With the enticing offers by the government and the tourism industry, this is a good time as any for Kenyans to double as domestic tourists and traverse the country. One place that must not miss on that itinerary is Naivasha, historically known as the Happy Valley.

The tour of Happy Valley begins at Lord Erroll Restaurant in Nairobi, with morning tea, after which you board a bus and drive to the first house. The drive through the Kinangop Plateau, part of the Happy Valley, is soothing and relaxing and viewing the superb landscape is enjoyable.

The drive takes one around Kipipiri. Top of the agenda is visiting the houses of Happy Valley residents. The guide narrates an eccentric account of the Happy Valley set.

Of notable importance are houses of Alice De Janze, now a local school: Happy Valley School. We also saw Patricia Bowel’s house, which now belongs to the Catholic Church. The last stretch of the tour is a drive along the Aberdare Forest into the elephant corridor to Kipipiri. It is sad to learn that the research elephant, the Mountain Bull, was recently killed by poachers.

The tour then skirts around Kipipiri to end at Clouds, where the murder of Lord Erroll is discussed over a drink in the dining hall after a visit to Idina’s infamous bathroom. (Rumour has it that she entertained several men in her bathtub).

The mischievous tour guide leads us into all the current conspiracy theories on who killed Lord Errol, the history of the Delamere family and the involvement of the 3rd Baron in Happy Valley.

Naivasha is rich in historical memorabilia and culture. Add to the combination, great retreats, hospitality, the floriculture economy and you will understand why it is on a roadmap to becoming the second destination in Kenya.

Unconfirmed statistics has it that in 2012 Easter holidays, Naivasha overtook Mombasa in bed occupancy.

Of all the historical stories that are told about Naivasha, that of the Happy Valley set — a group of privileged British colonials who lived in Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare mountain range — is worth retelling.

They were notorious for drug use and promiscuity — included here is wife swapping. Some of the group’s “wretched” activities have been highlighted in books and films such as White Mischief; Earl of Erroll, Child of Happy Valley and The Sallyport Papers.

The Wanjohi Valley, the heart of the Happy Valley set, is near Aberdare National Park and included the present Bushi, Miharati, Ndemi, Kariamu and Olkalou.

Happy Valley started when Geoffrey Buxton, the first colonial farmer in the area, moved up from the dry arid Rift Valley to the area around Naivasha and named it “Happy Valley.”

In the early 1900s, the Kinangop Plateau (after the building of the railway) served as the headquarters of “Happy Valley, a settler community that included many titled aristocrats from England. They were given loans to buy land on very easy terms. They built stone brick houses in the plateau and kept sheep and cattle on their vast farms, as they frolicked and indulged in sexual orgies. Parties were held in rotation from house to house, particularly at “Clouds”.

Members of the Happy Valley set included the 3rd Baron Delamere and his son, the 4th Baron Delamere, The Hon Denys Finch Hatton, the Hon Berkeley Cole, Sir Jock Delves Broughton and the 22nd Earl of Erroll. Others were Lady Idina Sackville, Alice de Janze, Lady Diana Delves Broughton, Gilbert Colville, Hugh Dickenson, Jac Soames, Nina Soames, Lady June Carberry, Dickie Pembroke, Julian Lezzard and Baroness Karen Blixen.

The mode of travel then was by the famous flying boats that used Lake Naivasha as their landing base on their way to South Africa.

From the 1930s, the group became infamous for its decadent lifestyles and exploits with reports of drug abuse and sexual promiscuity.

However, the debauchery of the 1920s aside, some good was also noted from among the settlers. Conservationists like Joan Root and her husband, Alan, Joy Adamson and Dian Fossey are mentioned for their good work that has drawn many a tourists visiting Kenya and especially Naivasha.

Today, Naivasha is an area of great beauty. It is about an hour away from Nairobi, which makes it is a popular destination for expatriates and tourists, who come here for weekends away. 

Return trip

By the time you get back to Nairobi, you will be planning another such visit if only with friends or family. Secretly you will be planning to “tour-guide” them, to prove that you know so much about the happenings in the Happy Valley of yesteryears.

The range of accommodation in and around Naivasha ranges from swanky five-star hotels to self-catering cottages or even a private ranch complete with an airstrip.

These unique and classic retreats include Malewa River Lodge, Naivasha Holiday Inn, Naivasha Simba Lodge, Naivasha Sopa Lodge, Lake Naivasha Sawela Lodge, Enashipai Resort.

Others are: Hippo Point House, Hippo Point Tower, Loldia House, Kongoni House, Olerai House, Chui Lodge, Kiagazi House, Crater Lake Camp, Elsmere, and Malewa Kigio Camp.

Then there are Fish Eagle Inn, Fisherman Camp, Naivasha Marina Lodge, Hajabu House, Great Rift Valley Lodge, La Belle Inn and Longonot Ranch, among other several backpackers and low rate hotels, camps and inns.