Nomad 015 Dec 2018/Jan 2019

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ISSUE 15 | FREE COPY | COVER 1/3

HOT LIST 60 of our favourite properties of the year

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CONTACTS Tel: +254 (0) 723 697 346 || Email: info@mbh.co.ke NOMAD MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 www.msambweni-beach-house.com

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Bar Culture Night Join us every Wednesday night and experience craft cocktails. DJ Paps on the decks from 7.00pm.

For Reservations Call 0726 303030 2

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Excessive consumption of alcohol is harmful to your health. Strictly not to be sold to persons under 18 years

@amidoshishah

Banded Tie - Gold Foil & Suede Leather Price on request Select pieces available exlusivley on www.ichyulu.com

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ED’S NOTE

DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT…

A

s we were working on this hot list issue of Nomad, I started to reflect on my personal hot list of 2018...at least as far as East African travel goes. There have been way too many escapades this year, and much like with the selecting of properties for this issue, it’s hard narrowing down all the magical moments that took place in the spaces in-between actual destinations. The happy accidents, car breakdowns, bush breakfasts in the most scenic of locations, cherished company, show-stopping sunsets and more.

For my 26th birthday in February, perhaps subliminally fuelled by a quarter life crisis, I took a solo trip to the in-vogue beaches of Zanzibar. It was while strolling down the streets of Stone Town with a camera that I wandered onto Forodhani Night Market. There, I was drawn to the carefree energy of some local boys who, under the moonlight, were jumping from a wall barrier into the sea below at high tide. I swear I would have joined but was given a stern warning not to even attempt this because the boys knew where to dive whilst avoiding all the rocks covered by the water.

In Jinja, Uganda, I signed up for a thrilling, full-day, white water rafting flipathon on the Nile. Birds were chirping cheerily up in the sky, the sun was gently kissing the skin with its warm rays and all round was the therapeutic sound of rushing water- it was by all accounts a beautiful day. All that changed when we paddled right up to the center of a grade three rapid cheekily called “bubugo” which translates to “condolences”, and when the raft overturned sending us all hurling into the water, I quickly understood why. Afterwards, when the crew wanted to go down a grade 4 rapid called “retrospect”, I was all but ready to jump out and swim fast in the opposite direction.

I signed up for scuba diving in Diani and was absolutely excited to explore the underworld. We even went through the usual pool training and just as we were packing up to hit the sea, the weather completely changed and we were grimly

informed that unless we had a death wish, there would be no diving that day. I am yet to try again.

In April I joined Nomad, and with that came a series of memorable trips. We trekked across the plains on the backs of camels, discovered that Google Maps is still not reliable in certain remote areas and tracked rhinos on foot at Sera Conservancy. We hiked up scenic ranges and swam in icy rivers and a warm ocean. There was also the humpback whale watching excursion where after five hours on the water with no sighting, I spent the rest of that day nursing my disappointment in the sweet sweet bosom of a merlot.

From a staycation at Diani Reef Beach Resort with my mum to a customary annual trip to one of my all time favourite places, Lamu, just to sail the seas at sunset with friends old and new, the hot list goes on. Picking a favourite would be next to impossible.

This is the hot list issue of Nomad. Hot as in you’ll want to check out all these places next year. What’s on your personal hot list?

Wendy Watta

wattaonthego

NOMAD ISSUE. 15 · DEC/JAN 2019 · PUBLISHED BY WEBSIMBA LIMITED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. MANAGING DIRECTOR MIKUL SHAH EDITOR WENDY WATTA DESIGN BRIAN SIAMBI DIGITAL FRED MWITHIGA CONTRIBUTORS HOLLIE M’GOG, DYLAN EVANS, MORRIS KIRUGA, ADITYA SHAH, ANTHONY KURIA WANJIRU, AMI DOSHI SHAH, SAMANTHA DU TOIT, FRANCES WOODHAMS, MARTYN POLLOCK, LEROY BULIRO, HANNAH SIMPSON CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS BRIAN SIAMBI, SAMUEL MUCHAI, JAMES WALSH SALES, MARKETING & OPERATIONS VANESSA WANJIKU, NJERI GATHARA, DANIEL MUTHIANI, JANE NAITORI, MICHELLE SLATER, JOY WAIRIMU, SYLVIA KERUBO SALES ENQUIRIES CALL NOMAD 0711 22 22 22 EMAIL EDITOR@NOMADMAGAZINE.CO

NomadMagazineAfrica

@NomadMagAfrica

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DEC/JAN 2018/19

16 16. TOP SHOTS An aerial shot is taken above the beach at Msambweni while an elephant is spotted in the Chyulu Hills.

18. NEWS KQ launches non-stop daily flights to New York, a new player joins the Kenyan hotel scene as Emirates introduces a new in-fight menu.

COVER IMAGES COURTESY RESPECTIVE LODGES Cover 1: Bisate Lodge Rwanda Cover 2: Giraffe Manor, The Safari Collection, Nairobi Cover 3: Arijiju, Laikipia

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20. WHATS ON From epic New Year Parties in Diani Beach to colourful religious festivals in Addis, find a roundup of must-attend events this season.

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28. GLOBETROTTERS We check in with some travel enthusiasts who gave us major wanderlust this year.

68. WHAT I PACK FOR MY TRAVELS Photographer Sebastian Wanzalla gives us a peek inside his travel bag.

CONTENTS

FEATURES 36. HOT LIST Sixty of our all-time favourite properties that we checked out this year.

52. A DIFFERENT KIND OF ADVENTURE From squeeze holes in caves thousands of years old to barbeques aboard a Sese canoe, Hollie M’gog suggests some exciting adventures you may not have considered having yet.

58. THE PLACES IN-BETWEEN Dylan Evans leads expeditions to the unguided, less travelled spaces that make Africa so exciting and so romantic to many.

56. SNOWBOARDING THE RWENZORIS As a keen mountaineer, the idea of snowboarding the Rwenzoris is simply too much for Martyn Pollock to resist.

55. ROAD TRIPS Aditya Mowgli Shah stops by Namibia’s Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei during an overland expedition across Southern Africa.

REGULARS

62. SPOTLIGHT ON Discover Olepangi Farm, a place where cliche hospitality industry phrases like “home away from home” and “slice of paradise” find true meaning.

24. KENYAN TRAVELER “Why do we even travel, if what we are truly seeking is home?” writes Morris Kiruga.

64. GREAT HOTELS: AT MT KENYA’S FOOTHILLS Ami Doshi Shah revisits the interesting history of Mt Kenya Safari Club which was once an exclusive playground for Hollywood’s rich.

26. NOTES FROM THE BUSH Samantha is grateful for the chance to experience mornings without the need for technology, guided simply by the rhythms of the birds and beasts around.

32. GIFT LIST When they spend more time on the road than in their own apartment, a thoughtful travel-ready gift this season will sure make their trips better

70. BUDGET PICK The Traveldote stay at the affordable Lewel Cottage located in a gated community just outside Timau.

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ENJOY THE SPARKLING TASTE OF THE SEASON

Beef Sliders 4 flavors: caramelised onions, dill, thyme, stuffed cheese + fries Terms & Conditions Apply

CONTRIBUTORS

Did you tick off any items on your 2018 bucket-list?

AMI DOSHI SHAH Great Hotels, Page - 64

MARTYN POLLOCK Dispatch, Page - 56

SAMUEL MUCHAI Top Shots, Page - 16

I finally got to explore Victoria Falls in Zambia. I bungee jumped off Victoria Falls Bridge, one of the highest bungee locations around the world with a 111m freefall. It took some courage but I mostly just gave in to the adrenaline and pushed myself to go for it. It was incredible!

Saying you’re going snowboarding in Africa usually raises eyebrows. Over the last twenty years I’ve loved the opportunity it has brought me to travel and explore new places, and I didn’t want a posting to Kenya to change that. So why not make it a challenge? To snowboard every snow-capped peak in East Africa. With Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori Range complete, Kilimanjaro is next year’s goal!

In June, I visited a friend in Los Angeles, California. I’ve always wanted to walk the Hollywood boulevard, take pictures at Santa Monica pier, see the Hollywood sign, drive in downtown LA...and I got to do them all. In August, I did a Euro trip with friends, hitting 7 countries in 3 weeks. In October, I got on the first direct flight from Nairobi to New York with Kenya Airways and got to explore the city.

Book Review

IN HONOUR OF MO’ AMIN

Join Salim Amin, son to the late iconic photojournalist Mohammed Amin, as he launches a limited edition augmented reality coffee table book, Kenya: Through My Father’s Eyes, on 13th December at the Trademark Hotel, Village Market. It will explore his father’s exploits behind the lens. Mo’ Amin was renowned for documenting beauty, culture, people, leaders of various countries and saving more than one million lives with his documentary coverage of the 1984-5 famine in the Horn of Africa. For people who admire compelling, honest, visual storytelling and the dedicated artist behind the camera, this is the book for you. A percentage of profit from the sale of every book will go to the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

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TOP SHOTS

JAMES WALSH Instagram: @sinamatella_za The Big Life Foundation are doing an incredible conservation job in the Chyulu Hills and the elephants are still free to roam without too much persecution. Throw in the fantastic ground-level hide developed by Great Plains at their Ol Donyo Lodge and you have an incredible opportunity to view these wild animals from a unique, close-up location.

With this image, I wanted to reflect this special experience and convey something of the scale and beauty. The image was taken at 10:00am with my Panasonic GH5 and Canon EF 70 - 200mm II lens and the settings were 1/2500 at F 1/1.8 with ISO 100.

NOMAD NOMAD MAGAZINE MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2019 2018

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TOP SHOTS

SAMUEL MUCHAI Instagram: @muchaii I shot this image at Msambweni Beach House on the south coast. I had noticed how amazing the waves looked crashing against the shore the previous day and planned to wake up early the next morning to try to capture that from above. I used a DJI Mavic 2 pro drone.

It was around 6:30am and my settings were ISO 100, F 3.5 at 1/50 TIP: Always look for something unique. Take your time to compose the shot and look around for a different perspective. Wake up early; I find that the morning sunrise is the best time of day to shoot.

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NAIROBI: The Hub, Junction, Sarit Centre, Village Market, Yaya Centre, Westgate DAR ES SALAAM: Slipway NOMAD MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019

www.sandstormkenya.com

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NEWS

EMIRATES INTRODUCES NEW IN-FLIGHT MENU

Emirates has introduced new menus for passengers flying from East Africa to Dubai. Travellers from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa can now enjoy local dishes during flights. In-house chefs have created new dishes that reflect the taste preferences of customers on a specific route. The menus include at least one dish influenced by local cuisine and an international dish catering to other taste preferences.

Traditional dishes include kuku wa kupaka from Tanzania, misir besiga key wat from Ethiopia and nyama na irio from Kenya. From 2017 to 2018, Emirates has catered to over one million customers from the three cities.

KQ LAUNCHES NON-STOP DAILY FLIGHTS TO NEW YORK

KQ has launched non-stop flights from Nairobi to New York. The carrier started selling tickets on October 28th 2018, becoming the first airline to offer non-stop flights between East Africa and the US. It will be the fastest connection between the two cities, with a 15-hour duration eastbound and 14 hours westbound. The airline will operate its Boeing 787 Dreamliner which has a capacity of 234 passengers. The flight will depart every day from JKIA, and you can check online for schedules.

NEW PLAYER JOINS THE KENYAN HOTEL SCENE

Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott International’s independent hotels, announced that it will soon debut the brand in Kenya with Sankara Nairobi joining its portfolio of over 150 global hotels. Located in Westlands, Sankara shares Marriott’s values of vision, design and craft. Sankara Nairobi is owned

by Westlands Hotels Limited and is expected to be rebranded in early 2019.

