Loisaba, Heaven in the north of Kenya

Life is hard now, isn't it.

Now then, I know that I start every post by saying how amazing places are. Well, I mean it. But here is a post about the bestest place of all. I’m afraid that it doesn’t come cheap, but for a holiday of a lifetime (or if happily you are stinking rich) then Loisaba is the most fantastic place I have ever been. Unhappily, I am not stinking rich, friends of mine manage this lodge and I went to stay with them a couple of times.
Loisaba is up in the North of Kenya, in Laikipia, on the Ewaso Nyiro on the Colcheccio Plain. Laikipia is a vast area of Kenya where there is, pretty much, nothing. Or perhaps I should say that there is everything, because everything that you imagine as being “African” happens in incredible, uninterrupted horizons.
Loisaba boasts some of the more exciting wildlife. So if Rhinos and lions aren’t exciting enough then Loisaba has what you are looking for. They have some really very rare animals. Wild Dogs (no, not strays, a proper rare wild animal), are seen in Loisaba (much to the chagrin of the wild dog research facility on the next ranch where there are none). Greater Kudu, a really rare species which are normally extremely shy, graze the lawn of the lodge. Gerenuks are also common and dick dicks fight with the Kudu for grazing space around the lodge. Elephants have been a bit of a pain recently, digging up the prettiest plants in the borders. On an early morning stroll about the lodge, with a careful eye, you can tell the leopard tracks from the cheetah tracks.
The lodge has several different aspects to it. There is the lodge itself, with rooms for about 12 people, I think. Then there are various houses nearby where a party can stay, fully catered by the lodge. Then there are the star beds! The star beds are simply amazing. But I’ll have to explain fully. Loisaba, like many lodges and ranches in Kenya is run for the benefit of tourists, but more importantly, also for the benefit of the local tribes, and, of course, the animals. The local tribe we are talking about at Loisaba is the Samburu tribe. The Samburu are close cousins of the Masai (if you don’t know what a Masai looks like then think of the BBC’s interludes where there are tribesmen jumping up and down, that’s them).Alternatively, thanks to Google images, I can show you a picture

They are cattle people, they live for and from their cattle. Cattle are wealth. Unfortunately their life styles and the lifestyles of other Kenyans is causing conflict as cattle need space and the Masai and Samburu are migratory tribes, they recognise no claims to land. The population of Kenya has boomed in the recent years and space and good land is now under demand. I’m sure you can imagine what happens. So anyway, schemes have been set up to try to bring some of the wealth from the tourists straight to the local tribesman, this means that wild animals will become important (as they bring tourists) the tribesmen will be able to continue their lifestyle without coming into conflict with other people, the land can be better looked after and everybody sees the benefits. Loisaba is one of these schemes. The star beds are part of this. The star beds are outposts of the lodge, where tree-houses have been made with a bed in each. Each tree-house has part of it covered by a thatch roof and part of it is a balcony. Now here is the clever bit. Each bed is on wheels so in the day time you can be in the cool shade of the hut but in the evening your bed is wheeled out under the stars (and your mosquito net) onto the balcony. So what about the Samburu… well hang on a tick, I’m getting there.

My friends, although they manage the whole of Loisaba, have very little to do with the Star beds. They are run by the Samburu. The food comes from the lodge but is cooked on the fire by the Samburu, they are the hosts and the guides. The local village gets, I think, 50% of each booking made. It is a very happy arrangement.
All of this is made so great by the fact that it is run by my friends. Well, of course I like them, but the fact is that they are the greatest hosts you could possibly ask for. Loisaba has everything, you can go for helicopter rides, balloon rides, quadbiking, camel safaris, walking safaris, horse-riding, they have picnic breakfasts behind waterfalls, sundowners…everything!

Here's how you get to the star beds, and look... beds on wheels. See I told you it rocks!

The view you wake up to in the star beds