Cottages turn camp into a luxurious retreat

PHOTO | JOHN FOX The cottages are among the most inviting, charming and pampering that I have ever had the pleasure of sleeping and waking up in.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By JOHN FOX johnfox@idc.co.keWhen there is a chill in the bedroom air, one hot water bottle is a comfort, two hot water bottles are a luxury, and three hot water bottles are a very nice indulgence. And three hot water bottles are what you will find in your bed at the Mbweha Camp.

To call Mbweha a camp is rather misleading — if your idea of a camp is a place where you rough it in a tent. Well, at Mbweha Camp you can, if you are so masochistically inclined, put up and spend the night in a tent.

But the 10 cottages are among the most inviting, charming and pampering that I have ever had the pleasure of sleeping and waking up in.

I have been trying to work out what it is about the cottages that make them so attractive. They are rectangles with rounded ends — if that makes sense. The walls are of chiselled larva stone; the roofs are of insulated thatch. The beds are big, with generously draped mosquito nets. Each cottage has a different arrangement of easy chairs, tables, ornaments, sheepskin rugs, wall hangings and paintings.

The bathroom area at the back is very well supplied with scented soaps, shower gels, shampoos, body lotions, dressing gowns and slippers. Outside, there is a bathtub where you can soak in the sunshine, screened by flowering shrubs and bamboo fencing. From the veranda, on a chair or a sofa bed, you can watch and listen to the birds of the bush.

But before I sing any more praises of Mbweha Camp let me tell you where it is.

It is on the south-eastern end of Lake Nakuru National Park — only 15 minutes from the park’s Nderit Gate. You reach it from a newly-made tarmac road that runs straight as an arrow from the main Naivasha Road at Lanet and towards the Mau Range. It is by the Nderit River within the Congreve Conservancy which itself is part of the larger Soysambu Conservancy that stretches back to Lake Elmentaita. And it is one of the four luxury camps of Atua Enkop Africa.

For us, it was the place for a “directors’ retreat” of two days away from the desks and emails and phones of the Nairobi office. Mbweha Camp was perfect for that: little more than two hours’ drive from the city and an oasis of peace and quiet, except for the songs of birds by day – and the laughter of hyenas or the barking of jackals, the mbweha, at night.

The only problem was the food — too varied and tempting — and, of course, the enticements of the well-stocked bar. But somehow we managed to talk our talks. We also managed to walk our walks. Because that is one of the benefits of the camp being outside the park: it meant that we could go on a bush walk and a night drive in the 6,400 acres of the conservancy. If we had had time we could also have gone for a guided bike ride.

If you wish, the camp staff will arrange for a sundowner overlooking the lake — even a bush breakfast or dinner. Nothing seems too much trouble for them. They are attentive and friendly, without being pushy. Joseph, the manager, is of the very right stuff: well-informed, all smiles, and easily in charge.

In the evenings it is pleasant enough having a drink and a chat around the wood fire in the middle of the sunken lounge. But on one of our two evenings we went for a night drive in the camp’s open Land Cruiser.

Though it was dark, it was the highlight of our stay. There were blankets to keep us warm (night drives can be very cold!) and a powerful spotlight to pick out the animals.

“Will we see aardvarks?” someone asked Saul, the driver and guide.

“I can’t say yes,” he said. “We haven’t seen one for our last four drives.”

In the event, we saw two of them. They are strange creatures, with a bulk like a medium-sized pig, pointed ears and rounded snouts. And they have long, sticky tongues for sticking into holes they make in termite mounds.

There were lots of other animals enjoying the sanctuary nightlife. Most obvious, and amusing, were the spring hares — the little kangaroos of Africa — that move fast across the ground in a series of bounces, propelled by their long hind legs.

There were small herds of zebras and buffalos across the plains – and antelopes, especially impalas, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles. We spotted a hyena, moving stealthily among them, as well as two bat-eared foxes and two jackals — the svelte animals that have lent the place their name.

When you go:

Full board double: Sh13,000

Single: Sh8,250

Guided bush walk: $25

Night drive: $40

Bike ride: $25

Contacts:

Mobile: 0715-555322; 0786-553222

Email: sales@atua-enkop.com

Skype: atua-enkop

Website: www.atua-enkop.com

John Fox is Managing Director iDC