Weekend Away In Lake Oloiden

TEXT WENDY WATTA PHOTOGRAPHY: BRIAN SIAMBI

Lake Naivasha’s often overlooked smaller sister, Lake Oloiden, is a volcanic crater lake whose name means ‘salty’ in the Maa language. One of the most intriguing things about this lake is that given its salinity, it used to harbour an impressive flock of flamingos, but today they have since been replaced by freshwater birds such as pelicans and the African fish eagle. This is because Oloiden has since turned into a freshwater lake given the rise in water levels which, in Lake Naivasha which is only 200m away for instance, have been unusually high due to heavy rains. There is speculation that should its water levels go down, Lake Oloiden will likely turn salt again.

In this issue, we set off for Naivasha about 2 hours away from Nairobi in a Renault Kadja from our partners at SimbaCorp. We were keen to spend the weekend discovering the range of activities and properties available around the lake. Aim for at least two nights, although given Naivasha’s proximity to Nairobi, this may well also be a day trip. If you are traveling on a tight budget, consider Oloiden Camp Site which is stark by the lake and costs less than Ksh 1,000 if you have your own gear. If you’re looking for luxury, however, check out our three highlighted houses, all of which are able to set up the recommended activities for you.