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DIANI BEACH CLUB PRESENTS

SPORT MUSIC LIFESTYLE 2 9 TH D EC’18 - 1 S T JA N’ 19 SAUTI SOL - DJ BROOKE BAILEY - DJ UV DEEJAY KACE - NYASHINSKI - DJ SKILLZ ROOT CONNECTION - H.ART THE BAND T H E B E AT H O G S - I M R A N M WA N G I PINK MOHAWK - RESIDENT DJs DJ ADRIAN AND MANY MORE...

DIANI BEACH ROAD after Neptune on the left DIANI, UKUNDA BUY TICKETS AT WWW.DIANIBEACHFESTIVAL.COM DIANIBEACHFESTIVAL

DIANIBEACHFESTIVAL

DIANIBEACHFEST

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY, EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH, STRICTLY NOT FOR SALE TO PERSONS UNDER 18 YEARS

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WHAT’S ON TIMKAT FESTIVAL, ETHIOPIA Head over to Ethiopia for the Timkat Festival, an Orthodox Christian celebration of the Ethiopian Epiphany. The festival marks the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. Pilgrims participate in and witness the re-enactment of the baptism. The threeday festival is the most colourful in Addis Ababa. It takes place annually on January 19th, starting with Ketera (preparations) the day before. In the capital, the streets are adorned with green, red and yellow to represent the Ethiopian flag. The ceremony commences on the first day when models of the Ark of the Covenant, Tabots, are carried to the river in a procession led by the most senior priest of each church. At dawn the water is blessed and sprinkled on the participants.

DIANI BEACH FESTIVAL

This festival returns to Diani from December 29th 2018 to 1st January 2019. Hosted at Diani Beach Club, activities will include sports like skydiving. Throughout the month there will be a lot of entertainment by international, regional and domestic talent.

Among those on the line up include Sauti Sol, Nyashinski, DJ Kace, Brook Bailey, H_art the Band and more. Prices start from Ksh 2,500 in the Bronze Package option to Ksh 12,000 in the Gold Package range.

The Platinum package (whose prices are available on enquiry) offers return flights plus accommodation, concierge service and access to the VIP lounge.

Email: info@dianibeachclub.com

NILE RIVER FESTIVAL

This four-day annual event in Jinja, Uganda is a true celebration of the Nile River and the range of fun activities available on it.

Every year, the festival draws some of the

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best kayakers from around the world who go to compete for the champion’s title. The 2019 festival which will take place from 24th to 27th January will include a mountain bike race and their first ever freestyle white water rafting event, complete with big celebration parties in the evenings. For more information: kayakthenile.com/nile-river-festival-2019

RUSINGA CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Rusinga Festival is an annual two-day celebration of the culture of the Abasuba people of Kenya. Now in its seventh year, the 2018 edition will be held from December 20th to 21st 2018 in Rusinga Island, Homabay County. There will be music, fashion, film, food, artistry, literature, sports and conversations that explore the Suba culture. Entry is free. For more information, call 0705367469.

ADVENTURE IN PARADISE

Beat the January blues at the Watamu Treehouse, the home for meditation, yoga and wellness. For four days (18th to 21st January), experience freedom, vitality and excitement while you let nature recharge and relax you. There will be unique accommodation, full board delicious food and special activities which include floating and paddling through the mangroves, swimming, walking, yoga and meditation.

Two nights costs Ksh 34,000 while three costs Ksh 49,000.

Email: watamutreehouse@gmail.com

NEW YEAR’S AT THE ALCHEMIST

Do you want to celebrate the jump off with a bang? If you’ll be in Nairobi, join other cool peeps at the Alchemist on 31st December for just that! There will be music, live DJ mixes, food and drinks.

Email: info@alchemist254.com

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ENJOY THE FINEST SPANISH QUISINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Flamenco nighT� pop up market on 29th DECEMBER

Tel: 0746 62616 , Baharini Shopping center Diani Beach road, 80401 Kwale, Coast, Kenya

At Pembroke, WE EMBRACE:

www.PEMBROKEHOUSE.sc.ke registrar@pembrokehouse.sc.ke 0708 143 600

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@Myenanai ||

Enanai

Email: enanai@enanai.com, info@enanai.com Tel: +254722592962

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A KENYAN TRAVELLER

Why do we

TRAVEL?

I

t was when Keffa, the bearded pilot, landed the small plane in Selous Game Reserve that it dawned on me that I wasn’t home, asleep in my bed. We were on a flight from Dar es Salaam to explore the game reserve and River Rufiji. Our trip sponsors had promised that we were in for the experience of a lifetime.

They however hadn’t mentioned, and no one else knew, that Keffa and his co-pilot had their girlfriends on the short flight.

This mattered because the pilots landed the plane so smoothly that I didn’t even stir from my nap. I had told myself that when we started landing, my body would wake me up.

I however hadn’t accounted for the romance at the cockpit and that this wasn’t about me.

Although I had noticed the two gorgeous Tanzanian women as we boarded the plane in Dar, I hadn’t thought much of it. I prefer to travel when I’m tired because trips tend to get monotonous after a while.

Why did the fact that I thought I was home during the flight bother me so much?

Why do we even travel, if what we are truly seeking is home?

The only permanent book on my desk is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, a small book that chronicles some of Marco Polo’s journeys and his account of them to the Great Kublai

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Khan. It is fictionalised, but if you have ever watched the series Marco Polo, this book is for you. It is the first place I ever saw cities described as living, breathing organisms. In it I read about fates and how Marco Polo looks at a man in a new city and thinks that if he (Marco) had made a different decision at some point earlier in his life, he could have been that man.

Such things bother me a lot. Why do I feel the desire to travel to new places, meet new people and experience new things? The destination never really matters. Nor do the specifics of where and for how long.

During my last trip, I learnt about the destination and activities after I was picked up in Muthaiga on a cold August morning.

We were going rafting, I was told, much to my amazement. I ended up drinking half of Tana River before I even understood the mechanics of rafting, and had to suffer a diabolical staff member who sent me back halfway on the zipline just when I finally had the opposite platform in my grasp. He had mentioned earlier that only skinny people could be sent back, because bigger people get stuck in the middle and the staff might have to cut the zipline to save them. He wasn’t joking, I think.

In the time I interacted with him, I was never sure when he was joking. This is

after spending quite a bit of time with him, including on a misguided beer run to Sagana town where I sat on the pillion of his motorbike as he raced down the highway.

We chased down a matatu and had so much fun I wasn’t sure we would make it back alive. I had watched him watch over us while on a kayak for five hours and row the small thing into a raging waterfall twice, like it was nothing. He told me at some point that it was his father who first showed him how to bend water to his will, and that it pays his bills now is incidental to him. For him, water is life itself. It is what writing is to me, and car engines are to my mechanic.

Do you ever get that feeling? That what is new to you is to someone else home?

Among my people, there’s a saying that one needs to travel to confirm that his mother’s cooking is not the best. It’s a loaded proverb that’s not just about food. It’s about life. It’s about walking back into your house after a trip and realizing that you actually haven’t been living. Or that you have.

I think we travel to find home, and home is not a physical place. It’s a decision. An idea. A feeling. Sometimes, like for Keffa and his co-pilot, it’s a human being.

Morris Kiruga blogs about travel, culture and more at owaahh.com

PHOTOGRAPH BRIAN SIAMBI

By Morris Kiruga

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NOTES FROM THE BUSH

IN SEARCH OF SIMPLICITY

I

Out in the wild, Samantha du Toit is grateful for the chance to experience mornings largely without the need for technology, guided simply by the rhythms of the birds and beasts around.

have not set an alarm clock since we moved to camp. With no curtains on the tent windows and the flaps kept up, the morning light hitting the acacia trees outside is enough to tell me it is morning. By the time the branches turn orange with the first light and the bird song and monkey calls have already started, our resident baboon troop have descended from the trees and are heading off for the day. Recently, at about 6:15 every morning, I noticed a sound like wind rushing through the branches but when I looked up, the trees were standing still. It took a few mornings to realise that it was numerous flocks of small red-billed quelea birds, flying past in black waves, heading towards the sunrise. Seyia used this new phenomenon to persuade us out of bed and go over to the kitchen to get the tea ready in time for the daily quelea show.

Quelea are not the only bird we have seen rise in numbers this year after the good rains and resulting plentiful grass. Sand grouse are also everywhere. Most evenings I see them and have come to know where they are hiding their chicks. It never fails

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to amaze me how the sand grouse parents try to lure me away from the chick with a display of fake injury, and how the chick knows to stay rock-still for its own safety.

For my sins, I have taken up jogging.

I was warned that it might be a sign of a looming mid-life crisis, but I believe it may be the prevention of one. After I have passed the corner of the road where the sand grouse chick is, I jog (very slowly) alongside the river and notice all the various tracks of domestic animals, people and motorbikes intermingling with the occasional lion, elephant or hyena track. The regulars are the tiny paw prints of genets and mongooses, lots of bird prints and snake tracks.

I marvel at how the coexistence of man and beast is so apparent in this ecosystem, and how it is simply, more often than not, a case of avoidance in both space and time which helps everyone find a home here.

But even that is not as simple as it seems.

The longer I spend time here, the more I realise how deep the traditional ecological knowledge of people is just to understand where you need to be with your livestock at different times of the year, month and day and also where you do not want to be at

these times. Many choices are primarily driven by the search for grazing and water, but many other factors are considered too, such as the safety of the domestic animals from encounters with predators and more recently, access to schools and local market days.

I turn around and head back to camp just as the sun is beginning to touch the top of the escarpment in the West. Without the need for a watch I know I have about fifteen minutes of good light left to get back to camp. The quelea head home too, somewhere to the West, filling the sky with the same black waves that greeted us in the morning. It strikes me that we all have our own inherent daily rhythms, and I am grateful for the chance to experience mine mostly without the need for technology, guided simply by the rhythms of the birds and beasts around me.

Samantha du Toit is a wildlife conservationist, working with SORALO, a Maasai land trust. She lives with her husband, Johann, and their two children at Shompole Wilderness, a tented camp in the Shompole Conservancy.

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NASRIN SULEIMAN @nazyxo

Wanderlust

As the year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on some of our favourite travel moments of 2018 while making plans for new adventures in the coming year.

Leroy Buliro checks in with some travel enthusiasts who gave us major wanderlust this year.

SURAJ MANDAVIA @itsureel What was your favourite trip of the year?

That would be the weekend of July 20th in Budapest, Hungary, where I went on a European tour with two fellow Kenyan DJs. This was my first visit to Hungary. On arrival, we explored the Hungarian parliament building, the Chain Bridge and the Danube Promenade, a place rich in historic landmarks. The next morning we set off for Napozo for an open-air festival, CityMatine, where I was scheduled to perform. The audience welcomed me with open arms and we partied the afternoon away till sunset. I wish I could do it all over again!

Before departure, we decided to explore the city’s streets. We checked out the Citadella Fortress located at the top of the Gellert Hill; the trek was a bit of a struggle but the view at the top was absolutely worth it. After dinner on that last evening, we packed all our gear and rushed to hop onto the OBB Railjet, the most modern high speed train I’ve ever boarded. 2.5 hours later we got to our next destination, Wien Hauptbahnhof in Vienna, Austria.

What’s on your 2019 DJ tour and travel bucket-list?

I’m touring South Africa in January followed by another six weeks in Europe performing in Vienna, Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest and Paris. It’s been a dream to also perform in Portugal and visit South and Central America. The Latin influence in these countries infuses well with the music I play and produce.

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What was your favourite trip of the year?

