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Aberdares, Sweetwaters Nature Reserve, Mt Kenya & Meru National Park |
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SERENA MOUNTAIN LODGE - MOUNT KENYA:
The only ‘tree hotel’ ever to be built on the slopes of Kenya’s legendary Mount Kenya, Mountain Lodge offers a matchless game viewing opportunity whilst combining a glorious panorama of mountain vistas with the primordial splendours of an ancient rainforest. Floating 2,195 m high on the flanks of Kenya’s highest mountain and secreted deep within her largest forest reserve, the lodge offers not only the champagne-clarity of mountain air, the tranquility of the forest and a colourful cavalcade of wildlife but also the chance of scaling the icy peaks of Africa’s second-highest mountain.
Guests can also awake to the trumpeting of elephant, fall asleep to the symphony of the African night or sit in stillness and observe the fascinating interplay of the animals as they arrive to drink, bathe, spar and forage around the water hole. Finally, they can venture down to the secret viewing hide by the water’s edge and experience the awesome thrill of being only meters away from some of the most massive beasts on earth.
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The Lodge
Sailing like an ark above the rainforest’s waxy-green canopy, the first sight of Mountain Lodge sets the scene for the experience to come and provides a dramatic climax to the tantalizing approach up the lower slopes. A timbered drawbridge leads from a winding path in the depths of the rainforest, over a moat of sun-dappled jungle and up on to the wooden ‘decks’ of the forest-green, timbered lodge. Inside, the impression of having boarded a ship is perpetuated by a combination of log panelled walls, timbered game-viewing decks and winding stairs leading to a selection of snugly comfortable, cabin-styled rooms. Cool, tranquil and hushed for optimum game-sightings, the open-air viewing-deck looks down onto the endlessly shifting scenes of the wildlife theatre that troops and teems around the salt lick and waterhole below. |
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Come evening, the softly glowing lamps and warmly upholstered arm-chairs allow for optimum night-viewing whilst for those in search of a really close wildlife encounter, a special ‘hide’ has been built at the water hole’s edge delivering once-in-a-lifetime closeness to some of the world’s rarest animals. Inside, the cosily-welcoming bar centres on a glowing fire and has been tastefully decorated with traditional Kikuyu handicrafts and a series of sepia prints depicting the traditional Kikuyu way of life.
The brightly renovated rooms, meanwhile, feature thick-pile locally woven rugs and wall-hangings, whilst the décor has been designed to provide glowing warmth and fireside comfort against the evening chill of this unique tropical mountain environment.
Guest Services & Amenities:
* Individually tailored forest trails, moorland hikes and mountain climbs;
* A private water hole and salt lick, which acts as a magnet for the region’s wildlife - especially elephant;
* Post mountain-climbing herbal massages;
* Extensively stocked Africana Gift Shop;
* Relaxing beauty treatments, manicures and pedicures;
* Full housekeeping services (hot water bottles, laundry, shoeshine etc);
* Forex facilities;
* Full medical back-up and emergency evacuation facilities;
* All weather airstrip and well-maintained road network;
* A wide range of board games plus a full library of books on Africa;
* Express check-in and check-out facilities.
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Dining
The traditionally timbered dining room is surrounded by windows and has been built on stilts so as to seemingly float above the liana-strung forest whilst commanding enchanting views over this primeval environment. The menu has been planned to offer a blend of traditionally hearty safari favourites, spicy ethnic cuisine, crisp salads and internationally-themed dishes. |
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Activities:
* The chance of a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ climb to the glacial glades and jade-green tarns of Mount Kenya’s mythical Lenana Peak.
* Exploration of the forest and moorlands via a series of 4km trails that can be tailored to suit the fitness levels of the party.
* ‘Sundowners’ on the hushed, timbered game-viewing deck overlooking the water hole where cavalcades of buffalo, elephant and other wildlife come to drink.
* Exclusive trout fishing in the crystal streams and tarns of the mountain.
* A lamp-lit, safari-dinner, ‘under canvas’ and high on the roof of the lodge.
* Safari tea in a forest glade whilst following the winding paths of the Rainforest Nature Trail in the company of the resident naturalist.
