For a majority of Kenyans, rural retreats that may include self-catering holidays are considered an ideal family vacation. For most of the holidaymakers, a self-catering holiday will entail booking a suitable destination, which has suitable activities for the family as well as ensuring that the facility works for all family members. Getaways to rent vary from cottages located in secluded locations in the thick of a park, a forest, along lakeshores and ridges thus attracting both local and international tourist.
Holiday cottages can be found in almost all parts of Kenya. These may include cottages that have facilities suitable for children, couples or just for a group of like-minded holidaymakers. In Kenya, men and women alike will normally have a group mainly referred to as Chama that save money together for holiday purposes and will usually undertake the holidays at the best suited time of the year.
Rural Retreats during School Holidays
School holidays are in April, August and December for schools within the Kenyan education system. However, the case is different for UK based schools. For easy planning, it is advisable to include your children’s school holidays timetables and ideas hence making the holiday a memorable one. Seeing that a majority of the holiday cottages are located within the rural areas, activities that will engage the children during the holiday must also be considered.
A holiday in the countryside of Kenya can be very memorable especially for urban-based children that may not have heard the chance of visiting the countryside. A countryside getaway allows children a chance to visit family and friends and it is considered to be way cheaper than visiting locations away from their rural homes. That’s not to say that Kenyans do not engage in local tourism. On the contrary, a large number of urban dwellers that make for the middle class in Kenya will save up with an intent to explore the vast beauty of their own country.
Rural retreats -The Various Properties
Kenya boasts of a variety of great cottages that one can hire for those well-deserved holidays. The Kenya wildlife service has several self-catering facilities that are reasonably priced and are located within our parks. There are also privately owned cottages that add to the vast array of rural retreat that one can rent. One such property includes and not limited to Kembu Farm in Njoro, Naishi Guest House in Lake Nakuru and that’s managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kamakia Tea Cottage in Thika the list is endless. Naivasha, Nanyuki, Laikipia, Nairobi and the Coast region has a huge concentration of these facilities owing to the fact that they are most frequented by holidaymakers. That said, other regions like Tigoni, Limuru, Ngong along the Champagne ridge as well as Athi river equally have serene facilities. Locations within the great rift valley that is host to Lake Naivasha, several golf courses, Lake Nakuru National Park that is about one hour’s drive from Naivasha as well as the world’s 7th wonder ‘The Maasai Mara’ also make the list of ideal rural getaways.
Transport to most of the countryside retreats for both local and international tourist is very much doable to most facilities thanks to google maps. Some are located in remote off-road locations but with the help of the cottage or house owner or agent, navigation should not be too difficult. Several tour firms also organise for someone to pick up at an ideal common location to avoid getting lost.
Most of the facilities available offer an array of activities. This includes; swimming, horse riding, walking and jogging, hikes for those that are around mountains and hills like Mount Longonot in Naivasha among many other children-friendly activities.
According to a reviewer from www.holiday-rentals.co.uk, ‘The guest described the birds as a beautiful life; that’s in utopia.’ Apart from the various cottages being self-catering one, the guest can decide to engage the services of a readily available chef at an extra cost.
