A TRIP OF A LIFE TIME TO FINCH HATTONS LUXURY CAMP

So in my previous life I was a travel agent for 12 years in Australia.I LOVED my job back in Oz and I loved my travel family with whom I worked with. Due to life events, I decided to leave my dream job and travel the world for two years and in this time, I fell in love with Africa and after completing my travels, it is how I ended back on the continent and in Kenya to make a new life.

I was fortunate enough to get an invite on a trip/famil to Finch Hattons-located in Tsavo West National Park. For the non travel industry friends a famil or familiarization is a PR tool designed to give select industry partners the opportunity to experience a region, venue, product or package. It is conducted with the intention that the participant will then write a favorable story about their experience. As an agent for 12 years, I have been lucky to have had my share of famils, and each one was just as special and unique as the next, but something needs to be said about going on a TRUE luxury safari in Kenya, like the ones you see in the movies or in music videos, like Taylor Swift’s video to Wildest Dreams. There is something so romantic about the safari’s of years past. I often think about those times, when hunting was accepted, Africa was one of the last frontiers, the power of colonialism versus the locals, the hardship, the love and the romance of a time long gone.




I am no stranger to travelling in Africa or Kenya for that matter. Eric and I try and camp as much as we can to new places, calling it a ‘staycation’, (which was a new year’s resolution we made for 2016) and we have a bucket list to visit ALL the national parks in Kenya (eventually). I have also done six overland trips in Africa, all on a budget, all in a tent, and my West African travels were some of the TOUGHEST travel I have EVER encounted. EVER. But anyone who travels to Africa, dreams of a luxury camp stay, but may not possess the budget for such an extravagance, and I have always found myself in that position, and when I was presented with this opportunity, I saw it as a once in a lifetime stay.

I hadn’t been on a famil in over 6 years, so to say I was excited about that fact is an understatement and as I did a bit of homework on Finch Hatton’s, reading articles on just how special this place was, I could not contain my enthusiasm and the anticipation. What do I wear, who will be going, will they like me, will we have a good group – it’s the usual thoughts that pass through your mind before group travel of any size, and trust me I have done my share of group travel. I these thoughts all the time when I did my world travels, every time I started a new tour, and I am lucky to have really had only had 2-3 ‘bad’ groups in my lifetime of group travel, I have always said a good or bad group can make or break your own experience, no matter what the destination is.

Day one started at 5am. We had to leave home by 6am to be at the meeting point at 6.45am for a 7.15am departure. No knowing how bad the Friday morning traffic would be, I am one of those people who would prefer to get there early rather late. Eric drove me in and we had a great run of traffic and arrived at 6.25am – and typical Kenyan style, not another single person was there. I waited with Eric till 6.45am and then headed inside the building to Finch Hatton’s offices to see if there was anyone there. After knocking on the locked doors a few times, the elevator opened and another person for the trip arrived, so it was good that I was now not the only one to be there. A gentleman came and got us at 7am and said that we were to meet down in the carpark, so I said my good-bye to Eric as I collected my bag from the car and we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. There were 2 vehicles ready to drive us the 300km, the traditional safari vans used here in Kenya and an Abercrombie and Kent 4WD truck. Again typical Kenyan timing, we got on the road 30 minutes late and hit the dreaded Mombasa Road traffic just before 8am. This particular road is always bad in the morning, as you have to cross over 4 massive roundabouts that at that time of the morning are controlled by traffic police. You can sit in unmoving traffic for over 15 minutes, but then when you move, they do let a lot of cars through and you do get a good run, and even though it looks bad sometimes, the crappy system works, as it did for us, in our favor and we were through the roundabouts and past the JKIA airport at 8.40am. From here you get a different type of traffic. We were traveling on the main road that runs from Nairobi to the Port of Mombasa, so it is densely populated with trucks of all sizes on a SINGLE lane highway, so you get all sorts of crazies over taking in both directions, truck over taking trucks, and it can be quite hair raising at times, seriously it is nothing I have ever seen anywhere else. I just left the driving to our experienced driver and I plugged in my headphones for the next 2 hours and watched the world go by absorbed in my own thoughts and people watched, which is one of my favorite things to do when travelling. I am a waver, I like to wave to people, so I was throwing out waves to people who took the time to share some friendship, no matter how fleeting and it gave me a little spring in my step. A smile and a wave could change a whole person’s day.

At 10.45am we arrived at Emali for a toilet stop and a place to also buy a small bite to eat. Emali is a fast growing town located along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway in Makueni county. Both the standard railway gauge and the one meter railway passes through there. There was a new Nakumatt here, so after around 20 minutes we were back on the road and only a few meters from the Nakumatt, we turned right, and finally left all the big trucks behind and travelled on the newly surfaced Emali – Loitokitok Road off Mombasa road. This also didn’t have a lot of traffic, so it was pretty much plain sailing for the next 1.5 hours till we got to the Tsavo West National Park turnoff at 12.40pm, which was sign posted and told us that we had 60km to go to the actual park entrance and we were now on a dirt road.

