PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS:
- The captivating ol Donyo lodge is tucked away in the cool shadow of the Chyulu Hills in Amboseli, one of Kenya’s most prized safari destinations – a stunning location, with the savannah at its feet stretching as far as the eye can see.
- The thatch-roof lodgings with decks, plunge pools & star beds are nestled in the trees on the slopes of the Chyulu Hills and look out on a sweeping view of the acacia-dotted savanna that stretches all the way to Mount Kilimanjaro.
- Fall asleep under the twinkling night sky in the comfort of your rooftop terrace star bed. Wake up to snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro and the distant roars of lions.
- Dine on superb meals, with an extensive wine list served in the elegant dining area. After a morning of game viewing, cool off in the inviting infinity pool or indulge in a relaxing massage.
- Adventures include twice-daily game drives, guided bush walks, exhilarating horseback safaris, Maasai village visits, fly-camping, day trips to the Amboseli National Park and mountain biking.
- Bike alongside giraffes and other wildlife, pedaling across the savanna to Seduction Rock for sundowner cocktails with views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
- Descend into the volcanic caverns of the Chyulu Hills to explore the world’s second longest underground lava tube.
EXCLUSIVE LUXE VOYAGER VIP BENEFITS & BEST PRICE
We negotiate rates & benefits for our clients directly with the hotels’ senior management. Our rates match or in many cases are lower than the best online rate for the property. Our clients also enjoy a suite of extra VIP privileges and recognition while staying at a partner hotel.
- Complimentary room upgrade on arrival.
- Daily complimentary buffet breakfast for two.
- Up to $100 dining or spa credit per stay, and or in-house dining / spa discounts.
- Welcome amenities (wine/chocolates/fruit) and card from the GM.
- Complimentary private airport transfers.
- Complimentary roll-away bed if required.
- Early check-in and late check-out.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi.
- Enhanced recognition through VIP status at all touch points in the guest experience.
A complete or partial suite of VIP benefits will be offered, subject to the property T&C, including availability, category of room & length of stay.
ACTIVITIES:
Set out in an open-air vehicle with expert field guides for morning and afternoon safaris. Take in up close views of the area’s fascinating wildlife, including large-tusked elephants, giraffes, and leopards. Each vehicle carries a pair of binoculars and is fully stocked with snacks and drinks.
After the sun goes down, venture out under a starry sky to discover nocturnal animals roaming the savanna.
Explore the plains on foot with a guide, taking the unique opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the flora and fauna of the bush.
Blend in with the area wildlife on a guided horseback safari, riding alongside giraffes and other animals. All equestrian levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced riders.
Join a bird expert on a walk around the property and try to spot some of the resident and migratory bird species that flock to the shaded riverine forest.
Take a seat on the lodge’s log-pile hide, located in a shady spot alongside the watering hole. As many as eight different mammal species come here to drink, including large-tusked elephants.
Explore the diverse landscapes surrounding the lodge on foot. Trek through underground lava tubes, climb the kopje rock formations, and more. Take an expert tracker with you to learn about animal activity in the area.
Ride across the vast savanna on a guided bike tour to Seduction Rock. Once there, enjoy sundowners and spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Chyulu Hills.
Sleep amid the beauty of the Chyulu Hills on an overnight camping trip. Journey to the camp on foot or horseback, and then spend the evening immersed in nature, relaxing in front of a roaring fire.
Embark on a private guided safari, enjoying full access to guides and a wide-angle camera.
Visit a nearby Maasai village to meet with locals and learn about their culture and way of life.
Take a full-day trip to this wildlife-rich nature reserve situated at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The park is renowned for its large elephant herds and is also home to buffaloes, hippos, wildebeests, leopards, and more. The excursion includes a picnic lunch.
Start your day with an exhilarating flight in a single-engine aircraft over Mount Kilimanjaro, taking in spectacular aerial views of the world’s largest freestanding mountain. Upon landing, savor a champagne breakfast on the plains.
Chat with one of our expert travel designers today to begin planning your perfect vacation
Call: +852 9465 4577
Email: travel@theluxevoyager.com
ol Donyo Lodge is one of the most luxurious lodges in East Africa. The lodge is nestled in the untouched foothills of the rolling Chyulu Hills in the south-east of Kenya and a member of the prestigious National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World and Relais & Chateaux Collection. This secluded and exclusive safari lodge has six luxurious suites with decks and plunge pools plus 1 two-bedroom family unit. All suites have stunning star beds, where you can sleep out under the canopy of stars and listen to the hyenas and lions moving around. The lodge is situated between Tsavo and Amboseli, and has exclusive access to a quarter of a million acres of one of the few remaining corners of wild Africa, the Mbirikani Group Ranch. This untouched wilderness where Maasai herdsmen live in total harmony with nature is awe-inspiring. ol Donyo Lodge is a pioneer amongst safari lodges, and a forerunner of sustainable tourism: by working with the local Maasai people, it has been able to blend conservation and livelihood benefits.
Watch large-tusked elephants drink from the lodge watering hole, getting up-close views from the nearby “log-pile hide” viewing perch. Early morning and late afternoon/early evening game drives in a 4×4 open vehicle, guided bushwalks, bush breakfast and dinners, night drives, hiking, horse riding (for all guests, novice to professional), mountain biking, tracking, conservation and community out-reach programmes, wildlife viewing in a open air hide and sleep outs on private “star beds”. Fly camping is available to guests who are staying a while longer. In-room massages can be arranged for a nominal extra.
