Reviews of The Emakoko
Wildlife sightings and reviews
116 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited The Emakoko and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
75% success
3% success
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5% success
88% success
88% success
80% success
79% success
74% success
61% success
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"Very good base for Nairobi"
It was good to have time to visit the KarenBlixenMuseum, which was a personal request to James, our guide. We also took in the David Sheldrick Trust - disappointing because it felt more like a circus or zoo and there was not much to it. The late afternoon sessions may be better but are costly.
The food was good, better at light lunches than in the evening, when meat was rather chewy." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"Emakoko - A Beautiful 'Welcome to Kenya'"
The lodge was beautiful and we received a warm welcome and attentive service. There was a tame(-ish) Impala on the grounds which liked to come close. Having an animal to touch was a beautiful experience for our 2.5-year-old daughter. Buffaloes grazed under our balcony and we were made aware that they were the most dangerous animals around. I enjoyed this respectful co-habitation with the animals who live there. Even a hippo came up to the swimming pool at night.
Our daughter was able to go and play with the owner's daughter of the same age while we went on a game drive by ourselves, which was a very welcome luxury. And every evening someone came to babysit her while we went for dinner.
Only one other party of two was staying at The Emakoko when we were there and we usually had dinner all together at one table with Anton the owner of the Lodge. The food was very good.
This was our first experience of a safari lodge so we didn't have much to compare it to. Two little details that we found uncomfortable were:
- the mosquito nets had holes in them. Given that this is a higher end lodge, we didn't expect such a detail to be overlooked. Coming from the UK, our main fear of Kenya was of the malaria mosquitoes. In retrospect, we know that the number of insects was nothing compared to the coastal mosquitoes, but fixing the holes should still be possible and a priority. (I mentioned it to Anton as we left)
- the shower was leaking hot water a bit at the tap. We're used to that kind of wobbly plumbing in the UK, but in Switzerland, where I grew up, showers work smoothly. (I didn't mention that to Anton)
My personal highlight was a walk with Sylvester, our driver, and Sunde, a local Maasai, over the ridge behind the lodge and into the ancestral lands of the local communities. It was a short walk, but I learned a lot about Kenyan life and customs and got to see some very modest homesteads.
Our daughter's highlight was probably feeding the giraffes at the Giraffe Centre. And splashing around in the swimming pool with the impala stalking around us." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"The Emakoko review"
We visited some historic places around Nairobi and have to complement Sylvester on his driving in the madness of Nairobi traffic. He was great. Chris and Rachel who were doing relief managers were absolutely terrific. Highly recommend this lodge." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
"The beautiful Emakoko Lodge"
It also gave us the opportunity to visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage which is a must." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"The Emakoko review"
The drive from the airport with our guide James was a mini safari in itself and he like all the staff we met could not have done a better job." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
"Beautiful place"
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