Mukutan Retreat

Ol Ari Nyiro Ranch, Laikipia Kenya

(Mukutan Retreat is situated on the extreme west of Laikipia, Kenya on the 100,000 acre Laikipia Nature Conservancy, home to conservationist and author Kuki Gallmann. Laikipia in Northern Kenya is a 50 minutes flight from Nairobi Wilson Airport. Mukutan Retreat is a unique lodge overlooking the spectacular Mukutan Gorge on the edge of the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. Ol Ari Nyiro - The place of Dark Waters in Masai language - is a 100,000 acre ranch where conservationist and author Kuki Gallmann’s haunting autobiography, "I Dreamed of Africa", is based. Mukutan Retreat is approximately 270 Kilometers by road from Nairobi)

Mukutan Retreat Cottage

Mukutan Retreat Cottage Toilet

Mukutan Retreat Cottage Bathroom

Mukutan Retreat Cottage Rooms

Mukutan Retreat Lodge (Sleeps 6 Guests)

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

Mukutan Retreat; Mukutan Retreat Lodge is a unique refuge overlooking the spectacular Mukutan Gorge on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. The Retreat is situated on the extreme west of Laikipia on the 100,000 acre Laikipia Nature Conservancy, home to conservationist and author Kuki Gallmann.

Mukutan means ‘the meeting’ and it is here that the fingers of surrounding hills meet. "I Dreamed of Africa" is based on the best-selling autobiography of Kuki Gallmann, the proprietor of Mukutan Retreat Lodge …an oasis of breathtaking beauty where wildlife dwells undisturbed.

Mukutan Retreat Lodge is situated on the extreme west of the region of Laikipia Nature Conservancy, West Laikipia, Northern Kenya the gem of the East African Highlands, on the ranch of Ol Ari Nyiro. Ol Ari Nyiro is renowned for the variety of its landscapes, from open savannah to steep gorges, endless vistas of hills covered in wild sage and thorn trees; for its herds of elephant, buffalo, antelope and its many lions.

The ranch is sanctuary to the largest known population of undisturbed indigenous black rhino outside National Parks. Mukutan Retreat Lodge is perched on the cliffs overlooking the gorge, its waterfalls, palm trees and extraordinary thermal hot springs.

The unique setting, the silence and the evocative sounds of Africa, make of hue Mukutan Retreat an exclusive hideaway for discriminate travelers, who wish to find a total communion with nature in simple yet sophisticated comfort.

Mukutan Retreat Lodge Accommodation Rates

Notes

* Christmas Bookings – minimum 5 days

* Check-out time is 10.30am. However a late departure can be arranged

* Children under 12 years of age are charged 290 US Dollars Per Person Per Night

* Laikipia Nature Conservancy Fees Per Day is charged at 65 US Dollars Per Person

* Late check-out after lunch is charged at 100 per person which includes lunch and activities

* Christmas Supplement is 50 US Dollars per person per day (Christmas season is 18th Dec to 8th Jan 2011)

* Unless guests have own insurance, all visitors are requested to be covered with Flying Doctors Insurance. This can be arranged through African Spice Safaris

Rates above are inclusive of the following:

* Laundry

* Game drives

* Airstrip transfers

* Fishing and guided walks

* Full board accommodation

* Picnics, sundowners and Gallmann Memorial Foundation activities

* Soft drinks, water, beers and local spirits (Excluding apart special spirits and special wines and champagne)

Rates above are Exclusive of the following:

* Tree Planting
* Cultural visits are 50 US Dollars per person per visit
* Massage 30 US Dollars per massage with certified locally extracted wild sage oils.
* Flight or road transport from Nairobi to Laikipia can be arranged by African Spice Safaris. As flight rates are subject to change, quotes will be given on request according to circumstances ie weight, passengers, pick-up point etc.

Mukutan Retreat Accommodations

Mukutan Retreat is quintessential Africa - undisturbed and unpredictable - from the untamed wildlife to the rugged terrain to the guest cottages constructed solely from native materials, the - Mukutan Retreat Lodge is situated more than a mile above sea level on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, the cradle of mankind.

It is located in the heart of Ol Ari Nyiro, the 100,000-acre wildlife reserve of world-renowned conservationist Kuki Gallmann.

Mukutan Retreat Lodging is provided by three traditional dwellings, perched at the edge of the gorge and patterned after native African rondavels. Each hut offers luxurious accommodations with double beds, a fireplace and a private veranda overlooking the cliffs. Each cottage is dressed with Swahili and Lamu furniture and built of local stone, papyrus and native woods.

The paradox of the Mukutan Retreat is that it remains exquisitely civilized, yet it is the very anti-thesis of civilization. There is no electricity at the Mukutan Retreat; the obtrusive hum of an electric generator is forbidden. Power is collected by solar panels, although most illumination is by candlelight. In fact, upon reaching the Retreat, the last several hundred meters are covered on foot to eliminate the sound of vehicles and preserve the ancient silence of the Mukutan Gorge.

The bellhops are camels, carrying luggage to the cottage doors. Mukutan proprietor, Kuki Gallmann, has painstakingly modeled the Retreat to be the penultimate African destination. Every object is a hand-selected part of a perfect puzzle that delivers the lore of Africa in its authentic sense.

