The Emakoko Lodge

The Emakoko is a family-owned and run lodge artfully built into the side of a valley on the Mbagathi River, which borders the Nairobi National Park a 45 minute transfer from both airports in Nairobi City.

The Emakoko allows people to start and finish their safari in the wildlife environment they have travelled so far to enjoy.

The concept for The Emakoko was born in 2009. Anthony & Emma Childs who have lived in Kenya all their lives felt that the safari experience for most guest was tainted by their arrivals and departures from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.

Transfers from the airport to Nairobi National hotels can take anything from one to three hours due to terrible traffic. It made no sense that every visitor into the country was driving around a very unique game park in order to get to their destination.

For many Nairobians, Nairobi National Park is a fantastic refuge from the hustle and bustle of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Over the years the Nairobi National Park, although not a particularly large park compared to many in Kenya, has become to a huge number of wildlife species. A natural wildlife habitat next to a capital city is unique and it seemed obvious that using the park would be a great way to start how one meant to go on.

The  Emakoko allows people to start and finish their safari in the wildlife environment they have travelled so far to enjoy. Within 15 minutes of clearing customs they can be viewing game in Nairobi National Park. The only ”transfer” delays likely to be encountered route to or from The Emakoko are the natural pauses to watch a pride of Lions or waiting for Rhino or journey of  Giraffe to cross the road.

The beautifully appointed rooms look out over the game park so one can fall asleep to the sounds of Africa, a lion roaring or the cry of a lone hyena, an amazing contrast to the sounds of traffic, ambulances, fire engines and dogs barking which are the normal sound of any sleeping city.

There are five rooms on the same level as the main areas and a further five rooms with the most  spectacular views positioned on top of the cliff, overlooking the valley.

The Emakoko boutique offers a wealth of treasures all locally crafted in Kenya. The shop is also one of the main Africa Adorned (Jewellery  Ltd) outlets; Africa Adorned is the unique collection of original yet traditional timeless jewellery, designed by Lippa Wood and Joanna Garner and hand made in the Maasai Mara supporting the local communities.  

The Emakoko is situated on the Nairobi park boundary and we have directed access into the park, this is where all our game drives take place. The Emakoko has 4 Toyota Land cruisers, converted especially for game viewing. Our guides are also KPSGA qualified and have a huge amount of knowledge on the flora and fauna in the area. Nairobi National Park is famous for its very healthy black Rhino population and is renowned for very close encounters with lions.

Nairobi National Park is manage by the Kenya Wildlife Service ( KWS ) who along with the Kitengela  Landowners association ( KLA) distribute some of the park’s revenues for community projects in the area. There are many issues wildlife predation on domestic livestock, and the KLA and KWS have an enormous task of managing human / wildlife conflicts. By visiting Emakoko, one contributes directly to this revenue which is instrumental in looking after both the community and the park. The Emakoko has supported the local community  with the ‘lion lighting schemes’ which is one way in which predators have been deterred from attacking the community Bomas. To date we have ‘lit up’ 8 Bomas in the area and so far so good!

The Athi –Kapiti plains which border Nairobi National Park, is the home to the nomadic Maasai tribe.

Unfortunately the traditional pastoralist lifestyle of Maasai in the area is under threat due to the encroachment of Nairobi’s urban ‘sprawl’. The Maasai are now feeling the pressure of a new cash driven society buying up pastoral land and pressures to abandon tradition are great. Fortunately  the Maasai in our area have yet to be touched by the new urban wave and this is something that we would like to maintain. There are various projects in the area initiated by The Emakoko and as visitors to the logde we encourage our guest to participate.    

WORLD – CLASS WATERS

Kenya currently has 6 World Heritage Sites. The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley is one, Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Lamu Old Town, the sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forest, Lake Turkana National Parks and Mount Kenya National Park and Natural Forest.

Officially known as the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, the new World Heritage Site consists of the three interlinked, relatively shallow lakes of Bogoria, Nakuru and Elementaita. Not only do these water wonderlands ooze natural beauty, but they are also home to 13 globally threatened bird species and some of the highest levels of avian diversity in the world. The World Heritage site is the single most important foraging site for the lesser flamingo and a major nesting and breeding ground for great white pelicans.

Bird Life International, Nature Kenya, the National Museum of Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service worked on a study of the importance of the Kenya Lake System which was used in the Kenya Government’s submission to UNESCO. The Kenya Rift Lakes is a major inscription for UNESCO and a powerful stepping stone for the conservation of the whole of the Great Rift Valley.

All three lakes regularly support large foraging populations of lesser flamingos, sometimes reaching two million at Lake Bogoria, which at times also supports the highest population of greater flamingo in the entire Great Rift Valley chain of alkaline lakes. Lake Elementaita is a key breeding site for the great white pelican, with over 8000 breeding pairs, the largest in Africa. In total, more than 400 species of the birds have been recorded on and around the lakes, including over 50 Palaearctic migrant species.

Due to its importance as a migratory corridor for millions of birds, Bird Life is pressing for the entire African segment of the Great Rift Valley to be recognized as a World Heritage Site – with Lake Natron in Tanzania being given special consideration since it is the breeding site of all the lesser flamingos in East Africa.

CULTURAL GETAWAY: ZANZIBAR STONE TOWN

The adage that a traveler is never lost, only discovering new places, might not be especially comforting were you to take a critical wrong turn deep in the Congolese rainforest. But it’s a sensible guiding philosophy in the convoluted depths of stone town, the atmospheric enclave of traditional Swahili architecture that forms the historic and cultural heart of Zanzibar Island. Run through by a sprawling knot of winding alleys, most too narrow to carry any traffic wider than a donkey cart.

Stone Town is the sort of urban labyrinth where you could spend an hour walking aimlessly in contorted polygons, only to emerge a hundred metres or so from where you originally entered. The Island of Zanzibar, situated off Tanzania, is widely recognized as a beach idyll of note. But it is given a more singular dimension by its fascinating historical pedigree.

Zanzibar emerged as a centre of Swahili maritime trade perhaps 1000 years ago, and peaked in significance in the 19^thcentury as the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. This historical legacy is tangible all over the island, from the lavish Persian baths that lie disused among the clove plantations of the interior, to the crumbling beachfront palaces that once accommodated wealthy sultanas.

But the island’s greatest concentration of historic Zanzibar buildings lies in the old Stone Town. These range from the Omani Fort, constructed in 1698 around the walls of a 16^th century Portuguese church, to a massive Anglican Cathedral built in the 1870’s over the site of the once notorious slave market, as well as various waterfront palaces and the houses where Livingstone and Stanley resided during their Zanzibari sojourns. Far more moving and absorbing than any individual building, however, is the distinct sense of palace and antiquity that pervades Stone Town’s timeworn alleys-qualities almost as tangible as the aromatic cocktail of spiced coffee, Swahili home cooking and the market stalls piled high with cloves that wafts through the sticky tropical air. Zanzibar is ideally suited for combining animals viewing, scuba diving, snorkelling, spice plantations tour, historical palaces tour, a visit to the market and relaxing at the beach.