Had Josslyn Hay, the dashingly charismatic 22nd Earl of Erroll survived his murder, it’s likely that the Muthaiga Country Club would have remained nothing more than the local gin and tennis joint for Kenya’s elite. However, the scandal surrounding his death in 1941 cemented the institution’s place in history as the epitome of hedonism, which defined the British East African community.
The grand colonial building, with its dusk-pink walls, is steeped in history, scandal and affairs of the mind and heart. And while today, the late-Edwardian grandeur and debauchery may have faded, the old-world hospitality remains. Pink gin is still served for breakfast and should you fancy a game of tennis, the club provides its own ball boys – because, why ever not? Lunch is best taken at Pink’s Bar by the pool, before snoozing in the library among 20,000 tomes.
Our accommodation is dated but comfortable. If you’re a bachelor, don’t be dismayed if you’re relegated to the cheaper military wing, while the Men’s Bar (still very much in existence), can be a clever excuse for getting rid of a boring date. The well-stocked cellar is historically the best in Africa, with a running supply of Latours and Lafittes, while the pantry is one of the few international outposts of Fortnum & Mason, the grocer to Queen Elizabeth. For supper, jackets and ties are compulsory for gents, and ladies, pack your best cocktail frock.
Armed with a hat box, every imaginable shade of linen shirting, and khaki trousers, we leave the comfort of the Muthaiga, and enter the rugged terrain of the Tsavo National Park. This area was made famous by a 10-month reign of terror in 1898, during which as many as 135 people were eaten by a pair of lions, but I’m assured we won’t add to the tally by the Maasai guardsman at the aptly-named Lion’s Bluff Lodge (after all, killing lions is a Maasai rite of passage). The rustic eco-lodge consists of 14 thatched huts built into the side of a cliff; what it lacks in luxury, it makes up for with spectacular sweeping views of the 125,000 acre private conservancy, and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Lodge food tends to pander to western tastes, so it’s worth asking for local dishes such as nyama choma and ugali, traditionally eaten by hand. The bushman’s breakfast isn’t to be missed, complete with Champagne and bloody Marys – which just about compensate for the crack-of-dawn wake up calls.
As one of only 13 countries through which the equator passes, Kenya has a tropical climate. Game viewing is best June-Oct, as the wet season is Mar-May. The wildlife is rich with buffalo, giraffes, gazelles, zebras, and even the odd leopard perched high on a tree trunk, while lions are easy to spot – with some virtually walking over the top of our 4×4. Tsavo is part of the ancient elephant migratory corridor, and home to the largest number of elephants in Kenya.
Should the 6am game drives exhaust you (or perhaps the excessive sundown cocktails), the Kenyan coast provides a wonderful recovery. Although the northern resorts bordering Somalia are to be avoided (they are, alas, associated with piracy and kidnapping), the southern beaches are just as charming, isolated and safer.
The coastal town of Watamu is worth a visit. This tiny hamlet has some of the whitest beaches in Kenya, and the local Marine Park is one of the most popular in East Africa for snorkelling and diving. The area is peppered with hotels and boutique resorts, such as the Kobe and Hemingways, but these are best passed over in favour of the more exotic estates available for rent – we stayed at Shwari Watamu, which comes with a a personal butler, chef and your own Maasai security.
As I sit in the airport lounge and reminisce about my Kenyan voyage, I admire those early adventurers and explorers who fell in love with the country. In the words of 1920s Danish author Karen Blixen, who spent much of her life in Kenya wrote, ‘Everything that you see is made of greatness and freedom, and unequalled nobility.’ This sentiment is as true today as it was then.
