NAIVASHA Surrounded by the picturesque mountain range of Mount Longonot and located one thousand nine hundred metres above sea level, is Lake Naivasha, the highest and most beautiful lake in Kenya’s Rift Valley. The Lake Naivasha region was made famous by the British painter and conservationist, Joy Adamson, who wrote the novel, Born Free, in the area. The Lake Naivasha Country Club was inaugurated in 1937. It was then called the Lake Hotel and was an important stop on the journey between Durban and London. In what is now the country club’s park, passengers once disembarked from flying boats while travelling to Nairobi, situated a hundred kilometres from Lake Naivasha. In addition to great numbers of wild geese, Lake Naivasha is home to many rare and spectacular species of bird such as marabu and cormorant and the pelican also finds much nourishment in the five metre deep lake. Despite their thorny branches the leaves and flowers of the acacia trees on Crescent Island are an important source of nourishment for several animals. The island is situated in one of the most beautiful areas of Lake Naivasha and is in full view of the two thousand seven hundred and seventy-six metre high summit of dormant volcano, Mount Longonot. As the sun begins to set in the twilight hours and creates a colourful natural spectacle in the sky, it is clear why Lake Naivasha has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful of all the lakes in Kenya’s Rift Valley.