On Safari in Kenya {Lake Nakuru National Park}

You can't go to Africa and leave without going on safari, so on our last day in Kenya, we went as a group to Lake Nakuru National Park, in Kenya's Rift Valley.

Even before we made it to the park, we saw zebras and baboons along the road. Upon arrival at the park, our drivers raised the roof of the van to enable us to stand and have a clear view while we drove thru the park.

This little baboon family was so adorable! 

They were sitting right outside our van, so we were able to watch them for a bit.

A new animal for us, the Bushbuck.

There were so many zebras, you could get bored of them, well, I couldn't, but maybe you could.

Warthogs have such odd-looking faces.

This sweet impala couple has a little friend. Do you see him? 

A red-billed ox-pecker is on the male's neck.

Thompson's Gazelle

The top of Baboon Mountain, afforded us some amazing views. 

Flamingos, zebras and who knows what else are down there in the lighter green area.

While peering into the water from above, look closely for birds nesting in the trees.

We spotted these beautiful African Agamas sun bathing along the cliffs.

Crazy to think we're about 10,000 miles from home! 

Such varied habitat here between the mountains, lakes, and savannah. 

I was really, really excited to see giraffes! 

A quick lesson: THIS is a water buffalo. 

Those things you see in the United States those are BISON. Hope this clears things up a bit.

Our friends in the other van taking photos of some baboons.

Of course I was excited to see the birds just as much as the mammals. These Grey-crowned Cranes, the national bird of Uganda, were one of my target birds. I ended up seeing and identifying 51 species within the park and 114 in Kenya. 

Yellow-billed stork

White Rhinos

This was the most exciting spot for me! As we finally approached the lake, I spied a sea of pink! Lake Nakuru is famous for being a gathering place for up to two million flamingos of two different species! Today, thousands of flamingos were gathered along the water's edge. I could not wait to run straight to them. The uniformed man, armed with a rifle, tempered my excitement. Would he let us go see them? Yes, with him escorting us, we could go a little farther, but not much and only for a few minutes as we were running short on time. I'll have to save my flamingo hugging for another day.

The armed guard who made sure I didn't try to take a flamingo home with me. 

OK, he's actually guarding the rhinos, but I'm certainly not going to try to take a rhino! 

The views overlooking the national park on our way back to Nairobi were fantastic!

So long Kenya. It was quite an adventure!

Next stop, Uganda.