"Exciting News"

Now , Desert Rose has access to a Cessna 206, which can carry up to five people, and can stay on the ground while you enjoy your visit to Desert Rose.
This ends up HALVING the air charter cost, and  provides you with an amazing perspective of this remote area as you experience the spectacular “ view from the sky”
Please enquire about the hour scenic flight over lake Turkana and the Suguta valley,  an optional extra, which you will never forget…..

Navigating Instructions

The overland distance covered between Nairobi and Desert Rose is 420 km.
The sealed road goes as far as Rumuruti, through Gilgil to Nyahururu, and can usually be covered in 3 hrs 30 mins. The next section to Maralal, roughly 100 kms, past Mugie and Saguta Mar Mar, takes two to three hours. If you are in Maralal before one o clock you are doing well. There are two fuel stations, one at the first round a bout, and one opposite the matumba market. You can have punctures fixed here too. No more fuel until you return roughly 250 kms.
Next puncture repair Baragoi.
At the first round about in Maralal, turn left. Go past county council offices and over next round about. As you begin to climb a hill take the right fork up and out toward Porror. This is the slowest bit of the road. Only eighty something kilometers to Baragoi, through Merti, but it can take 3 to 4 hrs sometimes. Otherwise you can be in Baragoi by threeish..
If there has been no rain, there is a less bumpy, but same distance road that you can find just before the grain silos, on the east side of Maralal town, take the left track above an old Ministry of works Park, which winds through a small bit of forest, and drops down into a little village where you join a track that goes to Barsaloi, cross the lugga and continue through to Baragoi.
Eighteen kilometers past Baragoi, five kilometers past the Tuum sign, on the left there is a gas cylinder and several desert rose plants, turn left.
From this junction into the Ewaso Rongai valley, after one sandy lugga is roughly fifteen kms. As you approach the valley mouth there is a fork. Straight goes to the village so you can go that way, but left takes you into the Acacia tortillis forest, and the track which follows the river, crossing in three more places before you reach our camel base; a green tin hut.

Here you must put yourself in LOW FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, and come up in first gear!
Send a runner up if you are worried, and we can help!
Or get a lift with a helicopter…. GPS coordinates.. N 02 03.410 E 36 49 .699

Flight time one hr fifty, Driving ten to twelve hours.

Our airstrip is called KOWOP. It lies east west at the southern end of Mt Nyiru it is now 900 meters long, and has a constant wind from the east. The lodge is behind a large hill so radio contact is dodgy, but we do have 123.4 on when we hear aircraft overhead. Please make sure we are aware of your arrival if it is a last minute thing, it takes 30 to 40 minutes to reach by car from Desert Rose….We can collect you, and arrange for askaris to watch the plane if necessary.

We have a satellite telephone no: + 8821621107002 if you wish to talk to us directly.

Access
By air - one can charter a flight from Nairobi or wherever you are in Kenya.
We collect you at the Kowop airstrip for a 30 minute drive to the lodge.
By road - It is a 400 kms (8 hours drive) from Nairobi. Map on request.
If you are in the Laikipia area, a helicopter excursion through the spectacular Suguta valley to Desert Rose is definitely worth the treat.


Climate
The lodge itself is located at 5,500 feet amsl so it is recommended to bring something warm to wear in the evenings. Days are hot. May and June are our wettest months but we are open all year round.

Details
Friendly local guides, dail y laundry service, radio and satellite telephone and email connections to the outside world.
Email us for our latest rates and package options