I have travelled to the UAE countless times but going to Dubai this year was so special because it was with family. Family trips are fun, especially one with 19 people – my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews! The last time I went on such a trip was eight years ago when we took a roadtrip across India.

The perks of traveling with a family of various age groups includes doing everything together under one itinerary. We all love adventure, from hitting water parks, amusement parks (I’m a roller coaster junkie), desert safaris, exploring the city and shopping in the local markets. The toughest part was doing it all in the Dubai summer heat.

What’s on your 2019 travel bucket-list?

I love experiencing different cultures and exploring the ocean. There are so many places that I am yet to visit and my goal for 2019 is to cross off a few, such as Turkey, Portugal and even my country, Tanzania.

I reside on the island of Zanzibar and there is still so much to explore on the mainland.

GLOBETROTTERS

MUTUA MATHEKA @truthslinger What was your favourite trip of the year?

I am part of the Unscrambling Africa team and this year we set off on a groundbreaking journey that took us to 10 capital cities in Southern Africa, documenting urban culture and architecture.

One of the countries that caught my eye was Namibia. This is a desert country so we were lucky to have a 4x4 Land Rover. Our first stop was Windhoek which is surrounded by beautiful hills.

The varying topography of the entire city was just breathtaking.

The population is about 400,000 people and the personal space was just immense, and I loved that as a photographer.

For the food, I really enjoyed sinking my teeth into Kapana which is like barbequed beef.

Our next stop after Windhoek was 350 Km away to Swakopmund, then Dune 7. It’s one of the biggest dunes in the world and is also the intersection area between the Namibian coastline and the desert. We trekked to the top of the dune with our cameras just to catch the sunset. Our Namibian trip ended at Fish River Canyon where we spent the night relaxing at Ai-Ais hotsprings.

What’s on you’re 2019 travel bucket-list?

2019 for me will be about revisiting all the 10 countries we visited during the Unscrambling Africa trip, and going on tour. Think of it as an appreciation to all the cities that accommodated us by setting up exhibitions, sharing the book we are working on as well as pictures taken along the way.

MIA COLLIS @mia_collis What was your favourite trip of the year?

That was during the making of the book, The Unsung Heroes, in collaboration with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

My job was to go out with the elephants at the crack of dawn and photograph them in Ithumba at Tsavo National Park. Here, orphaned elephants are at their next stage of reintegration back into the wild.

On one particular shoot day in Ithumba, we were joined by a completely wild herd of elephants. The keepers knowingly set us to walk on the opposite side of the orphaned herd while they stayed with the wild elephants that morning.

We were all heading for the 11:00am milk feeding program at the waterhole. This could have been mayhem given the number of both orphaned and wild elephants that kept increasing their pace towards the keepers who were holding the milk bottles.

One courageous keeper called Galagalo gently split the herd and guided the wild one around the back entrance to the waterhole while the rest of us branched off towards the milk area. After the feeding program, we all then reunited at the waterhole. It was astonishing to witness this event.

What’s on your 2019 travel bucket-list?

Perhaps something entirely different like Alaska or British Columbia where my partner lives. To go on a bear safari to see the Spirit Bears would be amazing. They are this small population of completely white bears, a subspecies of the American black bear living in the North Coast region of British Columbia. To see whales swimming in the North Pacific Ocean would also be incredible to witness.

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BREATH TAKING

CHARTER BESPOKE

MEDIVAC

TOURISM

PHOTOGRAPHY

SCENIC FLIGHTS

AERIEL WORK

QUALITY

SAFETY

EXPERIENCE

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EXECUTIVE TRANSPORT Tel: +254 734 257 647, 0722 782 947 Email: flying@kidlhelicopters.com operations@kidlhelicopters.com www.kidlhelicopters.com

Family run and hosted, Olepangi Farm is a little gem nestled in the foothills of Mt Kenya, a haven of space, beauty, long views and delicious organic food!

For rates contact us at welcome@olepangifarm.com | We also offer resident rates | www.olepangifarm.com

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GIFT LIST

The Traveller’s

GiftList

When they spend more time on the road than in their own apartment, a thoughtful travel-ready gift this festive season will sure make their trips ten times better. Here are some of the Nomad team’s essentials:

KAFTANS FROM COCOLILI COCOLILI seeks to narrate the African story through bold, vibrant and colorful prints which are individually customized for the brand. These prints are based on African themes and motifs and are symbolic of our heritage, adding an element of ethnic pride.

Their kaftans are timeless and perfect for any coastal vacation. Pop into their store in Village Market or check out cocoliliafrica.com.

CAMPING GEAR For outdoor enthusiasts, look no further than Camping Shop for various camping gear. They have everything from outdoor accessories, tents and furniture to sleeping equipment. Most products are very affordable, with travel bags for instance going for as little as Ksh 1,500. Shop around on www.campingshop.co.ke.

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CANON G7X MARK II The G7X has been the go-to vlogging camera for Youtubers, and with good reason. It appeals to anyone looking for a device with a high level of control and excellent image quality, packing a large sensor while being sleek enough to fit into your pocket. It also comes with a flip screen allowing for selfie video recording. Get yours for only Ksh 70,000 from Snapshot Kenya0727574666.

THE MAP- KIGALI Heading to Kigali? The Map- Kigali is a professional, user-friendly, fun and useful map that shows you a whole new side of Kigali, including necessary tips to give you the confidence to get out and explore the city. It also highlights local businesses in the hopes that visitors will venture beyond the usual expat and tourist hangouts. Contact kristy@livinginkigali.com.

TRAVEL POCKET BOOK- DRUNK BY BIKO Drunk is a book well worth the fuss.

Written by renowned writer, Jackson Biko, the pocket book talks about the ripple effects of alcoholism and is small enough to get through in one sitting.

It’s an ideal read on road trips, by the beach, on layovers or as you deem fit, really. Get a copy for about Ksh 900 from various bookshops around the city.

PANGOLIN COLLECTION EARRINGSPATRICK MAVROS The pangolin collection epitomises the beauty of this rare African mammal in a stunning range of animal necklaces, contemporary silver earrings and yellow gold stud earrings. In the wild, pangolins are shy anteaters with beautiful overlapping plates covering their back. Shop online on patrickmavros.com

OCEAN SOLE Passionate about the ocean, this social enterprise upcycles up to 74 tons a year of discarded and lost flip-flops into fun, colourful art and functional products perfect for this holiday season.

Their ethical products range in sizes and prices and include art, sculptures, stationery, home decor, jewellery, bespoke pieces and more. Shop on oceansole.co.ke.

BAOBAB TABLE LAMP - SEEDLING KENYA Illuminate your campsite with unique table lamp designs from Seedling Kenya. To prove just how unique they are, the beautiful lamps are made from materials like baobab pods, palm leaves, indigenous tree barks or shredded plantation timber. For more information, email seedlingkenya@gmail.com.

JBL PULSE 3 SPEAKER- COLOURED HOLIDAYS! Take your road trips to the next level with the JBL Pulse 3, the portable bluetooth speaker that combines 360° sound with 360° lightshow. With up to 12 hours of playtime and an IPX7 waterproof housing, Pulse 3 is perfect for worry–free listening by the beach or even on rainy days up the mountains.

Available at GameTroniq Westgate Mall Ksh 25,000.

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THE WHITE CAP BIG BRUNCH

Guests were treated to great beer, food and company at ‘The White Cap Big Brunch’ which took place at some of Nairobi’s top restaurants on the weekend of the 24th & 25th of November, courtesy of Kenya Breweries Limited and EatOut.

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EXPERIENCES PHOTOGRAPHS: JOE WERE, PETER NDUNG’U

K

enya Breweries Limited (KBL) partnered with EatOut Kenya to create a weekend to relax and unwind, and it all started with a trip to Nanyuki for a media launch party on the 7th of November. Invited guests took a breathtaking scenic air safari around the white caps of Mount Kenya. Helicopters for the event were provided by KIDL Helicopters while Cessna Caravans were from Tropic Air Kenya. Guests spent the first night at Maiyan Villas in Nanyuki, and the following afternoon was then spent eating, dancing and sipping ice-cold White Caps with Mt Kenya acting as the perfect backdrop in the distance, at Soames Hotel.

The weekend-long event fondly dubbed ‘The White Cap Big Brunch’ featuring over 30 restaurants, cafes and hotels in Nairobi took place on the 24th-25th November 2018, with participating restaurants offering brunch lovers a complimentary White Cap Lager and enticing brunch menus throughout the weekend.

Speaking at the launch event in Nanyuki, KBL Sales Director Andrew Kilonzo said the campaign captured the true spirit of White Cap Lager. “Boasting of consistent quality, White Cap is proudly Kenyan and full of character, best enjoyed on a beautiful day surrounded by good food and good people. We are excited about this brunch experience. It is the connoisseur’s beer and as a brand, we are happy to partner with EatOut.” “We are setting the mood for the Christmas holiday because Kenya is becoming a culinary tourism destination. In the past the country has experienced a huge boom in food and drink festivals, therefore, as KBL we have to continue doing disrupting activities like the The Big Brunch,” said Mr Kilonzo.

“The views of the snow-peaked mountain tip were simply spectacular. What an incredible way to source inspiration for a menu! We’re delighted to have worked with such a strong home-grown brand like White Cap,” commented EatOut CEO, Mikul Shah.

EatOut is set to pick four lucky ‘brunchers’ who will get a chance to head to Nanyuki for the Ultimate White Cap Big Brunch Experience and a scenic air safari to the top of the White Cap mountain – so if you took part in the ultimate brunch Nairobi has seen all year, you just might be the one selected!

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Gold List

2018/19

ARIJIJU, LAIKIPIA This beautiful private home is partly sculpted into the rock-bed and its subtle entrance opens into a fragrant, greened space with generous Swahili curves and an air of monastic calm.

Stone walls create vaulted walkways that lure you into cool shade towards a gym, spa and hammam, tennis court, dappled sun traps and Lamu daybeds. Alongside a gnarled African Olive tree, a slice of pool hangs over the untamed wild of the Sieku valley in the Borana Conservancy. Rates on request. www.arijiju.com

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HOT LIST

The Nomad Team has widely traversed the region this past year.

After much debate in-house and with input from our readers and a few key industry experts, we finally bring you our hot list! Herein you will find the properties that every discerning traveler should have bookmarked, because these ought to make it to your 2019 bucket list ASAP.

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HOT LIST

Instagrammable FORODHANI HOUSE, LAMU

Photos barely do this Swahili-style house justice.

Its corner positioning (it stands on the spot of the old watchtower) means that guests can enjoy 270 degree views out towards Manda, and down towards Lamu town from its expansive terrace.

A nicer spot for a sundowner is hard to imagine.

It comfortably sleeps 10-13 and has plenty of lounging areas by the pool, garden, dining area and more. The cost for the whole house is about Ksh 50,000. www.forodhanihouse.com

MSAMBWENI BEACH HOUSE, SOUTH COAST

The property has a main house that sleeps 10 with a 14m infinity pool as well as three completely private villas, each with its own private pool and panoramic sea views. It lies along a private beach and the villa’s pools range from 10 to 30m, from where many an instagram picture has been snapped. Choose from a jacuzzi overlooking the sea or a private sundowner overlooking a 500 year old baobab tree. Rates start at Ksh 25,000 a night. www.msambweni-beach-house.com

MARA SIRIA, OUTSIDE MAASAI MARA

The real draw of this place is the staggering view.

