Lake Elementaita Mountain Lodge

You stay at Lake Elementaita Mountain Lodge on a hillside above the lake, with the water and the Rift Valley spread below. The lodge is seven kilometres up from the main highway, high enough that the view takes in both the lake and the valley floor. UNESCO lists the lake as a World Heritage Site for its birdlife and geology.

The rooms have private balconies facing the water, with bathtubs positioned for the same view. Families take the two-bedroom suites with kitchenettes; executives use the larger rooms with lounges for meetings. From any balcony you see the lake change colour through the day as the light shifts across the Rift.

The kitchen grows vegetables on site and buys meat and produce locally, serving buffet meals in a dining room that looks out over the water. The bar mixes cocktails for sundowners on the terrace. Activities include game drives in nearby Lake Nakuru National Park, hiking, and boat trips on the lake.

The lodge handles weddings and conferences, with grounds for events and a boardroom for fifty people. But the draw remains the lake itself, alkaline and shallow, fringed with acacias where pelicans and flamingos feed.