Helicopters, Cheetahs, and Bloody Enormous Thorns
You may know me as the other pair of legs in the bathtub that accompanied Ash to Dubai and on her ‘Yes Woman’ Maasai experience. We both survived those adventures, I’m happy to say.
I’ve known Ash a long, long time (she won’t want me to say quite how long – we’re getting old you know), and we bring out the best and puniest in each other. When she asked me to write a guest post on her blog I was obviously honoured, but also a little nervous because I don’t have half the kind of adventurous travel life Ash has.
But then, I was in a helicopter perched perilously (in my opinion) on a rock overlooking Mount Kenya the other day, so… Guess I’ll start with that.
My lovely boyfriend’s family asked us to join them for a few days at the exclusive Enasoit game sanctuary, near Laikipia and Mount Kenya. So naturally we agreed, loaded up the car, and made the 4 hour drive to Enasoit while belting out Adele and Queen, as you do.
As soon as we arrived, I knew I would enjoy myself tremendously and feel right at home (as if my home was a super luxury lodge in the wilderness).
Enasoit Lodge
The sanctuary is absolutely stunning, and the lodge itself (which only takes up to 17 guests at a time) is luxury incarnate. The booze flows freely (as do fresh juices), the food is amazing, you can take yourself on safari, and lions sit grumbling outside your tent at night (it’s not their job but they like it).
It was pretty hard not to feel like I was impersonating royalty at this lodge, because that’s how you’re treated.
Free massages, a tea tray in bed, a swimming pool surrounded by a little Garden of Eden, and fluffy water bottles to keep you warm at night – along with anything else you might desire.
Plus there was this awesome wooden bathtub I could stick my legs out of – minus Ash sadly.
Safaris and Wildlife
Nestled in a private game sanctuary, Enasoit Lodge gives you the perfect opportunity to try out your animal tracking/safari guide skills. You can take a guide, or explore the area alone, as you have the sanctuary to yourself (along with the animals, who always have right of way!)
While there we saw the elusive African Wild Dogs, joined a herd of elephants as they searched for water, and were seriously outsmarted by a pride of lions (essentially led us on a wild goose chase through thorn trees, don’t ask).
However it wasn’t entirely necessary to leave the lodge to see wildlife – the watering hole by the mess tent attracted all manner of beasties, little and large.
The more human-friendly animals included Mbuni the Ostrich and Arigi the Cheetah, who are both resident at the lodge. While Arigi has an enclosure which she leaves with her Samburu companion to go walking and hunting, she refuses to do so without her canine best friend. At night she is visited by two completely wild male cheetahs who jump the fence – purring can be heard late into the night.
Bush Dinner
As a special treat, we were surprised with dinner out in the bush. We arrived at the beautiful setting of our bush dinner at twilight, with enough time to take a few silly photos straddling the rock before sitting down to eat.
With an unmatchable blanket of stars above us, we enjoyed incredible food that you would never know was prepared in the back of a jeep. We were eventually encouraged to leave as the rumble of lions on the prowl came ever closer, but we took our sweet time about it (even with the looming danger of being mauled).
Helicopter Sundowners
As an even more special treat, we were taken by helicopter to have sundowners on Enasoit Rock.
Never having been in a helicopter before (I fear flying things – planes and wasps alike) it was a scary but thrilling experience to lift off and seemingly float over to the little perch where we enjoyed our drinks while admiring the beautiful scenery.
It also made a stunning backdrop for super overly romantic photos!
So, if you’re ever in the area and want to be treated like royalty while entertaining the risk of being mauled by a lion or stepping on a giant thorn, Enasoit is the place for you!
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