Loldia House

Loldia House offers accommodation original settler style en suite rooms set in separate cottages in the garden, in the main house, or in an exclusive location on a hill with a beautiful view over the lake and accessible by vehicle from the main house. All rooms enjoy views over the pretty green gardens and to Lake Naivasha

Sitting privately atop a hill with a spectacular view over the lake, the family cottage combines an en suite double room, an en suite twin room and a double “loft” room (not en suite), around a common sitting room and veranda, perfect for travelling groups and families. The Family Cottage is set a driving distance away from the main Loldia House, and a driver is on hand to transport guests to the main house as needed.

Loldia’s Breakfast is a continental and Full English, lunch is a set menu with fresh salads, served under the ancient fig tree, overlooking the lake, perfect for enjoying the tropical climate in the cool shade on Loldia’s hillside. Dinner is served in the main dining room. Loldia House caters for special diets on request.

One of the highlights whilst staying at Loldia House is a day trip to the picturesque Lake Nakuru National Park, which is world famous for its thousands of colourful flamingos and abundant rhino. Guests depart from Loldia after an early breakfast and enjoy a drive through the Rift Valley on their way to Lake Nakuru, which is approximately 2 hours from Loldia House. Lake Nakuru is one of Kenya’s smaller National Parks, yet continues to impress visitors with its striking beauty. The park is abundant with a wide variety of wildlife, large numbers of rhino and millions of both great and lesser flamingos.

Guests enjoy game viewing around the park in specially designed 4wheel-drive Land Rovers before choosing a shady spot for a scrumptious picnic lunch before returning to Loldia House for afternoon tea and delicious cakes on the lawn, overlooking Lake Naivasha. Nakuru Park fees are $60 per adult, subject to change.

Lake Naivasha, at over 6,000 feet, is the highest lake in the Rift Valley and is fascinatingly beautiful. Fringed by papyrus and with the extinct volcano, Mount Longonot as a backdrop, the lake is picturesque. The lake is extremely productive for a variety of birds, and is also home to pods of hippo. Loldia House has its own boat and launching jetty and a boat ride is a wonderful way to view the feathered and non-feathered species of the region.

The staff at Loldia are happy to arrange day and night game drives on Loldia Ranch to see the resident wildlife, which includes abundant plains game. Night game drives normally depart after dinner, and are an exclusive feature at Loldia, not being offered in most of Kenya’s safaris. The drive lasts for roughly an hour and guests get to explore the ranch at night. Animals normally seen on night game drives include bat-eared foxes, aardvarks, leopard, long-tailed mongooses, spring hares, nightjars and eagle owls as well as hippos leaving the lake to graze. Game drives on Loldia Conservancy are inclusive in accommodation costs.

Accessed by our boat launched from Loldia House, take a boat ride over to the picturesque Crescent Island, which is actually a peninsular connected to the main land when the lake levels aren’t too high! With our guide, take a walk on the island to view the bird and animal life. The shores host a wealth of birdlife including pelicans, cormorants and fish-eagles with their haunting cry.

Herds of wildebeest, waterbuck, zebra and gazelle visit the island, whilst hippo graze all over at night then rest in the water by day. The giraffe who were born on the Island return to this special spot to give birth; sometimes you see three generations at a time. Hyena come to hunt at night but are not resident on the island, the many python who do live here can be occasionally seen with a kill. From the top of the hill there is a 360 degree view across the Lake from Longonot to Hell’s Gate, as well as views of the Mau Escarpment, Eburu and on to the Aberdares.

Soysambu is a working cattle ranch and wildlife conservancy that borders the full western edge of Lake Elmenteita. Ensconced within the dramatic volcanic peaks along the rift valley floor, Soysambu promotes coexistence between sustainable ranching and wildlife conservation. The endangered Rothschild giraffe, lesser and greater flamingo and a healthy population of plains game can be found here, as well as 15 lion.

The conservancy supports an ongoing lion research program which has seen 2 lions collared. It is possible to organise a half day of game driving with the researchers of the Soysambu lion project, headed by Kat Combes, to track the lions and learn about their behaviours, diets, and the conservation initiatives undertaken to protect them, including building lion-proof enclosures to protect the cattle. A half day lion tracking with the researchers is $20pp, excluding the conservancy fee.

The conservancy also has a raptor rehabilitation centre, managed by Simon Thomsett of the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust. The centre provides the facilities and expertise to rehabilitate injured raptors back into the wild. The centre is home to a variety of birds of prey, including to two Crowned Eagles, who have lived at the centre for many years. While the two Crowned Eagles are unable to be rehabilitated due to the extent of their old injuries, 11 generations of their chicks have been raised and released into the wild. A visit to the raptor centre is $5pp, excluding the conservancy fee.

