The hustle and bustle of Nairobi is far behind us by the time we alight at Mtito Andei for the connecting ride to Ngulia Lodge. Still, we cannot arrive fast enough at this little paradise in Taita Taveta county.
"You guys, get in the van; we will be late!" our tour guide, Mbulu Mutuku, shouts goodheartedly.
We are a group of journalists on a FAM trip to Tsavo courtesy of the Kenya Safari Lodges and Hotels (KSLH). Ngulia Lodge is on the West side of the national park.
This last leg of the journey is a long ride, characterised by dust, shrubs and savannah. On the way, we spot a tiny antelope species hopping about.
"Hawa ni dik dik," Mbulu says. "You cannot find them alone. All of them are paired. If you see one, then the other is right behind it."
In the distance, giraffes are feeding on the shrubs. Startled by our rush to take photos, the animals scamper for safety.
"You will find a better view when we get to the lodge," our guide says.
The 50km journey is lush, wild and harsh all at once. Dust from the dark, greyish soil coats our faces until it looks like we are from a makeup room.
However, the moment you get into the lodge that sits on the feet of the famous five sisters' hills, you are well and truly rewarded for your patience.
A waterhole is strategically located to attract wild animals, including the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino), offering tourists a vantage point to enjoy the view.
We find birds chirping and elephants roaming the area under the sweltering sun. Meanwhile, in the lodge, a blind masseuse oblivious to this beauty is pressing her customer's back with passion.
Marion Minayo's expression changes when she senses the presence of new clients who have just arrived.
With the adverse effects of Covid-19 ravaging the tourism and hospitality sector, Minayo is only too happy to see us.
"Karibuni!" the 30-year-old says, preparing her beds for the tired customers.
TOUCHING STORY
The way Minayo does her wonders puts us at ease. It is interesting to learn how she came to work at the lodge and how her journey has been over the years.
"One day I woke up in my home in Sabatia, Vihiga, and I felt a very intense headache. And as Africans, I just took normal painkillers to soothe the pain," she says, massaging her client.
"At the hospital, the doctors gave me medications and I was admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital for a month."
Three days after being discharged, Minayo started feeling sharp pains at the sides of her face.
"The next day, when I woke up, the house was in total darkness. I started asking myself if I had been sleep-walking or what," she says.
Minayo, who has been blind for 10 years, says she tried to reach the switch but could not.
"I then realised something was wrong. I could not see. The shock made me lock myself in my room. I did not come out for days," she says.
"I cried and felt lost. I felt like committing suicide. How could this happen to me? Afterwards, my parents and sister learnt about my condition."
Minayo took massage lessons at the Machakos School for the Blind.
"My sister was also a masseuse, so I admired her work. She encouraged me and told me I can do massage even with my condition," she says.
Minayo was taught the art of massage by a Japanese woman. "She is the one who linked me to Ngulia when I was looking for an internship. Fortunately, they hired me," she says.
She has now been working at the lodge for seven years.
"My daughter is my strength. She knows my condition and has been the best thing that ever happened to me," she says, and though her mouth is hidden by a mask, a smile shines through her eyes.
Minayo broke up with her boyfriend, the father of their nine-year-old girl.
"Immediately I learnt I was blind, I cut all ties with him because I knew that one way or another, he would leave me to go with another woman," she says.
"But as fate would have it, I realised after we broke up that I was pregnant and my girl is the product. He takes care of her."
The single mother says she does not desire to get married.
Immediately I learnt that I was blind, I cut all ties with him because I knew that one way or the other, he would leave me to go with another woman
COVID BLUES
The pandemic has been a tough time for Minayo at the hotel.
"There were no clients. In fact, before Covid-19, I used to get six in a day, while after that, I got around three when in luck," she says.
The popularisation of the BBI initiative was a boon to her. She got a steady stream of politicians as clients.
"This was like a jackpot. I massaged most of them here and they tipped me up to Sh10,000," she says.
KSLH sales and marketing manager Beatrice Muriithi says Minayo is the one who did a massage on her leg when she got hurt.
"She knows the exact points to massage. She massaged me in the morning and evenings and I felt better later," she says.
"She's a professional and very polite. I came to her at 7.30pm and she was happy to massage me that late.”
Beatrice says Minayo does not use her condition for favours.
"When she's working, you will not know she's blind because she knows where everything is in her massage spa," she says.
GAME DRIVE
Refreshed, we leave the hotel for a game drive. Having entered Tsavo at the Chyulu Gate, we watch klipspringers tiptoe across the mile-wide Shetani Lava Flow.
Shetani means ‘devil’ in Kiswahili. Kenya Wildlife Service sales manager Mathenge Matimu says the flows were formed hundreds of years ago.
"People did not understand what was happening because it was not an active volcanic mountain," Matimu says.
The vast expanse of folded black lava spreads for 50sq km. Matimu says the name 'Shetani' came from the Kamba community, who used to stay in the area.
"These people left one day for their usual work and later found this place cultivated. They started asking what had happened. So when someone would ask them, they would say it's the devil who cultivates the area," he says.
Animals cannot go to the Shetani area because the light, rocky pebbles are sharp and with pores, making them hard to tread on.
On the red dirt roads, crisscrossed by tracks and fresh dung piles of elephant herds, small groups of elephants are visible in every direction.
They move across a sea of thornbush and bare rust-red earth towards an impossibly distant horizon. They follow each other as they plan their next move.
Our tour guide Mbulu says Tsavo has always been a classic elephant country.
“That is why some years ago it became Kenya’s second national park. Here, it was hoped the herds might wander freely and at peace. But in the seventies and eighties, it became an elephant graveyard as poaching reduced their numbers from 44,000 to just 6,000,” he says.
Not too far, three oryx scud stare at our van with long horns that are laid back across their shoulders. And at one point, we pass more than 20 buffaloes grazing near the lodge.
MORE FLORA AND FAUNA
We park our van outside the Mzima springs. Mzima in English means ‘life’.
We venture towards them on foot despite a warning that we should not go beyond that area, reassured by the presence of our tour guide that it was currently safe to do so.
“The springs are replenished with 220 million litres of crystal-clear water every day,” KSLH general manager Joseph Ndunda says.
He gives a brief history and tells us we can see bluefish underwater. The invertebrates, which feed on hippo dung, are preyed on by fish and cormorants.
After the game drive, we proceed to Voi Safari Lodge in Tsavo East National Park. It is home to the Mudanda rock and some of the Big Five animals.
The massive 1.5km-long rocky outcrop is said to have been used by local tribes in the past for drying strips of meat and as a lookout.
“It serves as one of few spots in the park where visitors can have a walking safari, with its top giving 360° views of the park,” Mbulu says.
Beneath the rock is a natural dam, and a hippopotamus is wallowing inside it. We take our chances and pose for pictures a safe distance away.
Our trip is cut short by the darkness that has begun to engulf the area.
The lodge in itself offers a serene view in every corner, from the restaurant, the pool area and a tunnel for an intimate view of the elephants, buffalos, antelopes, warthogs and more at the watering hole.
We wrap our tour with a visit to the Mombasa beach hotel, cherishing the memories of the safari. Clearly, if you are looking for an adventure, you cannot be disappointed at the Ngulia lodge.
Ngulia Lodge and Voi Lodge room rates: Single is Sh9,500, double Sh14,000 and triple Sh18,000. This is on full-board basis (accommodation plus meals).
You can call 0794 671609 for bookings or email [email protected].
Edited by T Jalio
