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Ol Donyo Lodge

Chyulu Hills, Kenya

Gold price level

Mango Opinion

We love the feeling of Ol Donyo Lodge. The rooms are gorgeous and you can watch Mt. Kilimanjaro and the wildlife meandering around from your bed! An additional bonus to the safari activities here is horseback riding.

There is wildlife around and a great hide near the waterhole that the elephants frequent. However, this is not a game game game destination, this makes a lovely relaxing beginning or finale to a trip in East Africa.

Ol Donyo Lodge is located on the slopes of the Chyulu Hills National Park between the Amboseli and Tsavo West National Parks in southeast Kenya in the private 275,000 acre Mbirikano Group Ranch. Its location is unrivaled with full views of Mount Kilimanjaro and in the path of traditional wildlife migration routes. The lodge's founder, Richard Bonham, had often flown over this spectacular landscape but one day in the 1980s, he was moved to land his Cessna on the open plains and meet the local Maasai. That began the birth of a pioneering community conservation tourism project. There is a range of activities available from cultural visits, wildlife viewing and tracking, horseback riding, bush walks and mountain biking - ol Donyo Lodge is a holistic experience. 

The lodge is designed so that each room has its own window ‘to the soul of East Africa:  looking out over the plunge pool, over the rolling plains and to Mount Kilimanjaro. Ol Donyo Lodge consists of ten expansive guest suites in six stand-alone villas. The decor is luxurious and opulent. All suites have a lounge, veranda, indoor and outdoor showers, double washbasins, a flush toilet and bath, and star-bed for dreaming out underneath the magnificent African night skies. The rooftop star-bed is accessed from the veranda via a winding stone staircase. This is a fabulous sleep-out option, with utter privacy and all the amenities of the suite just below. All but two of the suites have their own private pools.  The lodge does have a lovely large swimming pool just a few steps down from the lounge terrace with a commanding sweeping view.

 

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