Jan. 3, 2022 - Lumo Conservancy
The lodge is located with a fantastic view at the end of a mountain ridge with a view all around into the wide plain of the Tsavo West National Park. At a distance of about 70km, the Kilimajaro massif is still clearly visible. The view is spectacular, so is the lodge itself. Besides a large area with restaurant, bar and reception, there is a large terrace with an infinity pool.
We were surprised and very happy when we recognized the camp manager who was waiting for us upon arrival: It was Michela, whom we already knew since 2013 from our previous stays at Mara Bush Camp. The welcome was extremely cordial. Michela was especially happy to see Luise again. She commented “I saw her growing up”. On our first trip to Africa, Luise was only 12 years old!
After the usual admission formalities we were accompanied to our “cottage”. The lodge consists of the main building and currently 8, later probably 12 so-called “cottages”. These are huts with thatched roofs situated on stilts on the slope, all with an unobstructed view of the plain through large panoramic windows. The furniture is extremely comfortable.
But pictures say more than a thousand words:
After occupying our cottage number 5, we first went to lunch, which was also fantastic. After a short relax, we then met, as already established, at 4:00 pm with Caleb for the afternoon drive and drove down into the park.
Unfortunately, we were less fortunate regarding the wildlife in the Lumo. As Caleb told, it had been very dry here for several weeks before, so that many animals had left the region. Many probably did not survive the drought. The animal search therefore turned out to be a bit more tedious. But we were also very spoiled by the Masai Mara and also by the Amboseli National Park in this regard.
First we looked for the “red elephants” for which Tsavo National Park is famous. Of course, the pachyderms here are not really red, but the earth is, as it is very rich of iron. To protect their skin from the sun and also from pests, elephants like to cover themselves with dust or mud and here it is colored red because of the iron oxide it contains. So they just apply some “rouge” - apparently elephants are also vain. 🤣
You can see the red color of the ground very nicely on the trails in the park. This also makes for a very photogenic motif, I think:
We soon found the pachyderms we were looking for. Elephants are really hard to miss:
After a longer search for further animals we discovered on a large rock called Lions Rock actually some small specimens of the eponymous species. Unfortunately it was already very dark and the little ones were very shy and far away, therefore only one picture for documentation:
During the drive back at dusk, the Kilimanjaro massif once again appeared in the far distance.
Then we went back to the lodge. Here, we also kept up our already well-rehearsed evening ritual. First we met for a Gin-Tonic at the campfire, which was lit especially for us on the terrace. Then we had another delicious dinner in the restaurant with the obligatory Tusker lager beer.