Mukutan Retreat Swimming Pool

Mukutan Retreat Bedroom

Mukutan Retreat Lunch with a View

Mukutan Retreat Lounge Fire Place

Kuki Gallmann History in Kenya

Kuki Gallmann was born in 1943 and was raised just outside of Venice, Italy, but always had a longing eye for Africa. Her dreams were realized in 1972 when she moved to Kenya with her husband, Paolo, and her son, Emanuele. In 1974, the family acquired Ol Ari Nyiro, a 100,000-acre cattle ranch in the breathtaking Laikipia region of Kenya. For Gallmann, the sprawling landscape spurred an understanding and appreciation for the equally vast African culture. But her fairytale existence was shattered by tragedy in 1980.

Paolo was killed in an automobile accident as he was returning to Laikipia. He had carried with him a crib, specially built in the shape of a boat for the child they were expecting. Despite the pleas of her relatives, Gallmann chose to remain on the rugged land she had shared with Paolo.

But unthinkable tragedy would next strike Emanuele, just after his 17th birthday. Gallmann had always been concerned about her young son's passion for snake handling, and those fears proved warranted when he was killed by the poisonous bite of a puff adder.

At that moment Gallmann, who formally became a citizen of Kenya in 1997, could rightfully have abandoned Africa. But her resolve only intensified. Her soul had been scoured, her understanding of the essence of life elevated. And so began Kuki Gallmann's dedication to preserving the mysterious continent that had so captivated Paolo and Emanuele.

Mukutan Retreat Lodging Activities

* Fishing in one of the dams or streams for black bass and fresh water crayfish

* Relax in the natural mineral rich hot spring, or enjoy a massage

* Swimming in the rock-carved pool or one of the waterfall pools

* Walking in the hills and valleys with a trained local guide

* Optional Extras: Day trips by helicopter or private plane

* Day Games drives and Night Game Drives to spot lion

* Cultural visits to Pokot, Turkana and Samburu tribes

* Visit the newly discovered archaeological remains

* Bird watching - 400 identified species in the area

* Game viewing on horseback or camel rides

* Night under the stars in the ‘moonlit cottage’
* Picnic breakfast and lunch

Closed Season: Open all year round

Access: By private charter flight to Laikipia Main airfield

Ol ari Nyiro, Laikipia Nature Conservancy Information

Mukutan Retreat Lodging is situated in Ol ari Nyiro, Laikipia Nature Conservancy, West Laikipia, Northern Kenya. Ol ari Nyiro, Laikipia Nature Conservancy was created to by Kuki Gallmann to honor the memory of Paolo Gallmann and Emanuele Pirri- Gallmann -her husband and son- who both died tragically in Africa, and are buried in Ol ari Nyiro.

Formerly an operating cattle ranch, Ol ari Nyiro was transformed by Kuki Gallmann into a nature conservancy managed holistically after the death of her husband and son, and the land donated to the Gallmann Memorial Foundation, which is implemented there.

Ol ari Nyiro means (“The Place of Springs”) and is a 100,000-acre of private wildlife sanctuary and nature Conservancy situated on the extreme Western edge of the Laikipia Plateau along Kenya scenic Great Rift valley.

Spreading through hills and savannah, comprising the only remaining indigenous relic forest in the area, and cut in half by the stunning Mukutan Gorge (“The Meeting”) plunging from over 7000 ‘ to 3000 ‘, Ol ari Nyiro supports an extraordinary variety of recorded flora—some of it endemic and priory un recorded-, over 400 species of birds, a large wildlife population, particularly of elephants, lions, black rhino, leopard, antelopes, baboons, and the largest known population of Cape Buffalo in private land in Africa with over 4000 recorded heads.

Waterfalls, natural springs including thermal hot springs and the Mukutan river are part of Ol ari Nyiro ecosystem, in addition to 62 man-made lakes, and a network of over 1000 km of roads. Its rich and thriving bio diversity is in contrast with the eroded and overgrazed surrounding areas where no conservation principles were applied over the years.

Ol ari Nyiro, Laikipia Nature Conservancy Highlights include:

* Archaeological sites have been discovered on Ol Ari Nyiro and are studies at this time

* Ol ari Nyiro is regarded as ‘botanically the most varied non-forested area in East Africa

* A Black Rhino Sanctuary supporting the largest known undisturbed indigenous population of the endangered black rhino outside Kenya's national parks, the estate is a refuge for over 450 elephant, 4000 buffalo, zebra, cheetah, leopard-including melanistic leopard, lion, gazelles and antelopes.

* With the only protected indigenous relic forest remaining in the area, its extraordinary bio diversity - comprises natural springs, sixty two man-made lakes, the Mukutan Gorge that plunges form 7000 to 3000 feet and a spectacular landscape ranging from 3000 to 7000 - the conservancy supports over 450 species of birds, 85 of which are listed in the IUCN red list for vulnerable, and endangered species, over 800 insects many of which are rare, and 2350 species and subspecies of plants identified so far, some of which are unique to the conservancy.

Booking & Reservations for Mukutan Retreat situated on the extreme west of Laikipia on the 100,000 acre Laikipia Nature Conservancy, home to conservationist and author Kuki Gallmann.

Booking Office Tel: + 254 (0) 20 2437871

Mobile : 0721242711 (Safaricom) - Kenya

Email: info@africanspicesafaris.com