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El Karama Lodge

Our rating

8/10

Price guide

Highlights

- Swimming Pool
- Reasonable Value
- Beautiful Landscape
- Family Ranch

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Overview

El Karama Eco Lodge is a family owned lodge on a traditional ranch with a real authentic feel. The lodge is located in the heart of Laikipia on El Karama Ranch, a 14,000acre cattle ranch with stunning landscapes and abundant wildlife and birds. Guests can enjoy direct views of Mt Kenya, the Aberdares and the Lolldaiga hills. Rates are very reasonable for a lodge of this quality.

El Karama is only 42km from Nanyuki town, and with its lovely swimming pool area, works well as a relaxing counterpoint to more adventurous activities in the region. Two or three nights at El Karama is the perfect end to a Mount Kenya trek. It combines similarly well for families who want some time relaxing around a pool before an adventure at Laikipia Wilderness Camp or after a walking safari with Karissia Walking Safaris. El Karama is a 4 hour drive from Nairobi. Flights are also available from Nanyuki to / from Nairobi and the Masai Mara.

El Karama comprises six family/group friendly stone, thatch and canvas cottages or “bandas”, a beautiful central mess with large fireplace, bar and cosy reading areas and a lovely new swimming pool area. The lodge is run by a friendly local team of staff and overseen by the Grant family who live there. It is worth noting that unlike many of the other options in the Laikipia area, this is not a fully hosted lodge, so expect a lighter touch from a service perspective. Guests can enjoy accompanied bush walks, game drives, night drives, sundowners, bush meals and farm visits. There are over 75 mammal species including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, hippo, reticulated giraffe, common and Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, eland, oryx and much more. The landscape is stunning and viewing the wildlife with the backdrop of Mount Kenya really adds to the experience.

For Families: El Karama is a great option for families. There is a magnificent family cottage sleeping up to a family of six in a tree house style building. The double / twin bandas can each take an extra bed. Obviously the pool area is a big plus for families, but there are a number of activities available specifically for children including tracking, making casts of footprints, ranch visits and informal painting / drawing / sculpture sessions (the owners, the Grant family are very artistic).

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What customers are saying after travelling with Tourdust

Average Rating

based on 536 reviews

(5.00/5)

  • I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.

    Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.

    El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.

    Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.

    So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last

    MissingJuhae C reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 01 March 2024

  • Dear Lisa, We are now back home and had a fantastic time. All the arrangements went seamlessly, transport and hotels were great. Laikipia was amazing, a very personal experience and they did all they could to accommodate everything we wanted to do. The river location was fantastic and ideal for the children as they got to swim in it. It is somewhere we would all like to return to. There might not have been the numbers that you get on the Masai Mara however we got to see lions with cubs, two black leopards, a golden leopard and the wild dogs as well as a huge number of other animals and birds. Thank you for suggesting to stay for 4 nights, it was just the right amount of time. The tamarin Hotel was a good choice as we were able to eat at the Carnivore restaurant which was an experience. Mauritius was lovely and relaxing, just what we needed after a very active time in Laikipia. Accommodation and service was great. Weather was good for most of the time, a few showers over the last couple of days. Thank you once again for organising it all. Sally

    MissingSally M reviewing Laikipia Wilderness and Plains on 11 August 2023

  • Hi Lisa
    It was a fantastic experience, thanks very much. All the arrangements were seamless and our guiding/support team were excellent, if there is a way for you to formally commend the team to your ground operators then I would be grateful if you could do that, they really were brilliant.
    Many thanks for your help in arranging the trip, and for your patience during the multiple re-arrangements over the past couple of years.
    Kind regards, John

    MissingJohn B reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 14 November 2022

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