Yes, the sign says “Fire Assembly Point”. We were in Kenya during the dry season in late February, and there was a fire still smoldering all around our lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park. We’d arrived at the gates with a massive plume of smoke overhead, and had driven to the lodge inside the park through a blackened landscape full of smoke and licks of flame. The fire had broken out a couple of days previously, but our guide assured us that the lodge was intact and safe. From this sign on the grounds, through, it was clear that fires are fairly common during the dry season.

Lake Nakuru is a soda lake, one of several strewn through the Great Rift Valley. The alkaline water holds an abundance of algae, which in turn attracts millions of pink flamingoes — it’s so famous you’ve probably seen a photo of it already.

Although the fire covered a lot of ground, the wildlife seemed unfazed, and many scavengers were feasting on a bounty of dead rodents and other small ground-dwelling animals. The periodic fires are nature’s way of giving the landscape a fresh start. We saw a great variety of wildlife, including white rhinos, a troop of olive baboons, and many spectacular birds around the shores of the lake. The fire kept its distance and we had a very enjoyable visit. Our startling introduction to the park was just icing on the cake 🙂