The sea is warm and the surf roles across a gently sloping beach so you can choose the size of wave you wish to tackle. For those who enjoy beach combing there is an internationally stocked surf line where truly exquisite pieces are available and always appreciated and utilized back at the Lodge!

The Tana River is Kenya's largest river. Its source far to the east of the delta in the Aberdare Mountains and the craggy snow covered peaks of Mount Kenya . Having traveled over 1000 kilometers, the river meanders across a flood plain on the northern edges of the conservation project. The main river is clad in stretches of thick riverine forest with fig and palm trees which sweep across the surface of the river and interspersed with lush grass paddies and sleepy Pokomo and Orma villages. Explorable by boat trips from the lodge these deep forests are hot spots of nature teaming with interesting birdlife and often shelter buffalo, elephant, hippo and Nile crocodile as well as a host of smaller, shyer antelope and primates.

The Pokomo people are the majority tribe in the region and their lives revolve around the river and its flooding cycles which irrigate their fields and nurture the mango trees that shade their villages.

The Orma are Ethiopian by origin and are traditionally pastoralists moving their beehive shaped dwellings across the floodplains wherever the grass for grazing takes them.

From the comfort of these breezy heights, constructed and furnished with treasures gleaned off the tide line, is Robinson Crusoe-style accommodation but with all the benefits and comforts of modern living – electricity, cold drinks, hot showers and swimming pool.

In keeping with the ambience of the lodge, the cuisine is largely seafood. Crab, fish and prawns are freshly caught in the wetland creeks and prepared by the camp cook into unique meals. (Special consideration of your individual diet and taste can be catered for when notice is given prior to visiting this wild haven).

The lodge is the ideal oasis of tranquility to plan in comfort expeditions into the surrounding watery and bush wilderness.

Accommodation
Each Cottage has been designed to fit into its own private niche in the dunes and has been artfully constructed and furnished from an international array of flotsam from the beach. Great care has been taken to ensure that the Cottages all have their own private vistas making you feel that you are the only person in Africa.

Whilst the Cottages have a castaway ambience, they also sport all the comforts of modern day living. Firm mattresses on king size beds fashioned from driftwood and covered by large cotton mosquito nets, bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers, and room service with cold drinks from the bar when you need them.

There are six Cottages. Four with king size beds in a spacious open room with ensuite bathroom and small lounge area. Two Cottages are larger family units with two rooms, one with a king size bed and the other with two singles and ensuite shower and toilet.

These shady heights offer vantage points to read a book and let tide and time unfold in the wetlands before you.

TANA RIVER DELTA - KENYA:
The Tana is Kenya's largest river, nearly 1,014 km long. The headsprings for the Tana are found on the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains. These tumbling streams converge into a wide and powerful torrent to the east of these mountains before changing nature yet again, into a slow, meandering river for the lower half of its course to the Indian Ocean.

This lower part of the Tana dissects a wild and vast area of Kenya, where the riverine strip makes a vivid contrast to the parched bush stretching for miles on either side. From the Kora National Reserve onwards, the Tana is the only supply of water in an endless sea of dry bush, rocky soil and little rainfall. It is not until the river passes Hola, and approaches the coastline, that the surrounding countryside becomes greener and less stark.

The only home of the Hunter's antelope, a hartebeest with lyre-shaped horns, is on the east bank of the river, near Hola and stretching in a band to the Somali border. The Arawale Game Reserve has been gazetted to protect this rare antelope.

Continuing the journey down to the ocean, the river passes through Wenje, Garsen and some of East Africa's last remaining rainforests. This 64 km area is home to two rare animals, unique to this area of Kenya: the red Colobus monkey and the crested Mangabey monkey. Both of these primates are predominantly found in Western, not Eastern, Africa. The Tana River Primate Reserve protects these primates, but this habitat is threatened by the increase of agriculture.

Past Garsen, the river flood plains open into a wide, grassy delta extending to the Indian Ocean. The delta area is low, flat and crisscrossed with tidal channels, savanna grasslands, stands of doum palm trees and swamps. Small, narrow channels, the color of milky coffee, meander through thick green jungle which suddenly opens into small villages, where herd boys bring their cattle to drink and women wash clothes in the water, despite the ever-constant threat of crocodiles.

Hippos wallow in shallow pools; reedbuck, topi, buffalo, bushbuck and elephant roam the grassy clearings. The Tana delta is most famous however, for its prolific bird life, featuring huge flocks of egrets, pelicans, ibis and storks on every sandbank. Beautifully colored bee-eaters, hornbills and kingfishers are a constant delight to the eye.

Finally the river pours its silt-rich, chocolate waters into the Indian Ocean at Formosa Bay, a huge sweep of deserted beach, which stretches into the horizon on both sides of the delta.

This isolated region is a truly unique location, where the great inland wilderness of the North meets the beauty of the coast. The Tana delta is a place of spectacular panoramic views, encompassing a scrubland teeming with game and birds and the endless rolling sands of deserted beaches.

Here you can experience the best of both worlds, spending the morning exploring a river filled with hippo and crocodile by canoe, and swimming in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean in the afternoon.

This is the perfect destination for those looking for a safari with a difference.

The Tana River Delta is best accessed by road (a 3 hour drive) from Malindi. There is an airstrip for private charters. The only available accommodation in this area is at the Tana Delta Camp, where boats are available for travel upriver. This is an excellent place for walking.