Mount Kenya Safari Club
We decided to spoil ourselves with some serious indulgence at Mount Kenya Safari Club (MKSC), an exclusive country club, run by the Lonrho chain, situated on the equator, on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya itself. The club is reported to been established by a Texan Oil baron, a Swiss millionaire and film star William Holden. There is certainly a colonial feel to the place, with stunning views over the mountain, manicured lawns and gardens (complete with the 'Millennium Maze' - a copy of Hampton Court Maze!) and ornamental ponds. For the sportsmen, there is the full range of tennis, bowling, a golf course, a heated swimming pool (on the equator!) and horse riding facilities - not to mention trips up the mountain.
Attached to the MKSC is an Animal Orphanage, which is linked to the William Holden Wildlife Foundation nearby (the Foundation educates young Kenyans on their country's flora and fauna). Young James took us around and introduced us to the elusive Bongo, more colobus monkeys, white (wide-mouthed, square lipped) rhino and the pigmy hippo (this last animal from Liberia!). There was a giant tortoise which was 140 years old and expected to live for another 160 years. We also saw a suni, which is a fairly rare antelope the size of a hare. The suni is being bred in the orphanage in order to repopulate the slopes of Mount Kenya.
