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OL DONYO LODGE

Ol Donyo lodge lies in the foothills of the Chyulu Range. The Chyulu Hills are the youngest range of volcanic hills in Africa, the last volcanic activity having only happened about 600 years ago. They are situated halfway between Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks on a concession of 300,000 acres of communally owned Maasai land, known as Mbirikani Group Ranch, which is also part of the Amboseli eco-system.

The open plains, rolling hills and the snow topped Kilimanjaro invoke images of Africa as it was in the earlier part of the last century. Wildlife and Maasai herdsmen live, as nature determined they should, in this unspoiled corner of Kenya.

Formerly known as Ol Donyo Wuas the lodge consists of ten guest suites in six individual villas each built with local material. Each has its own veranda and unspoiled views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is only 55 kms away.

All cottages have ensuite bathrooms, solar powered lighting, shower water heated by solar with wood burners as back up and all bar two have private plunge pools. Two of the cottages have an additional bedroom for guests travelling with children.

There is a centrally positioned sitting and dining room with an open fireplace. In front of the mess is a swimming pool and a waterhole below where animals come to drink.

In addition to game viewing by vehicle and game walks this lodge is able to offer top quality horse riding safaris to suit all abilities from short rides to longer trips camping out in the bush.

Ol Donyo Lodge can be combined in a superb flying safari circuit with Rekero Camp or Little Governors Camp in the Maasai Mara and a few days in Kinondo Kwetu on the South coast.

A typical day at Ol Donyo lodge.

You are accompanied by our local guides on all activities and they impart plenty of knowledge about the area’s flora and fauna, history and culture and much more.

• You are woken with a cup of tea or coffee, and as the early morning sun glistens on the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro you head out either on horseback, on foot or in one of our specially converted open top Land Rovers to view the wildlife.
• This is generally the best time of day for game viewing; oryx, gazelle, gerenuk, zebra, eland, giraffe and wildebeest roam the grassy plains, always on the lookout for cheetah and lion.
• Either enjoy a bush breakfast with a leisurely walk, ride or drive back to the lodge, or breakfast at the lodge, having perhaps visited a local Maasai manyatta (village). Lunch around the swimming pool or a picnic up in the hills.
• After tea, either driving, walking or horseriding out on the plains, this is the perfect time for observing predators in action, and as the sun slips over the horizon we find a suitable spot to reminisce on the day with a sundowner.
• Back at the lodge after a hot shower and a candlelit three-course dinner, relax with a sky full of stars, the ever-present sounds of the African night, maybe a lion roaring, a hyena laughing or an elephant rumbling, as the animals keep track of each other, further enhancing this magical wilderness environment.