All is well at Loldia House, tucked away beneath the giant fig trees on the shores of Lake Naivasha. Everyone loves the new look of the house since our upgrades in October and November – we are quite proud of the work if we may say so! If you haven’t taken a look yet at the stunning collection of images, please do so HERE. The new pool is absolutely loved by all – really refreshing in the January heat and the perfect spot to take some time out and lay back with a book – or a cocktail!

Our guests have been making the most of all there is to see and do both at Loldia and around the ranch. A few couples have enjoyed a lovely al-fresco style lunch set up by the pool which takes the ‘lunch with a view’ concept to a whole new level! From this elevated patio, you have a really superb view down the gardens and across the lake, and of course Mount Longonot, the extinct but very picturesque volcano, does not fail to impress.

Other guests who have wanted to venture out a little have taken the opportunity to go on a nature walk – you can get quite close to game such a zebra, waterbuck, giraffe, impala and other antelope. The variety of birds around Lake Naivasha is wonderful: herons, egrets, pelicans, doves, pigeons, geese, stork, ibis and cormorants are just some of the species that you can expect to find in the area. Our guides are all incredibly knowledgable and we urge you to go on a nature walk around Loldia – you will be surprised how much wildlife is about!

The nearby Eburu Forest, a precious mountain forest ecosystem, is home to around less than 20 of the critically endangered Mountain Bongo – we always encourage our guests to either take a drive or a walk through here – it is particularly pretty with steep valleys, springs and waterfalls as well as being rich in biodiversity. By visiting the forest you are supporting the Bongo Surveillance Programme – a ‘Rhino Ark’ supported community wildlife conservation initiative, which seeks to protect the precious few bongo that remain in Eburu, giving them a fighting chance to survive in their home.

Lake Nakuru is also another option for those who fancy a full day trip to another of Kenya’s National Parks. Guests who went there recently came back with brilliant photos of plenty of lion, rhino and flamingo – it only takes an hour and a half to drive and we send a packed breakfast and/or lunch along in the car so that you can make the most of the day.

One activity that is very special to Loldia are the night game drives – some of our guests have been extremely lucky in January and managed to spot the ever-elusive leopard – who we all know is out there in the darkness, but of course quite difficult to come across. If you take a night game drive, your chances of seeing one are instantly doubled as these big cats prefer the dead of night for their hunting and socialising activities. In fact, we do have some great images to share with you, of two huge leopards that were captured on camera by our guest Teresa Bakalar – on a night drive with us. As you can see from the photos, they had just made their kill of a Reed Buck, and were in the middle of dragging it across the road when our vehicle came by. How lucky is that?

On another night’s drive, some of our guests actually saw a melanistic genet cat down by the lake – these are incredibly rare – and unfortunately it was too quick and ran off into the darkness before anyone could snap a shot. Bat eared foxes have been spotted at the Loldia airstrip and a family of ten otters have also been seen on our night game drives in January.

We are hoping for some rain in the coming weeks – just to green up the rest of the ranch and keep the dust down. In the meantime, we will be making full use out of the lovely cool pool in this hot weather, and we welcome you to come and see the beautiful new Loldia for yourself!

By Jess Savage, Governors’ Camp Collection