Perched atop the Siria escarpment, it overlooks the vast area of the Maasai Mara. The tented lodge is not in the reserve itself but on its Western border, and the feeling of wilderness is maintained. The camp is not fenced and plains game like antelopes and zebras are known to wander around. January to march rates start at Ksh 10,900 for full board and ksh 16,500 for the ground packages in the cottages. www.mara-siria-camp.com

GIRAFFE MANOR, NAIROBI

A darling of Instagram, Giraffe Manor is a well known global destination where influential figures visit to dine with the resident Rothschild giraffes that often stop by in the morning and evening, stretching their long necks through the windows to your table hoping for a treat. Dating back to the 1930s, it has served as a giraffe sanctuary since the 1970s. It houses 12 rooms and walking in is said to be like stepping onto the set of Out of Africa. www.thesafaricollection.com

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Wellness Retreat PEPONI HOTEL, LAMU

For sheer charm, you can’t beat Peponi. It has justifiably chalked up a superb reputation for fine dining – one place you can reliably find dressed crab and great cocktails. For a hotel, Peponi has a very personal feel, which even the best small hotels might find hard to retain over many years. Much thought has gone into the breezy rooms and while each is unique, all take advantage of Lamu furnishings from day beds to swinging beds. Price from Ksh 28,000. www.peponihotel.com

WATAMU TREEHOUSE, WATAMU

This is one of Kenya’s most unique seaside properties with its intricate glasswork, spiral architecture and open design which allows for 360-degree views of the ocean and inland coastal forest. Attend one of their scheduled yoga retreats or just go for a relaxing break. There is a wide selection of yoga and meditation ranging from yoga on a sandbar to sessions on a stand up paddleboard in the mangroves. www.treehouse. co.ke

MANYIKA HOUSE, THIKA

Held every couple of months, the retreats here focus on more than just physical wellbeing. There’s a strong emphasis on silent meditation and personal reflection. Participants break their silence with a final meditative session on the last day.

The house itself is perfect for rejuvenation while enjoying all the flowers and trees or wandering the gardens with a book.

Accommodation rates start at Ksh 19,000. www.manyikahouse.com

BANANA HOUSE & WELLNESS CENTER, LAMU

The atmosphere here is welcoming, the environment spacious and the staff friendly. They offer yoga, spa and massage sessions, and serve fantastic organic food.

There are four teachers and yoga classes are therefore taught daily from 9:00-10:00am and 5:00-6:00pm.

Private classes and meditation are also offered. Various retreats are available through the year, and this is also the home of the annual Lamu Yoga Festival. www.bananahouse-lamu.com

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HOT LIST

New kid on the block THE CLIFF, NAKURU

Long seen as a stopover point for people heading to Western Kenya or on the Mara circuit, The Cliff may well be just the breath of fresh air Nakuru needs to inject some verve into its hospitality industry. Located in a protected area within Lake Nakuru National Park, it has 10 spacious tents perched on a cliff about 100m high, each with a freestanding bathtub overlooking the lake. The decor here is chic, and rates start at about Ksh 10,000. www.thecliffkenya.com

SANCTUARY OLONANA, MAASAI MARA

Featuring 14 glass-sided suites, the camp is inspired by the Masai Mara’s breathtaking natural wonders, an abundance of wildlife and a dramatic river which runs right past its forest setting. Here, contemporary architecture is juxtaposed with time-tested building practices such as Maasai mudding and stone walls, with soothing organic tones and a variety of textures adding warmth and character. Game drives, cultural visits, bush dinners, sundowners, scenic flights and balloon rides can be arranged. Inquire for rates. www.thesanctuaryretreats.com.

SILVERPALM SPA & RESORT, KILIFI

With 38 rooms, this contemporary Swahili style accommodation sets the benchmark for chic luxury accommodation. A grand pool wends its way around the midsection of the resort which majestically sits on a cliff overlooking the sea. At six of its executive suites and one premier suite, one can step right from the terrace of the living room and into the pool. There are two restaurants and bars offering everything from fresh seafood, wood-fired pizzas, cocktails and a teppanyaki grill. Rates from Ksh 16,000. www.silverpalmkilifi.co.ke

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Unique architecture SEGERA RETREAT, LAIKPIA

This spot is nestled between the majestic Mt Kenya to the East and the Great Rift Valley to the west.

Moments that make it stand out include when a tower of elegant giraffes lope across the plains, just in front of your private veranda, or you catch sight of an elephant grazing peacefully as you take a dip in the swimming pool. The home of entrepreneur Jochen Zeitz, Segera also hosts the world’s largest contemporary African art collection. www.segera.com

SANCTUARY OL LENTILLE

Ol Lentille is a prime example of sustainable tourism, community partnership and world class architecture, offering complete privacy in a private conservation area. Much more than just game drives, it has four, fully-staffed private villas with majestic views of northern Kenya and is ideal for couples, friends and families.

At one of the highest points in Laikipia, couples can’t do better than The Eyrie, a round bedroom where from the comfort of your round bed, you can feast your eyes on the mountains outside. This can be either a relaxing retreat or adventurers’ paradise. Rates: starts from Ksh 25,200. www.ol-lentille.com

TUSITIRI DHOW LAMU

The Enasoit dhow, ‘Tusitiri’, has been carefully restored and is today a majestic and comfortable vessel. Try taking this dhow for a night for something completely different; chefs whip up tasty fare in the open-air galley, while guests sleep out under the stars. Life on board is laid back and centered on the dhow’s wide deck; sumptuous cushioned seating areas line it while a dining area is centered around the solid wooden mast.

Rates on request. www.enasoit.com

MANTA UNDERGROUND RESORT, ZANZIBAR

250m from the shore and anchored in an ocean floor anomaly, the floating underwater rooms here define the word ‘innovative’.

Encapsulated within a turquoise blue bubble, watching shoals of reef fish swim by, sometimes in three or four layers of different species, is a truly breathtaking yet awakening experience. The floating structure, Swedish engineered, provides three levels, those above the water clad in local hardwood. Three days minimum stay required when booking an underwater room, and rates are available on request. www.themantaresort.com

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HOT LIST

Airbnb/home CHALET AT RIVER HOUSE, GILGIL

Nestled in a forest and with big windows, these two light and airy studio chalets are fairly simple with a sitting room and kitchen, and two upstairs’ bedrooms.

Ideal particularly for couple, or a couple with kids. We preferred the second of the two chalets, described as the Chalet at River House, for its open-plan kitchen & sitting room, and more comfortable living area. Ksh 3,000 for the whole chalet per one person staying, and Ksh 1,000 pp thereafter. Contact via Airbnb.

OL PEJETA SAFARI COTTAGES

Our two bedroom en-suite cottage within Ol Pejeta Conservancy had an open-plan living room, fireplace for those cold Nanyuki nights and dining area with flaps unzipping out onto a large private verandah overlooking yellow-backed acacia trees. Each cottage is independent and self-catering, but there is also a chef on call if needed. The fully-inclusive resident rate is Ksh 19,900 covering game drives, a guide, a vehicle per cottage, full board meals and drinks. If self-catering, costs start at Ksh 9,900. thesafaricottages.com

MZIMA HOUSE, GALU BEACH

MUNDUI HOUSE, NAIVASHA

Built in 1926, this property is privately funded by a Polish family who set up an organisation called ARR (Animal Rights Reserved) and as a guest, it helps to know that your money goes towards supporting a good cause. There are four doubles and one family room, and two extra doubles can be availed on request. Kids are often attracted to their rabbit hutch. Rates are Ksh 16,000 Monday to Thursday, and Ksh 20,000 from Friday through the weekend, excluding game drives. www.munduihouse.com

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Mzima House is a fusion of Tunisian and Moroccan architecture with chalk-white walls and a high vaulted ceiling, hand-crafted on site by Tunisian stonemasons. It has five double air conditioned bedrooms. The house is built around a central pool within a courtyard offering dazzling views of the ocean. Sunset and moonlit nights can be enjoyed from the poolside courtyard and manicured lawn.

A fully furnished cottage and luxury apartments are also available to rent. Rates from Ksh 25,000. www.mzimahouse.co.ke

Reader’s pick CHUI LODGE, LAKE NAIVASHA

The Zwager family originally built Chui as guest accommodation for Oserian flower farm, naming it after the area’s healthy leopard population. There are eight, well-spaced luxurious cottages each with its own veranda and views of the Rift Valley escarpment and the Sanctuary. The bedrooms have magnificent four poster king size olive wood beds, roaring log fires, en-suite bathrooms and unique décor. On site is a large swimming pool overlooking the waterhole, and four course candle-lit dinners under the stars are highly recommended. www.oserengoniwildlife.com

LANTANA GALU, SOUTH COAST

If all-inclusive doesn’t do it for you, try this spot on Galu Beach. The resort offers familysized apartments with lots of privacy and the kids can paddle and potter on the sand or take a dip in a choice of pools. Apartments can be booked either on a self-catering or meal plan basis as the resort also includes its own beachside restaurant and bar. Low season prices start from Ksh 26,900 for a two-bedroom apartment and Ksh 20,900 for a penthouse. www.lantana-galu-beach.com

SIEKU GLAMPING LAIKIPIA, TIMAU

Sieku has taken the concept of glamping – or glamorous camping – and made it Kenyan. These bell tents have snug beds with quilted duvets, fluffy rugs and views over the distant valley. With an enticing mess tent and a selection of hammocks, swing beds and other chill out areas, there are plenty of places to while away your day. We particularly enjoyed the outdoor bathrooms and loos-with- a-view! Ngare Ndare is easily accessible from here. Rates: 5,500 Ksh per double tent www.siekuglamping.com

LEOPARD HILL, MARA NAIBOSHO CONSERVANCY

Situated next to a series of watering holes where wildlife flock to drink, this spot offers privacy, exclusivity and magnificent views from four uniquely designed and spacious deluxe tents, a family tent or a honeymoon suite. Dubbed the Star bed, there is an adjustable motorised roof in the tents which can provide an unhindered stunning view of the night sky. With indoor and outdoor showers, each tent has its own theme and lower deck which allows for proximity to wildlife. www.basecampexplorer.com

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HOT LIST

Staff pick TEMPLE POINT RESORT, WATAMU

On the site of an ancient temple whose ruins still stand on the headland today, Temple Point is set in sweeping tropical gardens that expand across the whole promontory. The 100 rooms are housed in 20 thatched villas and all have modern amenities and views of the garden or bay. Also on site are snack bars, a restaurant, spa, gym, boutique, conference centre and floodlit tennis court. Rates from Ksh 8,700 B&B, and Ksh 9,800 half board. www.templepointresort.com

ALFAJIRI VILLAS, DIANI

This spot has three unique villas which can be booked individually for honeymoons, romantic breaks or family adventures. Each villa includes your own butler and offers unrivaled exclusivity, impressive private swimming pools and stunning sea views. Owners Marica and Fabrizio will graciously host you during your stay. Menus here have a Mediterranean influence with fresh produce coming in daily from local farms. This is the ideal solution for families with small children and nannies can be available as needed. www.alfajirivillas.com

OL DONYO, CHYULU

The property comprises six pool suites and one two-bedroom suite, designed with colonial-era trappings but with all of the modern comforts. Enjoy the little touches, such as the tot of whisky left in your room as a nightcap. Ol Donyo is big on activities and horse riding is a big draw here, as is the chance to go mountain biking or hiking down lava tubes in the hills. Resident rates start from Ksh 27,000, conservation fees from Ksh 5,155. www.greatplainsconservation.com

MBWEHA CAMP, NAKURU

LONNO LODGE, WATAMU

With only four tower rooms and four historical suites, this boutique lodge is built using ancient techniques and Swahili styles. The open-sided restaurant beside the pool is adorned with swathes of white curtains that flutter beneath a high makuti roof. The menu combines African and European dishes with flair, using fresh ingredients bought daily from the local markets and fishermen. Rates: from Ksh 28,000 per double room, and from Ksh 18,500 pp sharing for the beach honeymoon package. www.lonnolodge.com

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This rustic lodge is set within Soysambu Conservancy, on the southern boundary of Lake Nakuru National Park. The living areas feel like a contemporary African hut with the signature circular shape and thatched roof. There are two family suites, four double cottages and four twins featuring private terraces and outdoor bathtubs. Activities include riding a camel to Lake Nakuru to take in its resident flamingos, followed by a drive to a serene spot overlooking the greenery- to tuck into a sumptuous bush breakfast. www.atua-enkop.com

HOT LIST

Serene MFANGANO ISLAND RESORT, LAKE VICTORIA

KITICH CAMP, MATHEWS RANGE

Set up by Miles Burton in the 1960s, the camp attracted the rich and famous; today it is an intimate collection of six comfortable, semi-permanent, ensuite tents. Situated under the shade of a riverine tree canopy, sunrise whilst overlooking the seasonal Ngeng River is absolutely breathtaking. The essence of Kitich, is ‘getting off the beaten track’, taking advantage of the pristine wilderness, avoiding traditional game drives instead exploring by foot guided by the local Ndorobo Samburu guides. Rates via www.africanterritories.co.ke.

