Finding Jungle Junction

What's the most elusive thing we've encountered on this journey? Not cheetahs or leopards, not the endangered fish eagle or the malachite kingfisher, the nocturnal hippos or the tiny lion ants that hide in the ground and wait for their prey, no it is Jungle Junction, the much-praised camp site in the middle of Nairobi, which every long distance overlander waxes lyrical about, with its acclaimed showers and copious internet, and not least of all its accommodating and generous host Christoph. The problem is, it advertised itself with a latitude and longitude only, even a Google search didn't yield any more detail (such as a street name, maybe) and, having entered the co-ordinates into our GPS, we still struggled to find the entrance gates in the whirl and commotion that is Nairobi on our first day. We drove round and round the block until a kind stranger pointed out the black iron gate with the large double-J cut into it. Ah, there you are! The problem with Jungle Junction is that it's just so easy to stay there. When you arrive you have usually just come from the wilds of either Ethiopia or Tanzania, and you are ready for some civilisation. But Nairobi is overwhelming, the biggest city in East Africa, so you also need a place to hide out from where you can occasionally venture out into the crazy city to sort out your visa or buy that thing that broke, but where you can retreat and pretend you are in another place, a calmer place, an organised place with no surprises. Jungle Junction provides normalcy, sofas in the lounge and reliable internet, a clean kitchen and fixed prices for washing, dinner and drinks. It's really just a big family house with public spaces downstairs and some guest rooms upstairs, camping on the front lawn and showers in an outhouse round the back. the front door has a reception added to it and houses a large fridge filled with drinks dispensed on the honour system. Internet is fast and free, so fast that I feel like I am back home, and that's such a comforting feeling. Yes, there is the problem of only having electricity during the day every other day, but at least he's clear about this up front, and it's just as he says, power returns every evening at 6pm. Then there are the notice boards, fantastically useful and split out to list accommodation on one, Nairobi info on another, there's a board holding restaurant info in the kitchen and a free for all where visitors can leave their cards and photos by reception )I had no idea there were so many overlanders with business cards).


Oh, and there's Christoph's motorbike workshop. He is a former BMW engineer and seems to be the go-to man for servicing bikes in the region - i.e. Eastern Africa (he fixed up the Long Way Down bikes when they had a problem in Tanzania). But Christoph is not just helpful for bikers, he has knowledge of everything, from computer repairers to solar panel suppliers, all neatly stored in a set of business card books, each section labelled for easy reference. And really, it's Christoph who is the biggest asset of Jungle Junction. He has created an oasis of calm and organised peace, a quality that propagates to employees and guests alike. Everything is immaculate and cared for, from the big cushions on the sofas to the crockery in the kitchen, nothing is flashy, but everything is looked after by all, and there is an orderly and considerate spirit around the place. There are reminder lists posted on the walls to clean up after yourself, to use water sparingly and to refrain from leaving stuff around (e.g. "Monday is fridge day, everything not labelled will be chucked out"; "Don't leave food on the surfaces, put it in the cupboard", etc), long enumerations spiked with creative spelling and apostrophe crimes, but I suspect that it's really Christoph's calm presence, his open helpful manner and uncynical attitude that makes everyone want to behave well here. I know it worked for me. And for your information, Jungle Junction can be found on Amboseli Rd in Lavington.