Eburru Forest crowns the geologically active Mt Eburru, a volcanic massif in the Great Rift Valley. Mt Eburru is key in influencing local weather patterns, creating a catchment for rains that feed Lake Naivasha and Lake Elmenteita. The biodiversity of the Eburu is astounding, with some 60 species of mammal a very small relic population of the incredibly rare Mountain Bongo, a beautiful antelope. The accommodation has teamed up the Rhino Ark and the Bongo Surveillance Program to support their conservation activities of the Eburru Forest and restoring the population of Mountain Bongo. A walk in the Eburru Forest will reveal active steam vents, a multitude of forest bird species and a rich floral ecosystem. A demonstration of honey harvesting by the Ogiek is a fascinating experience.

A truly wonderful experience is to see a traditional honey harvesting demonstration by the Ogiek people, who are the traditional inhabitants of the Eburru forest. Enjoy a tea and biscuits with some freshly harvested honey. Mountain Bongo experts Donna Shepherd, Colin or Tony Church can also be invited to speak about their ongoing surveillance work, and the future plans to reintroduce Mountain Bongo to where they once freely roamed. Loldia conservancy sits between Eburru forest and Lake Naivasha. Entry fee to Eburru is $6per person, and a community guide and armed ranger available for $25 per walk. The Honey Harvesting demonstration is $30 per experience.

Hell’s Gate National Park is known for its interesting geology and the steam geysers that are found in some areas. The cliffs in the park provide ideal nesting and vantage points for many birds of prey. It is possible to hike down the gorge to the hot springs and one of our resident naturalists will be happy to accompany you on the walk. For keen rock climbers, it is worth noting that Hell’s Gate is one of Kenya’s top crags, with 600ft basalt columns rising from the earth, Hell’s Gate is the home of Kenyan multipitch climbing, and is seeing rapid development with new routes being put up all the time. If you get here quickly, there may still be a first ascent for you to bag!

Whether climbing or simply appreciating the beauty of these natural forms, Fischer’s Tower is an absolute marvel. At 25 metres tall, Fischer Tower is a remnant of the park’s volcanic history. This craggy behemoth was formed when semi-molten rock was forced through a fissure and solidified around 35 million years ago. Accompanied by a guide, visitors can climb the tower and gaze over the surrounding area – a view that has changed little in a very long time.

Climbers visiting Kenya are asked to be conscientious of Kenya’s climbing ethics, and are asked to please consult the Mountain Club of Kenya (MCK) if you are planning to bolt a new route, as trad climbing is preferred, if at all possible.

Loldia’s staff is happy to arrange guided morning or afternoon walks around Crater Lake. Crater Lake is a green volcanic lake situated in an old Volcanic Crater. The lakeshore is covered by acacia woodland home to troops of Colobus monkeys, there are also plenty of other wildlife to see and spoor tracks to follow.

We can organise a visit to the Loldia School. The manager of Loldia House and longstanding guests have together formed the Loldia School Fund, a UK registered charitable trust, which has worked hard to improve the school for the children of the area. To date the school has been completely rebuilt, making it one of the best schools in the region. Scholarships have been offered to primary school leavers to attend secondary school, and some of the brighter students have gone on to Universities in Kenya and South Africa.

The school also serves the wider community offering evening adult literacy classes and a kindergarten. The Governors’ Camp Collection supports the work of the Loldia School Fund which is helping provide a standard of education that enables the children attending to better their circumstances and find a way out of the poverty that exists in this area of Kenya.

Donations to the school are very welcome, and we will be happy to facilitate. We encourage you at the time of booking to request for information on the most pertinent needs of the school, so as to make the most impactful contribution. Visits to the school are a rewarding experience for all, with the children learning as much from you as you from them. We will organise a visit around the children’s school routine so as to not be disruptive.

Loldia House is happy offers a guided nature walk on the airstrip on Loldia Ranch. Guests walk with one of Loldia’s naturalist guides and another member of the Loldia team. During the walk it is possible to see some of the wildlife resident on the ranch and be introduced to some of the smaller flora and fauna of the ranch.

Loldia House is happy to arrange a climb up Mt Longonot. Mt Longonot is a dormant volcano which lies in the Great Rift Valley and is visible from Lake Naivasha. Mount Longonot is a demanding hike but the views from the top across the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha are glorious. There is a thick forest on the crater floor and the volcano’s slopes are home to buffalo, eland, lion, leopard, bushbuck, zebra, giraffe, Grants Gazelles as well as countless species of wild flowers and some interesting birdlife.

Guests enjoy a picnic lunch for guests going on the climb, the park entrance fee is payable direct and Loldia’s manager is happy to advise guests of the current rates. Please note Mt Longonot is a strenuous climb and clients must be in good health and fit to take on the climb.

