Lakes to Visit While in Kenya

Lake Elementaita

The word Elementaita is derived form the Maasai word Muteita meaning Dust place. it is near Gilgil, Lord Delameres Soysambu Ranch. In fact the Soysambu ranch covers two thirds of the shoreline and is home to more than twelve thousand six hundred wild animals. In pre- historic times Lake Elementaita and Lake Nakuru were united together.

The lake hosts vulnerable and endangered water bird species such as the great white Pelican that breed on the Island close to the Soysambu ranch. Other species of animals that can be observed at the distance of the lake are; buffalo, gazelle, water buck, jackal, lion, zebra, eland and cheetah. The lake is known mostly for it’s bird species as it is home to more than three hundred and fifty species.

The lake is managed by friends of Lake Nakuru and Lake Elementaita conservation project.

As a tourist, there are affordable and luxurious hotels that suite the entire family. There are also other sites for daytime activities such. These places could be such as:

Lake Naivasha Country Club

It was opened in 1937 as a staging point for Imperial airways flying boat services from Durban to London. It sits on a fifty five acre land located near the open shore of Lake Naivasha. The club offers many activities for holiday seekers such as fishing for Black Bass and Tilapia, sundown boat trips as on is watching the sunset and also watching the hippo colonies day of life.

Lake Naivasha Hotel

It was built in 1916 as Kekopey ranch situated just thirty kilometers form the lake.. It has a total of thirty three twin and double bedrooms. The best part about the hotel is that it has a restaurant offering live entertainment, twenty four hours entertainment, a sitting room with a library and a log fire by night.

Hells Gate National Park

Hells Gate national Park is famous for its hot geysers and vulture breeding grounds for the tourists to watch. The activities that one can engage in while there are such as camping, rock climbing and cycling. It is home to three basic geothermal power stations covering an area of sixty eight square kilometers. It is not more than two hours drive from the city centre.

It you are looking for a weekend treat be it with friends or family, these are the places to visit.

Nairobi Hotels

The Cinchona Tree

The Cinchona Tree also known as the Perusian or Quinine bark is a tall evergreen tree that often reaches between fifty to a hundred feet in height when fully matured. Their leaves are broad marked off by large veins accompanied by pink, red or white flowers.

The use of the Cinchona tree in treatment of malaria was accidently discovered by American soldiers while in tropical forests of Indonesia and one of their soldiers fell terribly ill. They then scrapped the bark of the tree because the locals used it in treatment of fevers. Luckily the casualty survived and it was soon converted into a tablet.

Seeing this great discovery the locals grew the bark in large tracts of land in the Islands of Java in Indonesia. The tree was notoriously felled by European doctors leading to a great scarcity of the trees in the nineteenth century. To curb the shortage two scientists discovered another option which was the synthetic Quinine.

The tree thrives on rain forests on an attitude of between three thousand and eleven thousand feet above sea level.

During the time when the church had strong influence on the people in Europe, the tree came to be known as the Jesus bark or Jesuit powder.

The chemical compound responsible for the cure of malaria is an alkanoid quinidine which today is used in the treatment of abnormal rhythms of the heart as well as relieving muscular cramps and treating headaches.

The cinchona in ancient Brazilian times was used to improve appetite and reduce fatigue in the muscles, treating sore throats and other oral problems.

Today it can also be used in the treatment of chronic arthritis, sciatica and dysentery and kapha disorder.

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Vacations for Travelling Medics