Of Beautiful Cows & Fly Camping at El Karama Lodge!

 

Are you craving a sunny escape? 🙂 Grab your hot cup of Cocoa and let’s escape into the bright, sunshiny arms of El Karama Eco Lodge, in Laikipia East!  😀

 

As promised, today on our #DestinationLaikipia Series we explore the rich offerings of Laikipia East with TJ (the_mentalyst), Mutua Matheka (Truth Slinger) Rachel (Safari 254) and Josh Kisamwa.

 

 

We spent our first day in Laikipia playing with graceful Llamas and maze-running at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club…

 

 

Day 2: Into The Wild…

After hitting up Cedar Mall for supplies, we left Nanyuki and all civilization behind, in great anticipation of Laikipia East. 🙂

The drive to El Karama Ranch was nice and leisurely, promptly  getting immersed in Mother Nature’s gifts…

 

Travel Tip:

• A 4-wheel drive vehicle is most ideal to conquer the rough roads leading up to the lodge…
• Grab a Map of Laikipia from the local tourism shop in Nanyuki for navigation, to El Karama Eco-Lodge as connectivity for Google Maps will be limited

 

 

What To Expect: El Karama Eco-Lodge

El Karama Ranch has been in the Grant family since 1963, and sits on 14,000 acres of prime land. It’s about a 4-5 hours’ drive from Nairobi.

Joseph, their Head Guide gave us a nice welcome & tour. You get a true sense of being in the wild, as they’ve done little to disturb nature in creating El Karama Lodge.

Located by banks of River Ewaso Nyiro, you’ll love the calming sounds of water echoing through…

 

They have 6 cottages or ‘bandas’ made of stone, thatch and canvas. The Lodge is adorned with beautiful artworks, some produced locally by their neighbouring community.

 

 

Gorgeous Cows For Days!

While lunch was cooking, Joseph showed us to El Karama’s Dairy & upcoming Bio-gas Project, a short drive away.

 

Here, we met the most beautiful cows I’ve ever seen! Their deep, brown hues gleaming in the warm, afternoon light were dazzling! 🙂

 

One cow caught our attention, Miss #3158. 😀 She takes her head-grooming job very seriously!

We laughed our heads off as she went from one cow to the next, grooming them with her tongue. 😀

Le Culprit… #3158 🙂

 

They keep a total of 50 bulls,  17 cows & 17 calves.

That clean, healthy look they have going on is no coincidence! The cows are on a steady, nutritious diet of hay and barley. 😀

Milked twice a day by machine, each cow gives about 15-20 Liters of milk.

Tip: Keep some distance; these raging beauties will not hesitate to ‘shower’ you, on their frequent ‘bathroom breaks’. 😀

 

Apparently, El Karama Eco Lodge is the only lodge with pure Sahiwal, a breed of Zebu cattle. Sahiwals are well-suited to dry areas and give more milk than the Borana breed.

As their Bio-gas project is still Work-in-progress, they recycle waste as manure for their organic garden.

We ran into these lovely beasts grazing freely on our way back…

 

 

Master Chef: A Lunch To Remember

At the Lodge, a delightful scent pulled us into the kitchen. We found Isaac, their Head-Chef, making his finishing touches…

Isaac is like a Master Chef of sorts! Trained in-house by a Maasai, he enjoys cooking up creative recipes with fresh herbs. 🙂

 

And, oh how the food looked scrumptious! 😀

 

I think Josh and Rachel enjoyed it the most, esp. the fresh bread & salads! From that point on, El Karama became the place to beat on their refined palates. 🙂

 

 

A Taste Of Fly Camping!

Hoping to catch sunset shots and taste of El Karama’s vast wildlife, we took off on a late, evening game drive.

 

 

Night quickly crept upon us… leading up to a Fly Camping site, lit up tastefully with lamps.

Fly camping is excellent for true adventure lovers. It’s a great way to experience the wild, under the star-studded skies.

The tents are suspended in the air and fastened to trees with firm ropes. They provide a comfortable mattress, so it’s like you are in bed, except it’s hanging in the air. 🙂

Mutua captured these surreal long exposure shots…

 

There’s something about being in the bush at night that makes my skin crawl. Mental visions of a lion leaping out of nowhere & dragging one of us mercilessly into the darkness…

I don’t know if the rest noticed, but I hang close the entire time. (Don’t judge, we all know how horror movies go.) Hehe 😀

Lucky for me, we spent the night back at the lodge, with the calming sounds of the river lulling us to sleep. 🙂

 

Travel Tips:

• El Karama is a perfect escape with friends & family. They have kids’ activities like sculpting with clay.
• Try a walking Safari or a bush meal for a unique experience…
• Pack a pair or two, of closed, comfortable shoes, a hat & sunscreen
• Request for information about complimentary activities like the day trips to neighboring Conservancies

 

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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS:

Josh Kisamwa

Tj (the_mentalyst)

Mutua Matheka (Truth Slinger)

&

Marion Mithamo

 

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I appreciate you for sticking to the end!! 😉 I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments, questions or input down below! 😀

Until the next adventure, keep warm & stay safe! 🙂

 

<<Stay. Inspired. Always>>