It was so DRY out here, and dusty, the soft powder kind of dust. We couldn’t have our windows open, but the van was filling with the dust as we travelled. In the end we opened the pop top roof a fraction and it fixed it, with the dust able to get out, but it made me think as we passed the small communities, how they live in such a dry place. How do the cows and goats survive? It would certainly be a tough life out here. We got to a GSU checkpoint (The General Service Unit is a paramilitary wing in the National Police Service of Kenya) 15 minutes down the road, where we had a quick check and then finally we arrived at the KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) checkpoint at 1.30pm where we handed over our ID’s, and were able to get out and stretch our legs and grab a photo opportunity while the paperwork was processed. We were back on the road 15 minutes later and at 2.20pm we arrived at Finch Hatton’s Luxury Camp to a warm welcome from the staff, a cold towel, a cold watermelon juice that hit the spot and a breeze off the lake, we had arrived at Finch Hatton’s Luxury Camp.

My first impression was MAGNIFICENT. It seemed like a green oasis after what we had driven through the last few hours and after sitting down in the open air reception area, it came to my attention that there was a CROCODILE only a few meters away from the elevated dining area. A FEW METERS!!!!! Already the camp had an air of sophistication, a regal time passed. It bought back the time of Out of Africa and Denys Finch Hatton. Originally built in 1992 by German hotelier Peter Frank and Kishan Gehlot, Finch Hattons draws its inspiration from legendary British aristocrat Denys Finch Hatton. A game hunter and safari guide, who is credited with bringing luxury camping and tourism to Tsavo. He is said to have defined luxury safari camping in the African wild, beginning the movement known as modern day “glamping”. Denys Finch Hatton travelled to Kenya in 1911 and fell under the spell of the African wild, and the lover of Baroness Karen Blixen, who wrote about him in her book Out of Africa. His fascination with the wildlife turned him into a renowned photographer, dedicated conservationist and host, introducing both business tycoons and British Royalty to his world of Luxury Safari and I am sure that he would be pleased with this camp in his name had he survived to start his own.

Finch Hattons luxury eco tented camps reopened in February 2015 after an extensive refurbishment. It involved an intensive two-year renovation, which included cutting down the number of luxury tents from thirty to seventeen, while rebuilding or renovating the remaining structures. Finch Hattons got a full makeover, from the pools to the spa to the opulent culinary menu and the plush stargazing terrace—all while making the camp’s environmental footprint even more negligible than it had been to begin with. When the camp reopened it was reaffirmed as Africa’s Leading Safari Lodge by the World Travel Awards. The original time line had been 9 months, but due to its location and logistics, it took a little longer than anticipated (two years), but I can tell you it was well worth the wait.

Finch Hattons is situated around an oasis of natural spring pools teaming with wildlife and provides views of both Mount Kilimanjaro and the Chyulu Hills. The camp is rich in history and renowned for its cuisine and luxury accommodations. There are brand new tented suites, a pool, spa, conference facilities, a star gazing terrace and a yoga deck which overlooks the surrounding Kenyan landscape. The luxury camp is set on 35 acres of unadulterated wilderness in the heart of the Tsavo West National Park, which is home to over 500 species of birds and a wide variety of other wildlife species including elephants, leopards and giraffe. With a landscape made up of undulating hills and lava flows on the vast plains surrounding Mount Kilimanjaro, Tsavo realizes the romance of Old Africa, immersing guests in its breath-taking vistas. They have ensured that the history of Finch Hattons has been retained in the refurbishment so that both their repeat and new guests from all over the world will still feel the magic of the camp as they did before.

We waited only a few minutes to be allocated our rooms, given a small overview of the dinner timings, the power timings (as it is not on all day) and the most pertinent information being highlighted reminding us that we are located in 35 acres of unfenced wilderness in a National Park. Wild animals roam freely and you must be vigilant at all times. During early mornings, evenings and after dusk, it is strictly forbidden to walk around the camp without a Finch Hattons escort. These escorts are available 24 hours a day and walking should only be on the designated foot paths at all times. Got it and AWESOME and seeing the crocodiles so close to the building just reinforced that sentiment.

So the rooms were split into 2 sections from the main building, north and south west. So rooms 1-4 went north and the remaining rooms 5-12 went south west. Our bags had been tagged with our room numbers and they were carried by our escorts that dropped each of us individually to our private luxury tents. We didn’t have long to admire our accommodations, as it was so late in the afternoon, nearly 3pm at this stage, and we still had to have lunch, do a site inspection and also an afternoon safari drive! So after being shown our lodgings, we were left on our own to walk around with our jaw open, taking in what would be our home for the next 2 nights. The colonial-inspired, luxury design shows the thrill of Africa and is experience. Each intimate tented luxury suites features a private outdoor shower with magnificent views through the unit towards your own glimpse of the water hole. A personal deck allows you to get lost in Africa while spoiling yourself with elite conveniences, such as opulent furniture and all the creature comforts you would expect from the best tented camp in the world. The camp is designed to be minimally intrusive, that fuse modern design and contemporary comforts with rustic charm. Reminiscent of the golden days of safari, furnishings include beautiful hardwood writing tables, intricate chandeliers and carved chests. There is a MAXIbar (not to be confused with a plain old minibar) with high quality spirits, tea and coffee items and there was also a welcome plate of 2 cookies with our names written in chocolate, what a lovely personal touch. The ensuite bathrooms feature a LARGE copper tub and a shower, while creamy linens and soft lighting create a romantic ambience. Each suite also has a private deck with views of the freshwater pools that are home to hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards and numerous species of birds. We each had our own tent, which just made it all that much more special and after taking a few key photos, and as it was daylight, we were able to make our way back to the main building to get seated for lunch on our own without an escort. It is too be noted that the walkways are made of black gravel type stones and it was around an 8 minute walk to get back to the main building.

