9-Hole Golf Course:
Our nine-hole golf course is a little gem. With fairways, greens and tees strategically situated between miniature dams and mountain streams, and flanking Mt. Kenya's dense rainforest, a modicum of skill is required to finish with the same number of balls as you started with! It's a challenge and it's tremendous fun. The Golf Club has a bar and men's and ladies' changing rooms. Residents of the Club do not pay green fees and golf clubs are available for hire. Balls can be purchased. And, for a minimal fee, there are plenty of willing caddies.

Animal Orphanage:
The animal orphanage managed by the neighbouring ranch and the William Holden Foundation can be visited from a special entrance in the Club grounds. Open from 0830-1230 hours and 1330-1730 hours. Children under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available at the Cashiers.

Bowling Green:
There is no charge for Club guests to use the bowling green. Balls are available, free of charge, at reception.

Bird Walks:
The Club's extensive grounds are alive with an enormous variety of bird life. Guests can enjoy 2-hour guided bird walks with the resident ornithologist. Departures are at 0800,1000,1400 and1600 hours.

Croquet:
The croquet field is of an international size, and has 6 hoops. Mallets and balls are available at reception, free of charge.

Heated Swimming Pool:
We have a large outdoor heated swimming pool, manned by a pool attendant from 0700 to 1800 hours. There are separate changing rooms with showers for both men and ladies. All children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The surrounds of the pool are an ideal venue for cocktail parties for 15 to 500 persons.

Horse Riding:
With a choice of 7 thoroughbreds, guests can ride at any time, using English saddles, always in the company of one or more of our grooms. We have a good range of hard hats, which we insist that riders wear. Children under 12 years are not permitted to ride. A charge is made to guests for riding.

Putting Green:
There is no charge for Club guests to use the putting green. Putters are available for hire at reception. Balls can be purchased.

Rose Gardens:
Pay a visit to the Club's beautiful rose gardens, which can be used as a venue for cocktail parties or receptions.

Table Tennis:
Two tables are situated beneath the swimming pool. Bats can be hired from Reception. Balls can be purchased.

Tennis Courts:
The Club has one paved tennis court. No charge is made to Club guests. Tennis racquets are available for hire. Balls can be purchased.

Trout Fishing:
Lake Karen is situated by the 4th golf green and is stocked with over 2,000 trout. Fishing equipment is available for hire. Children under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult. Guests are billed per 2 hours. Hours: 0700-1800 hours.

Video Room:
Children's tapes are screened regularly in our Video Room.

Conference Facilities:
A choice of several conference rooms is available for the exacting organizer. If conference participants are residents of the Club no charge is made for the hire of conference rooms, each of which is equipped with a telephone. Syndicate rooms are available for the smaller meetings.

Conference Equipment:
Video cassette player, television, overhead projector, slide projector, flip chart, projection screen and public address system are all available for use. Rooms are set with water-jugs, glasses, flowers, and notepads and pens/pencils are placed for every delegate. A nominal charge is made for the use of audio-visual equipment.

William Holden Conference Room:
Situated at one end of the Club building, this purpose-built conference room has large sliding glass doors opening onto the Club's lawns. A huge fireplace stands at one end, the room has its own separate toilet facilities, and is an ideal venue for private functions, cocktail parties and theme evenings.

Mawingo Conference Room:
The Member’s Dining room doubles up as the perfect conference room: adjustable lighting, sumptuous decor of wood panelling and chandeliers, centrally located in the main building, this is the ideal venue for both business- and pleasure-oriented functions.

Chairman's Boardroom:
This conference room is next to the William Holden Conference Room, and is ideal for small gatherings around the large mahogany boardroom table.

Garden Conference Room:
This spacious, natural-light filled room opens onto the Club gardens. The larger section of this L-shaped room is best used for conference set-up, and the smaller section is set for coffee breaks.

Golf Club House:
Our Golf Clubhouse is another appropriate venue for smaller meetings and is situated just off the course's first tee.

Fishing Safaris (Half Day):
Mount Kenya is the source of many freshwater rivers that cascade from its rugged slopes. Along these courses, trout fishing is available to fishermen. In rivers Naromoru, Sirimon, Likii, Nanyuki and Thego, Royal Coachman flies are cast to lure the agile and swift Brown or Rainbow trout. Safari-man Peter De Mello will only be too pleased to teach you your first casting lesson. Rods/flies are provided and licenses arranged.

Sweetwaters Game Reserve (Half Day):
A morning or afternoon game drive can be arranged to this sanctuary. Sweetwaters is the name adopted by the local people of this area for the fresh sweet water tapped from the ground. Located in typical savannah grasslands interrupted by the `Whistling Thorn' shrubs, Acacia trees and lush green vegetation along the Uaso Nyiro River, this 24,000-acre game sanctuary is 15 km on an unpaved road from Nanyuki. This game sanctuary is the closest reserve to Nairobi (2.5 hours drive) home to all the big five game, and has the highest ratio of game-to-area of any park or reserve in Kenya. Here giraffe, zebra, eland, oryx, waterbuck, Grants gazelle, Thompsons gazelle, elephant, buffalo, silver-backed jackal, ostrich, hartebeest, baboon, hippo and rhino roam free. There are also several bird species to observe.