Encircling an attractive bay, the camp consists of a huddle of cottages perched overlooking the lake. There’s a large romantic honeymoon suite out at the furthest point and a huge family cottage at the other end. When you’re not out catching Nile perch or visiting the rock art, the deck on the lake itself is a lovely relaxation spot as is the pool. Breakfast is served on lakeside decking, and dinner by candlelight in the gardens.

Price starts from Ksh 16,000. www.governorscamp.com

KINONDO KWETU, GALU BEACH

This Swedish-owned boutique hotel offers a more luxurious family-friendly experience, with two houses, perfect for big families looking to be under one roof, and five cottages. It has additional rooms within the main house itself.

Activities include sea kayaking and dhow sailing, and the hotel has its own tennis court and riding stables.

It is however an ideal spot to just relax and lounge by the two pools all day. Resident rates start from Ksh 13,000 per person on halfboard basis. www.kinondo-kwetu.com

SIRIKOI LODGE, LEWA CONSERVANCY

Sirikoi is surrounded by 68,000 aces of the pure wilderness of Lewa. Resembling an eco-chic African home and having a main lodge, dining deck and four luxury tents, Sirikoi Cottage and House offer the best for a luxury stay. Each accommodation has a private observation deck making game viewing a breeze from the comfort of your seat. Rooms are spacious and well designed with big Victorian bathtubs, rainshowers, fireplaces and unique decor touches to make your stay worthwhile. Rates on request. www.sirikoi.com

THE SANDS AT CHALE

Chale Island is divided into two parts: the first is covered by a forest and nature reserve with the other 15 acres being designated to the resort. The Overwater suite stands on stilts above the sea and its balcony has day beds and steps leading right into the water. Other accommodation options include Lagoon or Beach bandas, and Penthouse suites sitting above the trees complete with a jacuzzi from where you can take in the 270-degree views of the island. Rates on request. www.thesandsatchaleisland.com

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HOT LIST

Photographer’s paradise ELEWANA LOISABA STAR BEDS, LAIKIPIA

Handcrafted, wheeled four-poster beds on raised wooden platforms are rolled out onto an open air deck, so that guests sleep under the expansive Northern Kenya night sky. Poised on a rocky kopje, the beds command sweeping views over an undulating valley and a permanent waterhole frequented by resident wildlife. Pick from either three en-suite double rooms or one en-suite family room with two double beds pushed out onto separate platforms.

Each have open-to-air bathrooms with a plumbed shower offering piping hot solar-heated water. Rates available on www.elewanacollection.com

ANGAMA MARA, MAASAI MARA

This is a remarkable owner-run safari lodge located high above the floor of Africa’s Great Rift Valley overlooking Maasai Mara. For guests who are either expert photographers or hobbyists, the lodge will provide guides who understand photographic needs: where to place the vehicle for the best light and angle; how to approach wildlife without scaring them away, having the patience to capture a lion yawning in the morning light, and more.

They also partner with some of Kenya’s best photography guides. Contact via www.angama.com

OLARRO PLAINS, MAASAI MARA

With a location chosen for the unblinking vistas it offers, Olarro Plains couldn’t be closer to nature.

An open and airy luxury lodge, the wildlife flood endlessly into the vicinity. Set up your tripod and watch them gather to drink, as the property overlooks a waterhole and a live feed beams every beat into the bar. Cool off in their infinity pool, another striking photo backdrop. It has four double and four twin rooms, and rates are available on request through www.olarrokenya.com

SAROVA SALT LICK, TAITA HILLS

This luxurious safari escape is set in the heart of the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary overlooking a waterhole and the vast Tsavo plains, and part of its appeal is the fact that guests can often spot wildlife from the comfort of ther rooms. It has 96 unique rooms all elevated on stilts and built across two levels, coupled with an underground tunnel and bunker perfect for getting up close with wildlife without being spotted making for endless photography opportunities. Inquiries on www.sarovahotels.com

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Restaurants we loved on the road VIPINGO RIDGE’S BEACH RESTAURANT

Dine at Vipingo’s private beach which is set on the secluded Kuruwitu Marine Park a few kilometres outside the property’s main gate.

Shaded under frangipani and palm trees, sit at one of the wooden tables with a distressed pink finish. The ambiance here is very rustic and laid back with Makuti thatched roofs and wooden swinging daybeds overlooking the sea. The menu has distinct Mediterranean and Oriental influences with an array of seafood like fresh lobster, prawns, calamari and fresh fish served various ways, home-made pasta and more.

TROUT TREE, NANYUKI

Walking into this eco friendly restaurant, you are bound to love it. This gem is built into a huge fig tree with wooden floorboards, bridges and furniture giving it a very rustic feel.

It is located right next to a river which provides water for the restaurant’s several trout ponds, from which they farm the house signature dish: trout. The apparently even keep their beverages in crates stored in the cool river, and these are hauled up by rope whenever one places an order.

THE FOOD MOVEMENT, KILIFI

The quirky and rustic space is surrounded by fig and baobab trees and one wall has a striking mural by 4shore design whose studio is right next door. The innovative and affordable dishes here are constantly changing, and each is a carefully curated blend of flavours that one might either not think to put together- the owner is for instance experimenting with bacon ice cream. They use fresh locally grown vegetables, free-range organic beef and fowl and freshly caught seafood from Kilifi Creek.

FORODHANI NIGHT MARKET, STONE TOWN

This is a glorious seafront night market bustling with tourists and locals alike, with vendors selling different delicacies all being cooked live. Here, the smell of an octopus being dipped in hot oil or thick garlic flatbread hitting a pan mingles oh so pleasantly with the salty smell of the evening air. Be sure to try the Zanzibar pizza which is made with a very specific technique. It is a closed/stuffed pizza and comes in combinations like mango & nutella, although savoury options are also available.

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HOT LIST

Rustic SABUK LODGE, LAIKIPIA

Sabuk sits perched on a cliff overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro river valley below, cascading beneath the lodge all year round. Perfect for families, Sabuk offers six unique open fronted cottages and a private cottage with a plunge pool overlooking the river below. Staying at Sabuk is all about ‘slow travel’, exploring Laikipia on camels, with fly camps or with bush walks accompanied by your seasoned and experienced local guides eager to share their deep knowledge with you. For bookings: www.afrianterritories.co.ke

ELEWANA ELSA’S KOPJE, MERU NATIONAL PARK

The rugged and remote Meru National Park was rescued from oblivion thanks to this spot, which is today a haven for rhino, elephants and birdlife.

Unabashedly romantic and beautifully styled, this space is sculpted into Mughwango Hill, above the site of George Adamson’s original camp where he raised and released orphan lions, long before conservation became fashionable. Each cottage is crafted around the rocks, with a large bedroom, open sitting room, veranda and spacious bathroom, each with breathtaking views. For rates: www.elewanacollection.com

CHE SHALE, A LITTLE PAST MALINDI

This kitesurfing hub is private and secluded, and blends lowkey luxury with surrounding natural beauty and a stunning beach. All the charm and quiet of nature is captured in nine uniquely designed, castaway-chic style beachfront bandas.

Fresh seafood by the beach, an organic crab farm and a tempting array of experiences to choose from – including biggame fishing, dhow sailing, kayaking and more – will keep you as active or as chilled as you wish to be. Rates available on enquiry. www.cheshale.com

MIKE’S CAMP KIWAYU, LAMU ISLAND

For two decades, Mike’s business has thrived on this fishing island as visitors seek ever quieter coastal hideaways, and the amiable host has attracted a mix of celebrities, sports fishermen as well as guests from all over the world, including Kenya. There are seven private and spacious bandas set on sand dunes under tortilis trees, all with magnificent panoramic views of the mangrove creek or sea. Listen to the bird calls from your hammock or marvel at the star studded sky from rooms where blinds are optional.

Rates on request. www.mikescampkiwayu.com

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Amazing pools DESERT ROSE, TURKANA

This top-end lodge on Mt Nyiru consists of five cottages of varying sizes, and boasts exceptional views of northern Kenya. Cool off in the pool and retire for the evening to a cosy sitting room with logfire. Activities include flying safaris over Lake Turkana (a chance to see the calderas on Central Island), fishing excursions on the lake, walking in the nearby Ndoto Mountains or camel trekking through the wild, desert-like terrain. Resident rates start at Ksh 25,000 pp sharing. www.desertrosekenya.com

SWAHILI BEACH RESORT, DIANI

Whether it’s a fun morning splash or a quiet evening dip, the pool here acts as a magnificent playground on your holiday. A one of a kind, seven layer, cascading pool runs for 200 m to the very edge of the white sandy beach. Fed by spring water and natural salts, it will also be a great treat for your skin. Swim up to the Baobab Pool Bar for refreshing signature cocktails- such as dawas and orange cocktails- and light snacks. Inquiries via www.swahilibeach.com

MEDINA PALMS, WATAMU

This spot has a distinct North African and Mediterranean flair which follows through to the dishes served. Families and honeymooners while away the day by the main pool which stretches across the length of the hotel, culminating in an infinity pool overlooking the sea. Choose from 50 units ranging from cozy one-bedroom apartments to palatial four-bedroom villas. Meals can be enjoyed at Amandina Restaurant or under the moon by the pool, private beach or garden. Rates from Ksh 8,900 pp per night, bed and breakfast. www.medinapalms.com

BETTY’S SUITE, LAMU

It can be tricky finding a small house in Lamu. Sometimes all you want is a romantic bolthole without compromising on views and luxury, and Betty’s Suite certainly offers all that. The double bedroom opens out onto its own outdoor seating area complete with an elevated private infinity pool which looks out onto towering palm trees and Shela beach. Particularly appealing is its famous bathtub which also overlooks the sea. Now there’s a view. Sleeps two. From Ksh 25,000 per night. www.themoonhouses.com

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HOT LIST

East Africa ELEWANA KILINDI ZANZIBAR

This spot offers a luxurious serene stay with each pavilion having its own private tropical garden, and their very own private plunge pool, an extraordinary rainfall shower room and your own dedicated butler. It achieves the perfect marriage between Scandinavian minimalism and the dramatic architectural overtones of Middle Eastern heritage, whilst encouraging an open, ‘backto-nature’ ambiance throughout. This same openness allows the gentle ocean breeze to waft throughout each of the rooms and carry with it the delightful soundtrack of Kilindi’s colourful birdlife. For rates, inquire www.elewanacollection.com

BISATE LODGE, RWANDA

Adjacent to Volcanoes National Park, Bisate combines the bucket-list gorilla trek with a pioneering vision of reforestation and community partnership. This luxurious and eco sensitive safari camp is located in the natural amphitheatre of an eroded volcanic cone, with dramatic views of the peaks of the Bisoke and Karisimbi volcanoes rearing up through Afro-alpine forests. Six opulent en-suite forest villas maximise comfort and views while adhering to environmentally responsible principles and reflecting the rich culture of rural Rwanda. www.wilderness-safaris.com

LEMALA WILDWATERS LODGE, JINJA

This lodge is at the heart of the Kalagala and Mabira forest reserve, a group of midstream islands in the Nile best known as the home of the legendary whitewater rafting on the river. A thick riverine forest naturally covers the resort and each of its ten timber-floor rooms. The expansive, canvas walled, traditionally thatched rooms each boast private decks with elegant free-standing baths, and overlook either thundering rapids or calm water. The pool is naturally curved from pink granite and is fed by water from the river. www.wildwaterslodge.com

BARAZA RESORT & SPA, ZANZIBAR

With just 30 villas, this all-inclusive boutique resort evokes the heritage of Zanzibar dating back to the era of the Sultans, complete with the most opulent of spas featuring its own lap pool with underwater music.

