In northern Kenya lies the Loisaba Conservancy, far, far away from the glaring lights of Nairobi _ or any sort of light pollution, for that matter. Aside from Kenya's stunning wildlife and its remoteness, Loisaba is known for its star beds.
In its simplest terms, a star bed is a bed-on-wheels contraption that's rolled out onto a deck, wrapped up in mosquito netting to keep the bugs and bats at bay, and then stacked high with warm blankets to ward off the chill of an African night.
But the view. Oh, my. A trillion stars, strewn like glitter, brilliantly illuminate the sky as the moonlight symphony of an African night comes alive _ lions roaring, leopards coughing, elephants trumpeting, hyenas whooping _ sometimes just yards away.
Staying at Loisaba, a part of the Elewana Collection of boutique lodges, camps and hotels, is undoubtedly one of my finest safari experiences, and it's where I fell head-over-heels in love with sleeping underneath African skies.
The star bed experience is a feast for the senses. Every sound _ of the wind, of the bush, of the wildlife _ every sparkle of a star in the sky, every whiff of smoke from a dying fire, and every touch of the velvety night air is magnified a thousand-fold.
While star beds are peppered throughout Africa, the focus here is on Kenya, where the romance of "Out of Africa" and a genuine Hemingway-esque sense of adventure still exist on a level like no other.
