Ngerende offers classy side of wild Mara

The Mara River, with all hundreds of crocodiles and hippos, curls around Ngerende Island Lodge. It could as well be a noose if the circle was complete. But it isn’t. It’s an ox-bow.

The lodge perches on this raised ground, like a small private hill, like gallery seats from which you can watch the beauty of this deceptively calm lake and of the woodland of the Maasai Mara in the foreground. Serene doesn’t even begin to describe this tableau. But it hasn’t always been like this.

A little over four years ago there was nothing on this area where the lodge now sits. Wait, that’s not quite accurate. There was long blade grass and a few stumps and shrubs.

Then the owners of the lodge, Eunice and Robert, bought it and cleared the land then planted about 3,000 trees in there. Then they waited for the trees to grow and as the trees grew they drew a plan for a lodge that would turn into one of the most exclusive lodges in the Maasai Mara.

Units

The idea was to make it intimate and exclusive. Which means they had to make it small. So they built only seven units, scattered across the 12 hectares of the property, all hidden from each other by the 3,000 or so trees that are now full grown.

Designed by Robert himself, the suites are all built in stylish mahogany, with an open plan sleeping and living area, complete with a fireplace. The suites are all built staring into the river Mara below. They all have showers and bathtubs that you can sink into with a view of the river gorging below.

The real cracker is the honeymoon suite that has a Jacuzzi. All the suites have a personal butler to take care of all your whims.

Bonfire

Dinner was laid out in the middle of the thicket. They had tricked the bunch of us that a leopard was spotted in the village and the Kenya Wildlife Service(KWS) were ready to relocate it; would we like to watch the once in a lifetime spectacle.

Of course we would! Only it turned out, as we drove into this huge clearing in the middle of a thicket with a massive bonfire going and seats arranged around it in a semi-circle that it was a trick.

We settled before this fire as dinner was prepared behind us. Then out from the edges of darkness Maasai dancers emerged, scaring the hell out of everybody. They hummed and groaned in that guttural way they do, leaping up in the sky, eyes crazed, lips curled into a smile.

Later, at dinner, we all ate under soft lanterns, as radio belonging to invisible security details in the darkness around us crackled, assuring us of our safety.

There were more surprises like that at sundowner where we drunk brandy and champagne as the sun set. They lodge have more properties in the park; Ngerende in the Wild Lake View and Ngerende in the Wild River View, both exclusive and cast before water bodies.

View

For about Sh60, 000 per person per night you would wonder what that fetches. First it’s all-inclusive, which includes drinks and game drives. The Maasai Mara is one of the best places to go for a Game Drive because you will always see a lion. We spotted 17 lions over the the two days we were there. as well paw prints of cheetahs and a leopards.

The best part for me, wasn’t even the food (excellent chef Eric, trained by one William Matangwa), or the very friendly and helpful staff, or the evening tales by the fireplaces, brandy in hand as the naturalist/ silver rated tour guide gave a history of the Maasai, it was the view from the suites and the sound of the hippos, the only sound you heard in the lodge.

At night you hear the gurgling river and the giggling hippos that are now out grazing at the shore below and if you listen closely you might hear a lion roar miles away, but it sounds like it’s close to you. Then you know you are in the wild.