By Crystal Okusa
After packing a two-day kit, I jumped into a vehicle and gleefully headed towards Naivasha. About an hour later, we arrived at Naivasha town but the driver informed us we still had another 100km to go before we could really submerge in nature.
Inside one room. Notice the creatively designed bed.
Our destination was Crater Lake. Before getting there, we passed two other lakes, Naivasha and Oloibin, which are home to hundreds of flamingos. Quite unexpectedly, we came across zebras and giraffes grazing playfully. We stopped the driver and the photographer clicked away while I struggled with my 6.0-mega pixels camera.
The breeze grew stronger as we arrived at Crater Lake, forcing us to layer warmer clothes. The receptionist welcomed us with a warm smile, a plate of warm towels and drinks to quench our thirst.
Dry skulls of buffalos, jackals, rhinos and other wild animals were displayed next to the reception. The beautiful scenery was by now baked by the golden rays of the sunset. Over 30 million years ago, this was a complete hill until it erupted and sank in, creating what is now famously known as Crater Lake. The Maasai refer to it as Sonarch, which means ‘unproductive bull’ as it is useless to them. Their cattle cannot drink from the lake.
Nevertheless, the lake is known for its medicinal value. According to Walter Cheboi, a naturalist at the lake, a simple dip helps treat skin diseases. Also found on the land are oncidium rocks that came with the eruption. They are black shiny rocks from the lava of the hill. The floating restaurant at Crater Lake.
Wooden rocking chairs
Accommodation at Crater Lake comprises of beautifully structured tents and brick rooms aligned around the lake. A campsite is right outside the gate. A short flight of stairs with wooden rails takes you to two wooden rocking chairs and a tree stalk table just outside your room.
Inside, a huge comfortable bed beckons. The ambience is welcoming, perhaps because of the red shiny brick floor in the bathroom, toilet and dressing room.
For the newly-weds, a spacious out-of-this-world honeymoon suite, complete with a fully fitted bathtub-cum-Jacuzzi, is the perfect stop.
Flamingos at Lake Nakuru. Guests can take a boat ride to see them.
It is obvious the theme here is ‘country’ as everything is wooden, from the rooms to the restaurants. The latest exceptional structure is the floating restaurant set a few metres from the shores of the lake. 
Having a meal here is an amazing experience as the restaurant sways around depending on the waves.
After a meal and if you still wish to be on the lake, you can enjoy a boat ride and enjoy a breathtaking view of flamingos strutting around the water or flying across.
It was not long before darkness set in and it got very chilly. We found solace in a bonfire that was lit downhill facing the floating restaurant.
Crater Lake is known for its wide range of bird species, a few of which are rare. Walter the naturalist joined us for breakfast, after which we hopped onto a truck and headed for the wild. We came across a lone impala who, according to Walter, was defeated by a fellow male impala for control over the females.
Idyllic campsite
Up ahead, we saw a herd of zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, deers and warthogs. Just as we were giving up on seeing buffalos, Walter took us to the other end of the sanctuary and, to our pleasant surprise, bumped into a family clustered together under a tree. 
A breathtaking view of the landscape from one of the rooms.
On our way back, we stopped by the picnic site, which also doubles as a campsite. It is cool and shaded and gives one the feeling of being deep in the woods. The next campsite is outside Crater Lake’s inner gates. The place is idyllic and is fully fitted with bathrooms, toilets and electrical appliances. Bonfires and wooden stalks to sit around are spread around the site.
Later that day, we went hiking around the rim of the lake. It was a tough climb and, though I’ve always considered myself fit, my muscles were really put to test. Eventually we surfaced at leopard rock, or sundowner as it is referred to because guests come here to watch the sunset.
I was glad I had pushed myself this far. To say the view was breathtaking was an understatement. Seeing the lake below dotted with the floating restaurant was just magnificent. We could see the whole rim after the eruption and some caves on the other side. We watched the sun set as if it was going into Lake Naivasha and I exhaled in awe.
Night game drive
After a long day in the sun, I was exhausted but that did not stop me from going on a night game drive after dinner. Walter carried an illuminating light bright enough to see wild animals far deep in the forest. The most interesting experience that night was seeing two hyenas attack and eat a cow while it was still alive. It was wrenching watching it writhe in pain and knowing it was going to die soon.
The Masaai graze their cattle at night so as not to be caught by the wardens but they have to play hide and seek with the wild animals. The hyenas viciously ripped off the top skin of the cow’s head and, in less than 20 minutes, the skull was gone!
The weekend turned out to be an exhaling experience in the wild and I was glad I took time off to commune with nature.