By Loise Machira

After a six-hour drive from Nairobi where we set off at 6:00 am with an overland truck from Designer Safari, we arrived safely in Lengishu right on time for lunch. Getting out of Nairobi in the middle of a pandemic was timely and extremely therapeutic because I was mentally saturated being in the same environment for six months. We were well received by the staff who were incredibly kind and observed strict health guidelines.

Lengishu House is a beautiful high-end lodge located in the middle of Borana Conservancy, which is 32,000 acres of pristine African wilderness. With an arid landscape to the North and ancient indigenous forests surrounding Mt. Kenya to the South, Borana Conservancy is a convergence of habitats where a variety of wildlife thrive, including the Big Five and a number of other endangered species. One year after the Black Rhino was introduced in 2013, Borana and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy dropped their fences to form 94,000 acres of wilderness making it the largest continuous rhino habitat in East Africa.

After a quick brief by the Manager about our stay, our bags were taken to the rooms and we were escorted like royalty to our cottages which would be our home for the next three days. The design of the cottages was inspired by the need to preserve the balance of the existing landscape with the ongoing focus of sustainability. As we walked in, I was mind blown by the beauty of the landscape overlooking Lengishu Hills and the cottages blended perfectly into the natural surrounding without breaking the silhouette of the ridge.

After relaxing and indulging in tacos accompanied with refreshments, we were taken on a game drive to catch the sunset and unwind with sundowners. I must admit, this was my first proper game drive because we saw a herd of elephants, buffalos, giraffes and one male lion who absolutely horrified me. He was laying there silently watching us without a care in the world and for a moment, I envied his lifestyle. The sunset was absolutely stunning!

The next day I woke up early to catch the sunrise and practice yoga in the wild, which again, was a first for me. It was very therapeutic getting into my flow overlooking a beautiful horizon which wrapped around the hills and to top it off, we got to see the elephant valley.

Later that day, I did some journaling and spent quality time to fully immerse myself with the beautiful spaces at the lodge. From having a lovely breakfast to soaking myself in the grand copper bathtub overlooking the conservancy, I had never felt more at peace with myself. The main guest house had a beautiful lounge with beautiful pieces of art and an office where you could escape if you had a work call or simply wanted to do some reading as it had a library.

Lengishu is a destination that will fully cater to the health conscious traveller because of the amenities it has. The clubhouse has a game room with a pool table and a fitness studio with a massive changing room and an outdoor shower surrounded with vera plants. I mean, what more could one ask for in a beautiful retreat?

That evening, Ewaso Records hosted a pool party at the clubhouse where they set the mood with a new blend of afro-house music specially curated by the talented duo; Dj. Foozak and Dj. Dylan. It was a magical set up by the infinity pool which was overlooking the conservancy accompanied by sundowners, great food, and even better company!

On our third day, we woke up early to catch the sunrise but this time, we hiked to Pride Rock where the Disney film production crew visited in the early 1990’s ahead of the original release of the iconic Lion King. When we got to the top, it was still dark but we could see the sunlight sneaking through the clouds which was a mind blowing thing to experience because we were at the highest point in the conservancy. The sunrise there had to be the most magical sight I have been blessed to see. I am still speechless and struggle to find the words to explain it. As you can see, we all felt the same way because we sat in silence and enjoyed every second of it.

After that, we went rhino tracking which again, was a first for me! We had to park the van and walk with the rangers in silence to avoid agitating the rhinos. Each morning, the unarmed members of Borana Conservancy’s anti-poaching team set off on foot to track and identify each individual rhino. The rangers tracked the rhino, but we had to maintain what I would call “rhino- social distancing” for safety reasons. However, we had a powerful set of binoculars which allowed us to zoom in close enough to see every detail on this big five member.

In the afternoon, we went to the Borana Stables within the conservancy for horse-riding and we were lucky to ride through the wild. Before riding, we had to be instructed on how to control the horse and they gave us adequate protective gear for the journey. We got to see giraffes, a herd of elephants with their calves and finished right in time for the last sunset of our trip.

For our last day, I got to spend quality time in the library writing my thoughts and experiences because I didn’t want to leave out any special moments. This trip marked the beginning of my journaling journey which is one I am so happy I embarked on especially with everything going on this year. Getting out of the city to be one with nature was absolutely refreshing because it reignited my love for creating content and it opened up my mind to new possibilities. As we usher in this new and last month of the year, my hope for you is that you take time to escape the city and invest in a journal because you will get to learn so much about yourself. Self-awareness is a tool we should all optimise.

Yours in Wellness,

@TiziTalks

Credits

Editor: Loise Machira, Chief Online Editor & Founder - Tizi Talks

Location: Lengishu House, Borana Conservancy (Laikipia County)- Kenya: https://www.lengishu.com/

Transport: Designer Safaris- https://designersafari.com/

Images: Mobile Photography- Samsung A30)

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