“Elsamere” George and
Joy Adamsons house…
Lake Naivasha is the second largest and the highest lake of the
Central Rift Valley lakes of Kenya. It is the remains of a great lake which spread
through the basins and spilled out at its southern end through the Ol Njorowa
Gorge (Hell's Gate National Park), this freshwater lake has kept much of its
old colonial charm and is also the centre of a prosperous flower export
business.
2010 marked the centenary of the birth of Joy Adamson – a
pioneer in the field of conservation. With her husband George, senior game
warden for Kenya’s untamed Northern Province, she established one of the
world’s first wild animal appeals which in 1963 became the Elsa Conservation
Trust.
“For years I had been looking for a house where George
and I could live. Eventually I found a place that seemed to combine all we
wished for. It would be impossible to imagine a more attractive site for a home
...We decided to call our home... Elsamere”.
--Joy Adamson
Today the Elsa Conservation Trust continues its lifelong
commitment to wildlife conservation operating a wildlife retreat and an
education centre at the Adamson’s former home at Elsamere on the shores of Lake
Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley.
The Elsa Story
The story of the raising of an orphan lion cub by Joy and
George Adamson in the 1950s and her subsequent release into the African bush is
one of the great conservation stories of all time. Born Free - Joy’s
captivating book about Elsa the lioness - was published by Harvill Press in
1960 and soon received international acclaim. In the years which followed, Joy
published sequels to Born Free and more books about her hand-reared cheetah
(Pippa) and leopard (Penny). In 1966 Born Free became a film starring
husband-and-wife actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. Filmed in the
Kenya bush over the course of many months, it was shown as a Royal Command
performance in London and soon became a worldwide hit.
The house owned by the couple who rescued Elsa the lion,
immortalised by the lovely film Born Free is now a fantastic place to stay on
Lake Naivasha. You can stay in the house or, more cheaply in the dormitories at
the study centre.
The house has double and triple rooms and is perfect for a couple or group of friends. The rooms are in little bungalows dotted around the lawn and all face out on to the Lake. You take meals in the house or, alternatively you can have tea out on the lawn with the Colobus monkeys sitting up above you in the trees!
There is a little museum in the house where you can view lots of artifacts from George and Joy's fascinating lives and also a small viewing room where you can watch a video of their lives and the conservation work that has continued at Elsamere.
A short walk through the grounds, the study centre, used a lot by school and conservation groups, has dormitories, several seminar rooms, it's own dining room and a lovely outside place where you can sit around a bonfire at night.
The whole place has a lovely friendly atmosphere, is homely and welcoming and serves great food.
I'm a bird watcher and this place is magical. I have met plenty of other 'twitchers' here on my visits who are all as enchanted with it as me!
People are very friendly at Elsamere....it's that sort of place. It doesn't have a swimming pool and isn't very up to date or swish but you can go out in a small boat with an expert guide and you are very likely to see hippos on the lawns (as well as giraffe and zebras) at night.
The house has double and triple rooms and is perfect for a couple or group of friends. The rooms are in little bungalows dotted around the lawn and all face out on to the Lake. You take meals in the house or, alternatively you can have tea out on the lawn with the Colobus monkeys sitting up above you in the trees!
There is a little museum in the house where you can view lots of artifacts from George and Joy's fascinating lives and also a small viewing room where you can watch a video of their lives and the conservation work that has continued at Elsamere.
A short walk through the grounds, the study centre, used a lot by school and conservation groups, has dormitories, several seminar rooms, it's own dining room and a lovely outside place where you can sit around a bonfire at night.
The whole place has a lovely friendly atmosphere, is homely and welcoming and serves great food.
I'm a bird watcher and this place is magical. I have met plenty of other 'twitchers' here on my visits who are all as enchanted with it as me!
People are very friendly at Elsamere....it's that sort of place. It doesn't have a swimming pool and isn't very up to date or swish but you can go out in a small boat with an expert guide and you are very likely to see hippos on the lawns (as well as giraffe and zebras) at night.
Naivasha Sopa Resort
and Nature Walk…..
Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge is set on the southern shorelines
of Lake Naivasha in Africa’s Great Rift Valley. The resort blends perfectly in
its natural surroundings.
Being one of Kenya’s most up-market destinations, it is the ideal base from which to explore the surrounding countryside and nearby National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
100kms from Nairobi, the lodge is just over an hour’s drive on tarmac roads or 45 minutes by air to the Lake Naivasha airstrip.
Being one of Kenya’s most up-market destinations, it is the ideal base from which to explore the surrounding countryside and nearby National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
100kms from Nairobi, the lodge is just over an hour’s drive on tarmac roads or 45 minutes by air to the Lake Naivasha airstrip.
Set in one hundred and fifty acres of grassland studded with
Acacia bushes and trees, the resort is not only home to resident giraffes,
waterbuck and both Vervet and Colobus monkeys, but it is also a night stop for
the hippos when they leave the lake every night to come and trim the grass on
the expansive lawns of the resort.
With Sopa’s traditional and conscientious care for the environment, they have carefully positioned all the buildings on the property to avoid the cutting of the very old and beautiful trees. As a result of this, the resort has a radically innovative and artistic design for the main public area building which now snakes its way between trees with long and graceful curves. Towering cacti and manicured gardens front the massive luxury cottages at this new resort. Upstairs suites boast balconies, king-sized beds, modern bathrooms, TVs and pure comfort, while downstairs options only differ in that they have twin queen-sized beds and spill right into the gardens. Besides the pool, there's also a gym, sauna and lakeside path. The arc-shaped bar and restaurant, with massive vaulted ceilings, is gorgeous.
With Sopa’s traditional and conscientious care for the environment, they have carefully positioned all the buildings on the property to avoid the cutting of the very old and beautiful trees. As a result of this, the resort has a radically innovative and artistic design for the main public area building which now snakes its way between trees with long and graceful curves. Towering cacti and manicured gardens front the massive luxury cottages at this new resort. Upstairs suites boast balconies, king-sized beds, modern bathrooms, TVs and pure comfort, while downstairs options only differ in that they have twin queen-sized beds and spill right into the gardens. Besides the pool, there's also a gym, sauna and lakeside path. The arc-shaped bar and restaurant, with massive vaulted ceilings, is gorgeous.
The interiors are beautifully done and very restful. It was
really a wonderful experience to walk the Nature Trail around the resort which
went right up to the lake and the boat docks and back again through the jungle.
I managed to get a few beautiful bird and animal pictures around the trail.
I have put up some pictures of both the places as a slide show.
The slide show has music and will start automatically in 2 minutes after loading. Please be Patient.
I have put up some pictures of both the places as a slide show.
The slide show has music and will start automatically in 2 minutes after loading. Please be Patient.
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