how Naboisho came to be is a very good one. Out of disaster comes inspiration and success, and then the use of the cows who destroyed itt to be its savours. Strange you say Naboisho was ungrazed because.of its tsetses. I don't doubt the information but we saw no more there than in Olare Orok (i.e. a few but easily avoidable) and we went far and wide, although the guides are often very good at avoidng the tsetses.

 

Only one more chapter to go? What a pity.

[Zarek Cockar]

@@Botswanadreams I did not know camping was even possible in Naboisho. Great place to camp, although from the lion incident it sounds like you probably needed a chamber pot!

 

It's not really possible for just anyone. There are a few mobile operators (myself included) who have long-standing relationships with the conservancy who are permitted to set up temporary mobile camps at 1 of around 5 designated mobile camping sites. Our site was not too far the Enooronkon ranger base, between the Mpatipati and Moliban streams (in case you have a map to look at).

 

 

Strange you say Naboisho was ungrazed because.of its tsetses. I don't doubt the information but we saw no more there than in Olare Orok (i.e. a few but easily avoidable) and we went far and wide, although the guides are often very good at avoidng the tsetses.

 

Tsetse numbers in both Olare Motorogi and Naboisho have decreased drastically since the mid 2000's, allowing for more grazing and permanent settlement. I'm not 100% clear on the reason their numbers have dropped, but the Maasai I have spoken to tell me it's because they now dip their cattle. I don't fully buy this story as there's still plenty of un-dipped game for the tsetse to feed on, and there are no tsetse flag traps like in Meru or Serengeti. There's still plenty of woodland and bush in Naboisho for tsetse breeding (unlike much of the reserve).

In 2008/9, I used to get bitten at least once every 2 days or so in OOC and Naboisho if I was walking or on a game drive. Now I basically never see tsetse at all any more. While this may seem like a blessing to tourists, I fear it doesn't bode well for the overall health of the ecosystem in the future.

Similar to Mosquitoes. I'm fully in support of never getting bitten by a mosquito again, but I genuinely fear the cascade effect elimination of mosquitoes might have on the food chain. Happy to support malaria treatment and even malaria elimination programmes, but projects working to eliminate mosquitoes altogether, I believe, are misguided. And now I'm very far off topic.

I'll try to add more meaningful input on the Naboisho portion of our trip soon.

Of all major wildlife destinations in Kenya, Naboisho holds a very special place in my heart.

[hannahcat]

I just wanted to say how much I've been enjoying this trip report and being introduced to areas of Kenya I knew nothing about! (No pressure at all to finish it up -- I'm enjoying the leisurely ride with you.)

[Botswanadreams]

Welcome in the Mara Triangle

 

I'm sorry for the long gap but I was struggling a bit with my licence from MAGIX to get it running on a new laptop to prepare a few little videos for this last part.

 

​@@pault

I hope that Zarek will give us a few more inside knowledge on Naboisho in the next days. Thanks so much for you never ending interest on our long trip und your always nice comments.

 

@@hannahcat

Thanks for the flowers.

 

Our last four nights we spend in the Mara Triangle. Zarek booked the Ndovu Private Campsite well in advance. It is a very nice spot on the bank of the Mara River. You have to think twice to book it because of this ridiculous expensive added booking fee. But in the end I would do it again.

 

Part 8 the last one is online.

 

Be welcomed to take a look on our homepage and straggle a last time with this crazy google english.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks all who followed us through Kenya. A special thanks to Zarek for a perfect trip. In a few days you all will get @@armchair bushman back to this forum.

Next time if you like we can meet in Ethiopia.

 

Thanks

Christa

 

[Caracal]

@@Botswanadreams - this has been a very special report.

 

Many thanks to you and @@Zarek Cockar for sharing and taking me to Chalbi and other parts of the remote and wild NFD that I've read about over the years.

 

Ethiopia next so you're still following your dreams - excellent news!

[Botswanadreams]

this has been a very special report.

 

 

Oh @@Caracal it's not a very special report it's only a report of places very seldom visited. Thanks so much for the flowers. After we was there and I read the book "Journey to the Jade See" I can't imagin how to do this journey by feed. I would die after the second day. I hope one day you will see this beauty by your one.

 

I'm sorry that my english is too bad for a trip report in english and all of you has to strangle with the google translation.

From this trip we only have three little video. I like to put this as the end to this topic for all of you but not sure if it will work. They all from Mara Triangle.

 

https://youtu.be/7pUA-zATHms

 

https://youtu.be/dcde0jsVSeg

 

https://youtu.be/l4t4WRUtKvQ

 

Thanks

Christa

Edited May 10, 2017 by Botswanadreams

[Atravelynn]

Nice to know you saw Sitatunga in Saiwa. Plus DeBrazza monkeys!

 

What is the cave you are in front of?

 

You had some tough times driving due to the car and all the stuff going on outside on the roads.

 

Interesting background on the Lammergeiers.

[Lyss]

What a fabulous journey you took. I was taken places I didn't even know existed. I loved seeing how Kenya is so different in each section you visited. It reminded me a lot of how my home state of Arizona is set up in such away where the southern half is mostly arid deserts and sand dunes while the upper half is coniferous forests and greenery. I very much enjoyed seeing parts of Kenya and taking in your adventures. Thank you for bringing me along

[vikramghanekar]

Absolutely loved this! Kenya has so much to offer than the Masai Mara!

[Botswanadreams]

I'm sorry for the long silence here. My relocation from Switzerland home to Germany tuck me a bit busy and a very slow internet at the moment is not really fun.

 

@Atravelynn to your question

Quote

 What is the cave you are in front of?

The first pic in the Mount Elgon part is Kitum Cave, the second and the third are from Makingeny Cave with the little waterfall in front of the entry to the cave.    

 

@Lyss and @viramghanekar thanks for your nice comments on this trip report. I think all the African countries has much more to offer than the touristic well known national parks and reserves. We'll try our best to visit a few more of the not so well known place in the future and bring it to a bigger audience on ST. 

 

Thanks to all ST members for your likes and your visit to our homepage. 

 

Lets meat next time with pics from Ethiopia.   

 

Christa  

[Atravelynn]

Ethiopia is next for you it seems!