A small lodge, fabulous views, great sense of freedom
Guide Price: From: $610 To: $690
The view from Ol Donyo must be one of the most sublime in Kenya. In front of the lodge are 300,000 acres of open plains, iconic flat topped acacia trees and soft rolling hills. Behind, the Chyulu Hills, one of Kenya's youngest volcanic ranges, rise to over 8000ft in a series of verdant, whale-backed summits. To cap it all, Mt Kilimanjaro is only 40 kilometres away to south.
On a clear day, not surprisingly for a 19,000 ft mountain, it's difficult to miss, full-screen and breathtaking. When there's a bit of scattered cloud around, and visibility's not so good, people make the mistake of looking too low for the snow capped peak. It's sort of a running joke here - up there? It can't be!
When Richard Bonham approached the Maasai of Mbirikani group ranch in the early 90s, to discuss building a small lodge (also to be his home) at the foot of the Chyulu Hills, it was something of a pioneering concept in Kenya; Ol Donyo Wuas was one of the first community conservation projects.
Today, this idea has become the accepted way to allow those to whom the land belongs to benefit from its use by tourists. In theory this is a virtuous circle, where incentive and reward reciprocate and the land is protected.
In reality, politics is inextricable from the mix, so it would belittle the efforts of those involved to claim it was quite so straight forward, but the involvement of each party and the different perspectives they bring, makes for an unusual and interesting way to see this stunning part of Kenya.
Most of the staff at Ol Donyo Wuas are Maasai and from Mbirikani. This in itself makes for a great 'soft' cultural experience, in the sense that you'll be in a position to chat with them throughout your stay; chances are that the man who brings your coffee in the morning (it's particularly good here) has hunted a lion in his youth.
What's a certainty is that his family still live in a traditional Maasai manyatta by choice and that the thorn bomas they build around them aren't for show. Lion and hyena, of which there are plenty at Ol Donyo Wuas, have a (un)healthy appetite for cattle.
Ol Donyo Wuas itself is a very comfortable small lodge; a place to relax and read a book by the pool as much as to hike to the volcanic crater at the top of the Chyulus, or ride out on horseback amongst the scattered plains game.
There are plenty of animals here, but don't come impatient to have it all on a plate, or you could end up frustrated. Ideally you should head to the Maasai Mara to get your fix of game, then come to Ol Donyo Wuas for a few days to take things a little slower. Once you're in that frame of mind you really can't go wrong in the Chyulus.
7 cottages
From: 610 To: 690
A small lodge, fabulous views, great sense of freedom
Incl. FB, soft drinks, beer, house wine & spirits, laundry, activities within the ranch, airstrip transfer. Excl. cellar wine & premium spirits.
The Chyulu Hills, and the plains that lie at their feet to the south, are one of Kenya's most photogenic regions. This is an area of rolling open plains interrupted abruptly by the Chyulu Hills themselves. The Chyulus run in a series of whale-backed summits in a line about 30 miles long dividing the country of the Wakamba people from Maasai land, Amboseli and Mt Kilimanjaro to the South. Kilimanjaro on the Tanzania border, dominates the skyline in views from Ol Donyo Lodge, one of the best places to stay in the Chyulus. The Chyulu Hills National Park itself is, in reality, only a small part of the area you'll explore if you come here. It is based on a section of the hills themselves, which are amongst the youngest volcanic hills in Kenya. The last eruption in the Chyulus - down on the far eastern end - happened just a few decades ago. This is a truly magical area of ragged craters, rolling grassland, exotic aromatic plants and cedar forests. At times, in the cool of the early morning there is a distinctly Scottish flavour to the highland air in the Chyulus. At the foot of the hills is a whole other side to the Chyulus experience - here the hills give way to rolling plains of fertile volcanic soil. Mature flat-topped acacia woodland covers the area immediately under the hills, while impenetrably thick bush covers lava flows that are home to some of Kenya's last wild black rhinoceros. From the edge of the woodland, grass covered plains with soft rolling hills run as far as the eye can see. Read more?
Kenya is the most established safari country, and consequently you have to step a little off the conventional route to find real wilderness, but it’s certainly there. Kenya also has much going for it as a family destination, and also a good number of very individual safari camps and lodges with a personal approach that makes your experience very special. Kenya also has a particularly diverse ecology which ranges from snowy mountains to true desert, rolling grassy plains filled with wildlife to craggy scrub intersected with dry riverbeds, sparkling beaches and volcanic ranges. Read more?
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Catherine's long experience of, and enthusiasm for Africa, makes her a mine of travel information. Add to the mix her vivacious character and inscrutable attention to detail and there are few people you'd rather have plan your holiday.
At Natural High, we've had long experience putting together trips in Africa that really work. Whether it's intimate bushcamps in out of the way places, or a private lodge in one of Africa's top-billing wildlife areas, light mobile camping or remote island escapes, we know there is a lot to choose from. We're absolutely confident that we can recommend the right places for you.
