09/04/2016
This is the best view in our countyOLBOLOSSAT PICTURES
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sitefactsheet.php?id=23620Site description Lake Ol' Bolossat, Central Province's only natural lake, is an internal drainage basin whose swamps have a high salt content possibly due to ..
Lake Ol' Bolossat, Central Province's only natural lake, is an internal drainage basin whose swamps have a high salt content possibly due to high evaporation rates and partly to the nature of sediments that constitute the area (Krhoda 1992). The lake is situated in the valley between the northwestern slopes of Aberdares Mountains and Dundori Ridge which are the main catchments. The altitude ranges from 2,340 - 2,400 meters above sea level, receiving an average precipitation of 975 - 1,100 mm pa. The Lake covers an area of 43.3 sq.km. of which open water covers about 4 sq.km. This drainage basin, Ewaso Ngiro North Basin covering 210,226 sq.km., is Kenya's largest. It offers a variety of habitats ranging from open water through floating marsh and swamps, open grasslands and riverine forests along rivers and springs that feed the lake.
Key Biodiversity Lake Ol’ Bolossat holds a wealth of bird species that would attract bird watchers in the tourism industry. A total of 49 species were recorded in a survey by Wamiti et al in 2007. The Lake is known to be important for Palearctic migrant waterbirds. During the 2007 survey, 17 waterbird species that are listed by the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (Ng'weno et al 1999) were recorded. This emphasizes the importance of protecting the wetland for, among other reasons, being close the Great Rift Valley, one of Kenya's important migration flyways, thus offering a suitable site for feeding and resting, and probably as a wintering ground for the Palaearctic migrants. The area around Lake Ol’ Bolossat holds a significant area (c.39 sq.km.) of unique montane grasslands. The highland grasslands of central Kenya contain a suite of restricted-range bird species, forming part of Kenyan Mountains Endemic Bird Area (Stattersfield et al 1998). These grasslands have received virtually no conservation attention from the authorities, are largely unprotected and are vanishing at an alarming rate (Fanshawe & Bennun 1991, Bennun & Njoroge 2001) despite being habitats for globally-threatened bird species as well as other biodiversity. Sharpe's Longclaw Macronyx sharpei, a globally-threatened and Kenyan high-altitude grassland endemic bird (BirdLife International 2000, 2006, Muchai et al 2002, Muchai 1997), has been recorded in the area’s open grasslands during a waterfowl census (Mungai & Manegene 1998) and in early 2007. Suitable habitat for Sharpe's Longclaw in Kenya is found in Kinangop, Mau Narok & Molo grasslands, and Uasin Gishu plateau. Previous records reports this species as having been recorded from the north-west slopes of Mt. Kenya and the moorlands of Aberdares Mountains although there have been no recent records in these two sites (Zimmerman et al 1996). The presence of Sharpe's Longclaw has been confirmed at Lake Ol' Bolossat, which extends the species' current known distribution and further suggests that it might have had a wider distribution than historically known. Jackson's Widowbird Euplectes jacksoni, also a restricted-range species and described as near-threatened (NT) by BirdLife International (2000), was also recorded in private farms. There has been scarce and unpublished information on sightings and status of these two species, or that of their grassland habitat at the site. Long-tailed Widowbird E. progne, a regionally-threatened species, was also observed. Hunter's Cisticola Cisticola hunteri (Least Concern) was recorded mainly from bushes in the farmlands. The Lake's open water and swamps are home to a number of waterbirds. Interesting species observed includes African Marsh Harrier, Purple Swamphen, Black-bellied Bustard and Capped Wheatear. The most abundant species recorded in the 2007 survey were Long-tailed Widowbird (114), Red-
capped Lark (93) and Grassland Pipit (89).
If you are looking for a getaway from the noise of the City, this is the place to be. And if you want to discover a lake you didn't know existed in Kenya, this is also the place to be. The chalets are next to Lake Ol bolossat; literary a 5 minute walk away.
The self catering chalets are as good as the picture looks. For the kids, there is a huge compound to expend their energy on.
Best for me-The quiet. more
Visiting Lake Ol Bolossat
Located between the Aberdare Ranges and Dundori Ridge is Central Province’s only natural lake – Ol Bolossat. I also didn’t know that it was the only one in Central Province until about two years ago. I’d always longed to visit it and see the beauty it held and last week, the opportunity presented itself and I joined friends from Onetouch for a short trip there.
Getting to Ol Bolossat was quite a breeze. From Nairobi, we drove towards Nakuru and turned off the highway at Gil Gil. From there, we started climbing up the Rift Valley escarpment towards Nyahururu. We turned off the highway to the right at Ol Jororok and from there, it was a few kms to Kichakani Paradise which is the only place you can stay while visiting this side of Ol Bolossat. There’s been some work done to the parts of the road that used to be impassable in the rainy season so you can easily get to Kichakani even in a saloon.
Very little happens around the lake to attract visitors in need of more than a place to relax. There is indeed a lot more that can be done. I’m thinking water sports like skiing, canoeing, sailing… Or a simple terrace where one can enjoy the beauty of the lake and it’s birdlife with the backdrop of the Aberdares while sipping a drink…
