Elsamere - kenya safari holidays

A relaxing Kenyan safari holiday at Elsamere - one of Kenya's most historic homes set in acacia forest on the banks of Lake Naivasha. This special offer includes transport to and from Nairobi airport, trips to Crater Lake, Lake Nakuru, walking safaris through Hells Gate National Park, visits to local shopping facilities, fishing, nature walks, bird watching and much more.

The centre provides accommodation for 15 - 18 people in cottages set in the gardens around the main house. Each cottage has a veranda and faces towards the lake. The rooms are bright and attractive and all have ensuite bathrooms. Guests may also choose to stay in the main house in the Joy Adamson bedroom, which has easy wheelchair access.

Elsamere is a haven for lovers of nature, set in Acacia forest on the banks of Lake Naivasha, in Kenya's Rift Valley. It is the former home of the late Joy Adamson who, together with her husband George, became world famous for their pioneering conservation work and relationship with the lioness Elsa, as told in her best selling book and subsequent film, BORN FREE.

The Adamsons devoted their lives to wildlife conservation and Elsamere continues to be maintained as a functioning conservation centre. By staying at Elsamere you have the unique opportunity to visit an active base for local conservation projects and a chance to experience life in one of Kenya's most historic homes. Many of Joy's paintings still decorate the house.

Meals
Elsamere prides itself on its warm hospitality and home like atmosphere. The day starts with a hot breakfast and lunch is buffet style with plenty of outdoor tables and chairs for alfresco dining. Dinner is hosted each night and it is the perfect opportunity to get to know other guests, many of whom may be visiting researchers and conservationists

Elsamere does not have a bar facility. Guests are invited to bring their own alcohol.

Afternoon Teas
Elsamere is open to the public each day between 3pm to 6pm. Visitors are invited to watch a video, "The Joy Adamson Story" and visit the museum and shop. A traditional afternoon tea is served at 4pm.

Elsamere is conveniently located near many local attractions. Hells Gate National Park is one of the only parks in Kenya that permits walking. The park has a wide variety of game including a large number of raptors and the scenery is quite spectacular.

A trek up Mt. Longanot, a 2,800 metre extinct volcano, is another interesting day's outing. Visiting Crater Lake with its emerald green coloured water is yet another option and there are also many unique handicraft shops in the area.

The museum contains a small collection of Joy's paintings and artifacts. Memorabilia from the film Born Free and a range of photos documenting Joy and George's work with wildlife are also on display.

The Elsa Trust shop stocks a variety of T-shirts, jewellery, books, earrings and prints of Joy's works are also for sale

The video library of conservation and wildlife documentaries.

Guests may hire boats of arrange a guided tour to view birds and other wildlife on the nearby Crescent Island.

Wildlife
Early mornings at Elsamere are a special time, the African Fish Eagles herald the dawn with their memorable ringing cry and the chorus of bird song continues through-out the day. Elsamere is a bird watcher's paradise, over 200 species of birds have been recorded and rare species such as the Verraux's Eagle Owl are regularly sighted.

Morning boat rides are an ideal time to spot the many species of water fowl and brilliantly coloured kingfishers. The lake is home to the largest water fowl population in Kenya.

Elsamere has also become quite famous for its resident troop of black and white Colobus monkeys which visit the centre regularly. Guests may easily view the troop from the lakeside lawn. Other frequent visitors to the centre are a pod of hippopotami which often graze on the lawn at night.Lake Naivasha is very important ecologically.

The conservation centre provides information on the lake ecology and regularly hosts research programes to monitor the lake and the local wildlife.

Location
The turn off for Elsamere is the Moi South Lake Road, 22km from its junction with the old Nairobi/Nakuru road at Naivasha town.

The Conservation Trust
In 1960 Joy Adamson published Born Free, the best seller in which she describes the release of her pet lioness Elsa into the African bush; it made her rich and famous overnight. In the years which followed she and her husband George devoted a succession of books, films and television programmes to their adventures in returning to the wild a cheetah, a leopard and many more lions.

Together the Adamsons revolutioned our attitudes to wild animals and warned the world that unless it protects their habitats, many of the most magnificent species would be extinct there within a few decades.

As Joy's fame as a conservationist grew, so did her fortune - but neither she nor George had any personal interest in money. As soon as she received her first royalty cheque, she planned and quickly established a charity she called the Elsa Wild Animal Appeal, which is now named

During the last forty years the trust has donated millions of dollars to wild life education and conservation projects, large and small, helping to create the famous Kenyan parks and reserves at Meru, Samburu, Shaba, Kora and Hell's Gate and also a Field Study Centre at Elsamere. Today it's principle activities and aims are further conservation and worldwide conservation education, particularly in East Africa.

The Elsa Conservation Trust. She then made over to it all her earnings except her basic expenses. After their murders, ten years apart, George and Joy each left their entire estates including Elsamere - Joy's house on Lake Naivasha - to this trust.

The Elsa Conservation Trust was established in 1963 by Joy and George Adamson, their work in conservation is part funded by the Elsa Conservation Trust through education and training.

The book 'Born Free' was written in 1960 by Joy Adamson and tells the remarkable story of her relationship with Elsa the lioness who she raised from a young cub and later successfully released back into the wild.