We had an amazing weekend in Nanyuki in central Kenya. Thanks to Lonely Planet, we learned of a place called Nanyuki River Camel Camp and decided to check it out. Upon arrival, the staff showed us to our huts. At this point, I was a little worried my friends would insist on getting back in the car and finding someplace else to stay.
The doorway into the hut was so low you almost had to crawl in. The interior of the dirt floor hut housed only a simple bed with a rough-hewn bedside table. There were no lights and the hut let in so little sunlight, you had to use your flashlight inside the hut even during the day.
We put our bags in the huts and walked down to the "river" that ran along the edge of the camp. River was a strong word, since it was more like a stream. When we came back to the camp, the staff had built us a fire, which we gathered around with a bottle of wine. Soon, the owner of the camp joined us. Chris is a Brit who has lived in Kenya since the early 60s. Chris began telling us stories of his years in northeast Kenya, living and working with nomadic communities. This experience inspired him to buy a herd of camel, build the camel camp, and transport authentic Somali huts from northern Kenya as sleeping lodges. Chris seems to have traveled everywhere in Kenya and knows everyone, including Kuki Gallmann, the main character of the "I Dreamed of Africa" movie.
Soon we adjourned to dinner, in the Restaurant of a Thousand Stars, which featured a low table flanked by sitting cushions under the night sky. In this simple environment, with no electricity, we didn't have high expectations for dinner. The meal was simple Kenyan/Somali dishes - pilau, potatoes, kachumbari, camel - but it was delicious! Our friend Keith who eats like a bird went back for thirds!
The huts were surprisingly warm when we crawled back in to go to bed. We fell asleep to the gurgling sounds of the stream and the "dulcet" screams of the tree hyrax.
The following morning, we met the namesakes of the camp - members of the camel herd. We climbed aboard and Chris led us on a 1.5 hour ride out of the camp, along the road, and into a neighboring ranch. Our caravan of camels was quite a sight to the others we encountered - motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and a very skittish horse. My camel also enjoyed biting the leg of the camel in front of me, which added to the excitement of the journey. When we finally dismounted, we were as saddle sore as if we had taken a six-hour bike ride!
As we bid farewell to Chris and his camels, we all agreed that we'd had a wonderful adventure and a great escape from our comfortable, predictable, routine lives in Nairobi.
