Lolldaiga House is a much-loved private home discreetly tucked away amid some of Laikpia’s most dramatic scenery. Built in traditional ‘settler style’ by a British family as their Kenyan holiday retreat and completed in 2016, it offers sprawling, stylish and welcoming accommodation in an undisturbed and away-from-it-all bush location.
From its lofty ridgetop setting the house looks out across the conservancy and ranch towards the mountainous Northern Frontier District. Authentic, expansive and built with thick straw-bale walls, it is furnished and decorated with bespoke charm, its walls hung with paintings and photographs by some of Kenya’s most talented artists.
If you’re looking for a safari adventure, a well-earned rest, a new perspective, or a fun and carefree holiday with family and friends in wonderful surroundings both inside and out, then Lolldaiga House is the perfect spot.
With a vast and comfortable drawing room, a well-stocked wood-panelled library and television room, an inviting 18-metre heated infinity pool and deep verandas filled with easy chairs, sofas and swinging beds, there are plenty of spaces in which to recline and relax.
The house has six spacious double bedrooms – two in the main house and two in each of the adjacent guest cottages – all have huge and well-appointed ensuite bathrooms. Each bedroom opens up through wide French windows to tremendous views of mountains and bush from wrap-around verandas.
Breakfasts and lunches are usually eaten alfresco out on the terraces overlooking the gardens and swimming pool, and dinner in the rather more formal setting of the beautiful high-ceilinged dining room, complete with enormous fireplace.
An attentive yet discreet team of staff are on hand to ensure that every stay at Lolldaiga House is a relaxing escape from the demanding whir and buzz of everyday life. Guests can spend long and peaceful days doing exactly as they please, secluded and undisturbed in house and grounds. And while the opportunities to kick back and take it easy are many and tempting, so too are the opportunities to explore and experience this beautiful and rugged corner of Kenya and its extensive fauna and fauna.
Laikipia, Kenya
The Lolldaigas consist of 49,000 dramatic and uncrowded acres 20 kilometres north of the Equator and 40 kilometres north of Mount Kenya. A well-managed combination of wildlife conservancy and commercial livestock ranch, they are home to a huge variety of wild animals and birds, as well as 4,500 cattle, sheep and camels. Despite their proximity to more widely visited areas of Laikipia, limited visitor numbers and a total absence of commercial tourist accommodation ensure that the Lolldaigas feel remote, untouched and firmly ‘off the beaten track’.
The Lolldaigas are home to large herds of Elephant and Buffalo, together with Lion, Leopard, Hyena, Jackal, Cheetah and plentiful plains game. Larger antelope species include Hartebeest, Oryx and Eland, while Grevy’s Zebra and Wild Dog are among several rare and endangered species. With such varied topography, landscapes and habitats, the conservancy’s roads range across hilltops, up and down steep valleys, around dams, and across open savannah plains, ensuring that game drives and excursions here are always diverse, scenic and rewarding.
Ranging in altitude from 1700 to 2300 metres, the Lolldaiga Range is an ancient land form, comprising of a series of magnificent high folding hills, cedar forests and steep wooded valleys, interspersed with open grassland and bush. A well-documented series of archaeological finds, cave paintings and burial mounds show that the area was home to early mankind several thousand years ago. Over the last five centuries the region has been inhabited by the nomadic Laikipia Maasai, from whose language the name “Lolldaiga” comes, “Daiga” meaning braid.
Managed by one family for three generations, always with a strong regard for wildlife and conservation, the owners have encouraged a series of long-running research studies – The Lolldaiga Hills Research Programme – focusing upon the wildlife and biodiversity of the area, together with archaeology, climate change, sustainable land management and low-impact tourism. The Lolldaiga Hills Ranch Education Sponsorship Programme (LHRESP) supports students and teachers in nearby communities.
Laikipia, Kenya
In Detail
(Click on any of the headings below for full information)
Accommodation and Facilities
- 2 double Bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms
- Drawing Room
- Dining Room
- Library / Office with television
- Entrance Hall
- Kitchen
- 50-metre Veranda with living, dining and lounging areas
Guest cottage 1
- 2 Double Bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms
- 20-metre Veranda with sitting and lounging areas
Guest cottage 2
- 2 double Bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms
- 20-metre Veranda with sitting and lounging areas
Outside Spaces and Places
- 18-metre heated Swimming Pool
- Poolside Pergola
- Enclosed gardens and grounds
Activities
- Game drives with safari vehicle and driver/guide
- Guided bush walks with armed ranger
- Farm visits
- Cave walks
- Optional extras – all kinds of other activities can be arranged such as horse riding, scenic flights and helicopter excursions
Connectivity
- Wi-fi internet
- Television
- DSTV and streaming services
- Reasonable cell phone signal
Management and Staff
- Manager and host – Camilla
- Chef – Stephen
- Waiters – Philip & Robert
- Housekeepers – Beatrice & Nancy
- Driver/guides – Julius & Samia
- Askari – Ledikany
How to get there
- Private charter flights are available from across East Africa to the conservancy’s private airstrip which is a 15-minute drive from Lolldaiga House.
- Daily scheduled flights on Safarilink and Air Kenya are available from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Nanyuki Airstrip – the flight takes approximately 1 hour followed by another hour’s drive to the house.
- Lolldaiga House is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes’ drive from Nanyuki airport or 20 minute drive from the conservancy’s private airstrip
- Lolldaiga House is around four hours by road from Nairobi.
Rates
| Up to 5 guests | Additional adult | Additional child (5-15 yrs) |
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| Standard Season |
USD 3,500 | USD 700 | USD 350 |
| High Season
(June-August, December-January)
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USD 4,000 | USD 800 | USD 400 |
Maximum occupancy – 12 adult guests
Minimum stay – 3 nights
Minimum stay over Christmas & New Year – 5 nights
Children 4 years old and younger stay free of charge and without conservancy fees
| Conservation fees | Adult: USD 120/day | Child: USD 60/day |
These rates, terms & conditions are for guests who are non-resident in Kenya.
Please contact us for resident rates.
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Included in the rates |
Available at additional cost |
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