Splendid sunsets, silent nights in Kika, Gilgil’s newest luxury camp

Kika Lodge's green tents rising from the ledges of the hills mushrooming as if part of the natural landscape. Inside, is a heady mix of the modern, minimalist, and luxurious touches. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Kika Lodge showcases the complete work of nature with its unspoilt beauty, perfect to help unwind, reset the inner clocks and reflect on all that ails you.
  • Outside, in the crisp stillness of the night, guests can have picnics in the bushes or have meals by a bonfire. The lodge organically grows its vegetables and therefore the foods and especially the salads are refreshingly wonderful.
  • It too could be the safest place in the rift. With two army barracks a short distance away, there is a police post on the land. As if that is not enough, there is a real but invisible cordon of a pack of alert-eyed Rottweiler’s.

The view is sublime from Kika Lodge’s clubhouse. The clear blue skies, floaty white clouds above the lush verdant bushes and towering trees, everything here is so still and idyllic it feels like a whole world away. Yet Gilgil is just a little off the beaten track, about 15 minutes off the Nakuru-Nairobi highway towards Nyahururu. The lodge is only about two hours from the capital and one hour from both Naivasha and Nakuru towns.

At Gilgil, you will be greeted by a hilly interior that has its own charm which is every bit as enticing as the beaches, parks and lakes and other usual tourist haunts. Set on 100 acres, indigenous-owned Kika Lodge is a Kenyan enclave in what remains of the infamous Happy Valley. It promises a truly rejuvenating break.

Now in its second year, Kika’s newness is at first startling and can give off a work-in-progress aura. However, what becomes obvious is the complete work of nature with its unspoilt beauty, perfect to help you unwind and reset the inner clocks, allowing you to reflect on all that ails you.

There too is a 9-hole golf course that has already earned this lodge an elite following.

Boasting its own airstrip, Kika Lodge is not just another tented bush camp.

The sleeping space is stately, majestic and beautifully appointed with its handcrafted beds and plush linen. PHOTO | COURTESY

Its criss-crossing hiking trails lead to the green tents rising from the ledges of the hills mushrooming as if part of the natural landscape. Inside, is a heady mix of the modern, minimalist, and luxurious touches. The sleeping space is stately, majestic and beautifully appointed with its handcrafted beds and plush linen. A semi room divide leads into the bath area whose palette of cream, beige, brown and against exposed stone walls lend a rustic charm and warmth to the room as well as adding texture that contrasts beautifully with the sleek tiles and marble. The bathrooms have both a shower with full body jets, massage heads and a bathtub.

The semi-room divide, instead of a solid wall, works with the expansive zipped window panels to let in the spectacular views and the sunlight. The tent feels open, free and so naturally welcoming that you can feel the stresses and the tedium of a long day just melt away.

The icing on the cake is the welcome basket. With its selection of fruits in season, wine, chocolate, chips and nuts, the basket is a welcome sight enough to take the edge off for a weary traveller.

Because the expansive tent sides can be zipped off and the outdoors merge with the indoors to become one, the urge to stay in is overwhelming.  And here is when the magic happens, the efficient room service unobtrusively cleans up, replenishes the towels and the minibar while you take in the raw beauty.

Some rooms too open onto the balcony with an outdoor Jacuzzi  from where you can bask in Gilgil’s sun-baked air and watch the blue skies transform into the most orange sunset which hides behind  dark clouds providing a beautiful backdrop to the silent night whose stillness defies words.

The expansive and airy rooftop terrace of Kika’s clubhouse that is a perfect blend of traditional log cabin styling and modern finishes. It is crafted with elegant fabrics and striking wood finishes. PHOTO | COURTESY

Should you venture outside, Kika Lodge’s clubhouse serves as the living and the dining room that is a perfect blend of traditional log cabin styling and modern finishes. It is crafted with elegant fabrics and striking wood finishes. The expansive and airy rooftop terrace comes with balustrades and is ideal for entertaining while offering a higher ground that gives views of the quiet nights and lights of the distant towns.

A sleek, sophisticated, modern minimalist dining table at Kika’s clubhouse that is a perfect blend of traditional log cabin styling and modern finishes. It is crafted with elegant fabrics and striking wood finishes. PHOTO | COURTESY

The spacious room features different design styles bringing together casually chic furniture with top of the range lavish accessories that can be a risky design undertaking.

Sleek, sophisticated, modern minimalist dining tables and chairs in dark grey share the space with stuffed light-grey club chairs; low lounge chairs and high armchairs placed by the log fireplace add their particular flair and the whole effort feels perfectly coordinated. They all serve to create small pockets of different experiences within the same room. It is clearly designed by a person with a good understanding of spaces and an impeccable, if eclectic taste and a somewhat unlimited budget.

A bird's eye view of Kika’s clubhouse that is a perfect blend of traditional log cabin styling and modern finishes. The spacious room features different design styles bringing together casually chic furniture with top of the range lavish accessories. PHOTO | COURTESY

Patrons can relax, socialize and enjoy their meals or watch the lone TV.

Outside, in the crisp stillness of the night, guests can have picnics in the bushes or have meals by a bonfire. The lodge organically grows its vegetables and therefore the foods and especially the salads are refreshingly wonderful. The meals, by the resident chef, are made to order according to one’s preference.

Kika Lodge unspoken motto seems to be show, not tell. With the tiniest signage pointing the way and even less information on the website, its architects heavily incorporated eco-friendly and sustainable practices without calling attention to it. The result is an innovative, one-of-a-kind sensory and visual experience unlike any other.

Kika Lodge accommodates up to 25 adults in its 11 rooms, and even at full capacity, the lodge is pleasantly private. Guests can take nature walks on the property, which has stunning flora and fauna.                                                        

It too could be the safest place in the rift. With two army barracks a short distance away, there is a police post on the land. As if that is not enough, there is a real but invisible cordon of a pack of alert-eyed Rottweiler’s.

A view of Kika Lodge's tents from the club house. The expansive and airy rooftop terrace offers a higher ground that gives breathtaking views of the quiet nights and lights of the distant towns. PHOTO | COURTESY

The lodge is a pet project of Albert Njuguna who built his family house on a hill on the property.  It is obviously a labour of love and the attention to detail is impressive. “I discovered that whenever I came to Gilgil, I didn’t want to leave, so I decided to develop the place to share the same experience and everyone is welcome. Our guests have told us they had the most restful sleep here.”

Kika Lodge borders the Gilgil River that flows from the Aberdares. With its abundance of trout, the lodge can morph into the place you go to fish or teach a man to fish. Its main allure is that there is nothing but stillness, a most authentic bush experience that most appeals to adults.

The lodge however can arrange a nanny service if requested for families so that grown ups can adult away and have their privacy while their children are entertained elsewhere.

While there is Wi-Fi for those that need to remain plugged in, Kika Lodge offers one more reason to ditch the smartphone. The lodge has a resident professional photographer to document your treasured memories while holidaying here. The photos are given to you on CD as you check out from which you can print high-quality images.

While Kika Lodge boasts all the trappings and trimmings, making it a fabulously luxurious and dreamy escape, there is only one TV in the complex!

“This is by design,” Mr Njuguna explains. “We much prefer our guests enjoy the serenity and the peace in the silence. If anyone wants to watch TV, why don’t they just stay home?”