Explore Lake Naivasha On A Budget!

Happy Friday! 😀 Are you looking for a quick escape on a budget? Lake Naivasha is the perfect place to go, this and any weekend! 😉

My last week of April took an exploratory turn when Duncan of Xtrym Adventures invited us to join them for a fun trip to Lake Naivasha….

 

I was rather enthusiastic because we’ve never covered Naivasha on the blog… Plus you know I can barely ever turn down a trip! 😀

Xtrym Adventures, like the name suggests, is responsible for just that- epic adventures! (Mountain climbing, hikes, cultural festivals & more…)

On this occasion, they’d organized for a couple of us travel-lovers to explore the beauty of Lake Naivasha…on a budget!

 

 

 

How to Get There

 

Always take the scenic route…

 

Naivasha is about a 2 hours’ drive from Nairobi. If you’re self-driving, try the Mai Mahiu route which is scenic and more direct to Lake Naivasha. It is however, quite narrow with sharp bends and easily prone to traffic…

If going by public means, pick a shuttle to Naivasha, in the Nairobi CBD. The fare costs roughly between Kes. 350-450/-pp.

 

Where to Stay…

Nothing says ‘budget travel’ like camping right? Lake Naivasha is perfect for camping-lovers, with many places to choose from.

With your own tent and sleeping bag, you can spend as little as Kes. 300 to pitch your tent at a camping site, near the lake.

 

We stayed at Camp Shegadia, where they have packages ranging from Kes. 1,500 to Kes. 5,000 inclusive of meals, and exclusive of activities.

I think they still have some ways to go and improve, although their meals and activities’ options are quite good.

 

Travel Tips:

• Carry sufficient drinking water, as some camping establishments use salty borehole water.
• Do prior research to ascertain the charges and what these cover.

 

Fun Things to Do Along Lake Naivasha

I love that there are numerous activities to choose from and you can involve your kids and friends.

 

Nature Walk in the Forest

Our first activity, after a sumptuous meal of chicken, was a Nature walk to the dead forest…

 

As we started out, we heard the chilling, buzz of bees- lots of bees! Thankfully we didn’t run into them…

I call it a dead forest, as most of the trees have died over time because of the rising and falling levels of Lake Naivasha. Nevertheless, these dead trees add an enchanting feeling to the forest… 🙂

 

A couple of giraffes and zebras stared lazily at us and strolled away when we got too close.

 

We later spotted hippos in the water waiting to stanchly venture onto land at night, and fishermen setting their nets, braving the cold waters…

 

The clear blue skies reflected on the water, was a calming sight to behold…

 

Travel Tip:

• Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring along a jacket, as it gets chilly in the evenings

 

Sun-downer Picnic by the Lake

After our Nature walk, our Camp Shegadia hosts had prepared a lovely picnic at a clearing, in full view of the Lake… It was the perfect way to end our day.

 

Things got interesting when two fishermen walked by, with their catch of the day in a sack…

‘Are you selling fish?’ Duncan asked them in Swahili. Luckily, they were eager to sell.

One of the men, rough on the edges with a big belly and rich in melanin dropped the fish on the ground. Stella, Yvonne and I jumped up in fright when a large Catfish came out fighting, still very much alive!

‘How much?’ so started the bargaining…

And that’s how we ended up with a Catfish as part of dinner… 😀

 

Bonfire Surprises

We spent away the night by the Bonfire, reminiscing the joys of growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. 🙂

Eliud, of Travel with Eliud got a wonderful surprise for his birthday at the Bonfire, and our catfish died an honourable death on the grill.

 

 

 

Boat Ride to Crescent Island…

Going in, I was pretty scared because I can’t quite swim… However, as it turned out, there was nothing to fear. 😀

The boat was stable, the waters calm and the skies a clear blue… plus we got colourful life-jackets to match!

 

 

Explore Crescent Island…

A sigh of relief washed over me when our boat docked onto Crescent Island…

 

Crescent Island is beautiful and purely unsullied by human activities… Thanks to the rains, it was especially green and the animals looked like they were a special shade of clean.

 

Shaped like a Crescent Moon, you can see where the water kisses the edges of the island, while standing at it’s highest point.

 

After a delectable Kenyan-style meal of Ugali, fish and Sukuma wiki, we were ready to head back. 🙂

Tips:

• Beware of snakes… though we didn’t meet any, thankfully.
• Request for receipts when you make payments for the activities.

 

***

Many thanks to Xtrym Adventures for making this trip possible. It was a lovely reminder that you ‘don’t have to go far way to travel & it needs not be expensive! 😀

 

Photography By:

Eliud (Travel With Eliud)

& Eric Vateta (Kenyan Story)

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I hope you enjoyed the read my friends! I love your feedback, hit me up down below with questions and/or comments! Have an incredible weekend ahead! 😀

 

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