Ol Donyo Lodge

Ol Donyo Lodge lies halfway between Tsavo East and Amboseli National Park and is best reached by air from Nairobi (which takes 45 mins). The lodge sits on the lower slopes of the Chyulu Hills overlooking an exclusive area of nearly a third of a million acres stretching towards Amboseli and the looming Mount Kilimanjaro. Set on the Mbirikani Group Ranch – 275,000 acres of immaculate, private wild Africa bordering the foothills of the Chyulu Hills National Park. The group ranch is owned by 4,000 Maasai and is leased from them by Great Plains Conservation. Ol Donyo Lodge is a member of Relais & Châteaux - a collection of gourmet restaurants, boutique hotels, resorts and villas.

The lodge consists of seven individual cottages built with local material. Each has an en-suite bathroom, an open fireplace and a veranda with panoramic views of the plains and Mount Kilimanjaro, which is only 55 km away. Two of the cottages have an additional bedroom for guests travelling with children. All of the rooms have their own plunge pool and enjoy roof terraces where intimate “star beds” can be set up, allowing guests the thrill of sleeping in style under a canopy of endless stars while connecting with their sense of place and self.

Game activities are arranged daily, and the lodge is well known for horseback safaris. They have a selection of horses to cater for beginners and experienced riders. Short rides are arranged as well as full days out game viewing on horseback. An area rich in wildlife, where some of Africa’s last giant elephant bulls roam freely, where the haunting calls of leopards interrupt the night and where lion are being pulled back from the brink of annihilation.