on to the lake. kenya. part 4.

i've got to admit that after three days in a land rover, i was done with bumpy car rides.

because the mara is bumpy, rocky and really rough on the ride.

with only one ride left, our fabulous guide, samson, drove us, make that raced* us back to the airstrip to catch our flight.

samson. no delilah to speak of, but we really enjoyed him as a guide.

*this is what happens when the guide receives a phone call that says the plane has already landed and is waiting for you!

we flew all around the mara, stopping three more times to pick up others all over the area, before flying back to nairobi.

this certainly provided more dirt airstrip landings than any one person needs in a lifetime.

from here we headed to lake naivasha and our cute, dog-filled airbnb.

the bathroom was separate from the bedroom.
only worrisome when you're warned that sometimes animals just come on by for a visit...

caitlin was in her happy place.
there were at least six dogs total just running about. 

in naivasha, we stayed on a sanctuary farm. this place is home to many of the same animals we had seen on safari, minus some of the most dangerous.

so we went horseback riding around the farm, passing zebras and antelope and giraffes.

it's a childhood throwback for me.
i rode horses for eight years growing up. did you know?

it was caitlin's first time.

we took a boat ride and saw bloats of hippos.

(did you know that a group of hippos is called a bloat? #funfactsfromcarrie)

this guy (and many others) fishing off a pile of driftwood.

as seen from afar.

hippo life. scenic views.

cue hitchcock.

notice how so much of the trees are white.

yep, that's bird shit. everywhere.

on our second day, we went to hell's gate national park. we hired a guide who biked with us through the park and then took us on a hike through the canyon.

we had no idea just how difficult physically this day would be.

the roads in the park are not paved. and not flat. and not shady.

and, well, sometimes there were animals in the way.

the "hike" turned into a huge, deep canyon that required sliding down sides of rocks, using ropes to climb up, and walking on tiny ledges.

basically, it was terrifying.

definitely put my foot in the water at one point.

the emergency exit seemed a bit ironic.
because getting up that slope seemed impossible, especially in an emergency.

and if i had known what was coming, i might have said 'no way'.

up the side of the cliff.
notice the guide is carrying my bag. 

back in the early 2000s even lara croft spent time in this canyon. so if it's good enough for tomb raider...

we did survive, thankfully, and then had to ride our way back through the hot and dusty park.

some very 'gram'mable shots did occur.

i've never wanted a shower more than after this day.

we were warned beforehand.

 after a very exhausting day, this was so necessary!

views from the porch.

we always love a good time lapse!