Little Shompole Lodge

Great Rift Valley, Kenya - Classic 4

Little Shompole consists of two vast private suites, located within a few minutes walk of the main Shompole Lodge, but positioned with the utmost consideration for privacy and exclusivity. Each suite boasts its own lounge area, cool-pool, and spacious sun-deck. Both rooms share a private mess and a stunning horizon pool that overlooks the Lake Natron basin and the volcanic slopes of Northern Tanzania. Guests at Little Shompole enjoy a dedicated team of staff, private guide and butler service.

Location

Southern Kenya on the Tanzanian border near lake Natron. Located on the slopes of the Nguruman Escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. 180km south of Nairobi on a 35,000 acre core Conservancy, surrounded by 140,000 acres of Shompole Group Ranch, which provides a dispersal are for wildlife and a buffer zone to human settlement.

Access

Shompole is convenenttly located for many different itineraries including those that include Amboseli and the Maasai Mara. By air: A snort private charter flight (30 mins) from Nairobi, the Mara or Amboseli. Snared charters available 3 times per week. By road: A breath-taking drive from the heights of Nairobi down the escarpment and across the floor of the Great Rift Valley, encountering Lake Magadi and some of the most spectacular views (3,5 hours). Please note that a four-wheel_drve vehicle is required for the road beyond Magadi.

Style

A unique and artistically appointed lodge, using natural meterials, smooth white walls and water to create a fresh and unusual approach to the bush experience, unSeen before In East Africa. The design of each building incorporates the beauty of natural forms whilst blending effortlessly into the rugged suroundings.

Accommodation

Overlooking the stunning expanse of the Great Rift Valley, the lodge is positioned ideally to make the most of both an incredible view and the cool breeze. Constructed using naturally occurring white quartz stone, pale thatch and lig -wood, and using water as a prime feature. Two spacious suites, open to expansive views, accommodate a lounge & sundeck, his & hers moulded wash basins, ensuite toilet & cascade shower, and private cool-pool. Each 9'x9' bed rests under a romantic high-canopied netting and canvas tent which can be closed at night against insects.

Guest areas

The private thatched lounge overlooks rolling volcanic slopes and the Lake Natron basin and is solely for the use of Little Shompole guests. A long horizon pool with smooth white sundeck stretches out towards Mt Shompole and is an ideal place to relax and soak up the equatorial sunshine.

Children

We would like to advise that the design of Shompole is very open to the environment, with small pools and steep sides and is therefore only suitable for children under strict parental supervision. We would appreciate if parents would show consideration to other guests where children are concerned. We provide early dinners for children and a child-minding service for your convenience.

Recommended length of stay

To take full advantage of everything on offer, stays at Main or Little Shompole should be a minimum of 3 - 4 nights.

Activities

Shompole has been designed to accommodate those that would like to relax in a beautiful environmenl, listen to the sounds of the bush and lake pleasure in being inert! That is not to say, however, that there is a shortage of activities to participate in, to the contrary, Shompole is fortunate to be located in one of the most diverse environments in Kenya, and there is plenty to keep the more active well occupied.

Being located in a private conservancy, Shompole is able to offer guests the chance to enjoy the local flora and fauna on foot with the added benefit of a very experienced guide who is there to enlighten you with information about what you ere seeing. Walks normally take place in the cool of the morning or evening and are a very enjoyable way of appreciating some of the small miracles of the African bush. A refreshing breakfast on the plains or in the shade of the fig forest makes a perfect end, followed by a clip in the pool when you return to the lodge.

Game-viewing in the conservancy can also take place in our specially-modified safari 4x4 vehicles and can often be very rewarding. Wildlife in the area includes lion , buffalo, leopard, giraffe, eland , wildebeest, gazelle, zebra, cheetah , elephant and many more . Night drives also present a great opportunity to see some of the rarer animals such as aardwolf, bat-eared fox, serval, genet and honey-badger, to name but a few. These are often combined with a sun-downer on the open plains where you can watch the changing colours of the African sky as the dust settles and the air cools.

As a community initiative, your Maasai hosts are pleased to initiate you into their ways and traditions. A visit to Shompole village on market day can be great fun as can a visit to the bead-hut where Maasai ladies from the nearby villages gather to work on clothing and accessories for the Maasai Collections label which is exported to Europe and America and provides a valuable income to these local women.

Shompole is located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley where much of the topography was shaped by volcanic movement in centuries past. As a result. the scenery is spectacular and we are fortunate to be located near the unique soda lakes of Magadi and Natron. Natron provides one of the only famingo breeding habitats in Africa and as it shimmers a deep red colour from the algie on which the birds feed, the lake was named the Lake of Fire by the Maasai Natron provides an interesting morning or evening excursion to see the flamingos and the surrounding lake-shores which are home to the beautiful desert rose.

Inflatable canoes ilre also available for a leisurely afternoon drift down the Ewaso Nyiro River where the banks are lined with yellow fig trees and the peace and tranquility is extremely relaxing.

To celebrate a special occasion or perhaps just for a romantic moment, we can organise a candle-lit bush dinner under the stars. Here you can enjoy the sounds of the African night and the hospitality of our experienced staff to make your evening truly memorable.