On this particular morning, my travel friends @effieagon and @kasichanakarefu, interested me into taking a weekend trip to a little known lake in Central Kenya. I must admit I had heard about the lake; but had not given it a thought on when to visit the hidden gem. Well, having been convinced, I paid for the weekend trip and we made the necessary arrangements to travel. This was going to be an interesting weekend. I packed my weekender and departed Nairobi on Saturday afternoon.
The trip to Lake Ol’bolosat is quite a good one for anyone looking for a short trip away from the hustles and bustles of Nairobi. We made our first stop over at view point as is the norm with a majority of travelers along these routes. From there we drove down the rift valley as we enjoyed the scenery. I hardly get enough of seeing these sceneries; it looks new every time I am on this route. Anyway we drive through the agricultural towns of Njambini, Ndunyu Njeru, Engineer, Ol-Kalou and finally to Kasuku shopping centre. Coupled by good road, a spectacular scenery of the Aberdare Ranges, the trip takes approximately three to four hours. Once at Kasuku shopping centre, we branch off seven kilometers to Kichakani Paradise. The sign post along the Ol-kalou, Nyahururu road promises adventure lovers of a good stay, a good picnic site, boating and bird watching activities.
Manyatta’s at The Kichakani Paradise
We arrive at Kichakani Paradise at around 4:30pm. There are eight manyattas that can accommodate 16 people. There is a small, simple bar and restaurant. Food can be prepared on order. However for us, we preferred self catering thus we checked in to the self catering log cabin cottages at Kshs. 7,000 per night.
The cottages are well equipped with necessary amenities, hot water and two bedrooms. The beds are comfortable as there is a provision of a baby court in each room for couples with babies. I especially loved the arctic room located at the top floor of the cabin. There is also a small fire place inside and outside the cabins. The cabins can hold a maximum of 4 adults. It’s worth noting that there are only two log cabins at the premise hence early booking is advisable.
Lake Ol-Bolosat
The Lake is home to several hippo families and a huge range of bird species, approximately 150-180.
Activities include, leisure walks, bird watching, cycling along the lake and within Kichakani paradise. For party lovers, one can enjoy an open barbecue at Kichakani.
Kenyatalii’s verdict
A visit to Kichakani paradise and Lake Ol-bolosat is an ideal budget trip for that well deserved holiday that includes short get-ways as well as weekend getaways.
