El Karama Lodge — Hotel in Laikipia County

We kick started our honeymoon with a two day stay at El Karama Lodge and our only wish is that we’d stayed longer. We did so much in just two days - the team did everything to make our experience incredible and succeeded! Joseph, who oversees the lodge, was really helpful, friendly and welcoming. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to the Nilotica lodge and oh my goodness, it was beautiful. The room was immaculate and felt so luxurious, the pool area is stunning, there’s multiple seating areas with beautiful views, and the dining/living area is beautifully fitted out - all of this looks out over the conservancy, meaning when we had meals we could see the wildlife just a stone’s throw away in their natural habitat. A highlight was watching the giraffes graze while we ate our lunch on the second day. Patrick, the waiter, catered to our every need and was absolutely brilliant - he made the best g&ts we’ve had, which we enjoyed in the evenings by the fire. John, our games driver, was very knowledgeable, answered all of our questions, planned trips based on our interests and made the drives so enjoyable. Our first day we woke early and watched the sunrise and a stunning view of Mount Kenya with a cup of coffee and cookies. During the drives we saw some incredible animals - some highlights included a rare striped hyena, a lioness on the hunt and a hippo with her baby on our night drive, which was such a fantastic experience (the blankets and hot water bottles in the truck were a great touch)! On our last day we were surprised with a gorgeous riverside breakfast with a table beautifully set, a chef and a three course brekky - the attention to detail and care put into everything was meticulous (we even had a portable toilet in the bush during breakfast). The food was always delicious - some of which is grown on site. There’s also a little bush school and shop - we picked up a couple of bits including a handmade crocheted elephant to remember our stay by. We honestly couldn’t recommend El Karama enough and we hope to visit again one...

We went as a family of 4 (2 boys aged 11 and 13) to El Karama and it was truly a magical experience. My boys are now begging me to start planning another trip! We were lucky to be looked after by Abdi and Joseph as our guides. Abdi’s deep familiarity with every part of the conservancy and his expert driving combined with Joseph’s encyclopaedic knowledge of all the species of wildlife was a fantastic combination and made for a really memorable trip. They went out of their way to make sure we saw as many different animals as possible, including a couple of night drives where we saw hippos, hyenas, lions and bush babies. Abdi also kindly took my 13 year old out for his first ever driving lesson - he had so much fun! The meals at El Karama are amazing - all locally sourced food, much of it grown / reared at El Karama itself. We were taken care of at mealtimes by Lamek who also taught the boys Swahili and educated us about local culture and customs. ||The lodge itself is beautiful, and has been planned and thought out so well. We stayed in two of the bandas, it felt very private both when in the lodge itself and when on safari. The staff make it special - there are so many thoughtful touches, such as the hot water bottles at night and the bush breakfast which was a lovely surprise!||I would recommend El Karama to anyone looking to create lifetime memories: we will be...

My husband and I have been on safari half a dozen times before and we picked El Karama for our multi-generational holiday on the advice of our (long time) Africa agents, Native Escapes, as the perfect first safari experience for our seven-year-old granddaughter. How right they were! We have stayed at more luxurious lodges and at basic lodges, at lodges where the wildlife is teeming and in the Kalahari where you go a while between sightings. This lodge struck us as the most delightful of all.| I wasn't sure if my shy granddaughter would take to the daily Bush School but on the first morning she went off hand-in-hand with John, our guide, and came back full of excited stories. He and Nyambura gave us the most thoughtful care during our stay - there was a genuineness to it, rather than that professional kindness one routinely encounters. The food was fantastic - so healthy, fresh and unusual that I kept making notes of recipes to transfer to daily life in the UK. We have so many special memories and our granddaughter has a plaster cast of a lion paw print she made with John as a forever memento. Thank you, El Kakarama,...