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Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley

26/7/2017

15 Comments

 
Picture
​By Roxanne Reid
There’s something romantic about Lake Naivasha, whether covered in mist or loud with the calls of African fish-eagles. Farms produce beautiful roses on the southern side and wildlife roams its northern shores. So imagine the romance of two days staying at Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley.

At some 1880m above sea level, Naivasha is the highest and only fresh-water lake of Kenya’s six Rift Valley lakes. Loldia House on its northern shore is part of the Governors Camp Collection. The farm it stands on has existed since 1904 but the elegant house of hand-cut dark volcanic rock was built by Italian prisoners of war in the 1940s. 
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
The elegance of Loldia House
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Giant wild fig tree
A giant wild fig tree towers over one corner, its branches spreading some 20m from the trunk. Green lawns unfold in front of the house and stretch down to the lake edge through a garden bursting with yellow-bark acacias, bougainvilla, plumbago and clivias. There are flame lilies on the hill behind the house too – Kenya’s national flower.
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Shady trees to relax under in the garden
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Views of the lake from everywhere at Loldia House
Relaxed elegance
The wide verandah is dotted with comfy chairs and couches, the lounge decorated in muted tones of coral and cream, with leather-bound books, lamps, a baby grand piano and numerous vases of single-stemmed and spray roses. A fire crackles in the fireplace – the perfect atmosphere for a pre-dinner sherry or glass of wine. The evenings can get cool on the lake in June so there are fireplaces in the bedrooms too.  
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
The wide verandah has lovely views of Lake Naivasha
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Comfy couch among the roses on the verandah
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Sitting room in the main house
You can stay in a room in the old family house or in one of the cottages in the garden, with sweeping views out over the lake and, when it’s not covered by cloud or mist, to the extinct volcano Mount Longonot in the distance.
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Bedroom in the main house, overlooking the lake
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Sitting room in the cottage on the hill behind the main house
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
View from the verandah at the cottage on the hill
Lakeside romance
We woke to the sound of African fish-eagles, red-chested cuckoos and spurfowl, and could see pelicans on the lake. It was hard not to succumb to the charm of the place. Breakfast and lunch were served on the lawns, nudging us to make believe for a while that all this beauty and elegance was ours. At sunset we relaxed at the lake edge to sip a gin and tonic and imagine what the area used to be like in the 1930s and 40s when it was the playground of the hedonistic Happy Valley set.
Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Arches to the courtyard
Back then, the ‘flying boats’ of Imperial Airways used to land on Lake Naivasha on their way between Britain and South Africa. These amphibious aircraft brought the mail and some well-heeled passengers keen to avoid the long voyage by ship to Mombasa and then by train to Nairobi. So you might say that back in those swashbuckling days Lake Naivasha – the showpiece at Loldia – was Kenya’s first international airport.
Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Things to do at Loldia House
1. Spot wildlife
Dik-dik, Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Kirk's dik-dik
A drive from the entrance gate to the house is a chance to spot some of the wildlife that lives on the property, from hippo, hyena and jackal to buffalo, olive baboon, the dainty little dik-dik and other antelope. Birding is superb, with lots of fish-eagles, pelicans, squacco herons and other water birds. A walk around the gardens will reward you with smaller birds like superb starlings, paradise flycatchers and sunbirds.

2. Night drive
Aardvark, Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Aardvark by spotlight
If seeing spotted hyena and African hares sounds like a good idea, venture out on a night drive after dinner. The biggest draw card is the chance to spot an aardvark with its pig-like snout and long ears. This termite eater is nocturnal and rarely seen, so spotting one at Loldia House is very special. There’s no other animal quite like it.

3. Visit the Joy Adamson Museum
Visit Elsamere on the shores of the lake, where George and Joy Adamson of Born Free fame lived and worked. For a fee, you can visit the small museum, watch a video, have tea and maybe even see colobus monkeys.

4. Lake Nakuru National Park
Zebras, Lake Nakuru National Park, Rift Valley, Kenya
Spend a day at Lake Nakuru National Park, about a two-hour drive away from Loldia, for a chance to see buffalo, zebra, rhino, Rothschild’s giraffe and a feast of flamingos on the salt lake. I’ll be writing a separate post about our visit soon.