Kenya is one of the largest growers and suppliers of flowers to the European market – it’s where many Valentine’s Day long-stem roses come from!

Loldia’s staff is happy to arrange a visit to a nearby flower farm for guests staying at Loldia House. Guests are given a guided walk through the farm’s greenhouses to see how the flowers are grown, harvested and prepared for shipment to Europe. From cutting to arriving at auction in Europe the process and transport takes just over 48hrs to ensure they arrive fresh!

Guests to Loldia House in the Great Rift Valley are treated to a variety of eco-systems in close vicinity which yield a diverse abundance of birdlife. Escorted by one of Loldia’s highly skilled and experienced guides, depart Loldia House after an early breakfast to Eburru Forest in time for the early morning activity of its forest birds with a bush walk. Golden-winged and tacazze sunbirds, Doherty’s bush-shrike, white-headed wood-hoopoes, Narina’s trogan and more can be found in the lush vegetation of Eburru Forest.

After an early morning of birding, continue through the forest by road passing over the ridge of Eburru and descending down towards Soysambu Conservancy in the north, where over 450 birds have been recorded in the conservancy itself. Soysambu encompasses Lake Elmenteita, one of the Rift’s soda lakes and home to a stable and larger seasonal population of greater and lesser flamingos, great white and pink-backed pelican. avocets, sandpipers, snipes and spoonbills are some of the other species occupying the water and shorelines. Out in the open grasslands, ground hornbills, secretary birds and several species of bustards can be found.

After a picnic lunch, visit the Raptor Rehabilitation Centre on Soysambu, run by the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust. Simon Thomsett uses the principles of falconry to rehabilitate injured raptors back into the wild. View a demonstration of falconry. The centre also houses 2 African crowned eagle pairs, from who 11 generations of chicks have been released into the wild.

Lake Bogoria is a Rift Valley soda lake famed for its fabulous reflections of the Laikipia escarpment, its geysers and its hot springs. Throughout most of the year there are a large number of greater and lesser flamingos. There are also good chances of seeing a herd of the elusive but majestic kudu.

A trip to Lake Bogoria is approximately a four-hour drive one way on the main roads. Guests would need to leave very early in the morning from Loldia; arriving to the lake by 9 or 10am, and leave Bogoria by 2pm to ensure that you are not returning in the dark.

Located on the south-side of the lake and accessible by Loldia’s boat or a vehicle, 1.5hr horse rides are available on a wildlife-rich ranch. Riders of all skills are welcome, and guests will be asked about their experience prior to arrival to be paired with the right horse and provided with the right level of support. The area is teaming with bat-eared foxes, warthogs, giraffes, hippo, eland, zebra, buffalo and gazelles.

Loldia’s staff are happy to arrange for guests to go to play golf at the nearby Great Rift Valley Lodge. The golf course has 18 holes and is located above Loldia and there are lovely views out over Lake Naivasha, Mount Longonot and across to the Abedare Mountains. There is also swimming pool, plenty of birdlife on the course and guests can sometimes see zebra wandering across the fairways. Guest need to pay entrance fee, green fees, hire of golf clubs and caddie fees. The manager of Loldia House can advise on these fees.

After a long drive, boat ride or bush walk immerse yourself into the tranquil world of your Lake Naivasha surroundings in our poolside spa room, while our fully-trained spa therapist pampers you using the finest products by Terre D’Afrique, Wild Earth Botanics, or Cinnabar Green ensuring that you emerge feeling totally relaxed and recharged.

Some of the treatments:

Afrique Arising Facial $60 ￨ One-hour treatment
By stimulating the blood flow to the skin, the Afrique Arising massage technique allows the omega oil-rich Terre D’ Afrique oils and hyaluronic acids to rehydrate and regenerate the deep layers of the skin. Vitamins from the baobab work to restore the skin’s elasticity, leaving it supple, plumped and smooth to the touch.

Loldia’s Swedish Classic Massage $50 ￨ One-hour treatment
A classic Swedish massage designed to ensure total relaxation using Cinnabar Green’s specially formulated, fragrance free blend of avocado, macadamia and sunflower oils. Just select which of Loldia’s range of essential oils you would like to have added to the base oil that best suits your mood.

Aromatherapy Massage $60 ￨ One-hour treatment
Loldia’s Terre D’Afrique aromatherapy massages combine the natural therapeutic properties of essential oils and the healing power of massage therapy. Choose your preferred blend of African essential oils and relax into a gentle massage using nurturing long strokes.

Deep Tissue Massage $70 ￨ One-hour treatment
A focused and intensive massage that is true to its name. It is ideal for the relief of stiff aching muscles, detoxification and stimulation of circulation. Loldia’s masseuses use Terre D’Afrique’s specially formulated essential oils of katrafay and ravensara help relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation.