Well lunch was another experience to add to the ever growing list. There was a set menu with a choice of two for the main meal and you don’t want to be in a hurry dining here, as a team of chefs create six-course meals served on china plates, paired with the finest wines in crystal-cut glasses. What a dining experience. There was a lovely breeze coming off the lake, great company as we all worked out where we all came from and the food seemed to be never ending! It was time to keep moving and at 4.10pm we were then taken on a site inspection of the whole property. We saw the 2 bedroom suite and the stunning Finch Hatton Suite that has its own plunge pool and also Finch Hattons have also kept 2 of the original tents, that can be booked, and it was pretty interesting to see what the tents looked like before the refurb to the ones that we were staying in. A very BIG difference, but I do like the old charm, rustic feel of the old tents. We were also shown an impressive spa and wellness centre, with treatments using spa brand Africology, made only from natural ingredients and it is here that the centre also has an elevated yoga deck where guests can unwind before splendid views, while the spa pool is the perfect opportunity to take refreshing dips under the Tsavo sun and spot the odd leopard and other wild game. There is also a Hammam and a small building off from there that is the massage building and not far from there is the small gym building. The gym was enclosed with all bi-fold doors that opened all the way giving you a feeling of working out in the wild! They have a new treadmill, bike and gym equipment, showers and towels for those gym junkies (which was me, as I would be back in the morning). And from there we walked to the pool area, that had some swing chairs, a massive bed looking lounge, comfy lounge chairs and of course deck chairs to soak up the Kenyan sun. At this point we had pretty much looped around and we were now back at the main building where there were 2 safari  vans waiting for us to do a very quick game drive                
It was now 5.45pm and due to park rules we had to be back at camp at 7pm. There were 2 safari trucks waiting for us, and they were the open air, luxury trucks equipped with bottled water in aluminium canisters and warm blankets. As we only had an hour, we couldn’t stray too far from the camp, and we didn’t need to. We saw impala, giraffes, wildebeests, ostrich, zebra, waterbuck and a hyrax and the best thing of all we got to see the sunset over Mount Kilimanjaro. I will never get tired of seeing African animals or seeing a sunset, especially over Kilimanjaro. It was just spectacular and it always astounds me just how quick the sun sets, you could literally miss it if you were not paying attention!

As it was now dusk, we were escorted back to our tents to get ready for pre-dinner drinks and then dinner. You just let your escort know what time you wanted to be collected and then they will collect you at the designated time. There are torches provided for each tent which have a super powerful beam, so I was ready a few minutes early and decided to sit on my on my outside deck waiting for my collection, and shine this super powerful beam across the lake and saw a few pairs of eyes shining back at me!!! After I was collected and we walk back to the main building we saw the eyes of a crocodile about 50m away from the path that we were walking on, and these guys were HUGE!!!! It made me think that we were surrounded and really made you remember that you were in the middle of the bush. We were to meet back at 8pm, where we sat around a fire, sipping wine from a crystal glasses, munching on nibbles, listening to a staff member play songs on a guitar and just chillaxing on these deep seats with comfy cushions, being able to look up at the stars and listen to the environment around us as we sat in a national park in Kenya. We were seated for dinner at 9.15pm, which is getting late for this old lady, but it was worth the wait as we were served again, with another six-course meal. We dined again at the outdoor restaurant and it got a little chilly as the night wore on, and we were brought large warm blankets to keep us warm until we were ready to be escorted back to our tents for the night. All this food was not going to be doing my ‘healthy eating’ lifestyle any good, but as one of our hosts said “this is a once in a life time opportunity-we want this to be special for you” and boy was he right!!!
       
The evening ended around 11.30pm and we were walked back to our tents. I was shining my torch around looking for eyes shining back and we saw a water buck that was not even 5m away eating some dinner and a giraffe had apparently just walked on the path only 5 minutes before hand!!! COOL!!! We got back to my tent, a quick check to make sure there were no unwanted animal guests and a good night was bid. I had arranged for a 6am collection in the morning, as I wanted to make use of their gym, and being that early I had to get an escort to get there. 

We were advised to leave our curtains open if we wanted to see the amazing sunrise from our beds in the morning. I think I will be up before the sun, but I left my curtains open anyways, as I snuggled deep into the covers of my king size bed, I laid in there, listening to sounds of the bush outside and my imagination running a little wild with dreams of waking in the morning with a leopard at my screen doors in the morning. 

“Here I am, where I ought to be.” Karen Blixen - Out of Africa