There is no sign of breaking dawn as I stand on the porch of the Flamingo Suite of the Elementaita Serena Luxury Camp and yet was I drawn out into the cool morning by the bird song, first by just one, then joined by a few more. Minutes later did the light on the horizon begin to change, a pale morning light creeping across the hills on the other side of the lake and the orchestra of nature is now in full swing. Flocks of Ibis storks, taking off from their night stops, are vocal above, the calls of several fish eagle pairs echo across the secluded bay of the lake where the camp is nestled under trees and the chatter of the flamingos is getting louder too.
Eventually does the darkness of the night give way to the light spiel of dawn and the sunrise spot is brightening up fast before the first rays paint the hill tops golden. Then, the sun makes an appearance, first just peeping and then rising fast, as is the case in equatorial regions, like drawn up on a string.
It was only my second visit to what used to be called the Delamare Estates in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. The first one was decades ago, by accident sort of as I got lost driving out of the back roads of Lake Nakuru National Park and following a dirt track in my Landrover, which found me at the main estate buildings, asking for directions.
In my early days in Kenya was the escape into the Rift Valley during the cold winter months in Nairobi often the only option to see the sun when for weeks at end the capital was under a grey cloud cover, while a hundred kilometres away the weather was friendlier and certainly much warmer. In those days I would venture on weekends to the Lake Hotel or to the Lake Nakuru Lodge but today have a range of additional lodges and resorts sprung up along the route from Naivasha to Nakuru, offering plenty of choices where to stay, catering for all budgets. Most visitors to the Rift Valley lakes miss out when they are passing Elementaita lake for its better known neighbours, Naivasha and Nakuru, or even venture on to the more distant Bogoria and Baringo, but little do they know what they miss, in particular when it comes to staying in what must be one of Serena’s least known gems.
Not seen until literally driving into the camp and shielded from the rest of the lake by the surrounding hills is it a true hideaway for anyone who wants to get out of the city for a long weekend or taking some off days midweek when occupancies are lighter, anyone looking for class and style that is and not minding an extra bob or two for the hospitality excellence they are assured of getting here.
24 uniquely shaped tents and one suite await visitors and both the already spacious ordinary rooms and the supersized suite leave nothing for wanting. Popular with very different niche markets, bird watchers, seekers of health and mind retreats, city life escapees, corporate meetings but also honeymooners is the camp small and intimate.
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