5. Climb Mount Longonot
Mount Longonot is a dormant volcano and the only mountain in the eastern part of the Rift Valley. If you’re fit, healthy and keen to take on a strenuous climb, talk to your guide the night before so he can arrange a picnic lunch and tell you about the park fees you’ll need to pay.

6. Visit a rose farm
Roses, Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
If you’re impressed by the abundance of roses in the reception area at Loldia House, you may like to visit one of the rose farms around the lake. A guide will tell you all about Kenya’s flower industry and show you how the roses are grown for export.
​
7. Support a local school
Loldia House has a long relationship with a local primary school. It works with a charitable trust that has rebuilt the school and offers scholarships for secondary school and university. Any donations you give will go directly towards to the Loldia School Fund. The school welcomes visits from Loldia guests but you need to preplan this with the lodge so they can make arrangements with the school. 

Note: I was a guest of the Governors Camp Collection’s Loldia House for two nights, but I was given free rein to write what I chose. I paid for my airfare to Kenya, for drinks and park fees.

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Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
15 Comments
Sara
26/7/2017 11:25:11 am

Lovely old elangant house. So peaceful with the sprawling gardens. Is the accommodation in the house or are there family units. Superb photos.

Reply
Roxanne
26/7/2017 11:30:31 am

Sara, you can stay in rooms in the old house or in cottages in the garden. Our cottage was semi-detached with another unit, so this would work for a family. There's also a self-contained 3-bedroom cottage on the hill.

Reply
Angie
27/7/2017 10:27:05 pm

What a graceful lodge. Roses everywhere. What bliss.
It's seems and feels the right place to be writing a novel. Sitting under that giant tree while gazing across the expansive garden.

Reply
Roxanne
28/7/2017 09:52:27 am

Oh wow, Angie, what a good idea about sitting under the tree to write. I could spend months doing just that. Thanks for reading.

Reply
Priyadarshini Rajendran link
29/7/2017 08:51:51 am

Kenya keeps popping up on my lists and Rift valleys looks wonderful. Would love to check out this peaceful looking stay when I go there!

Reply
Roxanne
29/7/2017 11:09:25 am

Ah, Priyadarshini, you must remember it if you ever get to Kenya. It's very pretty and peaceful, even though there's lots to do.

Reply
Ingrid link
29/7/2017 08:55:18 am

I fell in love with this place, partly because I love Africa but partly also because your pictures look amazing and the place looks so romantic!

Reply
Roxanne
29/7/2017 11:07:43 am

I agree, Ingrid, how can you not love Africa when it's so beautiful and diverse? Thanks for the compliment about the photos, my husband will be chuffed since he took them.

Reply
Sara Essop link
29/7/2017 10:49:23 am

Loldia House looks so charming and the setting is ideal for a relaxing stay. Even the name is unusual. I'd be interested to know where it originated from.

Reply
Roxanne
29/7/2017 11:06:18 am

I think I remember someone telling me the origin of the name, Sara, but it has slipped through the holes in my colander of a brain! I'll ask and let you know.

Reply
Roxanne
31/7/2017 09:05:51 am

Here's the answer, Sara. Apparently the man who lived here had a pack of domestic dogs so the local people called him Loldia which means 'the man with lots of dogs' in the Maa language.

Chris Hearne
30/7/2017 11:42:04 am

Thanks Roxanne for stirring up lots of wonderful memories about Lake Naivasha. We used to have a boat moored there & have spent many great weekends there - unfortunately many years ago.
I have to disagree with you about one thing though, Samburu is Kenya's greatest wildlife area in my humble opinion!! It may not have the migration, but makes up for that having the Gerenuk & Grevey's Zebra as endemics.

Reply
Roxanne
30/7/2017 08:18:59 pm

A boat on the lake sounds wonderful, Chris. We saw gerenuk in the Chyulu Hills, which was lovely, but didn't get to Samburu for Grevy's zebras on this visit. Always good to have something to return for.

Reply
Cliodhna Ryan
31/7/2017 12:52:03 pm

Wow this place looks so peaceful. I imagine it's the perfect place to unwind after safari. I can't wait to read your post about Lake Nukuru. It's somewhere I'd love to visit.

Reply
Roxanne
31/7/2017 02:06:44 pm

It was epic and peaceful at the same time, Cliodhna. I just loved the history of the place. A post about Lake Nakuru is coming up later this week, so keep an eye out.

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