Grogan’s Castle open for tourist business

(eTN) – The border area between Kenya and Tanzania along lake Jipe and Chala is significant for wildlife, neighbouring parks, and game reserves on both sides of the border. However, war history buffs also recognize the names for the valiant campaign fought by Colonel Von Lettow-Vorbeck on behalf of Imperial Germany, which had control over their then East African colony Tanganyika. The colonel, a wily fox, gave his Britsh East African foes many a bloody nose and many places along the border still remind visitors of those long-gone days.

A new accommodation unit is now finally open, Grogan’s Castle, which is located about 120 km from the Kenyan township of Voi and a mere 20 km from the Tanzanian border. The house comfortably sleeps 6 in one master bedroom and two twin bedrooms, but is self catered, i.e., visitors need to bring their own food and drink supplies. Staff is at the site to cook and clean when guests are out on safari or visiting some of the other sights. Being off the main electrical grid, a backup generator runs for five hours a day, but guests can add more hours against a surcharge – a fair deal considering the cost of fuel and the distance from the nearest filling station.

A dirt airstrip of about 1,200 metres length leads almost up to Grogan’s Castle permitting guests to fly in and a vehicle can be booked from the owners for transfers and game drives. The Lake Jipe gate of Kenya Wildlife Services is also nearby, only about a quarter of an hour’s drive, giving easy access to this remotest part of Tsavo West, but anyone going out for the day with a picnic lunch will be able to explore a wide area with almost no tourist traffic and be able to enjoy the wilderness and solitude exclusively.

Grogan’s Castle does not have a website up and running yet but can be found on Facebook via the following link: www.facebook.com/pages/Grogans-Castle/114022361963426?ref=search .

In a related development, it was also learned that Kenya Wildlife Service was due to release details during the course of the week of new concession sites in the wider Tsavo and Chyulu Hills area, with some sources claiming at least a dozen new accommodation sites would be advertised for potential investors. The new sites will be located in Tsavo East, Tsavo West, and the Chyulu conservation area, aimed to add beds to areas where more and more tourists are expected in coming years to experience the African wilderness.