“What an astonishing place! It’s a secret treasure and altogether lovely.”

DP, Canada

Lolldaiga House is a much-loved private home discreetly tucked away amid the dramatic scenery of the Lolldaiga Hills. From its lofty ridgetop setting it looks out across the conservancy and ranch towards the mountainous Northern Frontier District. Authentic, expansive and built with thick straw-bale walls, it is furnished and decorated with charm and elegance, with lovely bespoke furniture and a collection of paintings and photographs by some of Kenya’s most talented artists.

If you’re looking for a safari adventure, a rest, a new perspective, or a fun and carefree holiday with family or friends in wonderful surroundings both inside and out, then this is the ideal spot. With a vast and comfortable drawing room, a well-stocked wood-panelled library and television room, an inviting heated infinity pool and deep verandas with easy chairs, sofas and swinging beds, there are plenty of spaces in which to recline and relax.

The house has six spacious bedrooms – two in the main house and two in each of the adjacent guest cottages – and all have huge and beautifully appointed ensuite bathrooms. Each bedroom opens up through wide French windows to tremendous views of mountains and bush from wrap-around verandas. Breakfasts and lunches are usually taken out here on the terrace overlooking the gardens and swimming pool, and dinner in the rather more formal setting of the beautiful high-ceilinged dining room, complete with enormous fireplace.

An attentive yet discreet team of staff are on hand to ensure that each stay here is an escape from the demanding whir and buzz of everyday life. Guests can spend long and peaceful days doing exactly as they please, secluded and undisturbed. And while the opportunities to kick back and take it easy are many and tempting, so too are the opportunities to explore and experience this beautiful and rugged corner of Kenya and its extensive fauna and fauna.

“Thank you so much for a magical stay. It was perfect in every way. The house is wonderful, the staff a delight and the landscape and its inhabitants breathtaking.”

CP, UK

The Lolldaigas consist of 49,000 varied, dramatic and uncrowded acres just 30 kilometres northwest of Mount Kenya, with the main gate just 40 minutes outside Nanyuki. A well-managed combination of commercial livestock ranching and wildlife conservation, they are home to a very wide variety of wild animals and birds, as well as 4,500 head of cattle, sheep and camels. Despite their relative proximity to the more populated and widely visited areas of Laikipia, the Lolldaigas feel remote, untouched and firmly ‘off the beaten track’.

Ranging in altitude from 1700 to 2300 metres, the Lolldaiga Range is an ancient land form, comprising of a series of magnificent high folding hills, cedar forests and steep wooded valleys, interspersed with open grassland and bush. A well-documented series of archaeological finds, cave paintings and burial mounds show that the area was home to early mankind several thousand years ago. Over the last five centuries the region has been inhabited by the nomadic Laikipia Maasai, from whose language the name “Lolldaiga” comes, “Daiga” meaning braid.

The Lolldaigas are home to an array of animals, including large herds of Elephant and Buffalo, together with Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Oryx, Eland, Grevy’s Zebra and Wild Dog among many other species. With such varied topography, landscapes and habitats, the conservancy’s roads range across hilltops, up and down steep valleys, around dams, and across open plains, ensuring that game drives and excursions are always diverse, scenic and rewarding.

Enjoy an early morning outing to see the sun rise over the ranch followed by a delectable bush breakfast, or an afternoon drive ending with well-earned sundowner drinks. Exploring the bush on foot is highly rewarding too – knowledgeable armed guides will lead guests around the area, sharing their expert understanding of the landscape and wildlife. Several big dams offer excellent bird viewing and an old wooden hide on the edge of one dam allows the viewing of wildlife at very close quarters.

“How very lucky we are – this really has been the most incredible and spoiling week. I don’t think any holiday will ever top it. Thank you for the most amazing hospitality.”

SH, UK