Lake Naivasha Country Club

The Lake Naivasha Country Club is located on the opposite shore of Lake Naivasha from the town of Naivasha, Kenya.

Built using old colonial architecture and opened in 1937, "Lake Naivasha Country Club - General Information" (wildlife, map, photos), Block Hotels, 2003, webpage: [http://www.blockhotelske.com/information.asp?hotelname=3&tplid=14 BH-Naivasha-Club] .] Lake Naivasha Country Club provides accommodation in rooms and cottages across 12 hectares (55 acres) of green lawns shaded by mature acacias and fever trees. "Lake Naivasha Country Club" (wildlife, map, photos), Go2Africa, 2003, go2africa.com webpage: [http://www.safari.go2africa.com/accomm-tempg2a/ServiceID~2178/frompage~riftvalley Nav] .] The public rooms also display the British colonial style. The residents' lounge has a massive fireplace and large bay windows. The bar adjoins a snooker room, for playing billiards in the British tradition.

Views across Lake Naivasha are dominated by the shadow of Mount Longonot, 2,777 m (9,111 ft), a partly extinct volcano which, in 1983, was declared a Kenya national park (52 km²). Mount Longonot also can be seen from the eastern escarpment on the scenic highway to the region. [ "Destination Kenya - The Rift Valley" (tourist sites), "Daily Nation Online" ("Kenya's Premier Newspaper"), accessed 2006-10-02, NationAudio.com webpage: [http://www.nationaudio.com/whatson/Destination/Valley.html NationAudio-RiftValley] .]

History

The Lake Naivasha Country Club opened in 1937 as an intermediate staging post for Imperial Airways' flying boat (seaplane) service traveling from Durban to London.Previously known as the "Lake Hotel" in the 1930s, [ "Camp/Lodge accommodation in Kenya - Rift Valley and its Lakes - Lake Naivasha" (overview), @ctiveWEB NZ Ltd, 2006, webpage: [http://www.kenyaonetours.com/camps/camps.htm?Lake_Naivasha_Country_Club KE1-Navaisha] .] there were papyrus-thatched chalets.

The area was popular with members of the Happy Valley set during the years between the World Wars. Also on the shores of Lake Naivasha is the Djinn Palace, which gained notoriety in the Happy Valley days.

Activities

Lake Naivasha is the focus of daily activities. There is fishing for black bass and tilapia, and a boat trip during the day provides a close view of Naivasha's wide variety of birdlife and its hippo colonies. The club offers a sundowner boat trip which combines the sunset on the Lake with exotic drinks.

Crescent Island, 15 minutes away by boat, is a private game sanctuary, with zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, vervet monkeys, hares, genet cats, waterbuck and giraffe. Crescent Island is one of the few places in Africa where people can wander on foot among herds of antelope since there are no predators on the island.

Naivasha is also a site for birdwatching, with over 300 species of birds on display: three bird walks a day have been offered along the grounds of the country club. There is a swimming pool and conference facilities for up to 50 people.

Area hotels

Besides the "Lake Naivasha Country Club", there are other hotels in the area::* "Crayfish Camp", Naivasha: with restaurant and bar; [ "Naivasha Reviews" (description/amenities), Kayak, 2006, webpage: [http://www.kayak.com/h/hotel/id/97714?page=details Kayak] .] :* "Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort", Naivasha: with health club, restaurant, bar, pool, and babysitting; [ "Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort Naivasha Reviews" (description/amenities), Kayak, 2006, webpage: [http://www.kayak.com/h/hotel/id/154312?page=details Kayak-LN-Sopa-Resort] .] :* "Safariland Club", Naivasha: 56 rooms or cottages in gardens overlooking Lake Naivasha, next to Hell's Gate National Park. [ "Safariland Club Naivasha Reviews" (description/amenities), Kayak, 2006, webpage: [http://www.kayak.com/h/hotel/id/83171?page=details Kayak-Safariland] .]

Economy hotels near Naivasha offer rooms at a fraction of the cost of the resort hotels.

:*Hotel "Signature" Naivasha: Easy access to parks and recreational facilities. Free tours and travel information about Naivasha and tours by Homestays Kenya. [ "Naivasha Accommodation" (2007), webpage: [http://www.world66.com/africa/kenya/theriftvalley/naivasha/accommodation W66-Naivasha] .] [ [http://www.homestayskenya.com/ Homestayskenya ] ]

ee also

*Description of the lake: Lake Naivasha.
*Description of the town across the lake: Naivasha.
*History of the area: British East Africa.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.nationaudio.com/whatson/Destination/Valley.html "Daily Nation Online" - The Rift Valley] : list of tourist sites in the region.