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Zimbabwe |
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Mozambique |
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Arabia |
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CRATER LAKE CAMP - LAKE NAIVASHA:
Nestled on the shores of a jade green volcanic lake just one and a half hours from Nairobi, Crater Lake offers an evocative step back in time – to a bygone era of elegance and romance, in a wilderness untouched by the modern world. Here, you can sip chilled champagne and dine on the finest cuisine under the watchful gaze of genet cats and Colobus monkeys – before being transported to another world among the hippo, giraffe and leopards that call our private game sanctuary home.
History is everywhere at Crater Lake. The 10,000-acre 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 one of the inspirations for Rider Haggard’s Allan Quartermain.
Crater Lake offers classic escapes for special interest groups, including painting and astrology weekends, as well as ornithological outings with local experts. The camp will prepare special romantic excursions – sundowners on the panoramic outcrop of Leopard Rock or a candlelit dinner on the lakeside jetty – while our safari vehicles can take you to the dramatic gorge of Hell’s Gate or the shimmering expanse of Lake Nakuru – home to more than half the world’s lesser flamingos.
But for all its spectacular surroundings, visitors to Crater Lake often prefer to sit on their verandahs overlooking what must be one of the most beautiful small lakes in creation. Our camp has been described as "Kenya’s most romantic tented camp" – and we challenge any couple not to fall in love all over again!
Tucked away in a hidden corner of Kenya's Great Rift Valley, Crater Lake 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. 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.
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Accommodation
Crater Lake has just 11 tents so your peace and privacy are guaranteed. The tents sit in secluded clearings in the lakeside forest with sweeping views over the flamingo-lined waters. Each is furnished with a giant four-poster bed, fine reproduction furniture, and an en suite bathroom with hot shower. The camp’s new ‘honeymoon tent’ boasts some of Africa’s most scenic bathing – in a sunken bath looking over the lake through a giant stained-glass window.
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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. |
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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!
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Things to do at Crater Lake:
Escorted game walks
Boating on the lake
Horse riding
Night drives
Bird walks
Stargazing
Crater rim sundowners
Candlelit "lake dinners"
Historical tours
Absolutely nothing
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Day Excursions from the Crater:
Joy Adamson's home at Elsamere
8-hole golf course at Great Rift Valley Lodge
Game drives in Hell's Gate National Park
Climbing and hiking on Mount Longonot
Dinghy sailing on Lake Naivasha
Black Bass fishing on Lake Naivasha
Tea at the Edwardian manor of Lentolia
Fly camping on the crater floor
Visiting Lake Nakuru National Park and "the world's greatest bird spectacle" |
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Reservations and Enquiries |
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LAKE NAIVASHA:
Spread out over 110 square kilometres, a pearl in the bosom of the Kenya Rift, the waters of Lake Naivasha glisten silver as the sun slopes swiftly towards the west. Purest and highest of all the Rift lakes, Naivasha is also a bird sanctuary without peer. Over 400 species have been recorded here.
Lake Naivasha is a stunning freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus. The lake is almost 13kms across, but its waters are shallow with an average depth of five metres. Lake area varies greatly according to rainfall, with an average range between 114 and 991 sq kms. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Naivasha totally dried up and in effect, disappeared. The resulting open land was farmed, until heavy rains a few years later caused the lake to return to existence, swallowing up the newly established estates. The lake and its surrounds are abundant in natural bounty, and the fertile soils and water supply have made this one of Kenya's prime agricultural regions.
Afternoon wind and storms can cause the Lake to become suddenly rough and produce high waves. For this reason, the local Maasai christened the lake En-aiposha meaning "rough water", which the British later misspelled as Naivasha.
Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow barked Acacia Xanthophlea, known as the yellow fever tree. The forests abound with bird life, and Naivasha is known as a world class birding destination. The waters of the lake draws a great range of game to these shores. Giraffe wander among the acacia, Buffalo wallow in the swamps and Colobus monkeys call from the treetops while the Lakes large Hippo population sleep the day out in the shallows.
It was on these shores that Joy Adamson fostered Elsa and her cubs, the heroine of her wildlife classic, "Born Free". Now Adamson's home, Elsamere, is a living memorial - a wildlife education centre and museum.
The area surrounding the Lake is well worth exploring. There are two smaller lakes nearby, Oloidien, and Sonachi, a dazzling green cater lake. Hell's Gate National Park lies beside the lake. This Park was named for its pair of enormous red tinged cliffs framing a geo-thermically active interior of steam vents and bubbling springs.
The park is home to an abundance of plains game and birdlife. Walking is permitted, making it ideal for hiking, biking, and rock climbing. Boat trips on the lake are widely available, and is a great way to spend an afternoon or morning. Sunsets are always spectacular, with the haunting call of a Fish Eagle high over the Lake bringing the day to a perfect end. |
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merchants.