The Abedares and Sanctuary Farms…

We have started to process the fact that our time in Kenya is growing short. We have just over 2 months before we fly back to the States for our 1-2 years of iteneration. Even though we are coming back to Africa….and possibly, though not likely, Kenya…..we want to be sure to take advantage of all of the things we love about being here in the coming weeks. One of those things is the natural beauty that Kenya has to offer.

Last month we spent one weekend in the Abedares and went to the National Park. The Abedare mountain range in Central Kenya is a gorgeous area of highlands that is known for pristine waterfalls, peaks and valleys. It has been on our list of places to visit since we arrived 5 years ago, but for some reason, we just have never made it there. Now that we have been we regret that we haven’t been more! It is a truly majestic and stunning natural wonder. We stayed at The Abedare Cottages, a local spot not to far from the park entrance. It is a nice and adequate place to stay, but for the low price you can’t beat it. We would love to find a weekend to camp inside the park before we leave.

A few weeks ago we also had an extended weekend off of work, so we went camping at Sanctuary Farms in Naivasha with several other families. Sanctuary Farms is a great camping spot for families with kids. It has a lot of open space, forests of yellow fever (acacia) trees, and close proximity to Lake Naivasha. The highlight of this camping spot is the close encounters with animals. This is the case with most camping we have done in Kenya, but Sanctuary Farm takes it to another level. Giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, gazelle, and a troop of Vervet monkeys frequently graze near the campsite. There are a few hassles to having animals so close. For example, camping in Kenya over the years has led us to view monkeys and baboons similarly to how we viewed raccoons when camping back home…a bit of a nuisance. The monkeys are cuter and more enjoyable to watch than raccoons, but they also jump on your tent, try to get into your car, steal your food…and if you ask Sophie she will tell you, “Dey try a pee on me and dey poop on me car!” (and she would be telling the truth on both counts). Also, grazing herds of animals also means lots of dung, which isn’t a major issue….unless you have a 10-month old that is very mobile, curious, and puts anything he finds directly into his mouth…then it can be a bit of a problem (He seems to be fond of Zebra poop…one thing for certain is that this boy is going to have a stomach of steel!) All that being said, the advantages of sitting by the fire while some of God’s most beautiful creatures graze peacefully around you far outweigh the minor annoyances. This is something we are going to desperately miss.

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