Nanyuki

Nanyuki is a quiet and cosy little town at the foot of Mt. Kenya.

Albeit small, the place a strong international presence. It is clean and well-kept, with high-quality facilities and good infrastructure.

The Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy is just a short car ride away from the town, with a stunning wildlife density and diversity.  With Mount Kenya as a backdrop, game drives become an even more spectacular experience.

Gateway to Mount Kenya

Nanyuki is also immediately adjacent to the Mount Kenya National Park, and and a gateway for those climbing the mountain.

While the mountain climbing project will have to wait until later this year, we definitely didn’t miss out on the game driving during the short Easter break.  My new Nissan X-Trail was just begging to make its game drive debut, so how could I disappoint it?

The ride from Nairobi was smooth using the new Thika Superhighway. After the end of the highway, the road is still good, so travellers can brace themselves for a pleasant ride, with beautiful sceneries.

Things tend to be fully booked quite a bit in advance for Easter. That included all of the lodges in the area. Hence, we ended up at Kongoni Camp, a simple but pleasant hotel with a cuisine two leagues above the rooms. Their service may not be the fastest, but the food is worth waiting for.

Ol Pejeta

The Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy is accessed through a 30 minute car ride, first on a potholed road past a military base, then a dusty rough road. Once you get there, brace yourself for an exciting wildlife experience, as this park has all the big 5, as well as a Maasai Mara-like density of wild animals.

The Serena Sweetwaters Camp, located in the middle of the conservancy, offers a nice opportunity for a lunch break. Relatively expensive after Kenyan standards, but at least Serena will never disappoint with their food.

Nanyuki is also a natural departure point for climbing Mount Kenya (one of those things still on my to-do list). Hopefully, my next post about the town will be a narrative about a trek to the top.

Mountain trout – a signature of Nanyuki

A tasty feature of the north-western part of the Mt. Kenya region is the mountain trout – a local delicacy available in many of the restaurants in the area.  No visit to Nanyuki is complete without it! The Trout Tree Restaurant may be a long and bumpy ride off the main road, but that is a price worth paying!

As we were not in a great hurry when returning to Nairobi, we decided to do a little detour, around the north side of Mt. Kenya, through Meru and Embu.  The beautiful sceneries, with vast farm fields and green, lush hills and valleys, added some splendid sightseeing to what was already a great Easter trip.

My Pictures from Kenya’s National Parks

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