Rider Haggard

Rider Haggard

CRATER LAKE LODGE-NAIVASHA, KENYA

CRATER LAKE LODGE-NAIVASHA, KENYA

Tucked away in a hidden corner of Kenya's Great Rift Valley, Crater Lake Lodge offers a stirring encounter with wild Africa, just ninety minute's drive from downtown Nairobi. This magical lakeside lodge is the perfect stopover en route to the Nakuru and the Masai Mara game parks, as well as a romantic getaway by itself!

At Crater Lake, the wild world of Africa meets the refined elegance of the colonial era in an utterly enchanting location. Here, you can sip chilled champagne and dine on the finest cordon bleu cuisine under the watchful gaze of genet cats and Colobus monkeys. After dinner, the expert trackers will transport you to another world among the hippos, giraffes and leopards that call the Camp's private game sanctuary home. Crater Lake Permanent tented Camp & Sanctuary

A magical escape less than two hours from Nairobi the capital of Kenya. It is set inside a bush at a private sanctuary. Situated at 6,300 feet at the bottom of an extinct volcano on the shores of the Green Soda Lake.

History

History is everywhere at Crater Lake. The 10,000-acre game sanctuary houses the famous hilltop grave where Happy Valley's tragic heroine, Lady Diana Delamere, is buried with her last two husbands, Gilbert Colvile and Thomas Delamere. For the truly intrepid, there are the mysterious 'Caves of God' in the golden wheatfields of Ndabibi, reputed to be an inspiration for H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quartermain.

Eco-friendly

As the custodian of an important swath of African wilderness, Crater Lake strives to uphold the highest social and environmental standards. The Camp employs its staff from neighbouring communities, and leases part of its game sanctuary for sustainable woodlots.

A dedicated team of rangers working in close cooperation with the Kenya Wildlife Service strictly monitors the sanctuary itself. The camp recently established its own community development trust, the Crater Lake Action Network (CLAN), which is raising funds to fence the sanctuary as part of the wildlife corridor around Lake Naivasha.

Accommodation

This is the heart of what the Kenyan settlers called "Happy Valley", that lush oasis where the early European farmers forged their first links with the African soil. Today, the fine living of that elegant era has been recreated in this luxurious tented camp on the shores of Crater Lake.

The spacious tents sit in secluded clearings in the lakeside forest with sweeping views over the flamingo-lined waters. Each tent is furnished with a giant four-poster bed, the finest furniture and an ensuite bathroom with piping hot shower. The new 'honeymoon tent' offers a sumptuous bedroom and a deep sunken bath looking over the lake through a giant stained-glass window.

 

Activities

Crater Lake offers special escapes for a wide variety of visitors. Bird-watchers will thrill (and trill!) to the 170 species of birds that live in and around the crater. The Camp runs regular painting weekends with famous local artists, as well as stargazing evenings with heaven-sent astrologers. Their lakeside conference room has been a source of inspiration to countless companies and incentive groups.

With its spectacular setting and pitch-perfect peace, Crater Lake is richly deserving of its reputation as "Kenya's most romantic tented camp". In fact, we challenge any visiting couple not to fall in love all over again! Discover all activities we provide for you during your stay. Nature walk, birding, boating...

Crater Lake Sanctuary

At the beginning, Crater Lake was born from the violent volcanic upheaval that created the Great Rift Valley some 30 million years ago.

The lake exists since some thousands years. Today it covers between 12 and 15 hectares of the 87- hectare crater. Its average depth is between 4 and 5 meters with a maximum of 8 meters.

The lake is highly alkaline. It can't support fish but only Spirulina algae that feed flamingos.

The presence of so many bird species in Crater Lake Sanctuary usually depends upon the season. Most of common birds that can be seen are Fish Eagle, Augur Buzzard, Egyptian goose, Hadada Ibis, Babblers, Robin Chats, long-tailed Paradise Flycatchers, Yellow-vented Bulbul, and Mousebirds

ACTIVITIES TO DO

NATURE WALKS

The guide will take you through the trails at the lakeshore, the rim or even the Sanctuary where you can see a good number of wild animals at a very close range.

BIRDING

The list of birds at Crater Lake Sanctuary has a total of 184 species. We will request you to help us to improve this number. The guide is a trained birder.

GAME DRIVES

- Day game drives: This is possible by a self-drive vehicle although you may request for a guide who is always at your service free of charge.

- Night game drives: In our vehicle or yours, and if the later, you will hire a spotlight and a guide. You will have a chance to see grazing hippos, advaak and leopards (if you are lucky) and a good number of nocturnal species

BOATING

There is a dingy and a rowing boat for use by the staying guests at the lake. A good way to see flamingos and the Colobus monkey.

SUNDOWNER

The leopard rock gives a good view of the lake, the sunset or even the rain approaching. Photography of the Crater Lake and the Sanctuary is indeed possible here.

BUSH LUNCHES

Please take a walk through our fascinating Sanctuary and we'll meet you for a bush lunch with cold drinks and a full menu for a minimum of 4 people (extra charge).

CANDLE LIT DINNER AT THE JETTY

Given a fine night; you dine under the stars on the jetty (extra charge). Particularly romantic at a full moon.

CONFERENCES

An inspiring venue for conferences to hold up to 25 people and corporate functions.

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES FROM OUR LODGE

- visit hell's gate national park and walk down the gorge

- visit elsamere conservation center (joy Adamson's house)

- visit crescent island

- sailing and boating on neighbouring lake naivasha

- climb mt. longonot

- play golf at green park

Let us at letsgokenya.com help you discover the Kenyan magic with our great deals on Kenyan Tours, Vacations and Tours. We can get you the best deals in hotels, flights, safari tours, adventure tours and any travel requirement that you might have.

About the Author

Alphaxad is Tours and Travel Consultant with LetsGokenya, an online hotel reservations company that allows guests to book and pay for hotels, lodges and camps in kenya, Uganda and Tanzania online and in real time. Find us on www.letsgokenya.com

I need help searching for Non-Fiction Books?

I was wondering if anyone can direct me to one or two books on the categories below. I am doing research on a novel I'm working on so I would appreciate your help.

Freemasonry
Atlantis
Manchu Picchu
Incas
King Solomon's Mines (Please not the H. Rider Haggard novel, although it is a great book;) )
Ancient Greece
Francisco Pizzaro or the History of Peru
Modern Archaeology
Evolution
Oceanic Animals (Particularly Atlantic animals)
African Animals
African Tribes
Planes and Piloting
Ancient Architecture
South American Animals
Rain Forest Biome
Ocean Biome
American Revolution
Labyrinths or Code Breaking
Symbols
Ancient Linguistics

I may post more in the future if I think of any but if you could help me out now, It would be very appreciated. Thanks!

Sounds like a fabulous book you're writing! Very interesting stuff. "Looking for Lovedu" is a great nonfiction book about an African tribe... it also has ties to some of H. Rider Haggard's novels (most notably "She".) "West with the Night" is an autobiography by a female pilot who lived in Africa during the 1920s? I believe -- it has information about piloting and Africa.

Ursula Andress in SHE (1965) - highlights