Loldia House: the colonial farmhouse overlooking Lake Naivasha

Loldia House is an old farm ranch on the shores of Lake Naivasha, the biggest lake in the Great Rift Valley and a birdwatcher’s paradise. Guests love Loldia because it’s a very quiet, tranquil place where you can relax and simply enjoy the beauty of the lake with views of Mount Longonot in the background. Our ranch lies on a conservancy that stretches over 6,500 acres, from the lake shore where hippos graze after dark to the edge of Eburu Forest, where we’ve just discovered endangered mountain bongos.

Originally built in 1939, the property has a long colonial history and was established by boar trekkers who travelled up from South Africa. The home has been refurbished since but has kept its classic, elegant design. You’ll either stay in the main farmhouse or in one of the en-suite cottages dotted around the grounds, where you can dine beneath our 300-year-old fig tree. Every room has a beautiful view of Lake Naivasha and Mount Longonot. We’re a working farm too, so while guests are here they can learn how we work, visit the gardens and meet our animals.

We run morning boat trips across Lake Naivasha, as in the afternoon the waters can be rough. In Maasai, Naivasha loosely translates to ‘rough waters’ because of its choppy nature and the storms that gather above it. As you sail, your guide will point out birds such as pelicans, flamingos and fish eagles and you’ll spot hippos wallowing in the shallows. We usually stop on Crescent Island, a wildlife sanctuary where you might see wildebeest, zebra and giraffes, before enjoying a picnic lunch. There’s an amazing hill-top viewpoint that looks across the lake to Longonot, Hell’s Gate National Park and onto the Aberdares.

Almost all of our guests take a day trip to Lake Nakuru National Park, which is a two-hour drive from Loldia House. I think it’s the highlight of the Great Rift Valley. On the way, we stop at Lake Elementeita, a soda lake that attracts large flocks of flamingos when the water level is right. Guests usually have a picnic breakfast here while watching the birds before driving on to Nakuru. This park is famous for its endangered black and white rhinos, as well as its prides of lions. As many as six million flamingos come here to feed on algae. It’s a great place for a game drive and guests often come back excited to have caught a glimpse of rhinos.

Loldia House is the perfect place to relax after a long day of exploring the lakes and national parks in the Great Rift Valley and even hiking up to Mount Longonot. You can enjoy afternoon tea and sundowners by our infinity pool, which is set on an outcrop between ancient fig trees. To really unwind, you can visit our poolside spa for a massage. Most guests stay for two or three nights, which gives them a chance to discover the Great Rift Valley and de-stress before heading off on safari elsewhere in Kenya.