Imagine......
275,000 acres of wild Africa teeming with wild animals all to yourself, and no tourists in mini buses.
Imagine......
travelling across the famous golden plains of Kenya in an open 4x4 safari vehicle guided by the best professional guides, or feeling the rhythm of Africa beneath your feet as you walk with expert trackers, or riding beautiful horses with Mt. Kilimanjaro as a backdrop
Imagine......
experiencing this wild paradise, then coming home to one of the most luxurious small lodges in East Africa where a hot bath or shower, a private swimming pool – all with inspiring views of Africa - great food, charming hosts and world class service await you.
Does this sound like fantasy? Well, it isn’t. It is real and it is called…
Ol Donyo Wuas Lodge is a 22 bed eco-lodge in the heart of the Mbirikani Maasai conservation area on the slopes of the Chyulu Hills near Amboseli National Park. Based on the foundations of the original, legendary Ol Donyo Wuas, the recently re-built lodges all have stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, efficient solar powered lighting, and solar heated showers in the ensuite bathrooms, and feature a décor that is both modern and luxurious as well as rustic and comfortable in the tradition of the great wilderness lodges.
Special care has been taken to create a menu that is exciting as it is varied. Since the lodge re-opened in July 2008, all our guests have raved about the lodge, the food, our people and the experience.
When wildlife thrives, the people prosper
Ol Donyo Wuas Lodge and the Maasai people of the Mbirikani Group Ranch are partners in plotting our communal destiny. The Maasailand Preservation Trust is the lodge's link with the people of the area and the Trust maintains a series of important projects including predator conservation, education, water management, re-forestation, and livestock management training. When you visit Ol Donyo Wuas, you are not just a tourist, but a participant and contributor to the survival of the region's fauna and flora and the advancement of a noble people
A Proud History
For over 20 years Ol Donyo Wuas Lodge was the Africa cognoscenti’s dream destination. Tucked away in the spectacular Chyulu Hills, above the heat and malaria, and far away from the tourist circuit, Ol Donyo Wuas was a model for many of the ‘bush lodges’ that were to follow.
 Ol Donyo Wuas' founder Richard Bonham had often flown over this spectacular landscape and one day decided to land his Cessna on the open plains and arrange to meet the local Maasai. After many meetings, a pioneering community conservation safari-tourism project was created with the Maasai participating and benefiting from the travellers that Richard Bonham brought to their remote homeland.
John Heminway, one of the most experienced and astute writers about Africa wrote recently in Travel and Leisure magazine: "Richard Bonham could well be the father of the bush guest house. He built Ol Donyo Wuas many years ago and it still sets the standard.” Over the years, Richard and his sister Trish, created one of the most beloved of all East Africa’s bush lodges, and in the process, played an important leadership role in the region.
In the early years Richard and his guests would be excited if they even saw tracks of an elephant passing through. Today there are elephants in front of the lodge almost every day - including six bulls who carry some of the largest ivory left in East Africa. Lion and cheetah were always present in small shy numbers, but under the new conservation program, their numbers are on the increase. Where once the black rhino had been shot to the brink of extinction, the last of the rhino are now protected and today, breeding populations of this highly endangered creature are secure on Ol Donyo Wuas.
Though progress was being made, more investment and an expanded and updated program was needed. Together with Richard, Tara and Great Plains, a new initiative is under way which promises to benefit both people and wildlife in ways not possible a few years ago. However the future holds enormous challenges and we recognise that we must adapt and evolve. Without deviating from our roots and core beliefs we have to forge new partnerships with our neighbouring Maasai community.
By building a sustainable model for conservation and quality tourism, we will ensure upliftment within our neighbouring communities and protection of the wildlife of the area.
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