Elsa’s Kopje and Meru National Park – luxury in true African wilderness

A six hour drive from Nairobi has led the Bartter family and our guide, Andy Campbell, to Meru National Park. Going from the southern to northern hemisphere they passed through Kenya’s central highlands and an amazing agricultural diversity of pineapple, tea and coffee plantations as well as wheat, maize and miraa fields. From the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the city it is always good to be back in the bush. Meru is looking absolutely incredible and the recent rain has transformed the Park into a veritable wildlife paradise. The grass is lovely and green covered with a myriad of flowers. Just on their drive in they saw 12 species of mammal including a beautiful lioness slinking through the bushes intermittently roaring, calling for her mate The real beauty was that there was not another car in sight. What normally takes an hour took them three! They were met by the smiling faces of Phil and Charlie, the managers of Elsa’s Kopje, and a well deserved ice cold cocktail of fresh lime juice and soda water. 

On their first morning they didn’t even go on a game drive.....they didn’t need to. With a freshly brewed cup of Kenyan coffee in hand they watched journeys of reticulated giraffe browsing on the doum palms, harems of impala being herded by the stag and a herd of elephant rolling a mud bath only metres below the horizon swimming pool. Positioned on top of a kopje (rocky outcrop) with expansive views across untamed Africa Elsa’s Kopje is one of a kind. The history behind it allows you to relax and take in the awe of Africa. Made famous by Joy Adamson’s book Born Free, Elsa the lioness was released back into the wild where Andy sat. Meru has the highest diversity of wildlife in Kenya including the rarer northern species of game, all three of the big cats, herds of 500 strong buffalo, huge elephant bulls and 350 species of bird. It now also boasts some 60 black and white rhino. 

It’s New Years eve tonight so a glass of bubbly watching the full moon rise as the sun sets over the Nyambeni Hills is not a bad way to end 2009. Tomorrow they head for Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and the thrill of another fantastic safari location.