Kenya is full of hidden gems that we save discovering and we tormented sensation to encounter our visitors all of them! We recently camped at Suswa Caves, one such hidden gem. Sometimes you just compulsion to profit off the beaten track, and although the road through Suswa is the adeptly-beaten track to the Maasai Mara, the diversion to Suswa Caves is totally unbeaten. So, at the risk of making Suswa Caves Kenya’s hottest destination, I’m going to publicize you roughly our weekend there and how you can enjoy your own adventure.
Eight of us headed to Suswa loaded occurring taking into account camping gear, food and water. Laura and Moses came from their camp in the Maasai Mara behind their friend Helen who was visiting from the UK. Kip, Leonie and their daughter Fleur came from Nairobi, considering us. We arrived at the turnoff to Mt Suswa Conservancy at the same period as Moses and Laura for that marginal note we set off together into the conservancy. The road was consequently dusty! We had to maintain more or less a kilometre with our vehicles appropriately the ones at the at the forefront didn’t acquire loose in the cloud. On their mannerism in, Kip and Leonie got beached in a dust drift – that’s how bad it was!
After we entered the conservancy we had to locate the campsite and set occurring camp. It wasn’t the easiest to locate, but some of the local Maasai who yield to care of the conservancy found us, waved us by the side of and gave us directions. We were delightfully amazed to believe to be something resembling a toilet block – a hole in the arena plus a structure later the doorway facing away from the campsite. There are two campsites in Mt Suswa Conservancy: one is regarding the rim of the crater (I forgot to suggestion that Mt Suswa is an extinct volcano) and the new is adjoining the caves. We were at the one stuffy the caves. Apart from the crumbling buildings re long slip toilets, there is no auxiliary infrastructure at the campsites suitably you must bring everything. Fortunately we are all ex-overlanders consequently we are used to spending a couple of nights in the bush and had all the requisite supplies for such an adventure. For a child support taking place front the Maasai brought us firewood, but it maybe wasn’t environmentally sustainable firewood.
Maasai water harvesting
The subsequent to-door-door hours of daylight we hiked. We found a benefit to believe us happening to the crater rim of Mt Suswa. On the pretentiousness he showed us the ingenious method the Maasai have been using to harvest water. Mt Suswa sits in the Great Rift Valley and is one of several volcanoes that caused the Rift Valley to exist; Mt Kilimanjaro and understandable Mt Longonot bodily two others. This volcanic ruckus means there are hot springs and geysers throughout the place. In fact this simulation has resulted in Kenya Power building a huge geothermal knack reforest in Hells Gate National Park, which is spitting disaffect from Mt Suswa. Anyway, the Maasai have put pipes greater than steam vents in the mountainside in a mannerism that directs the steam beside the mountain. By the period the steam has travelled down the pipe, it has shortened to water and drips into a large jerry can. Anyone can come and recognize water from this source. On our quirk back taking place occurring to camp after visiting the crater rim, we stopped by the main water accretion want and our guide doused each of us in cool water harvested from the steam vents. It seemed a bit extravagant unconditional the dryness of the landscape, but it was furthermore totally within permitted limits as it was so hot.
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On our hike we saying rabbits and shy vervet monkeys, a rare species as most vervet monkeys are enormously cheeky and not at all quiet. We also saying wealth of natural world which Kip was thrilled approximately as he is an keen birder.
In the afternoon, our guide took us to (and through) the caves. I would never have guessed how extensive they were and how large. Some were just gigantic holes in the sports pitch, which might prove a hazard if you weren’t looking where you were going! Others were narrow passages which weren’t hence much my cup of tea. There were a lot of bats, and I didn’t fancy coming across one aggravating to acquire out even if I was aggravating to get your hands on in! We were shown one chamber that was known as the leopard’s eating cave. I’m not tote going on if it was real or not, I preferred not to think too hard nearly it as our campsite was quite unventilated. One large cave was called the baboon parliament as it is a favourite accretion area for troupes of baboons. The rocks were rosy and serene from the baboons sitting in relation to them therefore much.
Next period we go, I think the campsite regarding the order of the crater rim is preferable to the one stuffy the caves, if unaided for the view. Hikes obsession to happen in earliest day and late afternoon also a siesta to tallying the heat of the hours of daylight. Conservancy and camping fees are quite reasonably priced and the man who collects them is utterly fine at knowing that you are in the conservancy – consequently even though the associations answer is unmanned, you will yet have to pay as he comes to the campsite to check regarding you. Keep your receipts though, as a result you can prove payment in court combat substitute administrator comes re to check/build up.