LOCATION & CONTACT

Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp is located on the shoreline of sapphire-blue lake from which it takes its name; surrounded by the 48,000 acre Soysambu Conservancy, the camp is 135 kilometres from Nairobi, Kenya.

The nomadic Maasai had passed through the area for centuries and the name Elmenteita derives from the Maasai Ol muteita for “place of dust”. Then in 1897 one of the first pioneers arrived, after walking over 1,000 km south from Berbera on the coast of Somalia. This was the third Baron Delamere, who dedicated his foresight and fortune to pioneering farming methods in the Rift Valley. He moved to Elmenteita in 1906, where he further experimented with sheep and cattle ranching, advised and assisted by the Maasai - with whom he had a great rapport. He named his farm Soysambu, Maasai for “striated rock” - Sambu is also a cow colour.

Today’s Soysambu is a 48,000 acre Wildlife Conservancy, also a RAMSAR site - a wetland of international importance. The alkaline lake’s rocky islands are the only East African nesting site for great white pelicans, while its algae and plankton provides food for vast flocks of flamingos and a multitude of other waterfowl, many of them rare. The Conservancy protects over 450 bird species and 15,000 wild animals. Rothschild giraffes have found a safe haven for breeding here, while a diverse variety of terrain shelters many species - from herds of giant elands to tiny dik-diks and cliff-dwelling klipspringers. Night game-drives offer a unique opportunity to spot nocturnal creatures including the curious-looking aardvark and elusive leopard. Walking is also allowed, with chances to experience the miracles of the bush close-up. Atmospheric bush dinners beneath the stars and spectacular sundowners over this geologically fascinating part of the Great Rift Valley are a few more of the camp’s exciting activities. Lake Nakuru National Park and Kariandusi prehistoric site are also nearby.

The Great Rift Valley is a continuous geographic trench of approximately 6,000 kilometers, which runs from, northern Syria in Southwest Asia, to central Mozambique in South East Africa. Today, the term is most often used to refer to the valley of the East African Rift most famously viewed In Kenya.

Running from Turkana in the north, toward Magadi in the south, the Rift Valley’s floor is broken with extinct volcanoes, and contains a series of Lakes. Majority of these lakes are shallow, and with no natural outlet are alkaline with a high concentration of minerals. Three of these soda lakes, represent the most significant of all of the Rift Valley lakes within Kenya. Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Elmenteita, have all been gazetted as individual protected areas and are collectively recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Kenya Lake System.

These soda lakes, support one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, are the most important feeding area for the lesser flamingo, and Lake Elmenteita remains the last nesting and breeding site in East Africa for the Great White Pelican. The property is home to 13 globally threatened bird species and some of the highest bird diversities in the world. It is the single most important foraging site for the lesser flamingo anywhere, and a major nesting and breeding ground for great white pelicans. The lakes' terrestrial zones also contain important populations of many mammals, including the endangered Rothschild giraffe, as well as bird species that are globally or regionally threatened, and hosts over 100 species of migratory birds.

The Kenya Lake System and surrounding land is critical in contributing to the conservation of the natural values within the Great Rift Valley, and provides valuable insights into the evolution and development of soda lake ecosystems and the related communities of plants and animals.