Category Archives: Ramsar

LAKE ELMENTEITA SERENA CAMP

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The Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp luxury Tented Camp construction commenced in April and is scheduled for opening in December 2010.
As the construction is coming up, you can imagine the magnificence of the Camp when it will be completed. Talking to one of the engineers the plans they have, makes me dream rather wish of spending just a night in the Camp. My imagination tells me it will be a small paradise on earth.

The Camp is located along the shores of Lake Elmenteita which hosts the beautiful Lesser and Greater Flamingos and the Breeding site of the Pelican and other water fowls As you sit back and relax, you can see the beautiful sceneries and its reflection in the lake that nature offers.

It’s approximately 120km from Nairobi and 25 km from Nakuru. The Soysambu Conservancy is centrally located as tourists can easily access the Central, Mountain, Eastern tourist circuits and the Mara.

The Serena’s will be exclusively offer their customers the best services and nature will ensure you relax and forget all your sorrows, fears and stress. I hope the moment you leave this place you will be a new you, ready to face the future with courage and confidence.

Soysambu Conservancy- Here are the Rains: Better late than never

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Written by Zurijanne Kelley, Soysambu Volunteer

The past two weeks there have been rains. Not your average rains that roll around for about a day or two and then disperses. No. These rains have been so frequent that Lake Elmentaita can now be seen glistening in the distance with waves of pink clustered throughout the lake from the flamingos. Before the rains, the flamingos refused to be seen on the far shores of the once dried portion of the lake. Even the two rivers that join together to flow into the lake are once again filled with flowing water!

As I move about Soysambu, I can see the difference that the rains have brought. The roads display track stories of vehicles and wildlife that have passed through, the grass is visibly greener and crisp with life and everyone and everything is happy that the rains have come. Even so, I think the rains forgot to remind the Great White Pelicans that he was coming and that they too should return to their islands on Lake Elmentaita so that their white bodies may be intermixed with the pink of the flamingos like a wondrous sunset. I hope that they will come soon as this lake which is 3/4 kept by Soysambu is an important breeding ground for these birds.

Saving a beautiful flamingo sanctuary from extinction

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This article written by Beatrice Obwocha appeared in the Kenyan national newspaper The Standard today (5//11/09)

From the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, the shoreline of Lake Elementaita looks like a desert surrounding a small patch of water.

The western and eastern shores of the lake hold little patches of water from hot springs while the main basin of one of Rift Valley’s smallest lakes is turning into a dust bowl.

One gets the impression that they can walk right across the remaining muddy patch that stretches several kilometres.

When strong winds blow, a whirlwind of grey dust sweeps right across the lake whose water levels have declined to less than half a metre deep.

Not even water from the recent rains pounding Nakuru and its environs seem to have made a difference on the lake.

Thousand of flamingos that used to line its shores, giving them a pink hue, have migrated elsewhere as the lake’s water level has declined to its lowest in 20 years.
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Mbogo School Pen Pals

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Students at Mbogo Primary School on Soysambu have begun writing students at Lincoln Elementary School in Mundelein, Illinois in the USA. It was quite the project. Artist Michelle McCune brought the letters out when she came on safari in late November. Sarah Omasula, our Community Education director began working with the students and teachers at Mbogo Primary School which is a short hike from the Conservancy’s head office. Charles Muthui, the Conservancy’s Community and Wildlife Manager introduced the programme.  Bro Jenkins, a former school teacher in Nairobi assisted Sarah with handing out the letters and over two days helped with everything from handing out biscuits to explaining what a Pen Pal friend meant. One of our new rangers filmed the project with very old video camera. He took some amazing footage which  compiled into this very amateur video. It really shows the enthusiasm and hard work to complete the letters. These children came off their school break, donned their uniforms (those that were fortunate to have hand-me-downs). Many walked quite a distance on two separate days. I hope you enjoy the video and  wish to give to their school needs such as food, water, desks, supplies, uniforms, building repair, power and so much more![kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/WJsThf8v-f0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]