Ndonyo Wasin and Rutundu

Back at work after a lovely few days off. First stop was a trip up north camping out in the wilds of Samburu land. Kate and I took the tarmac road two hours north to the town of Sereolipi, before heading an hour into the bush to the village of Ndonyo Wasin. Home to the Thorntree project which sets up schools for Samburu children, we stayed in a very basic camp just outside of the village. Loved camping out in mosquito net tents and sleeping under the stars. We helped out in the school a bit, helping the kids with their reading, and filming videos to send to the sponsors. We also did some walking and visited the “singing wells”. As Samburu is such a dry area, water is a huge problem. In times of drought, the Samburu operate these singing wells in order to get water for their cattle. Teams of Samburu warriors (some of the wells are seven men deep) form a human chain to haul water up from deep in the ground, singing as they work.

Then it was back to Lewa for the night and a much needed shower, before heading up Mount Kenya to Rutundu. Major climate contrast from hot, dry, dusty Samburu to the freezing cold mountain climate. To get to Rutundu, you drive for about three hours from Lewa, through the fertile farmland on the lower slopes, then into the forest, before emerging onto the moorland. It is one seriously bumpy road! The accommodation at Rutundu is two log cabins set above a lake. This is the place to go if you want complete seclusion from the world. There is no electricity, no mobile phone reception, and no other human habitation for miles. Rutundu is in fact the very place that William proposed to Kate – well, if it’s good enough for royalty then it’s good enough for me…. It is a beautiful spot. There is nothing to do apart from enjoy the splendid isolation, walk and fish. The lake is well stocked with trout – it must be because even I caught a small one! I had intended to put it back but I think it sustained serious head injuries when I dropped it so we ate it that night – at least it didn’t die in vain. I was trying to get a Chris and Ben style photo of me and my fish but I underestimated how slippery these fish are, hence it landed on its head in the bottom of the boat!! By the way, whilst catching a fish was quite exciting, I still don’t see the attraction of fishing – far too much sitting around waiting and getting cold for me…

 

One of my favourite mornings on Lewa ever...

Picture this. Kate and I riding flat out along the airstrip, clouds of dust billowing behind our horses galloping hooves, the sun coming up, the yellow biplane flying alongside us – what an amazing way to start the day. All in aid of a photo shoot for the new website. The horses (Watamu and McCalli) loved it too. They were so engrossed in racing each other that they weren’t in the slightest bit perturbed by having a noisy biplane flying next to them – what fantastic horses. Obviously, being a photo shoot, we had to repeat the process quite a few times to get the perfect shot and stopping the horses at the end of the airstrip became more and more of a challenge. Aching arms the next day but worth it for the adrenalin buzz of riding flat out!! The two jackals hanging out at the end of the airstrip also seemed to think it was good entertainment to watch.

After breakfast, on to the camels for more photos. A giraffe kindly walked alongside us to create a beautiful shot against the backdrop of a crystal clear Mount Kenya. And we spotted three cheetah lying on a termite mound whilst riding the camels. Then in the afternoon, I saw three lions on a game drive very close up. A lioness and the two biggest male lions I have ever seen. Having recently killed a Grevy zebra, they were so full they could barely move and were not the slightest bit bothered about the car being parked just a few feet from them.

Went on a lovely early evening walk yesterday along the river that flows beneath the lodge. Saw the tail of a scarily large looking crocodile which then slithered off the bank into the water and disappeared from sight. We waited a while, but it never reappeared so we walked cautiously onwards! We then came across a herd of elephants which we got quite close to, ensuring that we stayed downwind so that they didn’t smell us. And then finally we came upon the remains of the zebra carcass from the lion kill. Fascinating, albeit slightly morbid, to see how the stripy skin had been peeled back, the head still completely intact, but just bones left of the main body as every piece of meat had been taken. The remains won’t be there for much longer as the hyenas will be along to take care of the rest of the carcass. Nature’s way of cleaning up.