Lake Nakuru NP: Makalia Falls
The cache, a small screw-cap circular camo-pot, is hidden behind small rocks on a small rocky ledge about 1m below the top edge at these seasonal falls which are located at the southern limit of the Park.
To reach the cache location: from the new Main Entry gate south of Nakuru, either go:
- East: Head down the eastern side of the lake, where you can pick up GC4XVAN_Lake Nakuru NP: Out of Africa Viewpoint along the way, and continue as far as the junction at S 0 25.169 E E 36 03.698 where the viewpoint loop joins the main route south. Turn left (south) here onto the main track and continue almost due south for about 9km to the waterfall, passing two other junctions along the way.
- West: Head down the western side of the lake and beyond as far as the junction at S 0 25.579 E 36 07.606 about 1km past the junction with the road to Lake Nakuru Lodge. Turn right (east) here and continue for about 11km always passing straight on through various junctions to the falls.
You may then return to the Main Entry area at the north of the lake using the other route.
The first time I visited the falls back in January 2014 they were flowing nicely, so it was quite a shock to return this time to find the whole area dry and dusty. Subsequently seeing a video here of the falls in full flood, it is difficult to imagine it drying up at all! See here for a more typical flow, as I saw the falls the first time. However the Nov 2009 photo in the Gallery also shows a dry falls, so it would appear that the river is seasonal.
The Makalia River rises in the south-west of the Mau Forest, and is a key source of water for Lake Nakuru. It is one of three major rivers, along with the Njoro and the Enderit, which also originate in the Mau Forest complex and drain into the lake, together with treated water from the town’s sewage works
and the outflow from several springs along the shore.
The falls area is usually a scenic site where the roar of rushing water provides a background to birdsong and the occasional impala grunt or baboon bark. When dry, as now, it is eerily quiet, and provokes the question: how much damage has been done to the Mau ecosystem (through uncontrolled deforestation) to cause the drying up of this (and other) once perennial rivers?