Aberdare National Park (Full Day):
So as to conserve and protect the environment, few people are allowed to visit this park, home to elephant, rhino, buffalo, bushbuck, giant forest hog, Sykes monkey and leopard. An ornithologist's paradise, sunbirds - tacazze, golden winged malachite, dainty double collared and scarlet-chested - emerald Narina's Trogon and crowned eagles are a few of the species to sight. Departing at 0900 hours, you drive through scenic rural towns, before entering the park. A picnic lunch is served on a site overlooking the forest and the surrounding mountains. You finish off with an additional game drive through a private ranch which houses plains game. Warm clothing is required, as the return trip gets quite chilly. A special license will be arranged for you.

Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Game Reserves (Full Day):
Driving through wheat/sheep farming areas you descend to 3,000 feet to arrive at Isiolo town, the gateway to Kenya's northern frontiers, and also the home of the Turkana, Somali, Boran and Samburu tribes of Kenya. Samburu National Park is a beautiful arid savannah country, home to rare species of wildlife not to be seen anywhere else in Kenya (reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Somali ostrich and beisa oryx), besides lion, elephant, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, impala, dik-dik, etc. A picnic lunch will be served on the banks of River Uaso Nyiro, where crocodiles and hippos laze. After watching traditional dances performed by tall, slender Samburu men and women, you depart for the Club, arriving at sundown.

Fishing Lake Alice (1 Day and Night):
Lake Alice is located at 15,000 ft on Mt. Kenya. A private charter flies guests to the lodge here, and fishing enthusiasts can enjoy a full day of fishing in this stupendous backdrop. Equipment is provided, as are licenses. Maximum number of guests is 6.

Mount Kenya National Park (Half or Full Day):
Travelling along the Sirimon track in your vehicle, you gradually climb to the national park gate at a height of 9,200 ft. As you ascend, you see the vegetation change to tall cedars, Podo trees, thick Bamboo forest and varieties of Alpine trees. Wild mountain flowers bloom in a riot of colour. A profuse bird-life resides here. Despite the dense vegetation, there are glimpses of elephant, buffalo, zebra, colobus monkey and waterbuck. At 12,200 ft in the upper tundra region, you see the majestic peaks of Mt Kenya, Batian and Nelion. On a half-day trip, you depart after breakfast and return in time for a hearty lunch. On a full day trip, you have a picnic lunch, and there is time to go on a 1-2 hour walk up the mountain.

MOUNT KENYA:
Mount Kenya plays a crucial role in the life of the country being Kenya's single most important permanent watershed and her largest forest reserve. The fertile soils of its lower slopes also sustain the growth of the nation's richest farmlands whilst much of its vegetation is globally unique. In recent years, however, the Mountain has suffered greatly from the adverse effects of deforestation, resulting in large tracts of its lower slopes being entirely denuded of trees and occupied by squatters. And, although much of the vast forest cover remains intact, the growing demand for timber (Kenya's staple construction and fuel source) threatens to lead to even more serious deforestation and subsequent soil erosion.

Over half of Africa's forests have been destroyed, in this century alone, by means as varied as illegal logging, charcoal burning, agricultural encroachment, 'land grabbing' and the unscheduled de-gazetting of supposedly protected forest areas. Indeed recent estimates state that only 2.9% of Kenya's original forest cover still exists. There is also evidence that not only is the water-catchment area suffering, but also that the montane glaciers have shrunk so rapidly over the last 20 years that some of them have completely disappeared. Finally the popularity of trekking and hiking holidays on the mountain is placing enormous pressure on the natural environment thanks to the attendant ills of tourist refuse, forest fires, feeding wildlife, off-road driving and erosion of climbing routes.

The People of Mount Kenya:
Mount Kenya represents the ancestral home and heartland of the Bantu-speaking Kikuyu people, Kenya's largest ethnic group. Heavily influential throughout Kenya's history, the Kikuyu were instrumental in leading the fight for independence, provided the country with its first President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and have forced the pace of all subsequent political developments. The original Kikuyu are thought to have migrated from the east and north-east of the continent in the 16th century. Because land was the dominant factor in their social, political, religious and economic life, however, this brought them into conflict first with the Maasai and then with the European settlers, who seized large tracts of their territory. That said, the Kikuyu have adapted to the challenges of Western culture more successfully than any other tribe and are enlightened businessmen and successful and progressive farmers who grow coffee, tea, pyrethrum horticultural crops, vegetables and flowers for the export market.

