Kenya’s Alpine experience in the Aberdares

Twin rocks popular with wedding couples

NAIROBI, KENYA: To have a glimpse of the Alps has just become easier for people who cannot make it to Europe from this part of the world, thanks to Tafaria Castle, a country lodge that serves as a launching pad for hikes into the little known natural wonders that dot the Northern reaches of the Aberdare range overlooking  Laikipia plains.

Like in the European Alps, rock formations in this part of the Aberdares remind you of places, works of art, and utilities in everyday use or living creatures.  Many have remained hidden in the entrails of the range that Scottish geologist and explorer Joseph Thompson named after Lord Aberdare, President of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), in the mid-1890s.

The 160 kilometre long mountain range is a cocktail of fascination including the world famous Tree Tops where British Queen Elizabeth became monarch upon the death of her father, King George VI in 1952. From afar, the highest peak rising 13,120 feet resembles a bull with a hump, hence its Maasai name, Oldonyo Le Satima (mountain of the bull calf).

Recently done road networks and discoveries made possible by fresh hikes from the erstwhile unexplored Southern flank include an open space at 12,000 feet above sea level christened ‘theatre of heaven’ for its amphitheater shape and the commanding view the site gives of scenes that invoke heavenly perceptions in the mind of the beholder, hence the name given by George Waititu, Tafaria castle founder  in consultation with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

Within eye shot from the ‘theatre of heaven’ is a lone pyramid like rock formation that has aptly been named ‘the lost pyramid’ perhaps because such features are commonly associated with far away Egypt while another formation that resembles a wild castle has been amorously named ‘castle of love’ depicting that it would make  an ideal  hiding place for lovers.

A series of craggy rocks also visible from the ‘theatre of heaven’ are fondly referred to as Dragon’s teeth from their shape of legendary mythical reptilian fire spewing creatures in some European cultures. Nearby is “The devil’s sword’ a thick tongue of rock that thrusts out of the main mass  like a sword pulled out of its sheath, ready for a devilish action. Interesting formations are galore, many of them yet to be named.

Rock formations aside, vegetation atop the Aberdares is verily Alpine from 11,000 feet with a generous cover of mountain giant heather and silky tussock grass. Trees as we know them are totally absent from this height washed by sharp windy breeze that favours only moorland shrubs and grass. Rivers and streams largely flow underground, occasionally emerging as gurgling spring water.

Trips to these virgin wonders of the Aberdares   originate from Tafaria Castle with various packages, but with Ksh 300, hikers can pay their access through the KWS gate, provided that they can drive seven kilometres through the forest to twin rocks that strategically squat 11,000 feet above sea level. Here, the actual climbing begins on virtually unmarked tracks punctuated by peats and mulches that slow down movement. It takes approximately an hour in good weather to reach the ‘theatre of heaven’ and another hour to Satima peak.

Completed in 2012, the Castle modelled on medieval English citadels sits 7,700 feet above sea level with a ravishing view of the mountain range covered by thick forests that are the source of many rivers and prolific game.

Everything about the lodge smacks of royalty, from a palatial carpeted Lord’s room where guests are given a lord’s feel by being addressed as “the lord of the castle” to special service. The solitary room fit for a king or a queen is ideal for elite honey-mooners and guests looking for extra luxury that includes complimentary horse rides and gifts ranging from house wine to fruit baskets.

The Lord’s friends were accommodated in the Lord’s court within the castle. At Tafaria, the Lord’s court comprises seven slap-up rooms within the castle, slightly less executive than the Lord’s room.

On the sprawling compound below and within the full eye view of the Lord are rooms named Damsels, Damsels Plus, Vikings, Manor, Knights and lost Knights. In medieval days, damsels were unmarried beautiful girls at the disposal of the Lord and had to be protected by knights from raids by sea faring warriors known as Vikings. Houses dubbed Knights are six in number with another three deluxe ones with sitting rooms and fire places dubbed Lost Knights referring to soldiers who guarded the palace in medieval days.

Damsels at Tafaria are eight; neat double roomed houses with communicating doors and the larger Damsel Plus are 12, a perfect choice for guests who relish taste. Knight’s houses are strategically located to ensure the security of the damsels against raids by Vikings housed in tented quarters labeled ‘Vikings’. The old house has three bedroom suites and a private compound suitable for a family.

The castle that carries the middle name of Mr George Tafaria Waititu has greatly transformed a once remote and isolated area in keeping with his childhood dream. Looking back, he narrates: “I grew up in a desolate jungle where wild game roamed at will. The nearest water point was seven kilometres away and to reach the shops to buy anything meant trekking 11 kilometres.

“Today, wholesome water flows from springs on the mountain for use by the villagers, thanks to a community project of which we were a part while the lodge draws its water from a borehole,” he effuses.

“Nothing delights me more than the change I have seen unfolding in line with my dream that a teacher during my primary school days once dismissed as ‘building castles in the air’. What stands here today is a real castle cutting into the air,” effervesces Mr Waititu.

“The castle held aloft my stunning decision to quit the corporate world and return to the village to transform it from darkness to enlightenment just like the medieval times were a transition from the dark ages.

 

He says the castle has been an effective agent of transformation, attracting more people to a virtual wasteland where an acre went for a paltry sh30,000 less than decade ago. “The project has created significant direct and indirect employment and in a way reduced rural urban migration among other permanent benefits to the locals such as providing a market for some of their produce,” notes Mr Waititu.

“A five kilometer access road we built to the Nyeri-Nyahururu highway opened up a once closed jungle and with the arrival of electricity to serve the castle, villagers took the opportunity to cheaply make connections to their homes. Land rates dramatically increased in the wake of the infrastructure, soaring to over sh 1 million an acre currently. I am proud that the castle has spurred the kind of economic boom for the villagers as I once envisaged in my dreams,” gloats Waititu.