All said and done, I can say without doubt today that Lake Nakuru National Park is the best run among the parks that are managed by the KWS. I have written several articles on Lake Nakuru and not all of them have been about good news. There was this problem of Smart Card issue that slowed down checking in clients. They seem to have come of age in this regard and it takes very little time to clear at the gates.
Then there was the harassment of driver/guides by the ticket inspectors inside the park, creating a queue for inspection yet the same inspectors were at the gate during the issuance of tickets. That also was sorted out and there is minimal disruption of game drive by the inspectors. When they do an impromptu inspection, it is done very fast and at random, or is done at the baboon cliff when the clients take time to enjoy the view of the lake from the cliff top.
There was a time when the lake shore was littered with every type of filth from polythene papers to jerry cans and clothings. The excuse was that strong winds and dust devils would collect the trash from the town and dump it in the lake during heavy rains. But the fact was that the trash was left there to be photographed by tourists and for the baboons to use as play tools. But today, one encounters a green land cruiser pick up with the proud emblems of KWS, filled with staff dressed in overalls and gloves, picking up all the trash along the shores and roads in the park. The park is spotlessly clean.
Even the notorious public camp sites that used to be littered with beer cans and food left overs, are now so clean that the campers would be embarrassed to leave any trash behind. My pleasant shock came this week when I went there after a two-month absence. The road network in Nakuru National Park has been going on, but I did not foresee a complete rehabilitation of the roads in such a short time. In an area that has been receiving rain constantly for over two years, redoing the roads was going to be a tough calling. Some areas had been completely cut off by heavy rains. The road to the cliff was a nightmare at one point.
The road to the Naishi headquarters was inaccessible from Lake Nakuru Lodge. I was very surprised to find that all those areas that I thought would take forever to be repaired were done in record time and in such a manner that even the smallest vehicles would be comfortable doing game drive anywhere in the park. Areas that are known to flood have been raised like causeways and perfect drains have been built.
This development has really transformed the park. Pressure has been removed from the only point that used to be accessible within the lake shore. Now people can spread all over the park and discover the hidden treasures away from the traditional flamingo viewing points. The only area that they have forgotten and that which can help in offloading traffic at the Lake Nakuru Lodge shore, is to open up access to the lake on the lion hill side. There were three routes before. The hippo pool 1, hippo pool 2 and the tower at the lanet gate /main gate roads junction. Now there is none at all. But I believe the authorities are on top of things.
Trust Kenyans to celebrate in style. As I was enjoying the smooth ride inside the park, I was overtaken by a four-wheel-drive vehicle whose occupants were equally happy about the condition of the road. With a show of disregard to the laws governing game drives, they had several passengers riding on the roof of the vehicle.
The only consolation I felt was that it was not one of us professional driver/guides breaking the rules. Please clampdown on this misfits before you have to handle an emergency.