Ololo Safari Lodge & Farm — Hotel in Nairobi

Left you’ll a lovely review, hope you’ll appreciate it. ||||||Here is a poem capturing our experience, with details reflecting our time at Ololo Lodge:||||Ololo Shadows||||We arrived, hearts open, to Ololo’s land,||Dreaming of wild dawns, of rhinos on sand,||But before the sun crested above the trees,||Your welcome was curt, with chill on the breeze.||||Three safaris booked, anticipation high,||We paid like all others, expectations to the sky.||With another guest—black as African night—||Your kindness evaporated, vanished from sight.||Hours with no water, no comfort or bread,||While the lucky in other cars saw rhinos instead;||We know, in the bush, the drivers all speak,||But for us, for her—silence, thankfully we didn’t stay for a week.||||A tip for a smile, a tip for some cake—||Is service or decency so costly to make?||"All-inclusive" is ink, but the truth’s in the bill;||Ten dollars unlocks what ought to be still.||A request for some tea, a small bite to eat,||Produced nothing but stares, hospitality’s defeat.||Only when cash traded, like keys at the door,||Biscuits and cake arrived—a transactional pour.||||We told you—thrice—my wife’s food ways,||Yet you fumbled and flustered and served her malaise.||No vegetarian fare on your lavish night’s menu,||A “printing mistake”—no chef to continue.||What arrived was tragic—a pizza, you called it—||A chapati in disguise, without flavor or wit.||Tomato and paste, on a limp, tired base,||Low cheese, lower effort, the real disgrace.||||You boast of your kitchen, your farm, your pride—||But chickens starved, pigs in squalor reside.||As a farmer, I know when creatures eat scraps;||If only your hype matched the chicken, perhaps!||No taste for the pork, no trust in your veal—||We left with full pockets and skipped another meal.||||Your “luxury” rooms failed to impress—||No water to brush, no products, just stress.||A jug too unwieldy, water pressure a trickle,||Charging for fancies, our patience did pickle.||No kettle, no phone—just a laugh in a book:||“In emergency, shout!” Advice best forsook.||||Housekeeping, too, ignored our request:||For fresh towels, clean floors—again, failed the test.||We waited, we asked, we watched in dismay—||Service not dependent on what we would pay?||||And let’s remember the faces we met at the gate—||Steve and Stella, Washington, Ray:||We know your names, it’s clear as day;||So don’t tell the world we didn’t stay.||||Two days at Ololo, a lesson in masks,||Where kindness is rationed and every smile asks.||Our hearts came for wonder, for beauty untold—||We left with this poem, and a warning:||To others, be bold.||||PS : If you’re non white spend a little more and go elsewhere, avoid at all costs. We weren’t beneficiaries of the Chapman family charities but after this trip it definitely did feel like it. One of the most racist establishments we’ve been to. First 2 safaris no food or drinks and the third because there was a white guest, they asked for food and drinks. We were even more surprised that there wasn’t any water in the jeep, Washington the driver calmly said “Sorry, it’s in the other car” and no effort to get some even on the way. All attention only on the whites, it was...

Here is a poem capturing our experience, with details reflecting our time at Ololo Lodge:

Ololo Shadows

We arrived, hearts open, to Ololo’s land, Dreaming of wild dawns, of rhinos on sand, But before the sun crested above the trees, Your welcome was curt, with chill on the breeze.

Three safaris booked, anticipation high, We paid like all others, expectations to the sky. With another guest—black as African night— Your kindness evaporated, vanished from sight. Hours with no water, no comfort or bread, While the lucky in other cars saw rhinos instead; We know, in the bush, the drivers all speak, But for us, for her—silence, thankfully we didn’t stay for a week.

A tip for a smile, a tip for some cake— Is service or decency so costly to make? "All-inclusive" is ink, but the truth’s in the bill; Ten dollars unlocks what ought to be still. A request for some tea, a small bite to eat, Produced nothing but stares, hospitality’s defeat. Only when cash traded, like keys at the door, Biscuits and cake arrived—a transactional pour.

We told you—thrice—my wife’s food ways, Yet you fumbled and flustered and served her malaise. No vegetarian fare on your lavish night’s menu, A “printing mistake”—no chef to continue. What arrived was tragic—a pizza, you called it— A chapati in disguise, without flavor or wit. Tomato and paste, on a limp, tired base, Low cheese, lower effort, the real disgrace.

You boast of your kitchen, your farm, your pride— But chickens starved, pigs in squalor reside. As a farmer, I know when creatures eat scraps; If only your hype matched the chicken, perhaps! No taste for the pork, no trust in your veal— We left with full pockets and skipped another meal.

Your “luxury” rooms failed to impress— No water to brush, no products, just stress. A jug too unwieldy, water pressure a trickle, Charging for fancies, our patience did pickle. No kettle, no phone—just a laugh in a book: “In emergency, shout!” Advice best forsook.

Housekeeping, too, ignored our request: For fresh towels, clean floors—again, failed the test. We waited, we asked, we watched in dismay— Service not dependent on what we would pay?

And let’s remember the faces we met at the gate— Steve and Stella, Washington, Ray: We know your names, it’s clear as day; So don’t tell the world we didn’t stay.

Two days at Ololo, a lesson in masks, Where kindness is rationed and every smile asks. Our hearts came for wonder, for beauty untold— We left with this poem, and a warning: To others, be bold.

PS : If you’re non white spend a little more and go elsewhere, avoid at all costs. We weren’t beneficiaries of the Chapman family charities but after this trip it definitely did feel like it. One of the most racist establishments we’ve been to. First 2 safaris no food or drinks and the third because there was a white guest, they asked for food and drinks. We were even more surprised that there wasn’t any water in the jeep, Washington the driver calmly said “Sorry, it’s in the other car” and no effort to get some even on the way. All attention only on the whites, it was...

We stayed at Ololo Safari Lodge in July 2021, and the best way to describe it is a hidden gem within Nairobi National Park. We had finished a five-night trip in the Maasai Mara and wanted somewhere we could relax, and this was the perfect place to do that. We were picked up at the gates by Sam, our guide, and we loved his introduction. Even though we had already seen so many animals, he took the time to show us around the park and explain what we could see. He is such a great guy. When we arrived at Ololo, we were blown away. It was a beautifully sunny, chilly afternoon and the whole lodge felt like a breath of fresh air. We were greeted by James, who would be looking after us whilst staying. He made sure we were happy throughout our stay and always had a way to make us smile! Peter and Brian took care of our luggage. We already felt at home! I was also happy to meet Francis, who I had been communicating with on email before arrival.

Even though we had the option to do game drives, we decided to take a few days to rest and enjoy all the lodge had to offer. We did visit Sheldrick Wildlife trust, and this transfer was included as part of our stay. Our tented cottage was beautiful, and we loved the surroundings on site. It was so great to see all the majority of food is grown or sourced on-site, which made for a few days of excellent feasting. We had a guided tour of the farm by the very knowledgeable Duncan, and this is a must-do whilst staying at Ololo! I also had a great chat with one of the Maasai, Frederick. You must say hi to him.

The fact there is the farm, the workshop and lodge all on-site, you will be delighted staying here. The food is seriously so good, so I say, eat every meal at the lodge! We met Joanna, the owner, who was lovely to chat to and find out about the lodge. We also got to met the cheekiest of staff, Fred. Fred is a golden retriever puppy who gave us much entertainment while staying. Our stay also included a return transfer to the airport by Emmanuel.

I would highly recommend staying at Ololo Lodge and thank you to the whole team for looking after us. We can't wait to...