On the trail of a princess

As Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations reach fever pitch, we retrace her footprints where as a princess, she climbed a tree house and came down the next day as a queen, writes THORN MULLI

Way back in 1932, in the heart of the Aberdare Ranges, Lady Bettie and her husband Major Eric Sherbrooke Walker, a one time secretary to founder of the scout movement Lord Baden-Powell, built a private two-roomed tree house to provide a safe platform for viewing and shooting, with cameras of course, wildlife.

As fate would have it, the tree house’s location with an unparalleled view of a waterhole surrounded by salt deposits resulted in a demand to cater for more guests.

The tree house hence started hosting overnight guests acting as an adjunct to the Major’s other property, the Outspan Hotel.

Open only on nights with a full moon, the tree house was touted as probably being the most expensive in its day, costing a

smashing ten pounds (Sh1,320).

The year was 1952 and Treetops would host its most famous guest yet. Twenty-five-year-old Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary and her husband Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, were visiting Kenya as part of their Commonwealth tour. A personal visit to the Walkers would not have been complete without a visit to his now popular tree house.

Not married long, this was the couple’s maiden visit to an African forest and its enchantment could not be shrouded as they excitedly clicked away, especially after a rousing welcome by a herd of angry elephants.

Sadly, however, as the pair enjoyed themselves, King George VI, who had been ailing for a while, lost his battle to lung cancer, thrusting the Duke of Edinburgh into princehood and transforming the princess into a queen.

mixed luck

 With its newfound relationship with the British Crown, Treetops became a popular destination as other VIP guests and dignitaries trooped to the Aberdares, among them Walker’s former boss, Baden-Powell, who went on to commission a cottage christened Paxtu on Outspan’s extensive grounds.

All was not rosy for the lodge though. The Mau Mau would also troop under the cover of the forest and darkness, albeit for different reasons.

The heat of their struggle against colonial rule was becoming unbearable and the forest seemed ideal for their guerrilla activities.  Hot on pursuit was the King’s African Rifles, a British multi-battalion regiment whose operations, whilst perched on the tree house that acted as a look-out, led to the demise of many an outlaw.

Not surprisingly, a match’s wrath meted on the lodge ensured that only charred remains stood as the remaining relic of Treetops history.

All was not lost, as a determined Walker rebuilt Treetops three years later, albeit on the opposite side of the waterhole but maintaining its predecessor’s quaint charm. 

By the time her Majesty made a return visit in 1983, the lodge had grown to 40 rooms including two suites, although the lodge remained largely an overnight destination with guests being driven in from the Outspan.

Not much notable change occurred since, except that the lodge shifted hands as Sir Malin Sorsbie, Block Hotels and the current owners, Aberdare Safari Hotels, acquired the two properties. Well, that and the fact that time slowly took its toll and the lodge inadvertently took a break for renovations that would cost a hefty Sh127 million. Eventually, on April Fool’s Day this year, Treetops was reborn.

en route Nyeri

It is with this rich backdrop that I joined players in the tourism industry on a familiarisation tour of the ‘new’ Treetops recently. Two tour vans assembled on a clear Saturday morning at the Eurodent Centre in Westlands, Nairobi where the hotel chain’s offices are located.

A quick briefing by Elizabeth Nguraru, sales executive on the trip’s itinerary, flagged off the tour that soon snaked onto Thika highway. A smooth ride accompanied by good cheer with a brief break en route ensured that we arrived in Nyeri in three hours.

 One could not help notice the change of environment as we left the smoke-ridden capital to the agricultural town. One kilometre from the town, we arrived at the lush Outspan hotel; the base hotel for the Treetops.

Hot towels and a cocktail welcomed us before we were ushered into the lounge where the colonial architecture and decor of the establishment, notably its Gaulish chandeliers, rubbed off on us.

My insatiable curiosity ensured that I noticed a typewriter tucked in a corner, purchased by the Walkers in 1921, whilst our hosts checked us in. With no time to spare and our taste buds tingling, we attacked the buffet lunch all the while getting acquainted with one another.

The dining hall opens up to a balcony where meals are also served. An expansive lawn gives you that sense of countryside, which for me was welcome considering the eyesore that can be Nairobi.

A guided tour conducted by Julliah Hinya was the next activity for a closer feel of the Outspan, whose fact file is available on the hotels website.

  The Chania wing, an extension of the original structure by Walker stood out as did the Kirinyaga Tarven where we chanced upon the resident peacock couple who wowed us with their beauty.

scouts ‘Mecca’

 Hard to miss was settler tradition and elements of Kikuyu culture, which kept popping up as captured in most of the photographs that float in most of the suites. 

Paxtu Museum is a cottage that is definitely a ‘Mecca’ of sorts for  scouts and girl-guides with its unsettling number of flags and badges. Understandably, this is where Lord Baden Powell spent the last three years of his years.

A surprise awaited us when we left the museum. Nahashon Mureithi, who worked at Treetops when her Majesty the Queen first visited, was on hand to share his experience as we all boarded the Treetop van that was to take us into the park.

Francis, a charming driver, confirmed our comfort before the 18km drive that had to detour to Kenya Wildlife Services Mweiga Park offices for payment of our park entry fees also payable at the Langata Head Office.

The warden manning the gates opened after a mostly uphill drive to an altitude of around 6,450 feet above sea level. Noteworthy is the fact that the park does not allow visitors into the park on foot and after six in the evening, unless of course they have made accommodation arrangements. Entry is by Safari cards only, which may be loaded but not obtained at KWS-Mweiga Park offices.

A few metres into the park and boom! A solitary jumbo was sighted beside the road as Francis halted for us to have a closer view. He also pointed out the endangered Colobus monkey on the opposite ridge.

After we had had our fill, we continued till we came to an open clearing where we were asked to disembark. The remaining distance would be covered on foot, a fact that made the women in the group squeal in fright.

A rifle-wielding warden, however, was on hand to ensure we got to the lodge in one piece even as cape buffaloes with their menacing eyes looked on.

There it was, the indelible Treetops, standing immaculately in the afternoon sun, supported by at least 30 feet high stilts.

We were received by the Treetops resident naturalist Stephen whom we had met at the Outspan. He briefed us on the lodge’s restrictions as we downed apple juice.