Loisaba Wilderness – a stunning mix of beautiful landscapes, activities, culture and wildlife

With a brief window of sun, Brit and Blake flew in the bi-plane over Lewa Downs. With their wool lined leather jackets, cotton scarves and ‘Biggles’ eye wear they really looked the part. The flight gives an incredible feeling of going back in time as Will steers the plane seemingly effortlessly over the open grasslands and down rocky ravines that litter the fairyland of the Northern Frontier District. With earphones on playing the ‘Out of Africa’ and ‘Last of the Mohicans’ themes you experience the surrounding area from a uniquely different perspective.

It was then off to Loisaba Wilderness, a 20 minute private charter flight away. Climbing up over the Loldaiga Hills and its verdant forest of enormous cedar trees the Laikipia escarpment loomed in the distance. Andy and the Bartter family arrived at Loisaba House, a truly exclusive, self-contained private house built on the edge of a plateau entirely from local stone and thatch. The location and architecture are breathtaking, as are the furnishings, most of which have been designed and made at Loisaba. Having seen the eye-level swimming pool on the lip of the thousand foot drop off at the foot of the garden Brit pulled Andy aside and said ‘this doesn’t suck!’. 

Their afternoon activities included relaxing by the pool for Marilyn, horses for Blake and Bryndl and a helicopter ride for Brit and Andy with Ian Mimano as our pilot. As this was Andy's very first heli flight he didn't know where to even start to describe the experience, there really are no words to describe it!. They saw places Andy didn’t know existed; from unbroken calderas and miniature volcanoes to hidden valleys and winding rivers. They landed on the ‘roof of the world’ and looked out across the untamed wilderness of the Cradle of Mankind (what we all call the Northern Frontier District!). It wasn’t just the landscape though, they saw herds of elephant, buffalo, gazelles and zebra as they floated over the plains. A glass of champagne as a belated birthday celebration for Brit ended the most fantastic of afternoons. As usual Faith prepared a spectacular dinner at the house before we retired for the night.

It wasn’t the huge rain overnight that hindered our chances of an early morning walk but a herd of 100 elephant. They were literally everywhere. We were mesmerised for 1.5 hours as calves played in the mud, young males mock charged and matriarchs stood tall keeping a close on the proceedings ready to put everyone back into line if need be. Andy and the family were finally able to drag themselves away but only because hunger was setting in. Around the corner in a secluded Acacia forest, Lamasi and his fellow Samburu warriors had set up our bush breakfast. Fresh fruit, a selection of cereals and a full fry up was just what they needed. We have always said that eating al fresco makes everything taste so much better.  It was then back to the lodge via herds of Oryx and a sextet of jackal for an afternoon by the pool and a hopeful evening of tracking a pride of lion.