Hotel Shompole Lodge in Kenya: six huge bungalows built exclusively from local materials: river pebbles, waxed fig tree and straw

Passing the gallery

Text: Marina Volkova

Magazine: N10 (99) 2005

Are you going to go on safari on the African prairies, or just want a break from the city rush in a secluded place? Then you are in South Kenya. In one of the hotels of The Art of Ventures, Shompole Lodge. Here, everything is marked by local color and arranged according to the principles of eco-friendly design. Although the name of the hotel was given by the mountain, Shompole Lodge is located on a wide plain between the lakes of Magadi and Natron. It's amazing where from here, practically in the desert, one of the highest mountain peaks in Kenya appeared. This place is far from the central region. In order to connect Shompol and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, it was necessary to pave a road 120 kilometers long. But getting to the hotel, which has its own runway, is most convenient from Nairobi on local airline planes that perform private flights. The flight will take you no more than half an hour, whereas on the car you will get the whole three hours. Shompole Lodge is six huge bungalows (200 square meters each). They are built exclusively from local materials: river pebbles, waxed fig tree and straw. Everything is also authentic in the decoration of the rooms: the sofas are covered with unbleached linen cloth, the huge beds are equipped with mosquito nets, all the furniture is carved from the same fig tree. Chairs resembling forest hemp stand out against the background of the wall, into which large sharp stones and fine smooth pebbles are embedded. Even technical support is conducted at the expense of natural resources and is absolutely eco-friendly. Instead of a power station, solar panels are used. They work on the lighting of rooms, and also heat the water in the pools. In a specially equipped room there is a pump, through which water circulates around the bungalow through the gutters that pass through the top of the walls. It turns out an unusual effect: water pours directly into the shower from the wall. Bathrooms and bathrooms are under the open sky. And the shadow above the head is created by a canopy of twigs. Shompole Lodge was built by Aboriginal Masai tribes who live in a nearby village. And the construction was managed by hotel manager Anthony Russell and his wife Elizabeth Warner. Elizabeth buys fine crafts from the local women and uses them to decorate the hotel’s interiors. All attendants are also recruited from the Masai tribe. They wear traditional clothes at work. In the dining room, reminiscent of a monk's cell, the chef serves up on the table national dishes: roasted tomatoes, yogurt with ginger, hot and cold soup. The hottest months in southern Kenya are October, November. In the afternoon, the scorching heat stops all activity. At this time, rescue pools, which are in each bungalow at Shompole Lodge. And after the procedures in the SPA center, you can attend yoga classes. In the morning and in the late afternoon, when it is cool, you can take a walk in the famous national reserve Masai Mara, where about 80 species of mammals and 450 species of birds live.Отель Shompole Lodge Flight: Moscow - Nairobi - Moscow, ticket price - from $ 900, then by local airlines to Shompole Lodge - from $ 200.Weather: The climate in Kenya is the mildest on the continent: in November - December - the short rainy season, in January the average daytime temperature is + 24 ° C, and the nighttime temperature is about + 13 ° CAccommodation: from $ 500 per day.Entertainment: go on a safari, visit the Masai village, see the pink flamingos on Lake Natron.