Enjoy the blissful aura of the infinity pool, with superb views over Lake Naivasha, set on a rocky outcrop, beside Loldia’s two grand old fig trees. Enjoy the stunning scenery near and far in this special sanctum.

The Governor’s Camp Collection at Loldia House has been committed to its partnership with the local school with an initiative started by its former manager, Peter Njoroge, and has continually developed the school’s facilities, making it one of the leading centres for primary education in the region in the region. The former farmstead which is now Loldia House had a small, simple mud and wattle farm school. Funding from Loldia House has continually invested in the school and its facilities, completely rebuilding the school and making it one of the best in the region.

The Loldia school programme offers scholarships to primary school leavers to progress into secondary school, and further, has now seen some of its students attend Universities in Kenya and South Africa. The school offers evening literacy classes for adults, and also a kindergarten, fostering a culture of education in the wider community.

The Governor’s Camp collection says that it ‘continues to support the work of the Loldia School Fund which is helping provide a standard of education that enables the children attending to better their circumstances and find a way out of the poverty that exists in this area of Kenya.’

An initiative which encourages guests to bring school supplies, such as pencils, paper, and text books with them to kenya in order to support Mara Rianda Primary School and the Lolida Primary School.

The partnership with this unique brand “uplifts and empowers disadvantaged women in Kenya”, providing training to make high quality, sustainable clothing, which recycles old garments. Zeb & Effie products will be available in the boutiques of Governors’ properties from June 2021

With cooperation from partners of Governor’s Camp Collective, this Health Centre at Mara Rianda, just outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve was set up in 2013 to support the health and wellbeing of the Maasai people in the surrounding area.

Similar to the Loldia School project, Governor’s Camp Collective has transformed this school from a collection of mud and wattle huts within which Maasai parents would provide basic education to their children, to one of the finest schools in the region. The school now has 4 classroom blocks (with 17 classes), a library, girls’ dormitory – providing accommodation for 160 girls), teacher accommodation for six teachers, water purification facilities, and more!

Governors’ Camp hosted a free eye clinic for the Maasai Community in conjunction with the Kwale Centre and AMREF. Eye diseases, leading to poor eyesight and blindness is all too common in Maasai communities living around the Maasai Mara. In an environment with many dangerous wild animals, blindness can be devastating for the Maasai, making this eye clinic an invaluable resource for the Maasai communities in the region.

This project has been run to establish the major threats currently faced by Mara cheetahs, as the population has decreased by 30% in the last two decades, to an estimate of 7,500 in Kenya. “The project researchers often conduct workshops on cheetah biology and conservation at our Mara camps for the benefit of [their] guides and guests.”

Guests visiting Manyatta of the Maasai pay a small fee for the opportunity to experience the traditional way of life of this indigenous community. The money of the entry fee directly helps community members to buy food, pay for secondary school, and to support their livestock which makes up the centre of the Maasai economy. The Maasai Manyatta in Mara Rianda is home to 98 different families, comprising 300 individuals, who greatly appreciate the support given by the Governor’s Camp Collective.

In addition to recycling projects, Governor’s Camp Collective have pushed the eco friendly practice further, to reduce plastic waste, providing drinking water in beautiful hand-blown glass jugs, made for Governors’ by Kitengala Glass, completely eliminating plastic bottles on their sites, as well as plastic straws. Guests are also provided with a complimentary branded metal water bottle  on arrival, which they are free to refill throughout their stay, making use of the reverse osmosis filtration plants, providing guests with clean drinking water, and giving an insight into the technology which is used to bring clean, safe drinking water to local communities, and the Loldia and Mara Rianda schools!

In the Maasai Mara, the depletion of the trees has been a huge problem in recent years, for reasons both of human interference and also by elephants in their search for food. Governors’ have planted thousands of trees around all their camps, as well as having given the local school 500 trees to plant, as well as 800 to other camps and individuals.

Governor’s has remained conscious of the native biodiversity of the region, and has only used indigenous trees, including sausage trees (Kigelia africana), gardenias (Gardenia ternifolia), wild figs (Ficus thonnigii), East-African greenhearts (Warburgia ugandensis), broad leaved crotons (Croton macrostachyus), quinine trees (Rauvolfia caffra) and many others. This is a long-term priority project, which both supports native biodiversity (improving the quality of river banks with root system fixity) as well as creating carbon sinks to combat greenhouse emissions.

A reforesting initiative on the banks of the Mara river where guests taking part in Governors’ Ballon Safaris contribute to the restitution of native African olive trees among the river’s banks through ‘seedballs’ – a charcoal covered seed which is dropped down onto the land beneath. Working in partnership with Seedballs Kenya, this project supports native biodiversity, and alleviates pressure from the banks of the Mara river by reinforcing the earth with strong root systems, and preventing soil erosion.