TREETOPS LODGE AT THE ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK. NYERI, KENYA
I have received a lot of emails from friends having seen my blog
on the Nairobi National Park, with common requests to write some more on my
travels. So here I am. This one is of my travels to the Treetops Lodge in the
Aberdare National Park. I plan to follow up on my travels and visits elsewhere
in Kenya later.
Treetops is a hotel/lodge in Aberdare National Park in Kenya
near the township of Nyeri at an altitude of 6,450 ft above sea level on the
Aberdare Range and in sight of Mount Kenya. First opened in 1932 by Eric Sherbrook
Walker, it was literally built into the tops of the trees of Aberdare National
Park as a tree house, offering guests a close view of the local wildlife at a water hole and salt lick in
complete safety. The idea was to provide a machan (a kind of hunting platform on a tree for shikar in India) to experience viewing of wild life in relative safety
and comfort, luxury would be the right word. From the original modest two room tree house, it has
grown into 50 rooms. The original structure was burned down by African
guerrillas during the 1954 Mau Mau Uprising, but the hotel was rebuilt near the
same waterhole and has become fashionable for many of the rich and famous. It
includes observation lounges and ground level photographic hides from which
guests can observe the local wildlife which come to the nearby waterholes.
I traveled with my wife and my elder daughter’s family. What
we did was clubbed Mt Kenya Safari Club and Sweetwater National Park along with
our visit to Treetops. Another plus was to see Baden Powell’s home at the
Outpost Resort and the Powell Centre at Nyeri, (founder of Boy scouts and Girl
guide movement), so also the place where he was buried. I was further happy to
see the home of Jim Corbett; he breathed his last after coming back to Nyeri
from India, as also his place of burial. I had spent some time in the Jim
Corbett National park in India as a youngster nearly 43 years ago, so had some
emotional attachments.
Treetops is known as the location where Princess Elizabeth
acceded to the thrones of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms upon the
death of her father George VI while she was staying at Treetops in 1952. In Kenya such snippets of fact are bandied about a lot as a marketing ploy everywhere I went. The fact remains that the sun has set on the British Empire a long time ago. Kenya has more than enough to attract visitors on its own merits and absolute natural beauty.
To reach Aberdare one has to travel from Nairobi about a 5-
hour drive to Nyeri. Have lunch at the OUTSPAN resort, change vehicles and drive
down to Treetops, about an hour.
Along the way we stopped at a few places including a curio
shop. The handicraft objects the locals produce is something amazing, really a
talented people the locals. Its a great pity that the West has destroyed a great civilization and an amazing culture. To quote a local "First they destroyed our wild life and our country, made money on it and now add further wealth to their coffers in the name of conservation and development". He further said quote "They introduced us to Pizzas and Hamburgers and the western way of life and now sell the same making further profit, destroying in the process our culture under the garb of development"unquote. Well food for thought.
The Expressway from Nairobi to Nanyuki is a pleasure
drive, I am told the Chinese are to be thanked for it! The Outspan resort is
very beautiful and for a moment I thought why not camp right here. Well to be honest
this thought always came to my mind at whichever place I happened to go. I
continue to bless my son in law Sandeep and daughter Anupama for choosing to
stay and work in such a beautiful place which is KENYA. I know without her
being there at Nairobi all this traveling would just not have been possible. I
spent nearly 2 months in Kenya.
Treetops is an epitome of luxury which most of the National
Park Resorts are in Kenya. It is designed on the likes of the “Machan’s” of the
Indian Maharajas’ which they used for hunting. However all resemblance ends
there. This was something which I have never seen the likes of before. I am
told the original was started as a 2 room tree and it actually
existed on trees. Today it is the epitome of luxury. Every suite or room window
opens on to the water hole and salt lick. All the rooms are star class with all
conveniences. Food is excellent and classy, catering for every taste.
However one cannot guarantee any sighting, it is always the
animals wish. I had to be prepared to keep awake the whole night which I
incidentally did to get a good sighting of the animals. There is a buzzer which
is sounded when wild animals visit the water hole at night. To facilitate
observation there were a number of arrangements: A buzzer in every room. An
observation platform on the last floor cum terrace. Hides on the ground floor
with view holes opening on to the water hole. Flood lights focused on the water
hole to assist in picture taking. I had only one grouch that on the left side
there were halogen lamps, however on the right side sodium vapor lamps were
being used. This mixed lighting foxed the white balance of my Nikon. As it is I
had jacked up the ISO setting to 6400, a devils time in picture taking. I did
manage some pictures, especially those of Elephant families who came to the
water hole past midnight along with suckling babies.
I have shared the pictures of my travels as a slide show
below. The presentation starts after 2 minutes of opening this page. It also
has some music. Until next time then.
Ajay
No comments:
Post a Comment