Loldia House has enjoyed over 160mm of rain in June which has transformed the entire ranch into a sea of green! This provides much needed relief for all the wildlife that calls Loldia home as they can finally fatten up after the prolonged dry season. It’s a super time for bird watching here as the males of most species are now sporting their breeding plumages in order to impress their ladies!
A pair of ‘Baglafecht’ male and female weavers in Loldia’s garden – photo credit Alisa Bowen
The black-headed and Speke’s weaver birds are making full use of the lush long grass which they use to build their iconic woven nests.
A pair of ‘Black-headed’ weaver birds building their woven nests – photo credit Alisa Bowen
There is an acacia tree in the staff area which both species have taken a particular liking to and so all day long there is a constant buzz of activity as they fly back and forth with blades of grass which they weave into their intricate nests that dangle from the most precarious of branches! There is no need for our staff to set their alarm clocks as theses birds are up at dawn making plenty of noise!
‘Speke’s’ weaver birds also hard at work building their homes – photo credit Alisa Bowen
Pairs of Hammerkops and fish eagles are also all busy building and renovating their nests at the moment. Every now and then there’s a big crash through the trees as they drop a branch in an attempt to improve the nest. The fish eagles are mating so we look forward to the next generation of these magnificent birds living on the ranch.
Our breeding pair of Fish Eagles overlooking the lake – photo credit Alisa Bowen
We had a mother hippo give birth to her baby just by the jetty and she stayed there for over a week before moving out into the deeper water, we had many happy guests who were able to take photos of her and the tiny baby lying just beside her.
The cold weather has meant that the pool has not had as much use as when it’s baking hot, but we now have another reason to visit the pool area and that is our brand new spa! Judy, a fully trained spa therapist has joined our permanent team of staff here and is able to offer a range of massages (Deep Tissue, Indian head, Swedish and Aromatherapy), facials, body scrubs, manicures and pedicures.
Loldia’s spa offers a winder range of massage treatments – photo credit Alisa Bowen
All these treatments can be booked directly in-house and are highly recommended if you’re looking for some extra pampering. If you would prefer to have your manicure or pedicure done out around the pool area, or even in your room, that can of course be arranged too.
Massage and manicure in Loldia’s new spa – photo credit Will Fortescue
Activity-wise, guests are continuing to enjoy the early morning boat rides, where they are able to see hippo in the lake as well as a plethora of bird life, including plenty of cormorants, kingfishers, egrets and sometimes flocks of flamingos have been seen flying overhead. We even spotted a pair of Purple Swamphens on the last day of the month.
Early morning boat rides with Loldia House – photo credit Alisa Bowen
A pair of Purple Swamphens on Naivasha’s lakeshore – photo credit Alisa Bowen
The days have generally been quite overcast which makes mid afternoon activities that much more pleasant as one can head off to Crescent Island for a walk and picnic lunch or sundowner and not worry about getting too hot. The wildlife on this small island has been habituated over the years to humans on foot, so one can get remarkably close to the game. It’s a lovely afternoon’s activity.
Up close with the wildlife on Crescent Island – photo credit Will Fortescue
Most guests try to do a full day trip to Lake Nakuru National Park, so we encourage them to go with a packed breakfast and lunch so that they can make the most of their time in the park. Rhino are an almost guaranteed sighting, and quite a number of guests have also been lucky enough to see lionesses with cubs which was a real bonus.
Lake Elmenteita has a huge concentration of lesser and greater flamingos on it at the moment so most guests have passed by to see them either on their way to, or back from Lake Nakuru. This is also a lovely place to stretch your legs after being in the car for the day.
Flamingoes in flight across Lake Elmenteita – photo credit Alisa Bowen
Night game drives are as popular as ever, the red filters on the spot lights make a big difference to minimising the level of disturbance caused to nocturnal game.
We have been quite busy with guests, mainly from the UK and USA, while agents representing global travel agencies continue to visit us so that they are up to date on all of the recent upgrades and refurbishments. These site visits are very important to ensure they continue sending all of their guests to us in the future!
Loldia news by Alisa Bowen, Guest Experience Manager at Governors’ Camp Collection
