El Karama Ranch Bandas

El Karama Eco Lodge

An intimate Eco Lodge located in the heart of 15,000 acres of private land.

El Karama Lodge is the nearest eco lodge located on private wildlife property to Nairobi. It is the ideal safari destination for those wanting to lose the crowds and to explore the freedom and beauty of Laikipia.

As well as being an exciting bush experience, where guests can have unlimited game drives and night drives over 15,000 acres. El Karama Eco lodge also offers rare opportunities for bush walking, camping, fishing and tracking in addition to participating in ranching activities like cattle dipping, herding and milking if they so choose.

We are the fun without the fuss and so for families and people traveling to Laikipia who aren’t looking for spa and Egyptian cotton sheets, El Karama is the perfect destination.

We are:

• A family owned and family run operation – built by Murray Grant using local materials, it is now run by a team of staff some of whom have been here for over 15 years and overseen by Murray and his wife Sophie.
• Historically, El Karama is a place of abundant mammal and birdlife – we have over 85 mammals and 370 birds – these numbers include endangered species such as Laikipia Hartebeeste, Grevy’s zebra and African Hunting Dogs in addition to 4 of the ‘Big Five’.
• Preserving this habitat is our collective aim and tourism is a key part of our conservation initiative.
• El Karama Sahiwals – the cattle company - produces the number one Sahiwal breeding herd in East Africa. These most gorgeous toffee coloured cattle originate from Pakistan and are supremely adapted to arid land areas. Producers of meat, milk and breeding stock. We encourage our guests to take part in ranch life and welcome farm visits to the cattle for dipping, inspections, calving, milking etc.
• An amazing environment to experience wildlife at it’s best with space and freedom through walking, eating out under the stars, driving and camping.
• When walking on the ranch you can find ancient hand axes, remains of stone age activity as well as Maasai sharpening stones from wandering warriors if you know where to look!
• Staunch adherents of responsible eco-tourism
• Founder members of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum and thus active supporters of many community initiatives.
• Neighbouring Impala ranch and its wildlife research stations –access to visiting researchers; Ol Pejeta conservancy – perfect for a day trip; El Karama Eco Lodge is also a great 2 night stop if you’re on way to Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, or for climbing Mount Kenya!

History of the Lodge

The lodge started in the 1970’s as simple camp for hunters. Guy Grant built thatch and pole shelters under which simple canvas tents were pitched when needed by his guests. After hunting became illegal, the family opened the ‘bandas’ up to tourism – still keeping them as thatch roofs with tents underneath, it remained a simple bush camp for self catering, mostly resident families to enjoy. In 2000, Murray Grant, son of Guy, invested his energies in building the bandas up into a small and intimate bush lodge. Today, it continues to evolve into a pretty and comfortable riverside eco lodge. Run by Murray and his wife Sophie, the lodge now offers full board accommodation and a large number of wildlife and ranching activities. El Karama is still a place to come for adventure; the Grants encourage activities like walking with their rangers, camping, game drives and night drives as well as farm visits to see the cattle in their bomas, at the dip, being inspected, being milked and other insights into the daily life of a working ranch. The lodge is hosted by their team of local staff, many of whom built the lodge with Murray in 2000 and have lived at the ranch most of their lives and overseen by Sophie and Murray from behind the scenes.

Location:

Located in the heart of the Laikipia region; with direct views of Mount Kenya, the Aberdares and the Lolldaiga Hills. Access:1 hr drive from Nanyuki (last 20 mins is on the ranch) and 4 hours’ drive from Nairobi. You can also fly from
Wilson to Nanyuki using Safarilink or Air Kenya and then have your vehicle meet you there. We also have a private airstrip on the ranch for charter flights.

Landscape and Wildlife:

El Karama is known as being one of the prettiest eco systems in Kenya. It has wide open spaces with whistling thorns as well as deep luggas enlaced with yellow fever trees, a huge waterfall and even some rocky kopjes. The rolling ridges and open plains make for ideal grazing for Grant’s gazelles, Thomson’s gazelles, two types of Zebra: Burchills’ and the endangered Grevy’s, as well as Eland, Oryx and Impala. It has one of largest varieties of plains game in the region and four of the ‘Big Five’ including resident leopard, cheetah, a growing lion population, elephant, buffalo, hippo and warthog. On night drives guests can also see the rarely seen Ardwolf, Ardvark and Striped Hyena. With the Ewaso Nyiro river running through it El Karama Lodge is a gem for ornithologists too as the diverse flora encourages an abundance and variety of birds.

Accommodation:

The lodge is spread over six riverside cottages or ’bandas’ made from stone, thatch and canvas. Built using local materials and with as little impact as possible – NEMA approved and currently undergoing an eco rating. Both Murray and his mother Lavinia are extremely artistic and therefore the lodge is unique in its design and full of quirky artwork in the form of oil paintings of El Karama’s landscape, painted stones, plaster casts of animals tracks and stone age hand axes found by the family on walks.

• 4 Bandas – all with their own verandas – perfect for couples
• 1 Rondavel – ideal for families
• 1 Upstream cottage – ideal for families
• Sleeps a total of 20 pax.

Lit with LED solar lighting and supplemented with kerosene bush lanterns; the whole camp runs on solar electricity including water heating systems for baths and showers.

All ensuite bathrooms (except Rondavel) with flushing toilets and large stone baths all with open views of the bush.

Central mess area with a large stone fire place, open on one side overlooking the river and a salt lick, open plan dining area, bar and reading area.
Rustic style; walls adorned with Lavinia Grant paintings and stone art, sheep’s wool love rugs on the sofas from Borana and soft furnishings by Laikipia based craftswoman, Jane Mcleod and local social enterprise Mitumba Art.

Our new shop – opening in 2011 will offer a combination of affordable art, gifts, jewellery and souvenirs – all from the Laikipia community.

Community:

Tourism is crucial to the preservation of important wildlife habitats in Laikipia and the majority of El Karama Wildlife and Tourism Ltd profits to date, have been plowed into conservation related work on the ranch. As well as being founder members of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum, we encourage visits by school/university groups all through the year to assist in wildlife education initiatives.

Reading list:

‘On a Kenya Ranch’ and ‘A Small Piece of Africa’ by Lavinia Grant.
‘Birds of East Africa’ , Fanshawe and Stephenson
‘Guide to East African Mammals’ Jonathan Kingdon
‘Field guide to common Trees and Shrubs of East Africa’ , Najma Dharani
‘Wayside Flowers of East Africa’ Teresa Sapieha

We appear in the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet but neither entry is up to date
as they haven’t managed to visit us for at least 4 years!! For the most recent
revies, please visit www.tripadvisor.com and search for El Karama Eco Lodge.

Links to be attached:

Website: www.laikipiasafaris.com
Facebook: El Karama Ranch – become our friend.
Bookings: E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone: + 254 020 241 7500
Transport to El Karama Eco Lodge:
Car Hire: www.cruisingcruisers.com / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Scheduled flights to Nanyuki: www.safarilink.com / www.airkenya.com
Charter flights: Tropic Air www.tropicairkenya.com
Information on Laikipia – visit the Laikipia Wildlife Forum:
www.laikipia.org / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.