Photo Safaris in Kenya (page 12 of 18)

Baringo: On the Lake

As we’ve been doing throughout our stay in Kenya, we have two outings planned each day. One starts before sunrise, returning around 1 PM for lunch, and the second runs from about 4 PM until sunset.

So, on a small motorboat, accompanied by Titus and a pilot, we witness the sunrise over the lake... it’s magical!



We’re not the only ones on the lake early in the morning—fishermen are setting up their nets.



You can’t help but worry for them in their fragile boats when you see crocodiles in the water and hippos along the shore.

The vibe is really awesome; the anhingas are soaking up the first rays of sunshine.



Along the lake’s edge, locals go about their daily routines—the lake is vital to them. They come here for water, to do laundry, and to clean.



Wading birds are well represented: the great egret, purple heron, Goliath heron, and grey heron.

The highlight on Lake Baringo is fishing with the fish eagles. Yeah, the boat pilot throws a fish and calls the fish eagles, but they don’t need us to feed themselves.



We also spot other birds—the pied kingfishers are plentiful.



But that’s not all... the cormorant catches something a bit big, the fisherman and the egret are after the same fish, and a hamerkop is building its nest high up in a tree.

Next, we cross the lake to reach the Ruko Reserve, a sanctuary dedicated specifically to the Rothschild’s giraffe. In early 2021, following rising water levels, 8 giraffes that were on an island were moved to this reserve. https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/animaux/kenya-danciens-ennemis-se-sont-unis-pour-construire-larche-des-girafes

We wander around the reserve with rangers, searching for the giraffes. A giraffe is tall—really, *really* tall... we feel tiny next to them. We have a great close-up experience with them and are thrilled.



The oxpeckers show up right on cue.



Along the way, a dung beetle rolls its prize.



On the way back, reptiles—monitor lizards and crocodiles—bask in the sun.



The rest and end of the lakes, here

Isabelle, your photos are absolutely stunning!!!

Oh wow, the African fish eagle taking off with its wings spread and its catch is just breathtaking 🤩🤩🤩. And I can't get over the fishermen's boats. I don't know if it's an optical illusion, but from here, it looks like if they cough, they'll capsize immediately—they're that close to the water's surface! 😵

And they’re clearly no match for crocodiles, and especially hippos 🤪. No accidents ever happen?

Your photos are absolutely stunning!!!

Thanks Pascale... I did warn you, it’s a photo safari so I’m posting my best shots

Oh wow, the African fish eagle taking off with its wings spread and its catch is just breathtaking 🤩🤩🤩.

I didn’t mention it in the text, but of course, the first photo of the fish eagle catching the fish is a composite of 3 shots ;).

And I’m amazed by the fishermen’s boats. I don’t know if it’s an optical illusion, but from here, I’m thinking if they cough, they’ll capsize immediately—they’re that close to the water 😱

Yeah, they kind of scare me—they’re *right* on the water’s edge. They don’t even have paddles; they use their hands

And they’re clearly no match for crocodiles and especially hippos 🤪. No accidents ever?

I don’t know, Muriel—I didn’t ask. Hippos are the most dangerous animals because they charge straight ahead 😕 As for crocs, I hope they’ve got something else to snack on 😇

Good evening Isabelle,

Is it over?

Too bad—I really enjoyed checking out your photos each day (I’ll admit, sometimes I, a pathological digital slacker, even turned on my computer just to see them in full format), even though safaris aren’t some imaginary land and I’ll probably never go on one myself.

A special shout-out to Lake Baringo: that name would pop up now and then in my childhood kitchen deep in Gascony, always pronounced with deep emotion by my adventurous grandfather, born in 1920.

Thank you.

Catherine

Thanks so much for your message, Catherine—it’s really sweet! 😊 If this travel journal can inspire dreams with my photos and bring back childhood memories for you, I’m really happy about that! 😍

But it’s not finished yet—there’s still a big chunk left: the Maasai Mara with tons of amazing wildlife encounters! 🦁

The thing is, I don’t have much time, and I haven’t sorted through my photos yet—that’s why this journal is dragging on so long! 😅

Yes, Muriel, next time go with Régis, he has a Canon 😄

You learn things like this by reading VF. I had no idea Régis was such a hit!!! 😎

I was a bit behind and just binge-watched several days in a row. I’ve concluded that luck must go hand in hand with talent. It’ll be tough to compete with what you’re offering us.

It’s not a bad idea to wait, Joël—you’ll get to see a bit more… I’m not very fast, after all 😅

Luck plays a big part in wildlife photography, but it’s not everything—you also need a lot of perseverance, and a good camera does the rest 😊

There’s no rivalry with anyone. These two Kenya safaris were photo safaris, and I’m happy to post my photos in this travel journal—at least they’re being seen instead of sitting on my hard drives 😄

Thanks for continuing to follow along.

Bogoria

The morning is dedicated to tracking birds on the lake, and in the afternoons, other visits are planned. One of them is heading to Lake Bogoria, located about 60 kilometers from the lodge. It takes a good hour to get there. Like Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria is a saltwater lake, home to a multitude of lesser flamingos. When you arrive, you overlook the lake—it’s impressive to see the number of flamingos present.



Many are at the water’s edge, others are swimming on the lake, and a few are in flight.



On the way back, a tortoise calmly crosses the road.

The second outing lets us walk a bit. We get to see some birds that are a little different from those at the lake, like these nightjars—a male and a female—that blend in completely with the ground.



These three-banded coursers spotted us arriving, a crested turaco keeps an eye on us, and a small wader hides.



A few birds of prey are around, including a little owl, a scops owl, and a Verreaux's eagle-owl.



When we get closer to the rocks, the hyraxes scurry to safety.



Our stay along the shores of Lake Baringo was a real treat. This little break did us good—we left the 4x4 behind to go boating and do some walking.

The rest of the journey here

Hi Isabelle,

Wow, all those pink flamingos! 😲 I really love the photo of the man (your guide, maybe?) sitting in his tree.

I’ll need to make a list of all the parks and lakes you mentioned so I can find them on a map—aside from the Maasai Mara and Amboseli, I don’t know any of them at all!

Hi Isabelle,

Amazing all those pink flamingos!

Yeah, there were so many it was really hard to photograph 😅

I really love the photo of the man (your guide maybe?) sitting in his tree.

No, he was already there when we arrived—I thought the scene was super cute 😊

I’ll have to make a list of all the parks and lakes you mentioned so I can find them on a map, because apart from the Maasai Mara and Amboseli, I don’t know any of them!

I’ll put together the itinerary of what we did and post it so you can see where the different parks are

Hi Isabelle,

I think I didn’t pay enough attention to the different lakes—I was so focused on Hell’s Gate because we could walk there. I would’ve realized it was possible elsewhere (thanks to VF not being reopened yet! 😎).

Otherwise, I love all the photos of Verreaux's eagle-owls (they always make me smile with their more or less bewildered expressions).