Quintessential Keekorok

A sepia coloured photograph of him hangs in the bar, crossing Sand River two days before opening the lodge. Pictures of other famous people who checked in at Keekorok, like Prince Charles as a young boy from the United Kingdom, Dr Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, grace the walls.

“I served President Ferdinard Marcos of the Philippines in 1974, George Shultz and Manhattans in 1987, and Pope John Paul,” reminisces John Njoroge.

He’s been at Keekorok for 38 years, progressing from gardener to bartender to supervisor. He has a rich cache of bar-side stories. “The king and queen of Denmark sat by that tree,” he points to a trunk shooting through the foyer roof.

Although the original building was destroyed by fire a few years ago, the new Keekorok — or the place of dark trees in Maa — retains its magical character.

Now more ethno-African designed, the lawns are a beautiful spread reaching the wooden walkway and winding through the plains and the riverine forest to the hippo pool. One can watch river horses from the bar.

Going green, l mark my stay by planting an evergreen euclea divinorum, which even in times of drought stays green and is a lifesaver for animals, followed by a massage at Eseriani Wellness Centre, listening to the honk of the river horses. It’s the perfect stress-buster!

Email: rupi.mangat@yahoo.com