The architecture is a fusion of Arabic, Swahili and Indian design, with striking arches, intricate hand carved décor, beautiful antiques, handmade furniture and brass lanterns.The architecture showcases the skills of the local craftsmen and takes one on a journey through the grand Sultan Palaces of Zanzibar. www.baraza-zanzibar.com

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City Hotels TRADEMARK HOTEL

A member of Design Hotels, this expansive 215-room urban business hotel is inspired by the cultural and creative renaissance in Nairobi, reflecting the city’s industrious and innovative nature in its design. All spaces are outfitted with the discerning business traveller in mind, with each soundproof room offering a work station, air conditioning, complimentary wifi, and more. Harvest, the open grill Brasserie, is inspired by the Kenyan true love for meat and focuses on farm fresh ingredients carefully paired with exquisite wines. www.trademark-hotel.com

OLE SERENI

With the stunning view of the Nairobi National Park’s landscape which is often punctuated by wildlife like giraffe and antelopes drinking their fill near the waterhole, this alone makes Ole Sereni unique. There is also the convenience of their location, between Nairobi’s international and regional airports, as well as the hotel’s worldclass restaurants, conferencing facilities and spa.

Whether you’re out to enjoy the area’s natural beauty or are looking for a vibrant business environment, this city hotel has it all. www.ole-sereni.com

ONE FORTY EIGHT NAIROBI

This is an eight-room house with accompanying bungalow apartments, sleeping 16 people total. The main entrance is expansive such that the massive paintings on the walls, wooden dhow tables, long green sea-glass chandelier and voluminous sofas seem small. Patter up the slim staircase of the main house and you’ll find each of the rooms are decorated completely differently and have their own setup.

Peer into as many as you can – they’re a feast for the eyes.

Rates from Ksh 42,000. www.one-forty-eight.com

NAIROBI TENTED CAMP

Nestled on a valley amidst a riverine forest within the Nairobi National park is this camo, one of the only accommodation options set up within the premises and a perennial family favourite. The property comprises nine comfortable self-contained luxury safari-style tents outfitted with double or twin beds, a writing desk, clothing rack and bedside table, complete with a charming front porch. The camp can set up either an early morning or evening game drive. Resident rates from Ksh 10,000. www.nairobitentedcamp.com

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF

From squeeze holes in caves thousands of years old to barbeques aboard a Sese canoe, Hollie M’gog suggests some exciting adventures you may not have considered yet.

ADVENTURE KENYA

Travelling telescope: Get a hold of Kenya’s own travelling telescope team and find out where they may be and if you can join. Then have a full afternoon nap so you can stay up all night long! Be prepared to be taken on a flight through the heavens via storytelling, galaxy reading and star naming. Chu is the man to contact: travellingtelescope.co.uk. Tip: The crew can be hired privately.

Try caving: Brave bats and owls and tunnel deep into thousand-year-old lava tunnels and caves in the Suswa region near Mt. Longonot or coral caves in Kilifi. Pack your torches, a glow-in-the-dark volleyball and a ball of string (just in case!) There are caverns as big as a ballroom, squeeze holes, multiple layers of floors and a wonderful smell! Plan your trip: cavinginkenya.com. Tip: Caving can be dangerous so hire a guide for this one!

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UGANDA

Climb Kadam: It’s a two-day hike up and down a mountain you may never have heard of and see views over a reserve few know the name of. The adventurous can do some bouldering and scrambling while the rest can lie back with gin and tonics and a sunset of glorious ochre. Pian Upe (a national reserve managed

by Uganda Wildlife Authority) has some small and basic self-catering bandas that you can base from before and after the climb. Tip: You can do this without a guide but hiring one brings income to a part of Uganda that needs it, so be thoughtful www.kara-tunga.com.

A Mongolian BBQ on the Mvule Boat: A full day of genuine relaxation on a Sese Canoe across several bays on Lake Victoria. The boat leaves Jinja and can be privately hired or you can jump aboard and meet the day’s boat buddies. There are Canadian canoes to

paddle, SUPs to balance upon, a headland hill to climb and look down on this Queen of boats and a Mongolian BBQ to feast upon. Book your float: themvuleboat.com. Tip: All activities depend on how daring you are. If you want to leap from the highest point of the boat into the warm Victoria waters then go for it!

Birding in Semuliki: It might not be a true wilderness but the orchestra of bird calls is enchanting. This part of the Albertine Rift offers forest birds and hot springs, boat trips on the Semuliki River delta... it is where the central Africa bird species meet the East African. Tip: You can just arrive here and plan activities day-by-day.

RWANDA

Canopy capering in Nungwe: Birds and butterflies, canopy walks and waterfalls, perhaps even a shy chimpanzee or three!

ADVENTURE

There are golden monkeys and the birds will flash colour between the slanting forest sun rays. It might be wet so bring your raincoat and prepare to hike any of the ten or more forest trails nyungweforest.com. Tip: Guides and accommodation can be organised on arrival.

The big hike: If you want an epic walk but don’t want to be too far from civilisation then the Congo-Nile trail may just be for you. A ten day walk or a five day cycle, 230 km of culture, expansive views of Lake Kivu, the sun on your shoulders, the wind at your back and the warm heart of a special people by your side. You can camp, homestay or splash out on lodges, guesthouses and hotels along the way. rwandatourism.com. Tip: You don’t need a guide for this exciting adventure.

TANZANIA

Archaeological exploration: the Kilwa Kisiwani ruins lie on ‘the island of the fish’ just off Tanzania and were perhaps part of a great empire. The Great Mosque has sixteen domes, arches and pillars and a history to delve deep into. Legends say that an empire was established on the island by a Persian prince who bought Kilwa Kisiwani from a local king. Payment was enough cloth to circle the island. The prince then destroyed a bridge that connected the island to mainland Tanzania.

Tip: Register for a permit to visit the island at the local antiquities office then take a dhow there.

Kitulo Plateau Flowers: Bustani ya Mungu (The Garden of God) the Serengeti of flowers! How can one not feel the draw to this incredible plateau? Surrounded by rugged peaks and montane grasslands, orchids, red-

hot pokers, aloes, giant lobelias, lilies, proteas and daisies ... and stepping daintily amongst this floral splendour are mountain reedbuck and eland while blue swallows, butterflies, lizards and chameleons add diversity and colour. Many companies offer trips to Kitulo Plateau so have a search.

Catch the big one: Rubondo Island has the best for all budgets from a top lodge to a TANAPA camping ground. The island is home to a family of chimpanzees, buffalo, elephant and colobus and grey parrots cavort in glee.

The big draw is however Nile Perch fishing, question being can you take the strain and how big can you go.... 70, 80, 120kg? Enjoy the lake and mind the crocodiles! The park itself: tanzaniaparks.go.tz. Tip: If you have your own boat and transport then you can head over to the island yourself, if not, contact Asilia Africa.

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In TheHeart Of Westlands

APARTMENTS FOR LONG & SHORT STAY || RESTAURANT || HEATED ROOFTOP SWIMMING POOL GYM || CONFERENCE FACILITIES || 24 HOUR FRONT DESK

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Located opposite the Oval, Walking distance from Westgate and Sarit Centre 0754 123 123 /0740 123 123 DISCOVER EXPLORE EXPERIENCE info@kingfishernest.com

ROAD TRIP

MESMERIZING SOSSUSVLEI AND DEAD VLEI

Dead Vlei is a clay pan deep in the Namib Desert, sitting alongside the Sossusvlei sand dunes. Both are located inside the Namib Naukluft Park, a 35 minute flight or 5 hour drive from Windhoek. Aditya Mowgli Shah stopped there on his overland expedition through Southern Africa to discover its beauty for himself. Here are his five tips: Instagram: @mowglishah

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The Sossusvlei Dunes are amongst the highest in the world!

Big Daddy, its highest peak, towers at 325m above the salt pan. We climbed the popular Dune 45 which is 85m high.

Climbing it is a serious challenge – it takes approximately an hour under a scorching sun. Each footstep sinks you more than ankle deep into silky soft sand. I recommend climbing barefoot; the sand feels really cold and it is almost therapeutic. Shoes will weigh you down anyway and slippers will cause blisters. Running back down the side of the dune, which takes around 5 minutes, is simply exhilarating.

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Breathtaking desert landscapes with nothing around for miles but sand, rocks, dunes and the occasional tree. The

sunrise over the dunes is incredible too, a kaleidoscope of shifting colours and shadows. You can only catch it if you stay overnight inside the park so book early as spaces tend to fill up fast.

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Dead Vlei was formed when the Tsauchab River which flowed into the park allowed the camel thorn trees to thrive.

Encroaching sand dunes cut off the river and with a climate too dry for decomposition, the trees were scorched black by the sun to create this surreal and timeless landscape. We experienced a sandstorm; the sand was very fine and it got everywhere. Carry a ziplock bag to protect your phone and camera- I didn’t and my phone has never been the same since.

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The contrast between the bleached white salt pans, red of the dunes, black of the trees and orange trails of windswept sand make for incredible images of this barren forest. Truly a photographer’s paradise, and a wide angle lens is essential.

A wide variety of accommodation options are available ranging from campsites to luxury lodges. The entrance fee for non-residents is currently 80 Namibian dollars (approximately Ksh 600) per day. Activities include balloon safaris, guided walks, 4x4 safaris and star gazing. The best time to visit is between March and May (Autumn), followed by between May and August (Winter). October to February (Summer) can get excessively hot.

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SNOWBOARDING THE RWENZORIS As a lifelong snowboarder and keen mountaineer now living in East Africa, the idea of snowboarding the Mountains of the Moon was simply too much for Martyn Pollock to resist.

D

arkness falls instantly under the mountain mist.

We sit under a boulder as big as a bus perched atop a steep-sided ridge line. One side has been eroded creating a huge overhang. I and seven members of the Bakonjo tribe - my two guides, five porters and one chef - are huddled together, trying in vain to find a smoke-free spot as the temperature drops rapidly. Elisha the chef fries heart, lungs and intestines in a huge open fire pot. Both Bakonjo and Swahili are Bantu origin languages so I can make out the odd word, but the conversation is largely a mystery.

The Rwenzori Mountains, or the Mountains of the Moon as they are sometimes known, are home to the third highest peak in Africa and some of the most extensive ice sheets on the continent.

They straddle Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, acting as a formidable punctuation mark in Africa’s Great Lakes.

