Ol Lentille

Ol Lentille sits on a forty-thousand-acre private conservancy in the northern reaches of Laikipia, Kenya. The land is owned by local Maasai and Samburu communities — the founders built the lodge, then donated it to the community and have managed it under a long-term agreement ever since. Several neighbouring communities later contributed land, bringing the conservancy to its current size. There are four villas in total, sleeping between two and six guests each, and with only eight rooms across the property you will not share a game drive, a meal, or a guide with anyone outside your group.

Each villa comes with its own dedicated house staff, Maasai guide, and four-by-four safari vehicle. The villas are individually designed and named after local trees and plants: Carissa sits at the property's highest point with views across the Laikipia landscape in almost every direction; Aloe is a double-storey villa with sunken baths and open-air showers; Acacia is built into the mountainside with a thatched roof and views of an elephant watering hole; Boscia, the largest, has three bedrooms and a wrap-around deck facing Ol Lentille peak, Laikipia's tallest mountain.

The conservancy is unfenced and supports large herds of elephant, leopard, painted wolves, Grevy's zebra, and gerenuk, among many other species. Activities include day and night game drives, guided walks ranging from dry river-bed strolls to a full ascent of Ol Lentille peak, camel safaris led by Maasai warriors, quad biking, and visits to Maasai and Samburu communities — including the singing wells, a tradition in which warriors dig into dry river beds and pass water to the surface while singing to their cattle. Meals are served in a different location each time: in the villa, on the pool deck, in the gallery, or in the bush. The property has its own airstrip.