In March when my dad was here, we took a day trip out to Hell's Gate and Naivasha Lake; I had been before on my own, but this time we went as a family: first taking a boat out on the lake, then having lunch at one of the resorts by the lake, and then cycling in the National Park.
The kids enjoyed the lake; there are many different places where someone will take you around the lake in a speedboat and there's not national park fee or anything. It's an enjoyable hour or so and the kids like spotting hippos as well as the many birds. The guide's party trick, or throwing a dead fish into the water for an eagle to fly down from a tree and grab in its mouth always goes down well. Alongside the lake are many different resorts or campsites; where we took our boat from is one of the colonial legacy ones, where a famous conservationist once lived. We had lunch at a different one, which also had horse riding and always keeps Hannah entertained. They also have a playground, pool, bar and other things that might entice back for an overnight stay.
Hell's Gate is famed for its spectacular gorge which has only recently been formed and is getting deeper all the time from erosion, and also famed for its cliffs which inspired the scene in the Lion King where Simba's father gets caught in a stampede and cannot climb out. It's one of the only National Parks with large animals but which you can walk and cycle in as it lacks most dangerous animals (there are Buffalo, but otherwise, mostly Giraffe, Zebra and smaller animals). As with most National Parks there is a steep entrance fee for tourists, and a much cheaper entrance fee for locals, and also a cheaper fee for foreigners who are residents in Kenya.
The kids sat on the back of the bikes, as we cycled, and enjoyed spotting animals. The main cycling route is kind of a figure D, and most people just go up and down the main straight I, but there are a couple of shortcuts across the C part which is what we did, as doing the whole D with kids on the back would have taken too long. Actually most of the animals are also along the I or near it, so it is not that useful for animal spotting to do the much extra and harder distance on the D. The route has the odd signpost and it is also possible to hire bikes at the entrance, or from locals nearby the Park (as I did last time I came alone). Some of the roads are even tarmac to allow for access to the geothermal plants there which generate major amounts of renewable electricity for the country, but are generally quite well concealed and don't disturb the view or animals much.
Hannah also walked along the gorge and enjoyed the entrance, which is particularly tricky and fun to descend down (we had to carry Leah as it was too tough for her), and as usual she befriended our guide and enjoyed talking to him. She won't usually walk far if only with her parents, but if she's with a friend (a child or an adult), she'll walk forever! There's a small shop at the entrance to the gorge, and some local women have a small Masai Market too, but generally National Parks in Kenya are barebone: just natural, with a map at the entrance, not too many signs, few shops or toilets (most parks with animals you can't get out the car anyway), and generally fairly few people around. They are enjoyable experiences for a few hours, though for some people, spending longer may only be enjoyable in the parks with cycling and walking (usually the ones without many animals, like Mount Kenya) rather than spending a lot of time in a vehicle.
Hannah also walked along the gorge and enjoyed the entrance, which is particularly tricky and fun to descend down (we had to carry Leah as it was too tough for her), and as usual she befriended our guide and enjoyed talking to him. She won't usually walk far if only with her parents, but if she's with a friend (a child or an adult), she'll walk forever! There's a small shop at the entrance to the gorge, and some local women have a small Masai Market too, but generally National Parks in Kenya are barebone: just natural, with a map at the entrance, not too many signs, few shops or toilets (most parks with animals you can't get out the car anyway), and generally fairly few people around. They are enjoyable experiences for a few hours, though for some people, spending longer may only be enjoyable in the parks with cycling and walking (usually the ones without many animals, like Mount Kenya) rather than spending a lot of time in a vehicle.
Over the Easter weekend we went to Nakuru, another National Park and Lake further out West, past Naivasha. Here the attraction is the land around the lake, where there are rare White Rhinos (which we saw) amongst other animals. We went in our own car, though hired a guide, who took us on one or two off-road paths, and we got stuck for a while in the mud. Even with our 4 x 4, but we managed to escape without getting mauled and continued on the circular trip around the lake, finally glancing a sleeping lion near the end. Nakuru is actually the most expensive National Park in the country (along with one other) whilst other National Parks are lower down on a sliding scale. It might be because Nakuru is fairly small compared to other parks, and it is easy and quick to see many different animals, but I may have to ask around to find out if there is a more scientific reason!