As a lifelong snowboarder and keen mountaineer now living in East Africa the idea of snowboarding in this remote place is too much to resist.

A day earlier I meet my guides Jockos and John at the huge wooden park entrance gate – very Jurassic Park. John, a man in his mid-fifties, of slight build with a few days stubble is dressed in a v-neck golf sweater with slacks to match. His Swahili is good, which is rare in this part of Uganda. Jockos is younger, by maybe 15 years. In a North Face jacket, modern rucksack and climbing trousers, he looks the part and he speaks

the better English, but age dictates that John is the boss. As we sign the park register I note that the last entry was more than 60 days before, probably because it is the rainy season but nonetheless a stark reminder of how remote this place is.

Onward we amble, forming and storming through the foothills of the range. Steep jungle gives way to low hanging ceilings of bamboo, afro-alpine heather lobelias that resemble giant pineapples and finally snowy alpines. Step follows step in the toughest climbing of my life. All the time a five-foot snowboard strapped to my back catches on every vine and bush as we go. My caravan worthy of a 19th-century explorer charges up the hillside in their Ksh 500 wellies and ripped t-shirts at a speed I’ll never comprehend, overladen with gas bottles, climbing gear and seven days of food all contained in rice sacks held to their backs by a thin layer of cloth pulled over the forehead.

I feel silly in my brand-new climbing kit, but I’m sure it’s a sight they are used to. These Bakonjo men are native to the Rwenzori Mountains and their ancestors have been climbing them for centuries.

Sleeping at altitude is generally an unpleasant experience. Dreams are vivid and intense; you tend to wake every couple of hours babbling some rubbish while trying to box your way of out of your sleeping bag.

Night terrors aside, on day five we get up at 4:15 am and prep our kit for the final push.

The night is clear and the moon supplements my borrowed head torch. Around sunrise we reach the Stanley Plateau and step onto the ice for the first time. I eye up some potential runs for later in the day as we traverse the

glacier towards the two peaks of Alexandra and Margherita.

For the final ascent we climb the Margherita glacier from the peak of its moraine. It is a near vertical first 30m. John and Jockos provide helpful climbing tips such as ‘run the rope round your right hand’ and ‘don’t put your feet down if you fall’ on an ad hoc basis. No safety brief here.

Each step is exhausting but I can see the top. I need to keep pushing; crunch, crunch, crunch and slowly we inch towards the peak.

A short crawl through an icicle tunnel and we appear on a hanging ice ledge looking over the main glacier below. We climb up the sheer rock face holding the safety rope.

The summit is a short scramble and to my surprise there isn’t a flake of snow on the top.

The clear sky gives incredible views of Lake Edward, the Virunga National Park and the entire Rwenzori Range.

With the summit complete, it is time for some snowboarding. We return to the Stanley Glacier and Jockos and I climb to the top of a small snowy gulley which I’ve calculated will give me the longest run.

Jockos has been calling my snowboard ‘the skiing machine’ all week; now he’s eager to see it in action. Here the solid ice is covered in a thin crust of snow which has been softened by the mid-morning sun. The snow is fast and it’s fun to be on a board again – the last time having been the previous year on Mount Kenya. I manage two runs at just under 5,000m above sea level. Gasping for air and feeling the headaches of altitude I decide I have pushed my luck enough. It is time to start the long descent home.

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THE PLACES IN-BETWEEN Through some of the harshest locations on the continent, former Commando and security professional Dylan Evans leads expeditions to the unguided, less travelled spaces that make Africa so exciting and so romantic to many.

Salama Fikira BREATHE EASY provides you with vital intelligence and peace of mind while moving around.

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BREATHE EASY is a cost effective, �lexible service that provides accurate and timely information, to assist with making the right decisions at the right time.

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UNEXPLORED

“Who termed the C113 a road?”

“Who took the time and effort to gazette this 132km stretch of unloved, rutted, torturous dirt that runs between Lokori and Chemalingot?”

“Why did Land Rover design windscreen wipers that would be too small for a Robin Reliant?”

“How long can it continue to rain before we consider constructing the Ark?” These are the questions that ran through my mind as we rattled south having failed in our attempt to cross the Suguta Valley during the torrential long rains that hit Kenya this year. We passed through Kapedo at last light whilst under a curfew implemented following the murder of two AP officers two nights prior. The settlement was flooded. By my calculations, we had another 30km until the tarmac but would need to navigate this with a faulty clutch, necessitating an action called ‘double de-clutching’ previously unknown to me and learned in desperation at the top of a mud bank. Less than 5km from the blacktop which would have taken us to safety, cold beers and warm beds, my Land Rover was suddenly swept by a flooding lugga perhaps never to be seen again had it not been for some quick action, underwater aerobics and remarkable good fortune. We recovered, albeit without a clutch and with a sputtering engine. We were now also stranded on the wrong side of the Kinyang River with no hope of salvation until the flood subsided and a replacement vehicle arrived in the morning.

“Better bed down for the night. Best to maintain a lookout for the armed Pokot known to be in the area”.

These are the places in-between. The unguided, less travelled spaces that make Africa so exciting and so romantic to many.

On this particular expedition, our journey began in Nairobi. We departed early on a Sunday morning and arrived unscathed in Kitale before the equatorial sun set apace.

The colonial government first duped soldiers to settle in Kitale after the First World War. At the time, it was nothing more than a patch of grassland with a reputation as the home of malaria and blackwater fever, more than 100 miles from the nearest railhead. Fortunately the farmers and District Commissioner had their priorities in order and Kitale Club was started in 1924 – four years before the first Church and 12 years before the first hospital. Kitale now has more

than 100,000 inhabitants, great amenities and acts as a perfect launch point to the north.

We left Kitale Club at first light after a breakfast of bananas and instant Tanzanian coffee, a personal bugbear of mine considering we were in the Kenyan highlands famed for its tea and coffee.

Heading north, we passed through green, fertile farmland. Shortly after, the Cherang’any Hills and Kapcherop Forest come into view to the east, and to the west, a mist covered Mt Elgon. The indigenous people of Mt Elgon have had a far less gentle history than the slopes of the mountain that is the centre point of their homeland. The Sabaot tribe is one of the nine sub-tribes of the Kalenjin. Referred to by other Kalenjin as “Kapkugo”, these Nilotic, originally pastoralist people have inhabited the slopes of the mountain since before the Nandi,

We were now also stranded on the wrong side of the Kinyang River with no hope of salvation until the flood subsided and a replacement vehicle arrived in the morning.

Maasai and Samburu migrated to the area.

Many Sabaots were displaced from the arable areas of Trans-Nzoia district when the British colonial government appropriated their land for settler farms in the 1920s and 30s.

Onwards, Turkana is a tremendously harsh and unforgiving place. It is almost waterless and sparsely inhabited by the Turkana, a nomadic people who have been shaped by the harshness of their environment over millennia. Within Turkana we were required to reconnoitre and cross the Suguta Valley, part of the dried- up lake bed that

was once one with Lake Turkana. Flanked on the east and west by steep lava escarpments with very little wind and minimal water from the Suguta River running north to Lake LoGipi, this valley is the hottest and probably most challenging physical feature in Kenya.

Once across the Suguta Valley we were to pass into Samburu County and then through the much easier physical terrain consisting of long stretches of flat, arid and sparsely populated scrubland. Further on, the section to the east of the Tana River is even more logistically forgiving but the proximity of the Somali border brings unique, welldocumented challenges.

This was one of the many expeditions that my occupation has given me the good fortune of leading. Our work isn’t tourism, it is risk. From conservation organisations, corporates, NGOs and individuals, we aim to assist people in going about their activities in a safe and successful manner.

With global populations continuing to rise, the demand for space will invariably increase. As such, people are visiting and working in increasingly remote and complex environments.

To me, Africa is at her most beautiful when at her rawest. From the Golis Mountains that separate the feuding Somaliland and Puntland on the coast of the Gulf of Aden to the Nubian Pyramids in present-day Sudan, this continent offers much more beyond the package holiday of a lifetime to the Maasai Mara or Diani Beach, as marvellous as those places are.

As the world gets smaller, we have to go further to find these unseen places.

Many of them are considered dangerous or inaccessible. I however firmly believe that with the right measures in place, anywhere is obtainable. That said, to do so safely, people must first fully understand the complexities of the terrain, both human and physical.

Technology is advancing faster than most of us can keep up with, which plays a key role in safety. Through cost-effective smartphone applications like Salama Fikira’s BreatheEasy, we can actively and passively track movements, send emergency signals to loved ones and keep ourselves updated with reliable information on our surroundings at all times. In the modern world, this is as important in the remote areas as it is in the metropolitan.

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With a fantastic $10,000 cash prize on offer and a world-class panel of judges led by Art Wolfe, the Angama Foundation is proud to announce the 10 finalists of Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of 2018.

@paolotorchio

@ketankhambhatta

@jamesknampaso

@TorstenBrehm

@nandomoralesphoto

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@hshphotos

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@ketankhambhatta

@anupshah

@anupshah

@indiabulkeley

NOMAD MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

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OLEPANGI FARM Laikipia

TEXT: WENDY WATTA

PHOTOGRAPHS: BRIAN SIAMBI

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SPOTLIGHT ON There is so much to love about Olepangi Farm, a place where cliche hospitality industry phrases like “home away from home” and “slice of paradise” indeed find true meaning. And so we stepped through the looking glass and began to wonder and wander.

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e were promptly checked into our individual rooms to freshen up before lunch.

Olepangi has five cottages including the impressive Round House which has a bedroom on its upper floor and an outdoor bathtub. Mine had a wide four-poster bed dating back to the British Raj, and it even had a bare-breasted angel curved onto its headboard, a fixture I am certain has a backstory I am yet to unravel. The farm does all of its own water harvesting and there is therefore hot and cold running water in the solar powered rooms. The best thing about my cottage was stepping out onto the wooden floorboards of the front porch each cold morning and taking in the sheer beauty of the green Lolldaigas. The highland air was so clean, crisp and fresh that it made the breathing motions of a meditative mindfulness practise I have been cultivating all the more powerful.

Pondering over my stay weeks after, I have since come to the conclusion that the very soul of Olepangi Farm is its owners, Elizabeth and Clinton, who opened this spot in 2012 having built it up from scratch (Under the Tuscan Sun comes to mind, but Elizabeth is yet to write a book). It has indeed been a passion project. There are plenty of bright flowers blooming all around the property, and coupled with all the snapdragons placed in vases around the common areas, they are all grown on the farm. Most of the food is also organic and farm to table, with everything being grown here ranging from lime, guava, avocado and spinach to sunflowers, beetroot, squash, papaya and pomegranates.

This personalisation extends to the decor which can best be appreciated from the grass thatched Party House, a space where bohemian maximalism is at play.

Within its high ceilings, it houses a dining area, bar, drawing room with a fireplace for those cold Timau spells as well as an admirable collection of books covering one wall, because the pair believe that “one can simply never have too many books”. The rugs are oriental, the furniture is antique, armchairs are comfortable and there are numerous objets d’art, largely beautiful treasures that speak to the culture of the places they have visited. Clinton has been to 100 countries while Elizabeth has been to 93, but she is quick to point out that there is 13 years between them so there is a bit of friendly competition going on on that front.

On our first evening we are having wine by the fireplace while trading stories and

laughter like lifelong friends thanks to “the Elizabeth effect” which you will discover for yourself when you visit. “Where did you get this pillow?” I ask, pointing to an intricate and colourful decorative pillow propped against a wall.

