A Kenyan cure for wobbly leg syndrome

Tuesday 17th - Thursday 19th November 2009
Days 142 - 144

Wibbly wobbly weary legs required rest relaxation and royal treatment. It came in the form of hidden gem El Karama in Kenya's Laikatipa region about four hours north of Nairobi in the beautiful central highlands. Here the main focal point is Mount Kenya which is huge and nearly as big as Kilimanjaro ; )

A good friend of my good friend helps run the operation there. On a working cattle ranch spread across 14,000 acres, a variety of game roams freely across its grounds. Her very clever fiancée has created a string of bandas made of natural resources from the land. They can only be described as a cross between rustic and boutique (perhaps El Karama is the first Rustique accomodation or perhaps it is best left in a genre all of it's own). Whatever the case they have done a sterling job with the accomodation and these unique cozy places of rest combined with the friendly staff's charasmatic attentiveness helps make your stay both a highly pleasurable and personable experience.

What's more the family business is also linked to sister's Nairobi-based Land Cruiser rental business. Here we picked up the ultimate African vehicle in the shape of a khaki green vintage beast of a Land Cruiser. We negotiated the 4x4 through the ruthless streets of Nairobi setting of at the crack of, witnessing the sheer volume of traffic and peoples that seemingly multiple as the sun rises. Relief was tangible as we made it, in one piece, across to the northern side of Nairobi where we set off towards the highlands.

A bank and petrol stop in closest town Nanyuki saw us coincidentally meet up with our host who joined us for the 40km remainder of the journey, off the beaten track, culminating in a drive up surely one of the greatest front drives. Here we passed curious giraffes, zebras on a mission, dancing impala, a mid air bird of prey battle over a kill amongst other quite surreal images.

And the fun had only just started.

We were absolutely spoilt - game walks and game drives were inclusive in the full board package as well as the most amazing cuisine. Layla enjoyed a morning horse ride across the ranch as an optional extra. However, even for those who just want to sit back on in the comfort of their bandas porch there is more than enough game activity right in front of you. From here we saw a family of elephants stride past, baboons up to mischief and the place is also teeming with birdlife.

Kenya. Safari. Luxuary accomodation. Expensive right? Wrong. Whether you're a traveller on a budget looking for a value-for-money splurge or have a bit of cash to flash but want a more rustic safari experience then El Karama is the place for you.