Firstly, BIG apologies for not posting for so long, med school in life got in the way! If you have been following along with my adventures the last post was about the Masai Mara which I visited in early August. After the Mara we drove North towards the Great Rift Valley.

The Great Rift Valley @liakadatravel

The Great Rift Valley is a geographical trench stretching from Northern Syria down to Mozambique totalling 6000km in length.

Mount Longonot @liakadatravel

The part of the valley that runs through East Africa is particularly famous as it is where the bones of 'Lucy' were found. Lucy is estimated to have lived over 3 million years ago.

Waterhole at Chui Lodge @liakadatravel

In Kenya the valley is marked by a series of lakes and volcanoes. The lakes are shallow and are high in minerals which attracts large populations of flamingos. Though they are not so shallow that you can't squeeze in an odd hippo or two...

Lake Naivasha @liakadatravel

First stop was Chui Lodge in Naivasha. Chui is a boutique lodge with only 9 beautifully decorated rooms.

Room at Chui Lodge @liakadatravel

Each room has a fire place @liakadatravel

and some fancy woodwork @liakadatravel

All the rooms were individually designed giving it a very personalised feel.

Chui Lodge Room @liakadatravel

My favourite part was the stain glass windows in the bathroom, now I just need to figure how to get them into my student flat.

Beautiful Stain Glass Window @liakadatravel

Surrounding Chui is 18,000 acres of wilderness, which brings a whole new meaning to "getting away from it all". The Oserian Wildlife Sanctuary was set up by the Zwager family who own the lodge and the original business which is a flower farm. The land serves as a refuge for the shrinking wildlife population around Lake Naivasha.

Oserian Wildlife Conservancy @liakadatravel

Poaching and urbanisation of rural areas, coupled with corruption and limited resources means that conservations in Kenya are facing an uphill battle. The work of the Zwager family and their team at Oserian is hugely admirable.

Tough Life Being a Giraffe @liakadatravel

We only stayed one night at Chui which was far too short given the exceptional food, really it was delicious.. it is a month later and I am still raving about it!

Delicious Strawberry Cheesecake - really it was so good! @liakadatravel

When we somehow managed to drag ourselves away from the lunch table we headed towards Lake Elmenteita, a soda lake about an hour and a half drive from Naivasha.

Birds @liakadatravel

Before setting off we decided to take a boat ride around Lake Naivasha.

Another bird @liakadatravel

The boat left from Carnelley's Camp, a hippie hangout that is right on the lake with tie die shirts and dreadlocks galore.

More birds - these beautiful creatures are always found in pairs ... CUTE @liakadatravel

Lake Naivasha is a bird watchers paradise but as I can barely tell a robin from an eagle I was happy just to soak up some rays.

Keeping it Zen at Lake Naivasha @liakadatravel

An hour later and a shade of red darker we left for Sunbird Lodge at Lake Elmenteita. Sunbird is not a 5star luxury lodge but it has a rustic charm and terrific views of the lake.

Balcony at Sunbird @liakadatravel

The rooms are spacious and bright despite lacking in amenities, and you just can't beat the balcony - spectacular!

Room at Sunbird

Sunbird is the perfect midway point between Nairobi and Lake Nakuru National Park which is a popular destination for safaris. The atmosphere is so wonderfully relaxed that I would definitely encourage a pitstop here in this hidden gem.

Positive Vibes @liakadatravel