The Night with the HIPPOS – Kenyan Tale

Wildlife and Kenya are utterly inseparable and for any wildlife enthusiast Kenyan safari is must. Needless to say, being a wildlife enthusiast, I always was fascinated and drawn by the vast expanse Kenya had to offer. Though the travel to the far off land  was inevitable but it took its merry time in culminating into real action. I clearly remember it was June 2017 when i finally had the chance to embark on this once in a life time opportunity.

It was the ideal time to visit the country. Water resources were on the verge of drying up and the famous “migration” was about to start. There is certain charm to Africa that cant be peened down in mere words. It has a rustic feel to it, quite a stark compared to the hustle and bustle of modern cities like Mumbai or London. Once you step on the land and feel your lungs with those fresh air you realise you have time travelled to a different dimension.

There are many enthralling tales to narrate but this one is particularly close to my heart as it was an experience which cant be relived or be justified by mere words. Trying to articulate it is a tough job as one has to witness the atmosphere to grasp the aura of the entire setting.

This incident took place in Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha, is a freshwater lake lying to the north-west of Nairobi and is famous for the hippopotamus. The banks of the river is full of elite established and renowned resorts each trying to ut do the other in the services they offer. But the real attraction of the place is what lies in that river, to be more specific the river can be called the breeding ground for hippos. Every resort has their own share of the lake where one can go for a boating ride and watch the hippos emerge from the water and give a gaping yawn.

We also had a night stay in one such famous resort. While checking-in the manager specifically requested us not to venture alone, after sunset and if we needed to go anywhere, even from the room to the restaurant we should call the reception for a security guard to escort us. I thought there must be some safety issues, hence such elaborate warnings formed part of the welcome note and i was proved correct. The manage stated that after sunset the hippos tend to come onto the surface of the and graze on the lands of the resort. I considered it to be marketing gimmick and didnt heed to it. Let me give you a rough idea about the layout of the property. Once you enter the reception there is a door leading to the backside. One has to go through that door, you will find the rooms lied up on either side with a big central lawn. Beyond that lawn is a deck and a bridge. The bridge is for the guests to stand and overlook the lake while the deck is the area from where one can avail the motor boat ride.

After a sumptuous lunch we made our way to the small motor boat to watch the hippos. Needless to say that we found gazelles roaming inside the resort grounds, staring at the guests with disdain as if we were tress-passing on their sacred property. The ride was about an hour and half and we did see quite a few hippos and birds. But most of them were at quite a distance and also what we saw was technically glimpses of them.

After the boat ride, we went to our rooms and had a small nap afterall we were fatigued with the hectic daily schedules. When I woke up it was dusk and i went out to stroll. There was abridge over there where i could stand and overlook the lake. While doing so i just realised a hippo was slowing creeping out from the water and moving onto the land. But the excitement was marred as this scene took place at an area quite far from our property. After witnessing this, I grabbed myself a cup of tea and some snacks while returning to my room. Soon it was dinner time and we left for the restaurant. On arriving there the manager was not happy as we didnt listen to him and ask for an escort. he cautioned us yet again and reminded us the perils of Hippos. Statistically speaking hippos claim more lives in Africa compared to snakes.!! So after the dinner got over we were escorted to our rooms by a guard. I was still skeptical and thought all these precautions seemed excessive and uncalled for. So i told the guard to wake me up when the hippos came.

I was so exhausted that i didn’t realize when i fell asleep, I heard a sharp bang on my doors and i woke up with a start. I looked at my watch which showed the time to be around 1 am. I opened the door and there was this guard calling me and saying that the hippos have come. I grabbed my cameras and ventured out in my night pyjamas. Afteral who is going to miss this chance. I was walking behind the guard and we were in the central lawn area. It was pitch dark, the guard suddenly stopped and shown his torch, the light fell on the middle of the lawn and sure enough there were 3 baby hippos grazing!! I would have banged into them had not been for the guards!! Alas the light was too low to take sort of pics. The disappointment must have shown on my face because the guard said “come let me take you near your room”. He took me few towards the rooms but few meters away from my room and shown his torch. This is what i saw!!

I saw so dazed that i stood there paralysed, soaking in every bit of this experience. While i write this, i am still reliving that experience and trust me one needs to witness this with their own eyes to truly understand the euphoria. This happens only in Africa!!!