El Karama Lodge

This place FAR FAR exceeded our expectations! We travelled with a family of 12 (6 adults, 6 kids ages 6-12) and El Karama was the PERFECT spot. In fact, we all agreed it was our favorite spot of the 4 places we stayed while on our Kenya vacation. The location was gorgeous, stunning views, animals at our doorstep, delicious food and a pool right outside our rooms. But what we loved most about El Karama was the hospitality and our guides. Everyone, from the wait staff and house keepers and chefs to the drivers and manager made us feel like we were part of the family. We were so sad to leave. Robinson and John were THE best guides we could have asked for. They were so generous in their knowledge of the land and animals, and SO good with our kids. Bush school for 2 hours a day was the cherry on top of this place for the kids (and for the adult-time too!) Kids loved getting to make bread, drive the jeeps, and help with the gardening. So so cool.

We went as a family of 4 (2 boys aged 11 and 13) to El Karama and it was truly a magical experience. My boys are now begging me to start planning another trip! We were lucky to be looked after by Abdi and Joseph as our guides. Abdi’s deep familiarity with every part of the conservancy and his expert driving combined with Joseph’s encyclopaedic knowledge of all the species of wildlife was a fantastic combination and made for a really memorable trip. They went out of their way to make sure we saw as many different animals as possible, including a couple of night drives where we saw hippos, hyenas, lions and bush babies. Abdi also kindly took my 13 year old out for his first ever driving lesson - he had so much fun! The meals at El Karama are amazing - all locally sourced food, much of it grown / reared at El Karama itself. We were taken care of at mealtimes by Lamek who also taught the boys Swahili and educated us about local culture and customs. ||The lodge itself is beautiful, and has been planned and thought out so well. We stayed in two of the bandas, it felt very private both when in the lodge itself and when on safari. The staff make it special - there are so many thoughtful touches, such as the hot water bottles at night and the bush breakfast which was a lovely surprise!||I would recommend El Karama to anyone looking to create lifetime memories: we will be back if we can!

Our small family group was treated to an experience of a lifetime staying at El Karama Lodge in the private Nilotica House in the Laikipia region. The food was so fresh, the staff were outstanding and the privacy of the Nilotica House was amazing. We had our own dining area with fireplace, swimming pool, private sleeping quarters....and Andrew, our guide, was the best guide we have ever had in Africa! We enjoyed having our own vehicle and experienced bush breakfasts, sundowners, bush walks, night game drives - all in addition to the regular game drives. Thank you Pulse Africa for recommending this small intimate lodge - it was outstanding in every respect!

What a special place! We stayed in the Hobbit House as a family of five and it could not have been more stylish or comfortable, truly a home from home. |It's the staff at the lodge that really make El Karma special, we were lucky enough to have Michael as our host and Andrew as our safari guide. Both were ready to smile and laugh and couldn't do enough for us, it really felt like they wanted us to have the best time and went above and beyond to make sure we did. Our children loved fishing with and driving with Andrew and we all loved the sunset and sunrise drinks in the bush each day. The food was utterly delicious, fresh and varied and very plentiful. If you can please do the night in the wild and sleep in the tree tents, it's a truly unique experience that will stay with us all forever. Thank you so much for looking after us so well!

A magical place with extraordinary biodiversity, wonderful people, and an authentic and deep-rooted ecological approach to tourism. My family stayed here over Christmas (20 people aged 10-77) and everyone had an incredible time. ||The game drives are the best any of us have experienced. They are across a decent sized area with low tourist pressure (only three 4x4s for 14,000 acres) so you rarely see another vehicle unless one of the other 2 call in something special. And there are lots of special moments...||For those for whom it matters, we saw all the big 5 except rhinos (although we did see these at a nearby conservancy where many of Kenya's rhinos live and are protected 24/7 from poachers). But it's the biodiversity, wildness and landscapes at El Karama that we appreciated just as much as the big moments. Although the lion cubs, leopard and cheetah were rather special! ||The guides are all local and extraordinarily knowledgable, are great with kids, and magnified the experience from this incredible natural asset.||The food and accommodation is excellent and the overall service is perfect: you want for nothing but it is relaxed and authentic, and always delivered with joy. ||We all feel extremely privileged to have visited. Thank you to the El Karama team.|

We stayed 3 nights at El Karama Lodge and had smiles from ear to ear from arrival to departure. Our accommodation (Hobbit House) was absolutely stunning and extremely comfortable. The entire lodge is so beautiful and the food was beyond exquisite. The day began at 6am when we were collected from our door by our Safari guide, Robinson (Robbie). The morning game drive includes stopping in some unbelievably scenic spot to have coffee and morning cakes. You return home to the Lodge at around 9.30 where you are served with the most unbelievable breakfast of fruit, granola, yoghurt, smoothies plus a full cooked breakfast. Each dish and drink is a work of art using only local produce and recipes by the owner Sophie. We had our own personal host/waiter Gerald who looked after us so beautifully throughout our stay. From 10am you just chill for a few hours either by the pool, or in the Bush Gym or having a massage before eating a three course lunch! At 4pm you have tea and cake before heading out on the evening drive. This drive includes sundowners at another incredible spot. Back at 8pm for another incredible meal by a roaring fire.|The safari experience itself is so wonderful. Robbie's knowledge was awe inspiring. There was not a bird or animal he did not recognise. His ability to listen and find animals was jaw dropping. We were even lucky enough to be mere metres away from a pair of mating lions. During our 3 days we also went on a night drive and spent some time in the Rock Hide to view wildlife around a watering hole.|Everyone's stay is so personalised. You have your own host and guide so you get to know each other very well.|If you want a safari where you see fantastic wild life, eat unbelievably well (several times a day) and live in a beautiful Lodge then this is the destination for you. The owners employ wonderful local Kenyans, all of whom have been trained and clearly love and cherish El Karama Lodge.

This place is just outstanding: staff, food, game experience, and location make the combination hard to beat.

Absolutely fantastic stay. Game drives brilliant, we spotted lion, leopard (with cub) and cheetah. Bush school excellent for the kids (and parents 😁), including camera trap, plastercast animal footprints and brownie / bread making. Staff very friendly and absolutely fantastic!