Life under acacias at Fisherman’s Camp, Lake Naivasha

Dave and I and a couple dozen other orientees finally pulled off the dusty, potholed road and entered Fisherman’s Camp along the shores of Lake Naivasha. We were about to begin our three-month orientation course, Kenya Safari.

“We lived in our tent under shade trees: eucalyptus—heavy-scented, with clouds of billowy dark leaves—and umbrella acacias, with horizontal layers of airy, delicate leaves and three-inch needle-sharp thorns. I’d seen acacias only in exotic African photos, and then at Lake Naivasha I found myself living in a tent under those trees.” (from Grandma’s Letters from Africa, Chapter 1)

Wattles, whistling thorn trees, umbrella trees, thorn trees—they’re all acacia trees, just four of more than a thousand species of acacias.

The yellow-fever acacia, also known as fever acacia, grows at Fisherman’s Camp. Its smooth bark is bright yellow or greenish-yellow, and it appears especially brilliant when sunshine filters through the trees’ leaves.

This link will show you photos of yellow-fever acacias. They’re quite fascinating.

I also invite you to take eleven seconds to watch this video clip, filmed at Fisherman’sCamp, where you’ll see not only this tree’s unusual bark, but also a Colobus monkey, a striking creature with black and white silky fur.

I’ve often wondered why those trees go by the name “fever” acacias. Recently I investigated, and here’s what I discovered. Because fever acacias grow in moist areas (along rivers, near lakes, in swampy areas), and because early European settlers living nearby often fell ill with malaria, they mistakenly blamed the trees for their fevers—and thus the name, fever acacias. In fact, however, malaria-carrying mosquitoes also breed and live in such moist areas. Mystery solved.

Come on back next week. 

I'm eager to introduce you to more of 

Kenya’s beauties at Fisherman’s Camp!

Grab your canteen—filled with filtered water, not tap water—and a roll of TP!

“Our group of fifty trainees and staff drove out of Nairobi,

the capital city, in a northerly direction,

into the Great Rift Valley,

and eventually arrived at Fisherman’s Camp

on the shores of Lake Naivasha.”

(from Chapter 1, Grandma’s Letters from Africa)

Are you ready to start this journey around Kenya with me? I’m excited to show you scenery along the way. 

Don’t forget your canteen—filled with filtered water, not tap water! Remember to bring your own roll of TP! Toss your sunglasses, hat, camera, hand sanitizer, and insect repellant into your backpack, too.

Before we set out, first I must make two confessions.

First confession: I goofed in my book. I wrote that for the first phase of our orientation course, we camped at Fish Eagle Camp. Not true. We camped at Fisherman’s Camp. A wooden sign posted at the entrance says both “Fisherman’s Camp” and “Fish Eagle Camp.” Apparently, they sit beside each other. I suspect that’s why I got confused.

Second confession: My husband and I lost all our pictures from this two-week period, but I will show you a couple of my own of the region as well as exquisite photos, taken by someone else, along the route we took.

I’m ready—are you?

Climb up here beside me in the back of this dark green 1974 Toyota Land Cruiser and remember, in Kenya, a former British colony, people drive on the left side of the road.

You’ll see scenes thoroughly familiar to me—typical roads, road signs, and vehicles.

You’ll also see red clay paths, rural villages, shambas (little farms), and roadside shops.

Watch for African trees and shrubs, the Great Rift Valley overlook at 8,000 feet (it’s always cold up there), and scenes from down in the Rift Valley (it’s always hot down there). (Click here to read about the Great Rift Valley. It’s fascinating.)

You’ll also see several pictures of an unnamed mountain peak, and one labeled generically “volcanic peak.” That’s spectacular Mt. Longonot, an enormous dormant volcano with a vast crater.

In these photos, you won’t see a picture of the market town of Naivasha [niy-VAH-shah], which we drove through to get to Fisherman’s Camp, but I heard from my friend Shel Arensen, author of the novel The Dust of Africa, that Jim’s Corner Dishes in Naivasha has the best cabbage and chapati in town and still gives customers torn-in-half paper napkins!

It’s time to set out. Brace yourself—many of the roads ahead of us will be pocked with major potholes. Click here to view photos of the journey from Nairobi to Lake Naivasha. 

I’m eager for you to see 

the beautiful Kenyan countryside, 

a place I love. 

Is this what you’d envisioned?