Kenya - Tanzania

My journeys to Kenya have been at different times in my life, each carrying its own meaning.

Kenya is a country in East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean. It encompasses savannah, lake lands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands. It's also home to wildlife like lions, elephants and rhinos. From Nairobi, the capital, safaris visit the Maasai Mara Reserve, known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania's 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We first time went when my daughter was eight years old. That was our introduction to the African wilderness—new, exciting, and full of discovery.

We were staying at the house of our doctor friend for 2 days who was a family friend. They had a younger son to play with her and keep her occupied. Besides we had two friends from Medical college. On this trip one of our friend from college days had arranged for us to go to “ Tree Tops “

We went there during Christmas season, and all hotels were decorated with festivity. Many years later, I returned with my sister, at a very different moment in my life. My husband had passed away a few months before the Covid epidemic, and that journey carried a quieter, more reflective feeling.

In between, when my daughter was sixteen, we travelled to Zimbabwe. On that trip, we stopped in Nairobi and went on to the coastal towns of Mombasa and Milindi. Each visit to Kenya has remained with me in a different way—but it is the safari with my young daughter that stays closest to my heart.”

Treetops hotel

Our visit to Treetops hotel was organised by our college friend. In those days lots of Indians who families had migrated to Kenya sent there  children to India for higher eduction. His sister lived in a town close to Treetops. He had already organised our stay for one night at Treetops. So next morning he took us to the office in the town.

Queen Elizabeth stayed at Treetops Lodge, a hotel in Aberdare National Park in Kenya, when she learned of her father's death and acceded to the throne in 1952. Treetops is a historic safari lodge that overlooks a watering hole and provides a unique experience for guests to see wildlife.  

First opened in November 1932 by Eric Sherbrooke Walker, it was built into the tops of the trees of Aberdare National Park as a treehouse, offering the guests a close view of the local wildlife. The idea was to provide a machan (hunting platform on a tree during shikar in India) experience in relative safety and comfort. From the original modest two-room tree house built into the top of a tree, it grew into a 35-room hotel. The original structure was replaced by a larger structure, also in the tree, but additionally supported on legs; this was burnt down by the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA) during the 1954 Mau Mau Uprising. 

The hotel was rebuilt near the same waterhole and became fashionable for wealthy clientele. It includes observation lounges and ground-level photographic hides from which guests can observe the local wildlife at the nearby waterholes. 

The original idea of Major Eric Sherbrooke Walker, who owned land in the Aberdare Range, was to build a treehouse for his wife Lady Bettie. The idea grew, and in 1932 the couple oversaw the construction of a two-room treehouse in a huge 300-year-old fig tree well away from Nyeri itself. This was intended as an adjunct facility to the Outspan Hotel in Nyeri, which they had also built and owned. Initial construction was hampered by the presence of wild animals, as the treehouse was purposely built beside animal trails leading to a nearby waterhole. Labourers and supervisors were often chased away by wild animals, which led to increased labour costs.

This first structure was open only on Wednesday nights as a night-viewing platform for guests staying at the Outspan Hotel; although beds were provided, these were intended for resting or dozing, rather than sleeping. Rising demand prompted the Walkers to expand to accommodate more visitors. 

Royal visit

The visit of Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1952 included a visit to Treetops as personal guests of the Walkers. The Treetops was reinforced, and its capacity increased to four rooms, including one for a resident hunter. Chief Justice of Kenya, had escorted the princess and her husband, Prince Philip, to a state dinner at Treetops. After word of George VI's death reached the new Queen the following day – when she had already left Treetops and was by this time at Sagana Lodge – she returned immediately to Britain. She was the first British monarch since King George I to be outside the country at the moment of succession. The renowned hunter Jim Corbett, who was invited by the princess to accompany them during their stay there, wrote in the visitors' book. For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day as a Princess and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen – God bless her. Corbett, the resident "hunter" at Treetops, also wrote about the visit in his final book Tree Tops, which was published by the Oxford University Press in October 1955, six months after Corbett's death (19 April 1955). Archival footage of the royal visit has also survived. Queen Elizabeth II made a return visit in 1983.

The visit cemented the fame of the Treetops. The princess' stay, which coincided with the death of her father King George VI on the night of 5–6 February 1952, and consequently her succession to the throne, involved the Treetops in the worldwide publicity surrounding these events.

Our Safari

A safari was already booked for us along with one couple from England and a Scandinavian gentleman. 

