Serena :: The Mountain Lodge Experience
The only 'tree hotel' ever to be built on the slopes of Kenya's legendary Mount Kenya, Mountain Lodge offers a matchless game viewing opportunity whilst combining a glorious panorama of mountain vistas with the primordial splendors of an ancient rainforest. Floating 2,195 m high on the flanks of Kenya's highest mountain and secreted deep within her largest forest reserve, the lodge offers not only the champagne-clarity of mountain air, the tranquility of the forest and a colorful cavalcade of wildlife but also the chance of scaling the icy peaks of Africa's second-highest mountain.
Guests can also awake to the trumpeting of elephant, fall asleep to the symphony of the African night or sit in stillness and observe the fascinating interplay of the animals as they arrive to drink, bathe, spar and forage around the water hole. Finally, they can venture down to the secret viewing hide by the water's edge and experience the awesome thrill of being only meters away from some of the most massive beasts on earth.
The Lodge
Sailing like an ark above the rainforest's waxy-green canopy, the first sight of Mountain Lodge sets the scene for the experience to come and provides a dramatic climax to the tantalizing approach up the lower slopes. A timbered drawbridge leads from a winding path in the depths of the rainforest, over a moat of sun-dappled jungle and up on to the wooden 'decks' of the forest-green, timbered lodge. Inside, the impression of having boarded a ship is perpetuated by a combination of log paneled walls, timbered game-viewing decks and winding stairs leading to a selection of snugly comfortable, cabin-styled rooms. Cool, tranquil and hushed for optimum game-sightings, the open-air viewing-deck looks down onto the endlessly shifting scenes of the wildlife theatre that troops and teems around the salt lick and waterhole below.
Come evening, the softly glowing lamps and warmly upholstered arm-chairs allow for optimum night-viewing whilst for those in search of a really close wildlife encounter, a special 'hide' has been built at the water hole's edge delivering once-in-a-lifetime closeness to some of the world's rarest animals. Inside, the cozily-welcoming bar centers on a glowing fire and has been tastefully decorated with traditional Kikuyu handicrafts and a series of sepia prints depicting the traditional Kikuyu way of life.
The brightly renovated rooms, meanwhile, feature thick-pile locally woven rugs and wall-hangings, luxury bathrooms and rough-hewn timbered balconies overlooking the waterhole whilst the d?cor has been designed to provide glowing warmth and fireside comfort against the evening chill of this unique tropical mountain environment.
GUEST ROOMS
Total number of guest rooms 42 - All with telephone, en-suite bath/shower facilities, with special viewing bunker
Guest Services & Amenities: Individually tailored forest trails, moorland hikes and mountain climbs;
A private water hole and salt lick, which acts as a magnet for the region's wildlife - especially elephant;
Post mountain-climbing herbal massages;
Extensively stocked Africana Gift Shop;
Relaxing beauty treatments, manicures and pedicures;
Full housekeeping services (hot water bottles, laundry, shoeshine etc);
Forex facilities;
Full medical back-up and emergency evacuation facilities;
All weather airstrip and well-maintained road network;
A wide range of board games plus a full library of books on Africa;
Express check-in and check-out facilities.
Dining
The traditionally timbered dining room is surrounded by windows and has been built on stilts so as to seemingly float above the liana-strung forest whilst commanding enchanting views over this primeval environment. The menu has been planned to offer a blend of traditionally hearty safari favorites, spicy ethnic cuisine, crisp salads and internationally-themed dishes.
Other fun things to do include:
The chance of a 'once-in-a-lifetime' climb to the glacial glades and jade-green tarns of Mount Kenya's mythical Lenana Peak
Exploration of the forest and moorlands via a series of 4km trails that can be tailored to suit the fitness levels of the party
'Sundowners' on the hushed, timbered game-viewing deck overlooking the water hole where cavalcades of buffalo, elephant and other wildlife come to drink
Exclusive trout fishing in the crystal streams and tarns of the mountain
A lamp-lit, safari-dinner, 'under canvas' and high on the roof of the lodge
Safari tea in a forest glade whilst following the winding paths of the Rainforest Nature Trail in the company of the resident naturalist
'Wildlife and Mountain Wilderness' talks and slide-shows by the resident naturalist
Kikuyu dancing and cultural displays
Walking in the forest (accompanied by our resident naturalist)
A 20-kilometre hike through the bamboo-covered slopes of Mount Kenya to 3,600m
A five-day round-trip trek to Lenana Point, close to the summit of Mount Kenya
Trout fishing in the crystal-clear mountain streams
Game-spotting and wildlife observation by the water hole and salt lick
Climbing God's Mountain
An extinct volcano, some three and a half million years old with permanently snow-covered, ice-shattered peaks, Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa after Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. There are four main routes of ascent, the Naro Moru trail, the Burguret and Sirimon trails and the Chogoria trail and, whilst the icy peaks of Batian (5199m) and Nelion (5,189m) are accessible only to experienced mountaineers, Point Lenana (4,985m) can be conquered by anyone who is reasonably fit. In fact, the task has been made considerably easier thanks to Serena Hotels and the Kenya Wildlife Service who have recently cooperated to pioneer a new climbing route, which offers maximum adventure, panorama and enjoyment and minimal hardship.
Depending upon the weather conditions and the fitness level of the climbing party, the trip takes approximately 3 days in ascent and 2 days in descent and is led by a team of experienced mountaineers and naturalists who remain in constant radio contact with the Lodge. Mountain accommodation is provided in the form of ready-pitched camps of comfortable and fully-equipped high-altitude tents (or alternatively, bunk-houses) whilst the food, provided daily by the hotel, will include tasty packed lunches, hot drinks, fortifying snacks and individually presented supper menus. Upon arrival at Lenana Point guests will also be met with hot drinks, biscuits and brandy before being transported back down the mountain to a celebratory dinner at the hotel. There's also just lazing by the pool, taking in some sun and looking out over the aquamarine reaches of the Indian Ocean.
