I
took some time out to be completely alone at the Naivasha Country Club. I had no partner, I wasn’t spending hours on my phone and most importantly, I did not broadcast my activities on social media. I had taken time out to be completely alone with nature.
The Lake Naivasha Country Club is nestled right on the shores of Lake Naivasha. In fact, the hotel is the only foremost resort on the shores of the vast lake. The front desk woman, Diana, welcomed me cheerfully as she took me on a tour of the property. Being that it was a quiet weekend, the hotel was running a flat rate charge on the Standard and Deluxe rooms. An even more enticing reason to stay at this luxury resort.
The room had a full view of the majestic grounds. The regal sprawling lawns are dotted with acacia trees, some dead, some alive. The trunks of the dead trees are left on the ground to decompose and nourish the earth as they had been nourished by Mother Earth. The wide spreading branches of the trees created a partly shaded canopy. The overall effect was a cool, bearable lawn that one could wander around in at any time.
The best part of these lawns is that at any given time, guests can encounter wild animals, such as waterbucks, buffalos and zebras, grazing peacefully on the land. It is the most amazing feeling to ‘accidentally bump’ into a wild animal. Of course, I must stress caution; wild animals should be admired from afar. Do not attempt to pat them or take selfies with them.
During the day, I would roam the grounds aimlessly excited by the possibility of encountering something wonderful. Whilst I was alone, I was never lonely. Mother Nature was my constant companion. The air was crisp, the grass richly green, and the atmosphere completely serene.
ROAMING HIPPOS
At night, hippos roam the lawns freely. And while hippos are herbivorous mammals, they can be lethal when they sense danger from humans. The hotel requests all guests to walk with a security guard at anytime during the night. During the day, the hippos retreat to the cool waters of Lake Naivasha, where they float lazily in the sun.
It is unfortunate that some guests do not heed all the warnings by the hotel. A recent story of a court case settlement of a Chinese national was mauled by a hippo at the hotel was published in the Star. Even in my short stay, I could see how people would be reckless in following instructions.
The hotel also offers luxury camping suites that are located right on the shore of Lake Naivasha. The Kiboko luxury camp and the Kiboko restaurant are built on raised wooden platforms and are interconnected by labyrinths of wooden walkways. This is a great vantage point for guests to see the hippos in the lake during the day. The hotel also offers boat rides around the lakes, on which guests can see the hippos up close or visit neighbouring islands, such as the Crescent Island.
Lake Naivasha Country Club is unique. Its proximity to the lake and Hell’s Gate National Park have it surrounded by acres of untouched nature. As you stand by the shore of the lake, a vast unexploited landscape stretches as far as the eye can see. To the west, the hotel offers an unobstructed view of the glorious sunset behind in the hills over the Savanna.
AT ONE WITH NATURE
Before I left on Sunday morning, I took a long solo walk to the jetty. I stood by right where the water met the concrete of the dock. There was nothing and no one there except me, the open lake, the noisy gulls and the looming (yet impossible) idea of a hippo emerging from the lake to attack me. The only sounds were those of the occasional grunt from a hippo and the high-pitched cries of the gulls.
I stood there for hours under the scorching January sun, staring into the mesmerising soul of Mother Nature. The point of peaceful coexistence between Yin and Yang. The hippos floated lazily in the water, the birds perched precariously on the trunks of dead trees, waiting for their moment of prey. I was on the brink of pure stillness and complete immersion in nature. A moment of complete surrender.
As I walked back to the Kiboko Restaurant, I found myself right in front of a small herd of waterbucks grazing by the Kiboko Camp. They heard me, stopped grazing, stared at be with big, curious doey eyes before retreating to the bush to graze peacefully away from my prying human eyes. I smiled, turned back and let them be. As I started my journey back to the bustling city, I was glad that places like Naivasha Country Club exist so we can completely immerse ourselves in nature whenever we want.