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. All six suites plus 1 two-bedroom family unit have stunning star beds, where you can sleep out under the canopy of stars and listen to the hyenas and lions moving around.
Pool Suites
Six suites feature outdoor plunge pools on their private terraces. Each of these accommodations has a lounge, indoor and outdoor showers, a deep stone bath, luxury bath amenities, hair dryer, a safe, mosquito netting for beds, a coffee and tea tray, and a rooftop star bed. Rooms can be configured with twin or double beds.
No two of the lodge’s ten bedrooms is exactly the same, but what is consistent is the view to Mt. Kilimanjaro and the lodge’s famous waterhole as well as star beds atop each of the suites for sleeping under the stars. The décor is luxurious and opulent, while still retaining the atmosphere and sense of place that is an essential ingredient of an outstanding bush lodge. Art from around Africa coupled with the photography of Carol Beckwith, Angela Fisher and of course Beverly Joubert, create a commanding space under the high thatch roofs. The design is contemporary and yet traditional.
Sambu Family Suite
This large suite features two bedrooms, each with its own en suite bathroom. The suite has a veranda with a private plunge pool, indoor and outdoor showers, deep stone bath, hair dryer, luxury bath amenities, safe, mosquito netting for beds, coffee and tea tray, and a rooftop star bed. Rooms can be configured with twin or double beds.
One of the villas, Sambu, functions more as a bush home intended for families or groups of friends. This villa is purpose built and designed for a couple who want space and seclusion or for parents who require their children under the same roof, but with adequate space and privacy. It has two bedrooms under one roof and one swimming pool. Each bedroom has its own spacious en-suite bathroom, complete with an indoor and outdoor shower, “star bed” and sundowner viewing deck.
The lodge serves three meals per day, and guests are encouraged to dine at the time and place of their choosing. Join fellow travelers on a candlelit patio overlooking the plains, savor gourmet specialties in the privacy of your suite, or have a table set up in the bush for an unforgettable meal. Guests who find themselves at the lodge before dinnertime are encouraged to gather around the campfire for sundowner cocktails, participating in the African tradition of sharing stories after a full day of adventures.
Indoor Dining
Bush Dining
During game drives, there can be surprise sundowners or afternoon tea in the middle of the bush.
Dining in the "Hide"
Sundowners
During game drives, there can be surprise sundowners or afternoon tea in the middle of the bush.
Private Dinner
Guests can dine out on the verandah with spectacular views of Kilimanjaro and the savannah. When the weather is not suited to al fresco dining, there is an indoor dining area or guests can have a private chef for in villa catering.
Wine Cellar
There is a cosy library tent with books on the region and where staff will serve guests drinks. It’s an excellent place to relax or socialise with other guests. Laundry is included and typically returned within 24 hours. Laundry detergent powder is provided in the tents so guests can wash their own clothes if they prefer. While there’s no currency exchange at the camp, they do accept cash payments in US dollars, euros, pounds sterling and Kenyan shillings. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Wi-Fi is strongest in the tents and is known to be consistent.
Pool
Large infinity pool at the main lodge and private plunge pools at each bungalow.
Area & Location
Area, Country
Chyulu Hills, Kenya
Nearest Airport
Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, Nairobi
Local Currency
Kenyan Shilling (KES)
Time Change
GMT +3
Language
Swahili, English
Best time to go
July through February
Related Hotels
Serian Original was the first of Alex Walker’s camps, and it perfectly captures the essence of its name, meaning ‘peaceful, calm, serene’ in the Maasai language.…
Deep within Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, Rekero offers a spectacular location from which to watch the Great Migration as the wildebeest thunder across the…
Set on a bend in the Ntiakitiak River in the 35,000-acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy and bordering Kenya’s Maasai Mara Reserve, Mara Plains is a stunning…
Mara Bushtops is a luxurious camp and spa, set within the wilds of a private Conservancy, bordering the Masai Mara in Kenya. The words “exclusive”…
Located a few kilometers from Mara Plains, Mara Expedition Camp is set on a small bend in the Ntiakitiak River, where a thick riverine forest…
The recently renovated Sanctuary Olonana is situated on the banks of the Mara River, in the heart of Kenya's Big Game country. This unique setting…
With magnificent views of majestic Mount Kenya, the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club Resort's 120 luxuriously appointed hotel rooms, set in over 100 acres of…
The award-winning Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp and private Bush Villa are located in the famous ‘seventh’ natural wonder of the world, the Maasai Mara in…
Situated near the base of Mt. Kenya – Africa’s second tallest mountain – Lewa Wilderness is one of Kenya’s oldest and most private safari ventures.…
Alex Walker’s Serian - a collection of charismatic exclusive and intimate bush camps in the prime wildernesses of East Africe. Amongst the most authentic in…
Ocean Spa Lodge is a luxury beachfront retreat setting new standards of accommodation on the Kenyan coast located on the lovely beach of Msambweni on…
Segera Retreat lies on the grasslands of the Laikipia Plateau. Six beautifully appointed villas, created from timber and thatch, are raised above a profusion of…
With magnificent views of majestic Mount Kenya, the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club Resort's 120 luxuriously appointed hotel rooms, set in over 100 acres of…
Set amongst the forest at the foot of the scenic Oloololo escarpment (the rim of the Great Rift Valley) in Kenya’s iconic Masai Mara National…
In the heart of Kenya, set in a large private concession, Elewana Loisaba Lodo Springs is a secluded & exclusive retreat with just eight tents.…
