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Ol Malo

Our rating

9/10

Price guide

Highlights

- Ranch property
- Wilderness
- Horse & Camel Riding
- Incredible Views

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Overview

Situated on the northern edge of the Laikipia plateau, Ol Malo is a classic Laikipia Ranch presiding over a tract of African wilderness and offering a wild hosted African bush experience. Like near neighbours Sosian and Laikipia Wilderness, the focus is the activities rather the wildlife, a true all round safari experience rather than a tick box exercise. Ol Malo has a stunning setting, perched high above incredible views and offers very comfortable lodge based accommodation.

The accommodation is nestled into a rugged escarpment looking out across the lands of Kenya’s Northern Frontier District. Ol Malo is a striking building in an outstanding location – smooth lawns and carefully tended shrubberies sweep down to a cliff edge, providing a vantage point for activity at the watering hole and salt lick below. A maze of slated pathways wind down to four rock and olive wood cottages. Each double room has its own veranda and complete privacy. Large picture windows frame a wild, constantly changing landscape – clouds scud across the sky, stately eagles wheel and glide on thermals above the plains. An infinity pool adds to the beauty as well as the amenity of this place. Ol Malo House is a recent addition, and works well for families or large groups.

On offer whilst staying there are endless wild walks, camel and horse rides, mountain biking, picnics by the river, game drives, lots of interaction with the local Samburu tribe or just relaxing and watching the sun go down at the end of the day.

Ol Malo works well for families who want to experience Laikipia's wilderness and adventure opportunities whilst retaining the comfort of a lodge and pool back at base. Your hosts, the Francombe family, have lived and raised children here and know how to bring the wilderness alive for different ages. There are various accommodation options, with Ol Malo House the most suitable option for families. We find this type of all round bush experience a superior safari experience to a more traditional safari camp based on game drives. Kids always enjoy the experiences more than sitting for long periods watching wildlife and whilst big cat sightings are rare, this is still very much a wildlife experience. Leopard are common and the area frequently plays host to large numbers of elephant, wild hunting dogs, zebra, buffola, giraffe and antelope.

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What customers are saying after travelling with Tourdust

Average Rating

based on 534 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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