Active/Adventure: Pulse: Your Own Private Kenya

Your Own Private Kenya

If part of what appeals to you about visiting Africa is the wide-open space and having it to yourself, you can now rent one of only two private houses on a spectacular 300,000-acre wilderness tract in Kenya’s Chyulu National Reserve. For the first time, the two-bedroom Kanga Cottage (kanga means “guinea fowl” in Swahili) is available for those who value their privacy and want to explore the African bush without sacrificing creature comforts. You can glance up from your sun porch to see a giraffe silhouetted against the sky and view Mount Kilimanjaro from the living room—all without worrying about sharing your Land Rover or your lodge with anyone else. A water hole within view of the front deck attracts lions, elephants, giraffes and zebras. Monkeys skitter along the railing near a hammock with vistas of the famous green hills of Africa that once seduced Ernest Hemingway. New York philanthropist Tom Hill was permitted to build the cottage on this Maasai land because of his ongoing conservation efforts to protect endangered lions. He and Richard Bonham, one of Africa’s greatest guides, have teamed up on a pioneering program to save lions from extinction (to read about their ground-breaking endeavor, click here). Bonham, who was born in Kenya to British parents, owns Ol Donyo Wuas lodge, and lives nearby with his wife and two children. They, their guests and the local Maasai tribes will be the only other people on the 300,000-acre preserve when you are there. The wildlife, though, includes cheetahs, leopards, wildebeests, ostriches and gazelles.

To reach Kanga Cottage, you fly from Nairobi and land on a bush strip, where you’ll be picked up for the short drive up a dirt road through the rolling grassland to the house. Built of indigenous materials and filled with rustic handmade furniture, the house has an open kitchen/dining room, a cozy living room, a sun porch, a master bedroom, a guest bedroom and two and a half baths. During the day, you can join Bonham’s activities or go on game drives with Hill’s Maasai guide, Paul, who doubles as a chef trained in European techniques. (His specialties are soufflés and risottos.) Come twilight, you can sip cocktails overlooking Mt. Kilimanjaro, then unwind in the master bathroom’s porcelain tub—a special treat in the bush. Decent Italian and South African wine is provided (if you want Grand Cru, you’ll need to bring it). Genet cats come up to the porch each night at dusk for a snack, which you won’t want to miss. Ol Donyo Wuas provides access to its pool and can also arrange excursions, including tented camps and horseback riding.

For additional pictures and to view the photo above larger, click on the image.

Kanga Cottage is available from June through August. Price on request; a portion of the fee will support conservation. The fee includes a staff of two and a Land Rover configured for game viewing. For information about the rental or the lion conservation project, contact Tom Hill: 212-758-0124; tom320@aol.com (through July 16) or tomhill@uuplus.com (after July 16).