At Loldia House you'll experience the life of Kenya's early settlers, the pioneers who cleared the forests and first farmed the rich highlands.

Loldia ranch was established by a family who trekked by ox-wagon from South Africa a century ago. Today their descendants still own the land. The original farmhouse is managed for visitors by Governors' Camps. It's an ideal spot to relax, taste the pleasures of Kenyan country life and explore the Great Rift Valley.

Loldia House, built in the Second World War, nestles under ancient Acacia trees. Lush lawns run down to the shores of Lake Naivasha, the Great Rift Valley's highest and purest lake. Indigenous plants and flowers fill the gardens.

There are beautiful views of the dormant volcano, Mount Longonot. Wild animals roam free on the farm. Small antelope wander through the gardens. In the evenings hippo munch quietly by the waterside.

We've kept the original character of the house: comfy chairs surround a huge fireplace; paintings by an artist who lives on the farm hang on the walls; a deep and shady veranda to relax on and sunbeds in the garden.

In the main house there's a choice of four en-suite double rooms, with original furniture. And three more rooms in the specially-built Loldia cottage which has it's own sitting-room, fire and panoramic lake-views.

Mouth-watering meals, with fish and shrimp from the lake, are served under the trees or in the old dining room. Britain's Country Life Magazine even described Loldia's manager as "probably the best butler in the world".