Loisaba Lodo Springs — Hotel in Laikipia County

We felt very privileged to return for a second stay at Loisaba Lodo Springs. Loisaba is a private conservancy where Elewana is the only lodge operator in the park. This means that the experience is seamless and there are no more than five vehicles at a scene during game drives. And after years of planning and collaboration with conservation organizations, rhinos have returned to the land of Loisaba - so now you can see the big five! We have visited many conservancies in Kenya, and we can say that the chances of seeing the elusive leopard are very high at Loisaba. ||||Jeremiah, the manager, does a terrific job with his excellent team. We enjoyed chatting with Jeremiah and learning about some of his other duties like helping to organize community days to coordinate and share lessons learned about conservation practices that benefit people and wildlife. Loisaba has many programs that create symbiosis with the community, so that the community benefits from the Conservancy. For example, you can visit with the canine tracking unit and learn how they not only track wildlife for conservation, but also serve the community finding lost people or animals.||||The "camp" is very luxurious. Paths are paved with stone, "tents" are huge spacious free-standing cottages with tent tops, and the view from each deck is breathtaking. Good luck taking a nap on the comfy daybed on the deck when there are elephants and giraffes to observe at the waterhole below! Our room steward John kept our room pristine and well stocked. Do yourself a favor and schedule a massage which will be set up in your room with the doors open so that you can hear the elephants trumpet in the distance. Dora is an exceptional massage therapist.||||Chefs Brian and James create meals that you would find in three-starred Michelin restaurants - beautiful and delicious. The kiwi sorbet is out of this world. Michael and Diana took great care of us whether we were in the beautiful dining room, or under the weaver tree for a surprise bush breakfast. Mildred at reception always welcomed us back from game drives with lovely cold scented towels or hosted a lovely pre game drive tea with homemade blueberry kombucha or some other amazing offering. ||||On this return visit, we requested Benson Gitau as our guide again, as we consider him our friend. After spending seven days with Benson on our last visit, we felt like we were coming home to Loisaba when he greeted us at the airstrip. Extremely knowledgeable and intuitive, Benson has a great knack for experience and we enjoyed getting to hang out and swap stories on this trip. We had wildlife encounters that I will never forget. ||||I can't recommend Loisaba enough and Lodo Springs is a true...

We had read the reviews on Lodo Springs and had high expectations. It’s very fair to say that our expectations were significantly exceeded .||From the very first moment as we arrived at the landing strip , which is about 15 minutes from the camp , we were collected by Bashir ( more about him later !) and treated incredibly well and treated as friends by Philip and his wonderful team .||Accommodation. They call them tents but they are much more than that .. Stunning luxurious and spacious on the top of a hill. with a massive bed and recycled /reclaimed antique furniture which fitted in perfectly with the surroundings . Our rainfall shower was from the Burlington Hotel . There is a large terrace which overlooks the “ Super Bowl “ - Loisaba Conservancy . Breathtaking views like the front of a travel brochure .||People . They were extremely professional, helpful, friendly and clearly proud of their domain . Thank you to John who kept our space immaculate, chef Fester and James , Lilian , Purity and Ali who looked after us in the restaurants , Nancy in the office and Phillip the General Manager . Organisation was precise and seamless . A wonderful team .||Food . Remarkable - if you were in any 5 star hotel in the world you would not be disappointed. Varied menu with a fair sprinkling of Asian influence , wonderfully presented . Chef Festus sets the bar very high . We had a bush breakfast during one of our morning game drives which was excellent. We also had sundowners one evening during our game drive but we had to cut it short as there was a sighting of a Leopard and a Cheetah .||The Conservancy .Spectacular and everything you need for a fulfilling safari. We were fortunate to have Bashir as our guide. His knowledge of flora , fauna , birds and animals was bottomless. A really nice guy who made sure we got the best out of our three day trip . He spotted animals from a long way away which we had trouble seeing with binoculars. We achieved the big 5 but initially the Leopard and Rhino were quite elusive but we got there through his persistence and lots of off road driving . We also saw a Cheetah up close . A top guide and an asset to the camp . If you are fortunate to have Bashir as your guide you will hear the acronym TLA ( Things like animals ) quite a lot . Normally tree stumps , bushes , termite hills etc which we thought were animals , and Boys Club ( groups of male Impala ) .|The Conservancy has only 12 or so vehicles on it at any one time with limits of three vehicles at any sighting . Never congested . ||I am limited to the number of stars I can give Lodo Springs but would happily award more if the system allowed me . ||Incredible...

We are experienced safari-goers and Lodo Springs in the Loisaba conservancy exceeded our high expectations. It is an outstanding, upscale game lodge with lovely rooms and wonderful service. The conservancy has a wild, unspoiled feel to it due to the very low density of guests - almost like Tswalu in South Africa. Our game drives were productive and we got to see some of the northern species in addition to the Big 5. Overall an excellent experience. Details below:||Rooms: The tents at Lodo Springs are modern, stylish, and spacious. They have a stunning view (comparable to Angama Mara's), overlooking a watering hole down the hill. There's a big deck with a day bed to enjoy the views between game drives. Plumbing was excellent with plenty of hot water and shower pressure. Note that they do not have family tents, so families will have to split into two separate tents. Another thing to note is that the toilet (WC) must have been designed for women only as the bowl bottom is quite shallow. Overall, though, Lodo Springs has among the best tents we have stayed at.||Food and beverage: F&B is a highlight at this lodge. The service offered by Lillian and Dianah is impeccable, and the team of chefs led by Solomon and his colleagues is brilliant. Our group had a variety of dietary preferences, and they were able to create unique and delicious dishes to suit our requirements.||Service: Everyone at the property seemed genuinely happy to be there. The service was consistently good in all departments, including the front "lobby".||Guide: Guiding in Kenya is steadily improving, although it is still not quite the same as in southern Africa. We were lucky to get an experienced and knowledgeable guide who was even more eager to show us the fauna than we were to see them. His enthusiasm was infectious and we all enjoyed the game drives quite a bit. Loisaba is in the drier northern belt of Kenya, so the game density is not quite what one would find in the Mara, but the setting was stunning and we did see some of the unique and beautiful species of the north, such as Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, etc.||Game vehicle: The game vehicle is alright but not quite as good as some of the best newer vehicles that lodges seem to be upgrading to. Perhaps this is an area where Lodo Springs can invest some money...