Affordable Birthday Lake Elementaita | 2 Days 1 Night
Couple Packages
Birthdays
Lake Elementaita Lodge or similar
A birthday by the fire above a quiet Rift Valley lake, two hours from Nairobi
Affordable Birthday Lake Elementaita: a decorated room waiting when you arrive, a slow afternoon by the pool and a birthday cake carried out to the bonfire under a clear Rift Valley sky. One night, every meal covered and an early bird walk the next morning. From KES 38,000 per couple for Kenyan citizens, with transport from Nairobi available as an add on.
Some birthdays want a crowd. This one is for the years when the best present is a night away with one person and nothing on the calendar. Lake Elementaita is the calm lake of the Rift Valley, about two hours from Nairobi on the A104, and it is quiet enough that the whole day can belong to the two of you.
You stay at Lake Elementaita Lodge, on the escarpment above the water. The lodge grew around an old farmhouse that Galbraith Cole established about a century ago, and it still feels more like a country house than a hotel, with 33 rooms, a pool and gardens that look out over the lake towards the Sleeping Warrior hill.
Your room is decorated before you check in, so the celebration starts the moment you open the door. The afternoon is for the pool and the terrace. After dinner you head out to the bonfire, and that is when the birthday cake comes out, candles lit, with the lake dark below and the stars out above it.
The next morning, a guide walks you both down to the shoreline to look for great white pelicans, which breed here and nowhere else in Kenya. Flamingos come and go with the water levels, so we never promise them. If the birthday person likes a bit of adrenaline, add the zipline or high ropes at Sirville Adventure Park nearby.
For more on the lake, see our Lake Elementaita guide, or browse all our birthday packages.
Details
Summary information about this package
Lake Elementaita Lodge or similar
Elementaita
Couples
Included
Road
For Adults only (18+)
Full-board
Included
All year round
Costs
Kenyan Citizen
Ksh. 19000 per person sharing
Non-resident
$ 220 per person sharing
Transport
Options: Road
Duration and Timing
No
Overnight (2 Days 1 Night)
About Package
More information about this package
A room dressed for the occasion: The lodge decorates your room with petals and simple birthday touches before you check in, so there is something to smile at the moment the door opens.
Birthday cake at the bonfire: A celebration cake with candles is carried out to the fire after dinner. Tell us the name and any message when you book, and we pass it to the lodge kitchen.
Lake Elementaita Lodge or similar: A 33 room lodge built around Galbraith Cole's farmhouse, about 500 metres off the highway on the escarpment above the lake. Rooms are standard doubles or twins, simple and comfortable rather than showy.
Full board for your stay: Lunch when you arrive, dinner that evening and breakfast before you leave are all covered. The only thing you pay for at the table is drinks.
A guided bird walk at first light: A lodge guide takes you down towards the shoreline early to look for great white pelicans, and your Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary fees are already paid.
The pool and the gardens: Swimming is included in your stay, and the gardens and terrace look out across the lake towards the Sleeping Warrior hill.
Two hours from Nairobi: The A104 gets you there in about 2 to 2.5 hours. Drive yourselves, or add our private saloon or mini SUV and your driver stays with you for both days.
Package Itinerary
The package itinerary is as follows
Affordable Birthday Lake Elementaita Itinerary with Baecation Adventures from Nairobi
Day 1: The Birthday
Check in at the lodge from midday. Adding our private transfer? We collect you from your Nairobi address at 9 am for the 2 to 2.5 hour drive on the A104.
Morning: The Drive Out
The road climbs out of Nairobi and drops onto the floor of the Rift Valley. Put the birthday playlist on, stop at the escarpment viewpoint for a photo, and let the city fall away behind you. Past Naivasha and Gilgil, the lake appears below the highway, pale and still.
Afternoon: The Door Opens
Check in to a room that has been decorated for the day. Lunch at the lodge, then the afternoon is yours. Swim, nap, read on the terrace or walk the gardens. Nobody needs anything from the birthday person today.
Evening: Cake by the Fire
Dinner at the lodge as the light goes, then out to the bonfire. Once you are settled by the fire, the birthday cake arrives with its candles lit. Make the wish, cut the first slice and stay out under the stars for as long as you like.
Day 2: First Light and Home
Morning: The Shoreline Walk
An early walk with your lodge guide down towards the water, looking for great white pelicans, avocets and whatever else is feeding in the shallows. Back for a slow breakfast with the lake in front of you, then check out.
Afternoon: The Slow Way Back
If you have the car, stop for nyama choma at Kikopey or visit the Kariandusi Prehistoric Site on the way home, both at your own cost. You are back in Nairobi with the evening still free.
Add Ons
Romantic Touches: (Extras to make the birthday bigger)
Sparkling wine on arrival: KES 5,000 ($50) per bottle
Private bush dinner for two: KES 9,000 ($90) per couple
Photographer for the cake moment, one hour: KES 11,500 ($115) per session
Upgrade Your Stay: (Turn one night into two)
Extra night at Lake Elementaita Lodge on full board: KES 12,500 ($95) per person sharing
Transport: (Private car from your Nairobi address, driver stays with you for both days)
Private saloon car with driver, Nairobi return: KES 24,000 ($240) per couple
Private mini SUV with driver, Nairobi return: KES 36,000 ($360) per couple
Experiences: (Add any of these when you book)
Sirville Adventure Park water slides, high ropes or zipline: from KES 2,500 ($30) per person, lodge transfer arranged if you are not using our car
Specialist birding guide: KES 4,000 ($40) per group
Packed lunch: KES 2,000 ($20) per meal
Massage and wellness session: KES 3,500 ($35) per session
Lake Nakuru game drive: KES 10,000 ($100) per person, requires the transport add on
+ Inclusions
1 night at Lake Elementaita Lodge or similar, standard room
Full board: lunch on arrival, dinner and breakfast
Room and bed decoration for the birthday, ready before you check in
Celebration cake with candles, served at the bonfire
Guided nature walk and bird watching with a lodge guide
Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary conservation fees (KWS)
Evening bonfire at the lodge
Use of the lodge swimming pool
Baecation Adventures planning and support throughout your stay
All government taxes and levies
- Exclusions
Transport between Nairobi and the lodge, available as an add on below
Drinks, including bottled water outside meals
Lunch on Day 2 and any meals outside the lodge, including Kikopey
Sparkling wine, photographer and bush dinner, available as add ons below
Sirville Adventure Park activities, available as add ons below
Kariandusi Prehistoric Site entry and Soysambu Conservancy fees
Spa treatments
Festive season supplement for stays between 20 December and 4 January
Tips and gratuities
Travel insurance
Anything not listed under Inclusions
What To Carry
A warm layer each for the bonfire and the early walk, since Elementaita mornings and evenings are cool
Something a little smarter for the birthday dinner
The birthday present, if you have not given it yet. The bonfire is a good place for it
Comfortable closed shoes for the shoreline walk
Swimwear for the pool
A sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses
A light rain jacket between March and May, and in November and December
National ID or passport, which confirms your KWS fee category
A charged phone or camera for the candles, unless you add the photographer
Cash or M-Pesa for drinks and tips
Book This Package
Reach out:
For enquiries or bookings, write to [email protected]. We’ll revert within 20 minutes during business hours.