I’ve been to East Africa, but surprisingly not to Kenya. So when my darling wife wanted a vacation, I told her, “Let’s go to Kenya.” Fortunately, she had also wanted to visit Kenya and that was it. We made the arrangement and set off. Kenya is a bit more developed than the picture that I had in mind. Everything was organized and well arranged. You could easily navigate. There was no immigration wahala. There were signs and directions everywhere. There was no hassle over paperwork; it was very straightforward. From the airport, you can easily get a SIM card, buy the local currency; buy airtime and whatever you wanted…

After two nights in Nairobi, we booked a road trip to Tsavo West. On arrival, we were driven straight to Taita Hills Safari Resort & Spa, a sister hotel, located at the main entrance to the Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. This is where arriving guests have a welcome drink and lunch, before being transferred to Salt Lick Safari Lodge, which is about a 7-minute drive away.

First impression of Salt Lick Safari Lodge

On arrival, you’ll notice the structure. The structural design is very unique because the entire resort is built on stilts. You’re not allowed to walk around on the ground. It is strictly forbidden. There are so many warning signs all over the place. You might walk into a cheetah. Or a herd of elephants, or buffaloes or other wildlife.

Apart from game drives, we found out that you can book a safari walk with armed rangers. They take you through a certain route, but you’re not allowed to walk around by yourself.

From historical accounts, the area used to be a gaming spot where foreign game hunters come to shoot animals for fun. Later, it was cleverly converted into a beautiful resort. Apart from the structure, the ambience is so natural. The lodge is right in the middle of the conservatory. There’s a watering hole right in front of the reception area, which allow guests get pretty close to the animals.

In fact, on our first night, we were so lucky that a herd of elephants came to drink from the hole, and we were a mere one meter away from them. My wife was really emotional, she was almost crying. We heard from guests who had stayed three, four nights prior that they had not seen any elephants. So we were so lucky. I told my wife, they have come to welcome her to Tsavo West. I’m getting really excited, thinking about it now. It was so beautiful.

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There’s an artificial drinking hole and there’s a natural one. So, there are two holes. One is very close to the reception area, which is where guests converge to witness the elephants coming to drink. I was practically one metre away. You could almost touch them, but you’re not allowed to feed or touch any animal. You’re also not allowed to photograph with flash, because it might trigger them.

There’s also another very unique experience which gets all the guests excited when they find out. It’s like a secret. The staff will come and tell you only when the animals arrive – especially the buffaloes and the elephants – and they take you down to a sort of basement and you find yourself in a tunnel. Oh, my God. The tunnel leads from the reception area. It’s a step down into the basement and it leads right to a spot very close to the natural water hole.

You find yourself in a circular room with windows all around. You’re more or less standing in an enclosure, which is about, say 10 to 12 meters wide. The diameter is about 10 meters and it has got glass windows all around. It gives you have a panoramic view of animals, drinking and just walking around.

In fact, an elephant came and stood right in front of the window where I was. The nyansh was practically in my face. Buffaloes also come and they are also inquisitive when they find people looking at them. They want to see if you’re actually there or not. They come that close to see you and they move away when they notice, okay, they are many humans.

That spot used to be the shooting range where animals were caught on aware, but it’s now cleverly converted into a viewing spot. It comes as a surprise to every guest.

First, there’s a platform on the rooftop where you can see the entire panoramic view of the area. It is very, very unique too. Then you suddenly notice that people are running in another direction and you follow them – and you all find yourselves in that tunnel and, it’s so beautiful. The experience when the buffaloes and the elephants come to drink water is different from the experience when they want to sleep.

It’s a step ahead of all the safari lodges I’ve been to, beautiful resorts that I have visited in the past. I don’t think there’s any other safari lodge or hotel that has that kind of facility.

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Oh man! The staff! There are two particular members of staff, one lady and one man, that I cannot forget. Yes, their smile, their captivating smile, oh man. They are very welcoming. The staff are the most accommodating of any hotel or resort I’ve been to.

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There’s a restaurant, I think it’s on the second floor or the first floor, I don’t quite remember. All the rooms are linked by a boardwalk, but it’s built entirely with concrete. It’s got ropes and wooden balconies on both sides, like an old-style bridge. You take a walk from your room, all the way to the main facility. It’s a massive structure built on stilt, and it houses the restaurant, the reception, the bar, and the dining area. In the morning, you can order food and go up there.

They have like a wide range of menu that you can select from. It’s very diverse. I mean, Kenya is made up of various ethnicity. From history, Indians have lived in Kenya, and they have their community, which have made significant contributions to the country’s culinary spectrum. It is very colourful, and the range is wide.

Oh man, I don’t have a favourite, because I just sampled, almost everything I could. I tried a different menu each day. Everyone is encouraged to go on a game drive, which culminates at Taita Hills Resort where lunch is served. I think it’s a compulsory experience, so you don’t get bored just sitting in one place. So, you have to go do lunch in that other place, which is another experience on its own. It’s like a seven minute drive. So, you find yourself in the 4×4, with other guests driving around.

Some of the guests are actually staying at Taita Hills Resort. They too are brought down to Salt Lick for drinks or day visits or other activities. You will meet a lot of guests from different parts of the world, and network and talk about stuff, exchange ideas, experiences; it’s always something to look forward to. Each day is like a unique experience. You don’t get bored because there’s always something new.

There was an evening we learnt about sunset drive or sunset experience. People would take a drive up a hill, one of the Taita Hills to go watch the sunset, enjoy a sundowner and eat dinner. You can book the experience with others – a dinner for five or ten. It’s a beautiful experience, even though we didn’t get to do it, but we got feedback from other guests.

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After the initial welcome lunch at Taita Hills Resort, you’re given a welcome drink when you arrive at Salt Lick. You’re assigned your room and given your keys, while a concierge helps with your luggage and leads you to your room. That boardwalk alone is one beautiful experience. If you’re lucky, you might spot baboons as you walk to your room. Or monkeys. You could also spot elephants walking underneath your rooms.

The buildings are circular and there are two floors on each, with a conical thatch roof. It’s so beautiful and very neat. No air conditioning, but there are fans. No TV, because you don’t need the noise in the wild. You are also encouraged to lock your room always, because you don’t want baboons to come and help you redesign it. The rooms are very neat. They change sheets every single day. Of course, you get toiletries, coffee and complementary bottle of water – I mean, everything you expect in a decent three- or four-star hotel is available there.

It’s so beautiful and very neat, very, very neat. I think it’s clean twice a day, as a matter of a fact, because when you return from your daily routine, you find that somebody has already been in to the clean room, unless you put a No-disturb sign on the door. As far as the cleanliness is, it’s top-notch.

There is an airstrip very close to Taita Hills Wilderness Sanctuary, so you can take a flight from Nairobi instead of the road trip. Alternatively, you can also take a train ride and get picked up by the resort from the train station.

Kenya will impress you as a tourist who is visiting for the first time. It gives you a sense of what is to come. It feels very easy, very comfortable. People are very accessible, very accommodating. I guess it’s a result of years of experience. They always welcome international tourists from all over the world on a regular basis, so it’s not a big deal for them.

^{This review of Salt Lick Safari Lodge by Olusola Otori first appears in the maiden edition of Travels & Thrills magazine, published by More Cream Than Coffee in January 2025.}