The most famous game viewing lodge in the World overlooks a water hole and salt lick high in the Aberdare National Park.

Treetops is the orginal tree lodge, legendary for its historical royal connection, for the animals it attracts and for the sheer joy of exploring a tree house visited by rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion, bushbuck, waterbuck and many other species.

You leave the Outspann after lunch for the ten mile drive to Treetops and are met by an armed ranger who spells out the common sense rules of behaviour in a user friendly fashion.

The Lodge rises straight out of the ground on stilts. It has four decks and a rooftop viewing platform. Solely dedicated to game viewing, the accomodation is compact and cosy. At 6450 feet above sea level it is cold at night at all times of the year and during the Kenyan Winter from June to September you will need sweaters and hats for comfort and warmth. The 50 twin beded rooms are small and neat and cosy like cabins on board ship.Dinner is imaginativley served at refectory tables with bench seating, which heightens the sense of adventure and stimulates conversation. The emphasis is on making as little noise as possible so as not to scare away the animals.

For this reason children under 5 are not allowed at Treetops. Coffee and liquers are served in the comfortable lounge which features picture window and trees growing through the building. Here you can check the animal counts for days and years past and learn about the history of Treetops where, in February 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen on learning of the death of her father, King George VI.

The Bar is open from the time you arrive until after midnight but for those who canīt keep awake, an optional buzzer un your room will allert you if somthing special shows up during the night. And something special is almost bound to make an appearance at Treetops.

The die-hard animal lover will wrap himself in a blanket and keep a vigil over the waterhole with binoculars and camera at the ready.

Open balconies are ideal vantage points for viewing and photography and two photographic hides at ground level at either end of the lodge allow really close shots of unsusoecting animals. The excitement of Treetops stems trom the fact that allthrough the animals realise you exist the still approach fearlessly. Not only is it the clossest you can get to wildlife, but it makes a welcome change to have animals come to you instead of the other way round. There are good views of Mount Kenya in the morning if itīs clear and you leave Treetops for the return journey to the Outspann and an impressive breakfast. A night at Treetops is a night to remember.

Wohnbeispiel