Crescent Island, Popular Place from “Out of Africa”

Inside Lake Naivasha – located at an hour’s drive from Nairobi – lies a beautiful crescent moon-shaped island.

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Just like its shape, the island is named “Crescent Island”. The island isn’t big, but is surely entitled to be called the most peaceful place on Earth.

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To enter the island, you need to take a boat. Because water has dried in the Lake Naivasha, you can also get to the island by road, but then, what’s the fun? Approaching the island on boat is much more exciting.

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You are greeted by a small sign that reads Crescent Island.

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This island gained popularity with the movie “Out of Africa”. It is also well known as the scene for the Tomb Raider that starred Angelina Jolie. The ancestors of the animals living here now were the ones relocated for the movie shooting. Then, the lake was deep that the animals were trapped on the island. But now, many animals escape the island by crossing the land.

This place is practically the one and only walking safari in Kenya. There are no carnivores that can harm humans. You may want to watch out for hippos, 3~4 meter long snakes and hyena that appear occasionally at night.

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However, this island breathes of wild life just like all the other national parks in Africa. This is the rough thorn of acacia tree that giraffes eat.

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The garden of a hotel located near the lake where I had delicious coffee right after the walking safari!

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Samburu National Park

Samburu National Park is the most popular of the many national parks that you can find in Kenya. Celebrating the launch of the new lodge, people in the travel industry were invited for a three day promotion event. Here are a few pictures from the event.

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Samburu is a dry region all year round. It did rain quite a bit when I was there, but wasn’t enough to quench the dryness.

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In Samburu, there is a spring called ‘Buffalo Springs’ that never runs dry. The water is very clean that you can directly drink off it. It also serves as an important source of water for the wild life.

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The water from the spring flows to form a small river. The water here is also crystal clear and transparent. Although in the midst of the desert, the water is freezing cold.

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The travel agency is finally here to pick us up. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary van that you often see on the road, but the ceiling is wide open, providing a better view of the animals. From time to time, the van breaks down and stops on the middle of the road.

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This is Mount Kenya, located on the southern hemisphere, covered with snow all year round. Its highest peak is 5,199 meters. It is one of the highest mountains in Africa and the highest volcanic mountain. Professional ice wall climbing skills are required to climb the mountain.

Semi-desert with scorching heat and permanent snow located not too distant from each other – the uniqueness of Kenya is more than enough to attract the footsteps of many tourists from around the world.

All photos, above, may not otherwise be reproduced, distributed, cropped, re sized, or otherwise altered without the written permission of the contributor. All photos represent the sole opinion of their individual authors and contributors and don’t express the opinion of Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd., Samsungimaging.net or the opinion of any affiliates unless specifically marked as such.

All photos, above, have been shot with the Samsung WB1000(TL320), which has been provided by Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd.

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Maasai Mara National Reserve

Maasai Mara is the unparalled animal kingdom in Kenya. Over the period of June to October, more than a million wildebeest cross the Mara River to reach Tanzania. These pictures were taken at early June, which is a bit early, but Maasai Mara promises spectacular view all year round.

For the night, I rented a tent that costs a little over $600. Those visiting here for the first time, the sound of hyena and lions crying are sure to steal their good night’s sleep. The tent is equipped with a classy shower room, bathroom and desk.

Now- driving time! Thomson’s Gazelle and zebras pass right by. A few animals that fell behind their herd. Deeply wounded male are left to die as they are no longer capable of hunting. However, female can mate with a new male to build a new family and herd.

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Male lion, not bothered an inch by the sight of tourists lying idly on the grass as if the bushes were its home. In fact, male lions spend of their time sleeping. Thus, sleeping lions is a familiar sight.

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This is Sand River where the wildebeest will cross. It’s full of water now, but the water diminishes in July and August and reveals the bottom of the river made of sand – thus the name “Sand River”.

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Mara River finds itself on the upper region of the Sand River. This is where the famous crossing of the wildebeest takes place. The river is fraught with alligators and hippos.

The hippos living in the Mara River are especially charming. Mostly nocturnal, they stay in the water during the day time to control their temperature and come out at night to much on grass. Spotting hippos biting wildebeest to death, people tend to think that hippos eat wildebeest, but this is not true. Hippos cannot digest carnivores of that size. It’s simply that they bite them to death because they are angry for having their territory invaded.

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Sausage tree.

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FLY HIGH !

All photos, above, may not otherwise be reproduced, distributed, cropped, re sized, or otherwise altered without the written permission of the contributor. All photos represent the sole opinion of their individual authors and contributors and don’t express the opinion of Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd., Samsungimaging.net or the opinion of any affiliates unless specifically marked as such.

All photos, above, have been shot with the Samsung WB1000(TL320), which has been provided by Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd.