Only Spectacular | Lions Bluff

Why Spectacular? This safari lodge, perched right on the top of a ridge with stunning views of the Tsavo West National Park, has a very natural feel to it.

Accommodation Summary: 12 well-separated en-suite ‘Bandas’ (which are canvas sided rooms with thatched roofs and decked platform areas). Set away from the bandas is an eating, bar and seating area.

Maximum number of guests: 24

Where: Tsavo (Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary, below Tsavo West)

Price Guide: £180 p.p.p.n.

Overview: The drive up the escarpment to Lions Bluff is exciting in itself but this is eclipsed when you get your first glimpse of this small lodge, with buckets of character, clinging to the edge of a bluff and overlooking the Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary. The setting offers expansive views from wherever you are and leaves you in no doubt as to how isolated a location this is. It is built and finished in a very authentic and unpretentious way using local, natural materials to blend into the environment. This is about as far from the feeling of the modern, corporate world as you can get, and is a blessing for it. There are not enough places like this in Kenya - it combines simplicity, comfort, wildlife and a breathtaking setting with a very reasonable price tag.

Read More: Description

Lions Bluff has recently been taken over by Iain and Helen Leckie, who have a long history in Kenya. Thankfully they have a very clear sense for what is best about the lodge and its surroundings and have great passion to share that with visitors.

The sustainable timber, canvas and traditional coconut thatch construction has a very African feel to it but it’s the stunning panoramic views from each of the 12 well separated ‘bandas’ that distinguishes it from most other lodges. Each has its own verandah that is set out from the hill on stilts and it’s from here that you can look for wildlife below and across the savannah. Sitting here in the still of the early morning with a hot cup of tea is a real pleasure.

The bandas have a rustic, simple and honest feel to them with hand-made four- poster beds, finished nicely with crisp cotton sheets. All have their own bathrooms with flush toilets and hot running water. From the main lodge you can sip sundowners on an open terrace with Kilimanjaro as the back drop, followed by dinner in an open plan dining area, overlooking a small water hole visited by a family of elephants.

A wide range of activities is available and encouraged including bush walks, night safaris, forays into the Taita Hills and sundowners. There’s also the opportunity to learn about the ancient culture of the Taita people.

Wildlife includes lion, elephant, leopard, cheetah, serval cat, civet cat, bat eared fox, aardwolf, striped and spotted hyena, buffalo, giraffe, baboon, large variety of antelope, mongoose, hyrax, porcupine and many more. The area also has a prolific bird life featuring over 200 species.

Sustainable Rating:

Lions Bluff Lodge only exists because the community set aside 125,000 acres of their land for wildlife conservation and tourism. The lodge and sanctuary management work together to select, fund, implement and control projects that will directly benefit the community and its environment. Within their mandate are both large and small projects such as borehole drilling for the distribution of water to the community, livestock and wildlife sanctuary and producing and marketing elephant dung paper products using community members.
The lodge monitors all environmental based projects but ensures that ownership is by the community.

Guests are encouraged to visit the Taita community, in real unadulterated situations, so that they can see how daily life is managed in a harsh environment and how the lodges and sanctuary’s existence can make a real difference to the community.

LUMO and Lions Bluff Lodge are a buffer zone between the Tsavo park eco system and large agricultural schemes. Therefore by protecting the sanctuary through responsible and sustainable tourism, they are helping to ensure the preservation of Kenya’s largest Game park, Tsavo.

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