After wrapping up Uganda and Rwanda, we are on our way back to Kenya.

Until we hit an ugly stretch of traffic. The road ahead is completely blocked and officials wave vehicles onto a dusty strip to circumnavigate the congestion. The only problem is that our overland truck is GIANT and this one-lane dirt road looks suspiciously narrow. One of the officials jumps into the front cab with Riaan and Juliana to show them a way around the road blockage. Pretty soon branches from large trees are smacking the sides and top of our truck… to the point we’re concerned about windows shattering. Between the bumps and the branches, it feels like we’re on a theme park ride.

On this little off-road trip, we pass by a schoolyard with children wearing bright purple uniforms. They aren’t used to seeing overland vehicles in these parts so they run towards us with hands in the air waving hello.

Moments after I snap that blurry photo, a school administrator runs out pushing everyone back inside. It’s a funny sight to see.

We arrive at Fisherman’s Camp by late afternoon and set up our tents.

Lake Naivasha is a large freshwater lake located at a high elevation (6,100 feet) in the Rift Valley. It’s home to many species of birds and hippos, as well as lots of other wildlife in the surrounding area.

This peacock comes over to say hello:

And an African starling bird stops by to make our acquaintance:

This campsite is located right on Lake Naivasha, which as I mentioned is home to loads of hippos. Within the last year a woman got too close and was attacked, so now there’s an electric fence that zaps on at 6pm.

It’s a photogenic campsite so I take my camera out after dinner as we roast marshmallows over the fire.

Juliana pulls out all the stops for breakfast the next morning. Is there anything tastier than bacon freshly cooked over a campfire?

Most of our group has signed up for activities today — a bike ride through Hells Gate National Park, a horseback ride on a wildlife reserve, or high tea at Elsamere Conservation Centre. But these activities aren’t cheap and I want to combine some of them… so I go solo and do my own thing. It turns into a pretty cool adventure which I’m excited to share with you over the next few posts.

I hop on a matatu, which is a mini van that picks up and drops off passengers along a regular route. They cram everyone in to hold as many people as possible and each ride costs less than a dollar.

The matutu driver drops me off at a major intersection and then points to a man on a motorbike who can take me the rest of the way in exchange for a few dollars. That guy hands me his helmet and off we go!

The reason I take a photo with this guy is that he ends up being my ‘driver’ all day, and he’s kind and reliable. We go to a national park and a wildlife reserve; he drops me off and picks me up several hours later in both places — for a grand total of $15, including tip. When we spot these giraffes on the side of the road, he pulls over so I can take photos.

Let this serve as a brief introduction to the Lake Naivasha area. In the next few days I’ll detail my visit to Crater Lake wildlife reserve and Hells Gate National Park.

Thanks to Acacia Africa for discounting the 18-day Mountain Gorillas to the Mara tour in exchange for blogging and photography. Opinions are my own.