20 May 09
Easter 2009
A dhow trip along the Lamu Archipelago
An opulent Kiwayu picnic had been arranged. Waite ensured we had chilled Pinot Grigio for our eventual lunch on some sparkling tidal beach somewhere to the North. Any number of activities were anticipated; snorkelling, fly fishing, cameras, kayaks, and we even went as far as having a back up canoe with Ali trawling for some snapper, or should I say heading off the possibility of hitting the doldrums? Eeerrhem!
Dhows tend to set sail with such pomp and ceremony~ when the canvas sail unravels, bulging with the breeze, amid ropes, shouting, muscles, balance ~ then comes gliding silence. What a pleasure to be propelled across water without the whine of an engine.
Our little bay has become quite a refuge for young Green Turtle: it’s not unusual to see 5, 10, 15 at one time, popping up for air or swimming beneath the boat.The exit to the open sea gives a rush of liberation. One can not help but be wooed by the clichés of sailing, musings on centuries of exploration and wildly long voyages: what on earth did they see and think when pulling into a coastline such as this, imagine what wilderness…..A pod of Bottlenose Dolphin eye-balled us from a safe distance, birds fed in a frenzy of boiling water heaving with white-bait and the occasional flying fish sliced through meandering, languid day dreams.It wasn’t until our second tack, (or was it a jibe?) that we realized we’d already been sailing for two hours and hadn’t even reached half way!… I was already thinking of raiding the cool box….Thank the Lord we’d had the sense to ask Ali to come with the canoe, we were after all sailing into the North East monsoon; surely the form was to wait out the trade wind in Lamu or Zanzibar? It is no accident however, that the Swahili have adopted their reputable demeanor, what is the hurry anyway? However we did abandon ship, there was after all the tide to consider and much snorkelling to be done before lunch!
Simumbaya’s network of coral-rag islands and mangrove channels are always awe-inspiring. Hot and dry this time of year, shimmering with March’s turquoise waters. We ate lunch in a sheltered cove on Rubu Island: Chilled avocado soup and fresh ciabatta, tonno tonnato with cold potato salad, and obviously, that mandatory chilly glass of vino.
Now all we needed to do was to wait for the dhow to arrive. While the boys wore off their lunch fly fishing, (inspired by the pro who caught and released 80 fish in four days!) I decided to observe the minutiae of island life from the cool of our picnic sight. Symphonies of fiddler crab, pripping sand pipers, and that haunting cry of African Fish Eagles lulled me into a daze.
Within the hour the tide was lapping at the cool box by which time the boys had drifted down current. A few meters of my beach remained and soon I would have to scale the razor-like coral… no sign of the fishermen…!
I waded out in the hope of catching sight of their canoe, deliberating my next move, when our beautiful Dhow, the very one we had impatiently abandoned two hours ago, loomed large and majestic above the mangroves.
Saved like Olive Oyl, by the dhow and not the boys!
Posted in: Kiwayu News Letters |
5 May 09
APRIL 2009 : Letter from Stefano Cheli
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Liz, the boys and I have just returned from 3 nights at Kiwayu Safari Village. We must admit that we had not been to Kiwayu for a while, and were very happy to find it still one of the most wonderful beach locations anywhere.
The Kiwayu and Kongoali Bays are still outstanding and one of the best places to be lost in for a few days on the East African coast, if not in the world. I truly believe that nowhere else exists with such peace and feeling of remoteness on a beach, a true bare foot luxury in every way. The relaxed atmosphere and the unpretentiousness, but at the same time knowing what a luxury it is to be in this paradise.
I want to share with you a few facts:
Lamu town north to Kiunga town in a direct line is 88 km, with a few fishing villages in between, but otherwise empty beaches, the Kiwayu Bay is approx half way.
The Kiunga Marine Reserve surrounding Kiwayu Bay includes 50 km of coastline and stretches 4 km into the ocean.
Kiwayu to Lamu in a straight line is 55 km
The Kiwayu Bay and adjoining Kongoali Bay are 3km and 2km respectively, ie 5km of empty soft sand beaches.
Every room in Kiwayu Safari Village has its own beachfront, so the total beachfront of the lodge stretches for 1km.
This means that Kiwayu Safari Village has 5 km of private beach front with the occasional fisherman walking past. This for me is pure luxury and I am guessing that no other luxury resort in the world can claim the same.
The fish comes straight off the beach, but other fresh items come from either Lamu or Nairobi, they arrive by Dhow from Lamu and by air from Nairobi. This means that each item that is consumed at Kiwayu costs Kiwayu 3 times more than what the item cost at the point of purchase. Imagine the remoteness, although Kiwayu Safari Village is not on an island it’s remoteness does make it an island surrounded by bush and ocean.
The Lodge:
Bare foot luxury in the true sense of the phrase, all you need is a Kikoi (sarong) a few t-shirts and bare feet. The 20 rooms, suites really as each is an average of 80 to 100 sq meters, are all different. Alfredo was a purist, and the lodge is made of mangrove poles, driftwood and palm matting; decorated with shells, drift wood collected over 35 years and colourful Swahili fabrics. No cement or permanent structure is erected and each room needs to be rebuilt every 2 years.
Alfredo Pelizzoli pioneered the lodge in his hunting days in the 70s, and Kiwayu has stayed in the Pelizzoli family. (Many are not aware that Alfredo also started Mnemba, but Kiwayu always remained his favourite). We were pleased to see that Simone Pelizzoli and her husband, George Moorhead are maintaining the old Kiwayu way, but with renewed energy and passion and proper hands on management that was very much needed. Simone the daughter of Alfredo and George her husband are a great asset to Kiwayu and a pleasure to be with. What you would pay very dearly for in a restaurant in London is served everyday at Kiwayu, Indian Ocean crab (the best in the world), lobster, prawns, calamari, oysters and the fresh catch of the day either sashimi, baked or grilled, is to die for.
We had a fantastic 3 nights, I would recommend a minimum of 5, so that you can really unwind and have time to try some of the activities. My boys tried to do everything and enjoyed what they could fit in, snorkelling (they found giant clams and turtles), water skiing twice (the boat driver was excellent, getting a novice up on the 4th attempt, and our boys progressed to mono) in the mangrove creeks, creek fishing and kayaking.
Liz and my highlight was lunch on Kongoali beach, it was magic, lobster and chilled wine in the shade, again the peace and having the biggest swimming pool in the world to dive into at anytime was great.
We had a great stay and we have been to lots of places that say they are competition to Kiwayu, but Kiwayu was the original and still is today, the undisputed best.
Thank you. Stefano and Liz
Posted in: Reviews |
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