Traditionally the Kikuyu have always believed that Ngai's (God's) most frequent resting place is on 'Kirinyaga' or Mount Kenya and although Christianity has altered these beliefs there are still many churchgoers who maintain that their ancestors control their destiny thanks to their closeness to 'Ngai'. Today the Kikuyu remain at the forefront of Kenyan development as both successful business people and formidable politicians.

Climate July to August marks the Kenyan winter. Broadly speaking, January-February is dry. March-May is wet. June-September is dry. October-December is wet, the rains passing in time for Christmas.

Climbing Mount Kenya:
An extinct volcano, some three and a half million years old with permanently snow-covered, ice-shattered peaks, Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa after Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. There are four main routes of ascent, the Naro Moru trail, the Burguret and Sirimon trails and the Chogoria trail and, whilst the icy peaks of Batian (5199m) and Nelion (5,189m) are accessible only to experienced mountaineers, Point Lenana (4,985m) can be conquered by anyone who is reasonably fit. In fact, the task has been made considerably easier thanks to Serena Hotels and the Kenya Wildlife Service who have recently cooperated to pioneer a new climbing route, which offers maximum adventure, panorama and enjoyment and minimal hardship.

Depending upon the weather conditions and the fitness level of the climbing party, the trip takes approximately 3 days in ascent and 2 days in descent and is led by a team of experienced mountaineers and naturalists who remain in constant radio contact with the Lodge. Mountain accommodation is provided in the form of ready-pitched camps of comfortable and fully-equipped high-altitude tents (or alternatively, bunk-houses) whilst the food, provided daily by the hotel, will include tasty packed lunches, hot drinks, fortifying snacks and individually presented supper menus. Upon arrival at Lenana Point guests will also be met with hot drinks, biscuits and brandy before being transported back down the mountain to a celebratory dinner at the hotel. There's also just lazing by the pool, taking in some sun and looking out over the aquamarine reaches of the Indian Ocean.

Mt Kenya Forest:
Mt Kenya, Africa's second highest peak is regarded as the realm of Ngai, god of the local Kikuyu people. Traditionally, all Kikuyu homes were built to face this sacred peak. They call it Kirinyaga, or place of light.

The mountain itself is an awe-inspiring sight with its ragged peaks, and equatorial snow. But the Mountain is surrounded by a belt of verdant forest that is an equally fascinating destination.

While the 5199 metre summit is a difficult technical climb, the lesser peak of Point Lenana (4985m) can be easily reached by any fit trekker. This trek takes between 3 and 5 days, through a fascinating world of forests, wildlife, unique montane vegetation including podocarpus and grounsel, and finally one of the worlds rarest sights, equatorial snow.

For those who don't want to climb the Mountain the cool highlands that surround its base are well worth a visit. The forests are ideal for game viewing, and there are crystal clear mountain streams that are the perfect place to land a Trout...

Part of the mountain's fascination is the variation in flora, including Giant Groundsel and Lobelia, and fauna as the altitude changes. The lower slopes are covered with dry upland forest, the true montaine (mountain) forest begins at 2,000m is mainly cedar and podo. At 2,500m begins a dense belt of bamboo forest which merges into the upperforest of smaller trees, interspersed with glades. In this area the trees are festooned with high altitude lichen.

These forest belts are host to many different animals and plants with at least 11 unique species. Game to view includes: Black and White Colobus and Sykes Monkeys, bushbuck, Rock and rock Hyrax, Greater galago, white tailed, buffalo, elephant and lower down Olive Baboon, waterbuck, Black Rhino, black fronted duikers, leopard, giant forest hog, genet cat, bush pig and hyena. More elusive is the bongo, a rare type of forest antelope.

A number of other rarer species can be found here: Suni Antelope, Mt. Kenya Mole Rat, skinks (lizard), Montane Viper and a variety of owls. Occasional sightings have been recorded of albino zebra.

Birds are not abundant in the forest. But you can find Crowned hawk eagle and the Jackson's francolin. Rarely you can find the Abyssinian long-eared owl. Birds seen form the lodge include; Green ibis, African black duck, Ayres' hawk eagle, Rufous-breasted and great sparrow hawks, Scaly francolin, Silvery-cheeked hornbill, Hartlaubs turaco, red headed parrot, bronze-naped pigeon, Mackinder's eagle owl, Rupells robin chat.

There are two species of giant Lobelias; the narrow, feathery-leafed lobelia telekii and the broad-leafed lobelia keniensis which are a favourite of sunbirds for their half hidden blossoms or the thin shelled snails that make their home there. Plants also include crocus-like flower; Romuela keniensis, two terrestrial orchids - a Disa and a Habenaria, and an orange flowered gladiolus,Gladiolus Watsonioides.

The high altitude heath at the top (3,000 - 3,5000m) is generally open, dotted with shrubs: African Sage, protea and helichrysum. The peak (above 3,500m) is moorland, with little game other than high altitude zebra and eland, common in the northern moorland.

Mount Kenya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site