“Get ready. You’re going to Tsavo and Ngutuni Lodge “.
I took my laptop as I wanted to know where I was going and what Ngutuni lodge looks like. I like always to be prepared. Which camera, which lenses. Well, didn’t really found a lot. Hey that’s the charm of safari and life in Africa. Always be ready for unplanned surprises. Each safari is different. There are no two same safaris. You can go fifty times to the same place, but each time will be different.
3 HOURS DRIVE FROM MOMBASA AND IT’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Tsavo National Park is the closest park to Mombasa the coastal tourism hub. Guest and visitors just love to combine beach & bush. Tsavo National park is often chosen destination due to the vicinity .
Only 3 hours very pleasant ride in comfortable Land Cruiser in the direction to Tsavo East National park followed by beautiful colors of African dawn we reached the entrance of Ngutuni private game sanctuary. Immediately we were greeted by a giraffes who enjoyed the sunrise and early breakfast. Sprawled in open grassland with the Sagala Hills standing tall in the background, a private sanctuary that covers an area of 10,000 acres bordered by Tsavo East National Park on three sides. Truly beautiful landscapes. Very promising impressions for now.
We arrived. There is a small flight of steps at the entrance to the property (approx 6 steps) and I was in a large central lounge, bar and restaurant area. Warm welcome from management and other staff with a scented, warm towel and a welcome cold drink. A couple of steps more at extremely clean, polished shiny wooden floor leads to the spectacular view over the endless savannah of Tsavo East. And water hole. I grabbed an excellent Kenyan coffee, sat back comfortably as I’m in the movie theater. Or more like my own living room with an open window into the wild. “Certainly elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, gonna come to satisfy their thirst “ thinking out loud very happy to see what was in front of me. While clouds on the crystal blue sky play their game in order to attract my attention to.
PERFECT UNDISTURBED GAME VIEWING
I went to see my room where the luggage was already waiting. Spacious and clean, big and bright decorated in colors that blend with the natural. The bathroom is also equipped with everything a normal person needs. I opened the door and quietly, calmly sat enjoying the scene from my private balcony. A herd of buffaloes just arrived to water hole for a swim and refreshments at about 50 meters from where i was…
I would not be me if I had not explored every corner of the lodge. Extremely wise concept. All 48 bedrooms are set in four two-story blocks of 12 rooms each and are situated on either side of a large central lounge, bar and dinning area. The buildings are elevated and provide panoramic views over the endless savannah of Tsavo East. So, no complaints please. Every guest has the same view. The entire lodge is built with timber poles and thatched roofs with a warm eco-friendly ambience that surprisingly combines all the comforts you may need. Families will find the 8 interconnecting rooms very convenient. The wooden balcony, your private one also has a seating arrangement and faces the watering hole.
Very friendly staff was at my disposal for any request. Every meal in the lodge was very tasty and freshly prepared, While I was enjoying the culinary delights surrounded by views I kept looking to the inviting water hole not to miss any new thirsty guest. But Ngutuni lodge has more positive aspects and pluses. Conveniently situated some 15 minutes from Tsavo East National Park main gate and about half an hour from Tsavo West National Park and the Taita Hills Game Reserve. It is ideal base from which you can visit these excellent attractions, on easy excursions, returning to the comfort and privacy at the lodge. You can enjoy watching animals through the night from the privacy of your balcony as. This area light up at night. Morning and afternoon game drives in the sanctuary include riverside circuits beside the Voi River, Ngutuni Hill with its view point and onwards into Tsavo east National Park. Herds of elephants, famous “red elephant”, lions, antelopes, gazelles, giraffes, birds, you can also see warthogs, elands, waterbuck and many more …
YOU MADE A GREAT CHOICE
After a delicious dinner, filled with a serenity it was time to rest. The animals are very active at night so it’s hard to leave the view on the illuminated water whole. The sounds of the nights in savannah are something special i really love. I left the curtains open just in case not miss some night or early morning wild visitors. I got woken up by the sound of the African dawn. It was still pretty dark outside. I only saw out of the corner of my eye some silhouettes slowly approaching the water hole. I stormed out on my private balcony, sat quietly and silently watched. Golden dawn mixed with a silhouette of a herd of elephants slowly arriving on the water hole. What a magic. They are gone. After them, another large herd of buffaloes. Without a smallest sound, silently, as they know that guests are still asleep. Slowly one after the other they were lost from sight.
What a start of the day! I went to grab my first morning coffee when i found a friend, a guest from a big group from Croatia silently sitting at the porch. I put my hand on his shoulder :” Did you see them?” “Hey, Petka this is the most beautiful thing I have experienced. I can’t find the words to describe it. ” Silence. The scenes he has witnessed moved him to tears. ” To see, to experience this is the end of the world. Thank you. This is the best start of our first visit to Africa. This is magic. “
It is. And you will feel it when you visit Kenya and Ngutuni Lodge.