* 'Wildlife and Mountain Wilderness’ talks and slide-shows by the resident naturalist.
* Kikuyu dancing and cultural displays.
* Walking in the forest (accompanied by our resident naturalist).
* A 20-kilometre hike through the bamboo-covered slopes of Mount Kenya to 3,600m.
* A five-day round-trip trek to Lenana Point, close to the summit of Mount Kenya.
* Trout fishing in the crystal-clear mountain streams.
* Game-spotting and wildlife observation by the water hole and salt lick. |
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Climbing God's Mountain:
An extinct volcano, some three and a half million years old with permanently snow-covered, ice-shattered peaks, Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa after Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. There are four main routes of ascent, the Naro Moru trail, the Burguret and Sirimon trails and the Chogoria trail and, whilst the icy peaks of Batian (5199m) and Nelion (5,189m) are accessible only to experienced mountaineers, Point Lenana (4,985m) can be conquered by anyone who is reasonably fit. In fact, the task has been made considerably easier thanks to Serena Hotels and the Kenya Wildlife Service who have recently cooperated to pioneer a new climbing route, which offers maximum adventure, panorama and enjoyment and minimal hardship.
Depending upon the weather conditions and the fitness level of the climbing party, the trip takes approximately 3 days in ascent and 2 days in descent and is led by a team of experienced mountaineers and naturalists who remain in constant radio contact with the Lodge. Mountain accommodation is provided in the form of ready-pitched camps of comfortable and fully-equipped high-altitude tents (or alternatively, bunk-houses) whilst the food, provided daily by the hotel, will include tasty packed lunches, hot drinks, fortifying snacks and individually presented supper menus. Upon arrival at Lenana Point guests will also be met with hot drinks, biscuits and brandy before being transported back down the mountain to a celebratory dinner at the hotel. There's also just lazing by the pool, taking in some sun and looking out over the aquamarine reaches of the Indian Ocean.
Corporate under Canvas:
If your company is planning a seminar or conference, then why not break with tradition, throw out the rulebook and step out of your world…and into ours. We can organise a unique conference that enjoys the support of our state-of-the-art facilities, world-class catering, unique leisure options and luxury accommodation – the only difference is, that at the end of a hard day’s business you won’t be braving the traffic, you’ll be braving the bush.
As for incentives, Africa has it all: from tailor-made safaris to a range of high profile travel options that can take your high-achievers: up Mount Kenya, down into the coral gardens of the coast, out into the wilds of Amboseli or deep into the depths of a primeval forest. We can also orchestrate such customized extras as: unique African gifts, private bush barbecues, breakfasts and dinners and themed wildlife talks and cultural interaction. So, why not break out of the boardroom. And broker business in the Bush?
Communicating Under Canvas:
According to the true Africa aficionados, under canvas is the only way to experience the bush. It’s also the time-honoured preference of such trailblazers as Livingstone, Hemingway and legendary ‘great white hunter’, Denis Finch Hatton.
At Serena Hotels, though, we’ve taken this concept one step further and put corporate communication under canvas. Imagine it, no more stuffy boardrooms, packed lifts, gridlocked traffic and turgid lunches. Instead your corporate itinerary can focus around a newly created tented venue that has been innovatively constructed high on the roof of the lodge commanding panoramic views over the verdant canopy of the forest towards the glittering peaks of Kenya’s highest mountain.
Cut loose and Communicate Under Canvas:
The Mountain Lodge ‘Under Canvas’ Conference Area can accommodate 20 guests, ‘theatre-style’ in each of it’s two tented roof-top facilities and offers a separate seminar suite within the hotel.
State-of-the-art presentation facilities:
To include: A full selection of overhead, slide projector, screen, TV-video and video conference equipment.
Full Conference organisation service:
To include: badges, registration desks, delegate packs, delegate services, specialist delegate gifts, secretarial back up and communication links, tailor-made itineraries, private safaris and individually planned and themed menus.
A full range of imaginative incentive packages and fully tailored accommodation packages is also available.
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Mount Kenya Weddings and Honeymoons:
If you’d like to say ‘I do’ on the slopes of Kenya’s most famous mountain and create the magic of your honeymoon in the depths of one of the last surviving rainforests on earth, then why not get married at Mountain Lodge?