“That is from the Banjara tribe in India,” she says. “They are nomadic pastoralists, much like gypsies. They travel all over India and are very colourful in their clothing and craftsmanship, and they actually make this pillow as a bridal dowry piece which the girl carries to her new home after the wedding.

I’ve been collecting these for years. I was at Portobello Market in London and there was a stack of them, and the guy didn’t know what he had! When he said they cost between 20 and 30 pounds, I bought them instantly.”

Elizabeth also tells me about a blue bowl she got in South Asia. “It is Herat and very old, maybe 700 years. I bought it on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan when I was traveling through there in my 30s. I had collected a bunch of stuff in Peshawar and was running back to the airport when I saw it, and I had nothing left but $40 and sunglasses- which I traded for the bowl!”

Outside the Party House, Adirondack chairs adorn the wide wooden deck which sits on a cliff overlooking a river, croquet pitch and swing bed below. The breakfast deck also sits under a towering tree and overlooks the river which is said to sometimes attract elephants, zebras, elands and impalas.

Olepangi’s stables hold about 18 horses and riding is therefore a key focus here.

Firmly clasping the reigns of beaut called Domino while secretly hoping the name is not a hint at its temperament, we go through beginner basics such as good form for walking and trotting. We then set off on a one hour horseback ride changing pace as is comfortable while truly appreciating the beauty of the landscape as though we are indeed one with the wild.

Talking about Olepangi would not be complete without mentioning its pets. First there is Colonel Lawrence who given his remarkable height and size is said to weigh about 70kg, an impressive feat for a dog. He is however the friendliest of chaps and will delightfully slobber all over your hand if you let him. There is also Zsa Zsa and Ginger who take sibling rivalry to a whole new level. If you pat one’s head and call her a good girl, might as well do the same for the other just to keep the peace.

Resident rates start at Ksh 13,500 all year round.

Email: welcome@olepangifarm.com

NOMAD MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019

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AT MT KENYA’S

FOOTHILLS Ami Doshi Shah revisits the interesting history of one of Kenya’s oldest hotels, Mt Kenya Safari Club, which was once an exclusive playground for Hollywood’s rich.

PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY MT. KENYA SAFARI CLUB

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n 1959, Hollywood actor- William Holden, infamous oil and property tycoon- Ray Ryan and Swiss financier- Carl Hirschmann were visiting Mawingo Hotel. A modest but beautiful 100 acre hunting lodge, Mawingo sat at the foothills of Mt Kenya nestled in an intermittent haze of cloud. One fine day, the three went out on a hunting trip, perhaps hoping that their triggers would catch an innocent impala, lion or majestic ‘tusker’ if they were lucky. On that day though, it seemed that luck was on the side of the four legged creatures and Ryan suffered a cut in the eye from the recoil of his rifle. In solidarity, the three influential men decided to nurture their growing ‘bromance’ by staying at Mawingo while Ryan recuperated. In that time, their love for this place grew and they subsequently made Mawingo’s owner, hotelier Abraham ‘Tubby’ Block, of Block Hotels an offer he couldn’t refuse and bought Mawingo renaming it Mt Kenya Safari Club.

Holden spent a considerable amount of time at the Safari Club between filming Paris when it Sizzles (1964) with Audrey Hepburn, The Wild Bunch (1969), The Network (1976) and handful of other Hollywood blockbusters.

Over these years, he and his partners cultivated an incredible network of potential ‘members’ for their club including Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby, John Travolta, the Aga Khan and Charlie Chaplin. It was said that Holden would continue to ‘monitor’ activities at the bar using his trusty telescope from the comfort of his cottage.

In 1981, Holden died. Not in a hunting accident, but rather tripping and knocking his head on the side of a table, while heavily intoxicated. Some would say a strangely unglamorous way for such a charismatic and extravagant individual to pass away.

The Mount Kenya Safari Club nevertheless persevered and after changing ownership a couple more times, fell into the hands of

Fairmont Group where extensive, multimillion dollar renovations have breathed new life into the time-riddled property. While it still maintains an air of luxury, the air of cliquish exclusivity has gone. The Cape Dutch style of architecture is still preserved as are mementos of the property’s rich history nearing a century which you’ll find hung on the walls in sepia tones.

At the Zebra Bar which spills out onto lush lawns and a bonfire perfect for roasting marshmallows, you’ll get a perfectly tangy, muddled ‘dawa’. In the rooms, in a palette of beige and dark woods you’ll find a warm fire, plush bath robes and magnificent views of Kirinyaga (the Kikuyu name for Mt Kenya) especially in the early morning when the blanket of clouds has cleared from its ominous peaks.

At the Animal Orphanage (within the estate), one of William Holden’s lasting legacies of conservation, you’ll find endangered, doe-eyed and caramel coated bongos, raucous primates from Colobus to Sykes literally eating out of your hands and an incredible chance to experience a pocket of the animal beauty that charmed Holden in what was then 100 acres of wilderness.

After the end of colonialism, Daniel Arap Moi, our country’s second president gained membership to the ‘Club’, one of the first Kenyans in what was predominantly a ‘rich white mans’ playground. Now, the chance to experience the history, natural beauty and luxury of Fairmont Mt Kenya Safari Club is not dictated by race or power but a willingness to travel, explore and perhaps a little bit of coin.

This is an interesting mark of our country’s own post colonial evolution and it’s also somewhat settling to know that you won’t have someone watching how many drinks you’re downing with the help of a telescope.

Activities include: horseback riding, golfing, nature trails and fishing

NOMAD MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

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BUDGET PICK

SABACHE ECO CAMP TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY THE TRAVELDOTE

Samburu has always been one of my favourite places in Kenya. I love the scenic and smooth road which leads up to it, how the park is teeming with wildlife and how the Ewaso Ng’iro sleepily flows past towering doum palms. Unless you have enough money to stay in the few high end hotels (most of which are incredibly stunning properties) located within the reserve, it can end up being a bit costly for the average person.

Located at the base of Mt Ololokwe and within a private conservancy is Sabache Eco Camp. This is a private safari camp which has not been touched by commercialism and is an affordable choice for budget conscious travellers.

OVERVIEW Sabache, which is focused on environmentally friendly practices, is entirely community owned and run, and directly benefits the immediate Samburu community. It can host up to 50 guests and whether you have your own camping equipment, wish to stay in a comfortable self-contained dormitory or sleep in their spacious ensuite classic safari tents, they can cater to your needs.

Partnering up with The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Sabache provides incredible food to guests on a full board basis. Have your breakfast served right on your verandah or tuck into a threecourse dinner under the stars by a warm campfire. We stayed in a spacious en suite safari tent which could comfortably sleep four guests. We had our own private

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veranda where we spent many hours sipping cold Gin and Tonics while taking in the view.

WHERE It is about 340 km from Nairobi and is easy to get to with any kind of car, ideally with a high clearance.

The highway from Nairobi to Sabache is incredibly smooth and scenic. From Archers Post continue past Kalama Wildlife Conservancy. In about 4 km will be the Marsabit- Wamba junction. Continue on and in about 3 km there will be a large white concrete slab/sign with Sabache Eco Camp painted on it. Turn left onto it and follow the road until you reach the camp which is around 2 km away. You can also find this property on Google Maps.

PROS • Budget friendly alternative compared to the high end hotels within Samburu.

• The food is delicious.

• Stunning views right from your tent.

• Being entirely community owned and run, your money directly supports the community around it.

CONS • Quite far from any shops (Archers post is about 37 km away) so aim to have all you need beforehand.

• It can take 40 mins – 1 hour to get to Archers post gate. If you wish to do an early morning safari you’d ideally need to leave at around 5:00 am.

•

Hot water is available for the showers but as with numerous properties in the region, you need to wait for them to heat it up and bring it to your tent.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? If you love hiking, trek up Mt Ololokwe for spectacular views, and the camp can also organise overnight camping on the mountain. Visit the national reserves and conservancies around Sabache, and camel safaris can also be arranged. If you wish to learn more about the Samburu, you can also go for a cultural visit to the local villages.

HOW TO BOOK & COSTS We booked using Airbnb (simply search for them on the site) and a night at the Sabache Eco Camp will cost you around Ksh 5,000 per person. We also added Ksh 1,000 per person per day to make our stay full board and paid Ksh 1,500 per person for conservancy fee. You can also book through their website www. sabachecamp.com or call directly on 0726 991597.

Overall 8/10

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LAST WORD

The Perils of et’s head out of town this weekend?” suggests Patrick to his girlfriend Sharon.

“What, to Shags?”

Sharon responds. “Again?

But we have just been to see your Granny.”

“No, let’s go camping!” Patrick says, a spark in his eye that strikes fear into her heart. “Kevin and Vio are up for it. Just to Naivasha, let’s do it!”

Sharon looks down at her edgy, electric blue suit and metal tipped stilettos that she wears for her glamorous job at the bank.

Getting close to nature is not high on her priority list but she loves Patrick, so she agrees. She’s planning out her ‘bush’ outfits as he talks of jerry cans, water and gas canisters. Those cute khakis would work with her gold trainers. And then there’s her big straw hat.

“So then you’ll be in charge of food….”

Patrick continues. Sharon looks up from filing her nails, “Ati, what?!”

The day arrives. Patrick has been up since 5:00 am in a quest to locate torches, batteries, camp chairs, grill, firewood and matches. He borrowed a tent from a friend, Joseph, who assured him that it was fully fit for purpose. When Sharon finally appears in sweat pants, she shoves duvets, pillows and seemingly endless travelling cases into the car.

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By Frances Woodhams

“How’s the food going babe?” Patrick asks bravely. Sharon throws him a dangerous look.

The housemaid is busy boiling eggs and frying sausages as Sharon raids the store for instant noodles, crisps, bread, biscuits, coffee, tea and cartons of milk, throwing them into a kikapu. She then realizes that her remit extends to cups, plates, cutlery, mugs and grabs those things plus a kettle. Why does camping have to be so complicated!

Late morning and when finally in the car the couple’s spirits lift. It’s good to be heading out of town and down into the Rift Valley, albeit with what seems to be all their worldly possessions loaded into the car.

“Can we stop for coffee?” Sharon asks with her sweetest smile as they pass a Java House. “No time,” Patrick says softly. “Kevin and Vio just messaged to say that they’ve already arrived and are setting up.”

On arrival at the campsite, Sharon picks her way across tufts of earth to greet Vio. Their tent is up under an acacia tree and it all looks pretty manageable.

Patrick locates their tent underneath every single other item in the boot of the car and wrestles it out. It’s only after the contents have been emptied from the tiny bag that they discover that there are no tent pegs and the ground sheet is missing. Undeterred, Patrick and Kevin assemble rods and start putting up the tent.

“Will we really fit in that?” Sharon asks, munching on a pack of crisps while brushing ants off her leg. Her comfortable night with her cosy duvet looks to be in jeopardy.

“It’s fine sweetie.” Patrick reassures as the men take a break to crack open a comradely beer.

By dusk, the temperature has dropped and Patrick and Sharon’s tent is looking very sad. There is a limit to the number of tent pegs Patrick can borrow from Kevin without compromising the structure his friend’s sleeping quarters.

“Damn Joseph. I knew I should have bought a tent of my own.”

The girls have tucked into the vodka to keep out the cold and shriek loudly every time they hear an animal noise. They go together to brave the long drop loo, but freak out at the creak of the door on the rickety old shed and decide that a nearby bush is the better option.

Kevin thankfully gets a fire going but the steaks that Vio brought are quickly blackened on the outside yet raw within, so inedible. The girls start raiding lunchtime picnic supplies for leftovers. There are a few spots of rain. It’s time to turn in. (to be continued…)

Frances Woodhams is author of the blog: www.africaexpatwivesclub.com

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