NEW BIRDING SITE OPENED IN KENYA

Extract from Kenya Tourist Board: Bird watching enthusiasts and leisure seekers now have Lake Elementatita in the list of preferred sites to visit. This follows the gazzetement of the area as a wildlife sanctuary. The 18-km square soda lake, nestled in the eastern sweep of the Great Rift Valley, is located off the busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway. Gilgil is nearest town to the tiny lake on the floor of the Rift Valley. Lake Elementeita, which is a one-and-a-half hour drive from Nairobi, is endowed with an airstrip in Naivasha, with charter flights available. Lodges and camps here can arrange transfers from Nairobi to Naivasha. This is also an excellent area to explore on foot.

Other leisure activities for those with a taste for the fine things in life include horse riding on the 42-km lake shore, bird viewing and tours of the natural warm spa that flows into the lake. Lodges and camps here are usually at hand to organise local excursions. Visitors have a variety to pick for fun and unwinding.

Even before its current enhanced legal status, the lake had earned its pride of place in the Central Rift tourism circuit as a popular destination for birding enthusiasts. The lake boasts of hosting hundreds of thousands of flamingos, pelicans, crested crebe and many other popular birds. It’s more than a thrilling escape joint for the weekend. The reed beds nearby are preferred fishing grounds for Night herons and pelicans. The lake and the neighbouring Soysambu Ranch also have large herds of buffalo, waterbuck, eland, zebra, giraffe, gazelle and other plains game. The gazetted area covers 2533.9 hectares, 40 km South East of Nakuru Town.

The lake is surrounded by spectacular country that played an important role in the early colonial history of Kenya. This was the estate and stronghold of Lord Delamere, the famous builder of the Kenya colony. In 1908, this area was settled by Lord Delamere, who was considered by the British to be one of the principal architects of the Kenyan colony. His exploits and those of his heirs is the stuff of legend.

In the serene and stunning landscape, the lake has camping sites, cottages and a few more lodges. It is also one of the few places where one can savour a hot springs bath with the breathtaking view of the lake, undulating hills and valleys bordering the tiny lake. Walking around the lake in the morning or afternoon is one of the greatest treats for birders. There is always a high concentration of flamingo on the shores, with Fish Eagles and other birds in the forests.