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Kongoni Game Valley Lodge

Kongoni Game Valley Lodge offers guests to Kenya a fantastic holiday, in a splendid villa with wide-open verandahs and a nice swimming pool overlooking the spectacular Lake Naivasha. You will enjoy the natural beauty of the land and its wildlife: exotic animals and birds - zebra, impala, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, flamingo and hundreds of other species. And at the same time engage in a variety of activities including a Kenya safari, golf, fishing, boat trips, and tours to other Kenya National Parks.

You become one of the privileged few when you are accommodated at the kongoni Game valley ranch, the elegance of the ranch house and its dramatic setting makes this a very special place. The Kongoni Game Valley Ranch house is on a hilltop overlooking Lake Naivasha and the surrounding volcano peaks. The romance of the place begins in 1901 with a French marquis who built this home in Africa for his new American bride. They lived there happily until the early 1940's, they are both buried in a secluded part of the garden where the view they loved is absolutely breathtaking.

The long low stone house with its ochre-tiled roof stands in a wide expanse of mowed lawns and tended gardens. It all feels very established and well-cared for there is an aura if quality. The house is built around a central country yard the communal living and dining rooms overlook the lake and open out to a wide veranda furnished with commodious wicker furniture and cushions. Guests are encouraged to relax in this restful spot and enjoy the magnificent view
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Below, shinning beyond its fringe of acacia trees is the lake framed by extinct volcanoes and the soaring sides of the rift valley. A forest of primeval euphorbia contrast with the clipped lawns and English style flower beds of the garden. Meals at Kongoni are memorable; intimate tables, garden flowers, and views from the sunroom at breakfast, cozy candlelight inside at night. The food is wonderfully done and you can smell the bread backing pizza fresh from oven.

The emphasis is on gourmets Italian cooking and the pasta and ice cream are homemade. Gianna jokes that the big five at Kingoni valley ranch are parmesan cheese, olive oil, capers risotto and pasta-mouth watering. Guests can take a walk at the shore or go boating. You are likely to see a wide variety of birds and perhaps a wide-open toothy yawn from a hippo. You may decide simply to sit on the veranda in cushioned comfort and absorb the beauty and peace.
At the beginning of the 20th Century after many false starts, Kenya "whites" were at last finding ways of taming Africa's soil and learning to cope with her fractious climatic conditions. Adventurous aristocrats set out for a new life in Kenya Amongst these were Roger, Comte De Perigny, and his wife, the former Margaret Copley Thaw, daughter of Pittsburgh railroad millionaire William Thaw. Born on January 9th 1877, her life had been lived among the industrial giants of the United States.

People like Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, Henry Frick, together with many scientists, financiers, inventors, engineers, schemers and dreamers, were friends of her father and frequent visitors to her childhood home. Aged 21, she married George Lauder Carnegie, a nephew of the steel magnate-philanthropist, and, in such surroundings, she enjoyed ostentatious luxury. After her first husband died, in 1921, Margaret Carnegie followed a custom becoming fashionable among wealthy American widows. In 1923, she married into the French nobility, becoming the Countess De Perigny.

Thereafter, she and her new husband divided their time between his Paris residence and the home they built in 1926 on land at the Naivasha lakeside which they called (after the many antelope of this species they found there) "Kongoni Farm". Their beautiful property is today a private park open to visitors who wish to enjoy all its splendour in untouched surroundings. Kongoni Game Valley still preserves the natural beauty of this land and its wildlife.

Kongoni Game Valley is an exclusive Safari Club that offers excellent and personalized attention to only a small number of guests. The traditional up-country Kenya house with wide open verandas and a nice swimming pool looks out across gardens to the beautiful waters of lake Naivasha. The house is attractively furnished in an early 20th century style with large bedrooms each with private bathroom en suite. Guests can take a game drive by four wheel drive vehicles or take guided walks.

Boatmen are available for excursions on the lake to view the large colony of hippos and the many species of birds. Kongoni Game Vallley is ideally positioned for daily excursions to Lake Nakuru National Park, Hell's Gate National Park, Masai Mara and Samburu National Park. Kongoni Game Valley still preserves the natural beauty of this land and its wildlife. The property covers an area of some 1,000 hectares between the hills and the plain. There are many tracks crossing the area.

About the Author

Edwin is a specialist in African Safaris and a tour operator. His tour company, African Safaris & Adventures, has presence in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Egypt, Madascar, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Seychelles.

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