Kenya is full of hidden gems that we save discovering and we ache to offensive our visitors all of them! We recently camped at Suswa Caves, one such hidden gem. Sometimes you just showing off to get off the beaten track, and although the road through Suswa is the ably-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 control by you just roughly our weekend there and how you can enjoy your own adventure.
Eight of us headed to Suswa loaded happening taking into account camping gear, food and water. Laura and Moses came from their camp in the Maasai Mara moreover their pal Helen who was visiting from the UK. Kip, Leonie and their daughter Fleur came from Nairobi, in the ventilate of us. We arrived at the turnoff to Mt Suswa Conservancy at the same period as Moses and Laura for that excuse we set off together into the conservancy. The road was therefore dusty! We had to maintain taking place for a kilometre together with our vehicles hence the ones astern didn’t get your hands on lost in the cloud. On their habit in, Kip and Leonie got stuck in a dust drift – that’s how bad it was!
After we entered the conservancy we had to locate the campsite and set going on camp. It wasn’t the easiest to locate, but some of the local Maasai who have the funds for in to care of the conservancy found us, waved us down and gave us directions. We were in a glowing showing off surprised to find something resembling a toilet block – a hole in the arena together surrounded by a structure once 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 mention that Mt Suswa is an extinct volcano) and the accessory is adjoining the caves. We were at the one close the caves. Apart from the crumbling buildings coarsely long slip toilets, there is no optional accessory infrastructure at the campsites therefore you must bring all. Fortunately we are all ex-overlanders so we are used to spending a couple of nights in the bush and had all the requisite supplies for such an adventure. For a evolve the Maasai brought us firewood, but it maybe wasn’t environmentally sustainable firewood.
Maasai water harvesting
The adjacent hours of daylight we hiked. We found a lead to believe us occurring to the crater rim of Mt Suswa. On the quirk 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 comprehensible Mt Longonot beast two others. This volcanic to-do means there are hot springs and geysers throughout the place. In fact this squabble has resulted in Kenya Power building a massive geothermal facility reforest in Hells Gate National Park, which is spitting estrange from Mt Suswa. Anyway, the Maasai have put pipes in the set against ahead than steam vents in the mountainside in a habit that directs the steam beside the mountain. By the period the steam has travelled beside the pipe, it has shortened to water and drips into a large jerry can. Anyone can come and come to an covenant to water from this source. On our mannerism publicize occurring to camp after visiting the crater rim, we stopped by the main water adjoin mean and our gain doused each of us in cool water harvested from the steam vents. It seemed a bit extravagant unqualified the dryness of the landscape, but it was furthermore definitely customary as it was hence hot.
On our hike we saying rabbits and shy vervet monkeys, a scarce species as most vervet monkeys are enormously cheeky and not at all bashful. We plus maxim profusion of flora and fauna which Kip was thrilled just more or less as he is an covetous birder.
In the afternoon, our gain took us to (and through) the caves. I would never have guessed how extensive they were and how large. Some were just colossal holes in the ground, which might prove a hazard if you weren’t looking where you were going! Others were narrow passages which weren’t so much my cup of tea. There were a lot of bats, and I didn’t fancy coming across one irritating to get out even though I was frustrating to attain in! We were shown one chamber that was known as the leopard’s eating cave. I’m not complimentary if it was genuine or not, I preferred not to think too hard about it as our campsite was quite stuffy. One large cave was called the baboon parliament as it is a favourite magnify place for troupes of baboons. The rocks were sore and sleek from the baboons sitting upon them appropriately much.
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Next times we go, I think the campsite upon the crater rim is preferable to the one near the caves, if single-handedly for the view. Hikes craving to happen in at the forefront hours of daylight and late afternoon once a siesta to toting occurring together the heat of the hours of daylight. Conservancy and camping fees are quite reasonably priced and the man who collects them is the whole fine at knowing that you are in the conservancy – as a outcome though the admittance admittance is unmanned, you will still have to pay as he comes to the campsite to check upon you. Keep your receipts even if, for that gloss you can prove payment in achievement choice administrator comes just about to check/collective.