Iconic Treetops Lodge reopens after three years

The door to the Queen's room at Treetops Hotel in Nyeri. [Peter Muiruri, Standard]

Treetops Lodge, the iconic hotel that anchored Kenya’s relations with the British monarchy has reopened after closing down during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Nestled in the heart of Kenya’s lush Aberdare Forest and one of Kenya’s water towers, Treetops stands out for its natural beauty, historic charm and a sanctuary that has enchanted visitors from around the world for decades.

In 2021, the 36-room hotel closed its doors for the second time in its 90-year history, lying dormant for three years before coming under new management following renovation works that began in February this year.

The hotel’s director, Keith Ikinu, said the reopening of the hotel will once again revive the careers of workers and service providers who suffered as a result of the closure.

“It is an emotional moment for me to see the careers of these people being revived once again. The hotel will also contribute to the Mt Kenya tourism circuit with added accommodation,” said Ikinu.

The hotel was first opened in 1932 as an overnight stay for wealthy and intrepid visitors. It is built among Mugumo trees along an ancient elephant migratory route, is steeped in rich history. It is here that 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth Alexander Mary learnt of her father’s death, King George VI, on the night of February 5, 6, 1952, and consequently her succession to the throne.

Initially, Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip were hosted at the Royal Lodge, Now Sagana State Lodge (a wedding gift to them by the colony) before the scheduled night’s visit to the Treetops, a hotel that began as a game-viewing platform woven around a fig tree.

The lodge’s design was revolutionary for its time, combining traditional architectural elements with a remarkable integration into the natural environment.

The platform had been built by conservationist David Sheldrick’s father and among his first guests were Major Sherbroke-Walker and his wife Bettie who had also built the Outspan Hotel in Nyeri.

Why the young British royal couple chose to visit a lodge deep in the Aberdares and a hideout for Dedan Kimathi, the feared Mau Mau general remains a mystery. Whatever the reasons, securing the royal family members was no easy task.

Rogue bull

“The watering hole was frequented by elephants where one injured and enraged bull could easily have trampled the royals on their way up the residence,” says Mervyn Cowie, considered as the father of Kenya’s national park. 

Together with John Hayward, the then warden at the Aberdares, the two were tasked with “managing” the rogue bull in order to allow the couple safe passage. Cowie devised a plan.

Picking a pebble, he rubbed it vigorously under his armpit and threw it windward beyond the angry bull. The pebble’s noise as it fell on dry leaves and the human scent put the elephant on an attack mode and dashed toward the ‘intruder’. The royal party passed without an incident.

But there was more to their security than elephants. Historians have wondered how the Mau Mau fighters would have changed the course of history had they laid their hands on a woman destined to become Queen of England and hence Kenya’s Head of State in a matter of hours.

But that never came to be as no attack was recorded by the time she left Treetops the following morning.

“She had no idea that within a few hours of leaving Treetops, she was to receive the sad news that cast a gloom across the world that her father had died,” wrote Cowie. She was now Queen of England! 

Three years after her departure, Treetops was razed to the ground by the Mau Mau before it was rebuilt two years later in 1957.

During the opening ceremony last Saturday graced by UK High Commissioner in Kenya, Neil Wigan, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the hotel will bring back to mind the important role the rag tag army played in the fight for independence.

“It is here that you really feel the spirit of Dedan Kimathi, the freedom fighter who fought for freedom and was captured in the Aberdares,” said Gachagua.

Apart from the historical aspects, the hotel is poised to drive visitor numbers to the Aberdares, one of the least visited parks in Kenya by focusing on domestic tourists.

According to Kenya Tourism Board chairperson, Francis Gichaba, local travel currently contributes to over 50 per cent of total bed nights in the country, through the Tembea Kenya campaigns.

“We will strongly join hands in the promotion of lesser visited parks spread across the country so as to showcase the diversity of tourism offerings while benefiting the livelihoods of Kenyans,” said Gichaba.