Our schedule was

1. Amboseli  

2. Famous Masai Mara 

3. Sarangeti

4. Ngorongoro

5. Arusha

Our Jeep safari began in Amboseli, though my memories of it are softer, like a landscape seen through light mist. I remember the vast openness, and somewhere in the distance, the presence of Mount Kilimanjaro—though it did not fully reveal itself to us. What stays with me most is a quietness, and the sight of elephants moving slowly, as if they belonged completely to that land…”

We were sharing this journey with 3 other guests. Besides 3 of us there was an English couple and a tall Scandinavian gentleman. It was close to Christmas.

On the way the Jeep gave trouble. So the driver went all the way back to get things needed for repair.

For a while, we simply sat there—five people who had only just met, now bound together by circumstance. The road was quiet, the surroundings vast, and time seemed to slow down. After some time, the English gentleman turned to us and said, ‘If you all agree, I will try to start the vehicle. We cannot sit here indefinitely.’ There was a calm confidence in his voice, and we all nodded.

To our relief, the engine responded to his efforts, and the jeep came back to life. With cautious optimism, we continued slowly until we reached a small village. We stopped here and found a modest roadside restaurant where we waited for our driver to return. It was a simple place, but after the uncertainty on the road, it felt unexpectedly comforting.

The five of us sat together, no longer quite strangers. There was conversation now—easy, unhurried—perhaps helped by the shared experience of having been stranded together in the middle of nowhere. Outside, life in the village went on as usual, while for us, the journey had already begun to feel like an adventure, even before we had seen a single wild animal.

By the time our driver returned and we resumed our journey, we were already running late. The park had fixed entry timings, so there was urgency as we drove on.

When we finally reached Masai Mara National Reserve, our driver explained the reason for the delay, and we were allowed to enter. By then, it was evening. We were taken straight to the lodge, where the dining room was full—completely packed with guests. Without any formality, we were immediately asked to join for dinner. It was a lively scene. Dining room was full of people, plates being served. After dinner, tired from the long and eventful day, we were shown to our rooms. The real safari would begin the next morning.

We woke up early the next morning and were ready in time for breakfast. It was still dark out side. There was no sign of animals.We could hear birds as we sat for breakfast. There was a quiet excitement in the air—the feeling that the real safari was about to begin. The structure of this lodge was quite different from the one I had visited later with my sister. It had its own character, its own way of blending into the surroundings. Everything felt closer to nature—less formal, more open—as if the wilderness was just outside, waiting for us.

My journeys to Kenya have been at different times in my life, each carrying its own meaning.

Each visit to Kenya has remained with me in a different way—but it is the safari with my young daughter that stays closest to my heart.

“With time, many details of that first safari have faded. I do not remember how many animals we saw, or even all the places we visited. Even the name of the river escapes me now.

But the feeling of that journey remains—the excitement of being there with my young daughter, seeing a world so different from our own.

Serengeti 

First time we went, we crossed over from Masai Mara to Serengeti.

What has remained most vivid in my memory is our lodge in the Serengeti National Park. It was unlike any place I had stayed before.

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge 

Built around and into large natural rock outcrops (called kopjes). The rooms and pathways winding between massive boulders, architecture that blends into the landscape rather than standing apart. It was developed as part of the early East African safari lodge movement (1970s–1980s). Designed under the Serena Hotels group. The focus was on vernacular, landscape-sensitive design, rather than individual architectural fame.

It was designed as a concept, not as a “signature architect building”. The idea was to respect the natural kopjes, to make the lodge look almost hidden within the rocks, to give guests the feeling of living inside the landscape. We certainly had to walk between rocks. Don't remember any windows. When you come out one certainly realises the vastness of Serengati.

Seronera Wildlife Lodge

This lodge is famous because:

• Built among huge granite boulders (called kopjes)

• Rooms connected by walkways between rocks

• Dining area also between rocks

• Very famous architectural design from early safari days

• Blends into the landscape

Many people who went to Serengeti in 1970s–80s stayed there.

Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro is not just a park — it is actually a collapsed volcano. Long ago there was a huge volcanic mountain (probably as big as Kilimanjaro), and when it collapsed, it formed this enormous crater.

Its a huge volcanic crater, about 20 km across and the walls are about 600 meters high. We drove from forest on top down into open grassland. Inside there is a lake. Many animals live inside permanently. One of the few places you could see lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino in one day. Many people say Ngorongoro feels like a natural zoo, but without cages.