Nyahururu

Tuesday 14 April

Yesterday afternoon’s game drive did not present anything of note, just warthogs, Zebras, impala and an elephant. The scenery though was stunning. There was a green oasis where a river ran through a wide open valley. We were able to get up on top of the valley and look down across the open plain. This is the area where Out of Africa and Born Free were filmed.

Towards sunset we drove to an open area where drinks and snacks were set up so we could watch the sunset. As we drove in we passed a herd of four Zebras with a baby. We were also guarded by an armed guard!

This morning we headed off at 8 am to Panari resort in Nyahururu. While we had a great game viewing experience at Shaba reserve, the accommodation and food was disappointing.

As we leave we see the usual warthogs, zebras, impalas and water buck. After 20 minutes we hit the highway and it is a comfortable drive with only the occasional section of potholes. Plenty of speed humps though. Our driver Abdi tells us these were introduced in community areas where there shops etc by the side of the road to reduce accidents and they have worked well. Easy to see why as you dodge motor bikes moving in and out, oncoming cars, slow cars, cattle, sheep, goats and pedestrians!

After 2 hours we stop at the curio shop for a restroom break and shopping! We drove through a rain shower and crossed the equator back into the southern hemisphere. We have another 2.5 hours to go.

On the drive we pass vast areas of cultivation where different crops are rotated, wheat, barley, grape seed and potatoes to name a few. Kenya is the bread basket of Africa. As we continue we start to climb through some mountains and it is here in the valley where the water catchment of Nairobi lies. It is also a vast national park for the forest and wild game. It is market day and there are stalls everywhere when we pass through a small town. One was an area where red and white onions are grown and there are bags of red onions at every store.

We have noticed groups of motorcycle riders meeting at particular points. Abdi tells us that the Chinese exported these bikes to Kenya and they are now used as a type of taxi service where the bikers can make some money transporting people.

We arrive at our resort which is very impressive! We also crossed the equator again back into the northern hemisphere. Have a lovely lunch and have the rest of the afternoon free. If we had not done the earlier tour we would have been disappointed in this one, even though we have had a great game viewing experience. We have been on this tour for five days and have had only one day we were not on the road going to another accommodation! Even in this place we are overnight with a 4 to 5 hour drive tomorrow.

Our shower