Nakuru, like some of the larger Parks have accommodation inside them, usually quite expensive and quite nice. We had a look at one as we contemplated having lunch there (though decided not to in the end as the lunch menu was very limited). It was a fairly typical place, often called a "camp", though the tents are permanent tents, on concrete, with a concrete bathroom at the back with toilets/showers ensuring each tent is en-suite, and you sleep in a regular bed inside the tent... the only thing that makes it a tent is that most of the covering over the room is indeed canvas, but it's not camping as we're used to back home! The camp also had a swimming pool. The camp is in the National Park so is surrounded by a fence of course to keep out any animals, though Nakuru also has some more traditional campsites, i.e. some land where you can pitch your own tent, and these don't have any fences around them; I read that the staff may light a fire to keep animals away. I'm not sure we'll be doing that with Andrea and the kids though anytime soon.
Nakuru, like some of the larger Parks have accommodation inside them, usually quite expensive and quite nice. We had a look at one as we contemplated having lunch there (though decided not to in the end as the lunch menu was very limited). It was a fairly typical place, often called a "camp", though the tents are permanent tents, on concrete, with a concrete bathroom at the back with toilets/showers ensuring each tent is en-suite, and you sleep in a regular bed inside the tent... the only thing that makes it a tent is that most of the covering over the room is indeed canvas, but it's not camping as we're used to back home! The camp also had a swimming pool. The camp is in the National Park so is surrounded by a fence of course to keep out any animals, though Nakuru also has some more traditional campsites, i.e. some land where you can pitch your own tent, and these don't have any fences around them; I read that the staff may light a fire to keep animals away. I'm not sure we'll be doing that with Andrea and the kids though anytime soon.
Nearby Nakuru we also visited the Menengai Crater, which also has a small entrance fee, though is not an official National Park. It is one of the largest craters in the World, and there are some spectacular views from the top, which you can actually drive up to. No-one was actually living inside the crater (though there was a lot of vegetation and some new geothermal plants being dug), but many people live along the sides and nearby the crater, presumably with fertile soils from previous eruptions. It's certainly worth the short trip from the National Park.
As the Kenya Wildlife Service website explains, 8% of the Kenya's land mass is protected area for wildlife conservation. The protected areas comprise of 23 terrestrial National Parks, 28 terrestrial National Reserves, 4 marine National Parks, 6 marine National Reserves and 4 national sanctuaries. Protected areas in Kenya are categorized either as parks or reserves. The distinction between the two categories is: in parks there is complete protection of natural resources and the only activities allowed are tourism and research. On the other hand in reserves, human activities are allowed under specific conditions. These activities are for instance fishing in marine reserves or firewood collection in terrestrial reserves.
A lot of Kenya's wildlife lives outside Protected Areas, this is because most of the protected areas are not fully fenced, and hence wildlife moves in and out of these areas in search of pasture and water during certain periods within the year. When they move out of the protected areas, they interact with people on private and community land causing human wildlife conflict. This therefore requires that KWS embraces a strategic partnership with communities living in wildlife areas.
The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act categorizes the country's species of wildlife into four classes: critically endangered species; vulnerable species; nearly threatened species; and protected species. Harming endangered or threatened species can lead to life imprisonment and/or a fine of US$230,000. Though interestingly until the law was updated recently, the fine was only $400 and ten years in prison. The main species protected in these categories are elephant, leopard, lion, rhinoceros, giraffes, and some specific monkeys, zebra and so on.
As the Kenya Wildlife Service website explains, 8% of the Kenya's land mass is protected area for wildlife conservation. The protected areas comprise of 23 terrestrial National Parks, 28 terrestrial National Reserves, 4 marine National Parks, 6 marine National Reserves and 4 national sanctuaries. Protected areas in Kenya are categorized either as parks or reserves. The distinction between the two categories is: in parks there is complete protection of natural resources and the only activities allowed are tourism and research. On the other hand in reserves, human activities are allowed under specific conditions. These activities are for instance fishing in marine reserves or firewood collection in terrestrial reserves.
A lot of Kenya's wildlife lives outside Protected Areas, this is because most of the protected areas are not fully fenced, and hence wildlife moves in and out of these areas in search of pasture and water during certain periods within the year. When they move out of the protected areas, they interact with people on private and community land causing human wildlife conflict. This therefore requires that KWS embraces a strategic partnership with communities living in wildlife areas.
The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act categorizes the country's species of wildlife into four classes: critically endangered species; vulnerable species; nearly threatened species; and protected species. Harming endangered or threatened species can lead to life imprisonment and/or a fine of US$230,000. Though interestingly until the law was updated recently, the fine was only $400 and ten years in prison. The main species protected in these categories are elephant, leopard, lion, rhinoceros, giraffes, and some specific monkeys, zebra and so on.
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