LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1063241
Winter 2018 LOCALadk Magazine 43 LOCALadk Next, we visited Lake Nakuru, which is in the rift valley of Kenya, northwest of Nairobi. This park is most well-known for rhinos and large flocks of flamingos. Oddly, we did not see many flamingos. Our tour guide said it was because of excessive rain and high tides. Too much rain negatively im- pacts the algae in the lake —the main food source for flamin- gos. Luckily, Lake Borgoria, north of Lake Nakura, was also on the migrator y route for flamingos, and it certainly did not disappoint. We saw tens of thousands of flamingos wading near the shore, and additional smaller flocks were constantly arriving. Before we got there, I had imagined large flocks of pink flamingos in the lake, with a colorful sunset in the back- ground. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay until sunset because the drive to Massai Mara was a long one. It was ver y exciting to see elephant herds at Anboselli, and thousands of colorful flamingos at Lake Borgoria, in addition to mating ostrich, and fish eagles diving for dinner right in front of us at Lake Nakuru. However, the highlight of the whole trip was witnessing the multitude of wildebeest in migration at Massai Mara National Park. Across the grassy plain, miles and miles of wildebeest lined up to cross the Mara River, where hundreds of crocodiles and hippos were lurking, waiting for their prey. The Mara River borders Kenya and its neighboring countr y Tanzania. Ever y year, wildebeest migrate back and forth from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Massai Mara in search of food and water sources. That being said, the exact timing of the river crossing is mostly unpredictable. Our driver told us that we were ver y lucky to see the river crossing during our short stay at the park, because there had been ver y few crossings during the prior two weeks. Although we had seen this massive migration scene many times on television and in magazines, to experience it in real life was truly an unforget- table experience. An equally exciting experience was the moment when doz- ens of off-road vehicles simultaneously rushed to the edge of the Mara River at full speed. When the drivers saw the wildebeest starting to cross, they all wanted to get the best viewing spot for their guests. It felt like a scene from a war