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Safari in the city, visit the Emakoko, a boutique lodge in Nairobi’s National Park, Kenya
I am going to start off by talking about Nairobi National Park, Kenya’ s oldest park established in 1946 and the only place in the world where you have a busy capital city right next to a park teeming with wildlife, the park is only a short drive from Nairobi’s CBD. It proves an incredible place to take photos of the game with backdrops of the city skyline, 100 mammal species inhabit the park including black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffalo, giraffe and diverse birdlife. Nairobi National Park is also the site where in 1989 Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi burned twelve tonnes of ivory to improve Kenya’s conservation and wildlife protection image. Another historic ivory burning took place on the 30th April 2016 where the Kenyan government burnt another 105 tonnes of illegally seized Elephant and Rhino ivory, the largest ever stockpile of ivory in Africa, in the hopes to put the ivory beyond economic use and to end poaching.
The Emakoko is a boutique lodge set on the edge of the National Park, its proximity to Nairobi’s center makes it easy access from the city itself and the international and domestic airports. Nairobi residents frequent The Emakoko due to this fact of easy accessibility –a great weekend getaway. Emakoko is an owner run lodge, Emma and Anthony Childs live at the lodge with their small family and a great team of staff from all over Kenya. The Park is still under a huge amount of pressure and the lodge and organizations such as Friends of Nairobi National Park are committed to its protection. When staying you contribute to conservation and supporting the local community.
Consisting of only 10 rooms the lodge is exclusive, comfortable and luxurious the communal areas are both indoor and outdoor and there is also a lovely pool to sit next to and enjoy a drink. Five rooms are built on the main level and the other five are set up on the cliff, a bit of a climb but definitely worth it for the spectacular views and each room has its own private verandah to enjoy them from.
A boutique stocked with irresistible locally made treasures will surely grab your attention and the food varies from British, French, Thai, Indian and of course Swahili dishes and salads fresh from the garden too. Activities range from game drives, hiking, helicopter trips, white water rafting and because of Nairobi’s proximity activities like golfing and shopping too. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is nearby offering a special morning out to see the orphaned elephants and the amazing work that is being done at the trust.
It really is the perfect place to escape for a few days or for the start or end your safari in Kenya. Take your pick on how you will spend your days either combining city activities with safari ones or just enjoying the park and what it has to offer.