On 12/11/2024 we checkout out of the Sweetwaters Serena Camp in Ol Pejeta and drove to Lake Naivasha.
The drive was long and boring, and the first hour was entirely on unpaved roads.
The drive took us through Thompson Falls, which was nice, but the vendors were so aggressive that it ensured that we did not buy anything.
The previous places we had stayed were all part of a park, but the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort was purely a resort.
The cabins are really nice and the grounds were beautifully manicured. While not part of a park, the grounds does contain zebras, masai giraffes, and several types of monkeys that all roam freely. At night the hippos come out of the lake and walk around the grounds. There is a small wall between the cabins and the lake to prevent the hippos from interacting with the guests. Before 6pm, you can walk down to the lake, but after 6pm you are not allowed to pass the wall.
We arrived around 3pm and were given the rest of the day to relax. We read books, took a walk by the lake, and I took a few pictures.
They told us not to pet the zebras and to give them plenty of space, but that was surprisingly difficult to do.
At night, we tipped a security guard to walk us around the grounds to see the hippos.
It was a relaxing day, but it certainly did not feel like a safari.
Running tally of the animals seen so far:
- Big five: 4 (Elephant, Lion, Rhinoceros, Water Buffalo)
- Ugly five: 4 (Hyena, Vulture, Marabou Stork, Warthog)