Borana Lodge

Borana Ranch Laikipia, Kenya

(Borana Lodge is located in Borana Ranch, Laikipia – situated 17 miles north of the equator and 6000ft above sea level. Borana Lodge has panoramic views over the Samangua Valley and the Lewa Plains to the Ngare Ndare Forest and Mount Kenya beyond. Borana Lodge is set on a hillside overlooking a lake, which attracts herds of elephants, buffalo and often prides of lion. Borana Lodge is a 4-hour drive from Nairobi and a 1-hour drive from Nanyuki. By Air the flight takes about an hour to neighboring Lewa Downs Airstrip then an 1- hours' drive to the Lodge. Borana Lodge has an airstrip at for charter flights a 10-minute drive from the Lodge)

Borana Lodge Laikipia - (Adjacent to Lewa Downs Conservancy)

Borana Lodge View Rates, Discounted Prices - Book & Save Now!

Borana Lodge is home to the Dyer family for three generations and the name Borana comes from the native Boran cattle farmed on these arid grasslands. Borana Lodge is set on the edge of the Samangua Valley with panoramic views of Mount Kenya and Kenya’s Northern Frontier. The property is a small, luxurious lodge, situated on a 35,000-acre ranch, 16 miles north of the equator, at an altitude of 6,500 ft. The area is a haven for a wide diversity of wildlife, including lion, elephant, Jackson’s hartebeest, buffalo, reticulated giraffe, Patas monkeys and great herds of antelope roaming the plains, while the cool forest shelters bushbuck, colobus monkeys and leopard. Borana is a working ranch, named after the doe-eyed Borana cattle.

Borana Lodge was built in 1992 by local artisans. Only local building materials and dead wood from the ranch were used in its construction. The result is a supremely comfortable and luxurious lodge which is totally in keeping with its surroundings; it seems to have grown organically from the rocks on which it was built. Borana Lodge has 8 large double rooms. Of these 4 are interconnecting-family rooms others are 2 separate twins & 2 separate doubles. 16 guest beds (four doubles and four twins) plus two twin guide rooms (four beds). The family cottage allows for up to two additional small children.

Borana lodge overlooks a dam which fills with the floodwater flowing off the surrounding hills. It is the local watering hole for all the wildlife in the area so there is constant activity for the guests to watch. There is also a game blind built right on the edge of the dam so that visitors may go down and see the activity at close range: elephants swimming is a favorite. The nights are cool and there are fires in the rooms every night of the year. The clear view of the occasional snow and permanent small glaciers on Mount Kenya is a wonderful contrast to the huge panorama of mountains and desert to the North.

Borana Lodge Accommodation Rates/Prices

Notes

* Helicopter excursions on request

* Borana is closed November each year
* Cultural Visits 20 US Dollars per head

* Children under five years of age are free of charge
* Visits to Kisima floriculture project 60 US Dollars per person

* Riding and Fishing Excursions to the lakes up Mt Kenya on request

* Exclusive use of vehicle (subject to availability) 250 US Dollars per day

* Overnight riding safaris including fly camping & visits to nearby lodges - on request

* Guides (Local & Non-resident) 80 US Dollars /120 US Dollars per person per day

* Transfers to/from Tassia 200 US Dollars per vehicle (Maximum 6 Guests) one way

* Transfers to/from Il Ngwesi 70 US Dollars per vehicle (Maximum 6 Guests) one way

* Transfers to/from Nanyuki 250 US Dollars per vehicle (Maximum 6 Guests) one way

* Fly Camping 150 US Dollars per person per night on top of room rate (Maximum 2 Guests)
* Visits to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy 90 US Dollars per adult and 45US Dollars per child under 12 years

Borana Lodge Accommodation Rates are inclusive of

* Laundry

* Horse Riding

* Swimming Pool

* Mountain Biking
* Conservation Fees

* Guided Bush Walks
* Selected house spirits

* Sundowner excursions

* Local airstrip transfers

* Full Board accommodation

* Soft drinks, beers, house wines
* Shared Game Drives - day & night

Borana Lodge Accommodation Rates are Exclusive of
* Champagne
* Cellar Wines
* Fly Camping
* Cultural visits

* Premium Spirits
* Visits to Kisima

* Exclusive use of vehicle
* Visits to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
* Gratuities & anything of a personal nature

Borana Lodge Accommodation
Borana lodge has eight private and spacious guest cottages. The cottages are decorated in unaffected but luxurious up-country style. Four have large double beds and four have twin beds - both of which are queen size. Extra beds can be provided for children.

All Borana Lodge cottages have a veranda except for the family cottage, where two cottages share a spacious veranda that has a phenomenal view over the dam. Each cottage also has an open-fireplace, lit every afternoon by the room stewardess. A basket of firewood is kept in each room. The bathrooms are the epitome of luxury: spacious, clean and with exceptional views over wildest Africa.

Borana Lodge is built primarily for privacy; each cottage is exclusively sited with its own special view, totally secluded from its neighbor. This ensures guests have a chance to appreciate the wilderness and loneliness of Africa. Borana is set in a verdant garden; almost all the plants are indigenous and chosen for their scents, colors, flowers and hardiness. Water is sufficient to keep the lawns alive, but all other plants have to rely on rainfall. Walk up a cedar ramp and you are confronted with a dramatically sited swimming pool.

Guests can swim in a spotlessly clean eye-level pool while watching the elephants wandering down a well-trodden path on their way to the watering hole. The pool veranda, furnished with roman couches, is a favorite place for a relaxed lunch and a chance to lie in the sun. Just above the pool is the Borana shop. This shop gives guests the opportunity to purchase some of the best of African art, as well as beadwork from the local tribesmen, handcrafted jewellery and many other knick-knacks and curios from Kenya.

Borana Lodge electricity is provided by a 240v generator which runs from 18h30-20h30 and from 06h30 to 10h30. When the generator is on, hair dryers can be used but need to inform the managers – hair dryers can be provided. Phone and camera batteries can be charged in rooms when generator is on. There is a central eating and sitting area: comfy leather sofas surround a huge fireplace with picture windows looking onto the valley below. A massive rosewood table in the dining room is where meals are served by friendly and attentive staff. Local artists' paintings and sculptures decorate the lodge, and are also available for sale.

All Borana Lodge food is freshly prepared in the kitchen; vegetables and farm produce from the farm, freshly squeezed juice from the ranch's orchard and wines from around the world.

Borana Lodge Amenities
• Masseuse on site

• Sitting/dining room

• Horizon swimming pool

• Laundry services provided
• Gift shop which can accept visa and master card
• Limited internet access for emergency use for clients
• Mobile phone network in certain locations around the lodge

Borana Lodge Meal Plan
Full board accommodation, house wines, beers & soft drinks