It is not only that you’ll be guaranteed a beautiful day, a wedding supper in traditional safari style and the chance to end your special day in the indigo stillness of an African night, but also that all you’ll have to do on the day, is enjoy it. We do the rest. As to formalities; from registrar to certificate, cake to champagne, all will be arranged and when it comes to flowers, Kenya grows some of the finest blooms in the world. Tempted? If so, provide passports, birth certificates and an affidavit to prove that you are both single and … say yes at Mountain Lodge.
Options Include:
- Wedding ceremony and reception’ under canvas’ on the roof of the lodge.
- Sumptuous floral arrangements, bouquets and buttonholes
- Private candle-lit honeymoon dinner for two
- Luxurious honeymoon Suite supplied with forest fruits and chilled champagne
- Photography and videoing of your special day.
- Special accommodation packages for the entire wedding party.
Special Occasions:
At Serena Mountain Lodge, we have the experience, the team and the equipment to cater for a wide range of private functions, receptions, parties and formal events. We are also adept in making your special occasion not merely memorable, but entirely unique.
Services include:
- Individually themed ‘Safari-style’ menus
- Unique rooftop ‘Under Canvas’ receptions and cocktails
- Floral decorations or culturally/colour coordinated style themes
- Individually styled guest gifts.
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Reservations and Enquiries |
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MOUNT KENYA:
Mount Kenya plays a crucial role in the life of the country being Kenya's single most important permanent watershed and her largest forest reserve. The fertile soils of its lower slopes also sustain the growth of the nation's richest farmlands whilst much of its vegetation is globally unique. In recent years, however, the Mountain has suffered greatly from the adverse effects of deforestation, resulting in large tracts of its lower slopes being entirely denuded of trees and occupied by squatters. And, although much of the vast forest cover remains intact, the growing demand for timber (Kenya's staple construction and fuel source) threatens to lead to even more serious deforestation and subsequent soil erosion.
Over half of Africa's forests have been destroyed, in this century alone, by means as varied as illegal logging, charcoal burning, agricultural encroachment, 'land grabbing' and the unscheduled de-gazetting of supposedly protected forest areas. Indeed recent estimates state that only 2.9% of Kenya's original forest cover still exists. There is also evidence that not only is the water-catchment area suffering, but also that the montane glaciers have shrunk so rapidly over the last 20 years that some of them have completely disappeared. Finally the popularity of trekking and hiking holidays on the mountain is placing enormous pressure on the natural environment thanks to the attendant ills of tourist refuse, forest fires, feeding wildlife, off-road driving and erosion of climbing routes.
The People of Mount Kenya:
Mount Kenya represents the ancestral home and heartland of the Bantu-speaking Kikuyu people, Kenya's largest ethnic group. Heavily influential throughout Kenya's history, the Kikuyu were instrumental in leading the fight for independence, provided the country with its first President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and have forced the pace of all subsequent political developments. The original Kikuyu are thought to have migrated from the east and north-east of the continent in the 16th century. Because land was the dominant factor in their social, political, religious and economic life, however, this brought them into conflict first with the Maasai and then with the European settlers, who seized large tracts of their territory. That said, the Kikuyu have adapted to the challenges of Western culture more successfully than any other tribe and are enlightened businessmen and successful and progressive farmers who grow coffee, tea, pyrethrum horticultural crops, vegetables and flowers for the export market.
Traditionally the Kikuyu have always believed that Ngai's (God's) most frequent resting place is on 'Kirinyaga' or Mount Kenya and although Christianity has altered these beliefs there are still many churchgoers who maintain that their ancestors control their destiny thanks to their closeness to 'Ngai'. Today the Kikuyu remain at the forefront of Kenyan development as both successful business people and formidable politicians.
Climate July to August marks the Kenyan winter. Broadly speaking, January-February is dry. March-May is wet. June-September is dry. October-December is wet, the rains passing in time for Christmas.
Climbing Mount Kenya:
An extinct volcano, some three and a half million years old with permanently snow-covered, ice-shattered peaks, Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa after Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. There are four main routes of ascent, the Naro Moru trail, the Burguret and Sirimon trails and the Chogoria trail and, whilst the icy peaks of Batian (5199m) and Nelion (5,189m) are accessible only to experienced mountaineers, Point Lenana (4,985m) can be conquered by anyone who is reasonably fit. In fact, the task has been made considerably easier thanks to Serena Hotels and the Kenya Wildlife Service who have recently cooperated to pioneer a new climbing route, which offers maximum adventure, panorama and enjoyment and minimal hardship.
Depending upon the weather conditions and the fitness level of the climbing party, the trip takes approximately 3 days in ascent and 2 days in descent and is led by a team of experienced mountaineers and naturalists who remain in constant radio contact with the Lodge. Mountain accommodation is provided in the form of ready-pitched camps of comfortable and fully-equipped high-altitude tents (or alternatively, bunk-houses) whilst the food, provided daily by the hotel, will include tasty packed lunches, hot drinks, fortifying snacks and individually presented supper menus. Upon arrival at Lenana Point guests will also be met with hot drinks, biscuits and brandy before being transported back down the mountain to a celebratory dinner at the hotel. There's also just lazing by the pool, taking in some sun and looking out over the aquamarine reaches of the Indian Ocean.
Mt Kenya Forest:
Mt Kenya, Africa's second highest peak is regarded as the realm of Ngai, god of the local Kikuyu people. Traditionally, all Kikuyu homes were built to face this sacred peak. They call it Kirinyaga, or place of light.
The mountain itself is an awe-inspiring sight with its ragged peaks, and equatorial snow. But the Mountain is surrounded by a belt of verdant forest that is an equally fascinating destination.
While the 5199 metre summit is a difficult technical climb, the lesser peak of Point Lenana (4985m) can be easily reached by any fit trekker. This trek takes between 3 and 5 days, through a fascinating world of forests, wildlife, unique montane vegetation including podocarpus and grounsel, and finally one of the worlds rarest sights, equatorial snow.
For those who don't want to climb the Mountain the cool highlands that surround its base are well worth a visit. The forests are ideal for game viewing, and there are crystal clear mountain streams that are the perfect place to land a Trout.....
Part of the mountain's fascination is the variation in flora, including Giant Groundsel and Lobelia, and fauna as the altitude changes. The lower slopes are covered with dry upland forest, the true montaine (mountain) forest begins at 2,000m is mainly cedar and podo. At 2,500m begins a dense belt of bamboo forest which merges into the upperforest of smaller trees, interspersed with glades. In this area the trees are festooned with high altitude lichen.
These forest belts are host to many different animals and plants with at least 11 unique species. Game to view includes: Black and White Colobus and Sykes Monkeys, bushbuck, Rock and rock Hyrax, Greater galago, white tailed, buffalo, elephant and lower down Olive Baboon, waterbuck, Black Rhino, black fronted duikers, leopard, giant forest hog, genet cat, bush pig and hyena. More elusive is the bongo, a rare type of forest antelope.
A number of other rarer species can be found here: Suni Antelope, Mt. Kenya Mole Rat, skinks (lizard), Montane Viper and a variety of owls. Occasional sightings have been recorded of albino zebra.
Birds are not abundant in the forest. But you can find Crowned hawk eagle and the Jackson's francolin. Rarely you can find the Abyssinian long-eared owl. Birds seen form the lodge include; Green ibis, African black duck, Ayres' hawk eagle, Rufous-breasted and great sparrow hawks, Scaly francolin, Silvery-cheeked hornbill, Hartlaubs turaco, red headed parrot, bronze-naped pigeon, Mackinder's eagle owl, Rupells robin chat.
There are two species of giant Lobelias; the narrow, featherly-leafed lobelia telekii and the broad-leafed lobelia keniensis which are a favourite of sunbirds for their half hidden blossoms or the thin shelled snails that make their home there. Plants also include crocus-like flower; Romuela keniensis, two terrestrial orchids - a Disa and a Habenaria, and an orange flowered gladiolus,Gladiolus Watsonioides.
The high altitude heath at the top (3,000 - 3,5000m) is generally open, dotted with shrubs: African Sage, protea and helichrysum. The peak (above 3,500m) is moorland, with little game other than high altitude zebra and eland, common in the northern moorland.
Mount Kenya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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