Sirikoi Lodge

Each of the four luxury tents is positioned on a raised deck that offers an elevated view of the lush lawns and acacia trees. The bedrooms feature either a large double bed or two single beds, with a wardrobe placed behind, and a toasty fireplace which will be lit each evening. Snuggle up in comfort and gaze across the stunning landscape with the soft crackling of flames.

The tented rooms lead to an en-suite bathroom which includes both a rain shower and a large bathtub. The spacious tents are light and airy, with 270-degree views of the beautiful natural landscape. Guests will be able to relax in their own lounge area or sit out on a private verandah and watch the amazing wildlife.

Sirikoi Cottage consists of 2 en-suite double bedrooms, a comfy lounge, dining area, kitchen and private deck. The bathrooms are spacious and include victorian baths, rain showers and handmade organic toiletries. The cottage is ideal for families or groups of 4 travelling together. The luxurious lounge is positioned around a crackling fireplace and shares a room with an elegant dining table and chairs.

This space leads out onto a large outdoor decking area, where guests can gather and look out over the sweeping plains and wilderness. From here, you will also be able to watch wildlife gathering at the natural waterhole. The cottage has many windows, keeping the space light and airy and providing stunning views. A TV and DVDs are also available on request. Relax in a large and comfortable space and spend some quality time with your family, surrounded by nature.

Sirikoi House is an independent building with 3 en-suite bedrooms, one of which is a separate master suite. The house also includes a separate kitchen where meals are prepared for guests, a dining room, a private living room and a large deck that overlooks the wetland. The house comes with its own private chef, and guests can choose each night whether they want to dine independently at the house or with the other guests in the communal dining area.

The bathrooms are spacious and include victorian baths, rain showers and handmade organic toiletries. The luxurious lounge is positioned around a crackling fireplace and leads out onto a large outdoor decking area, where guests can enjoy the beautiful views and wildlife sightings. The private deck is also perfect for outdoor dining and enjoying sundowners. A TV and DVDs are available on request and the house comes with its own staff team to help you have the best safari experience.

Guests staying at the house will also have the use of a private safari vehicle and guide.

Guests can enjoy three delicious meals each day, with fresh fruit and vegetables sourced from the lodge’s organic garden. Wake up to freshly prepared fruit, cereals, freshly-baked muffins and a cooked breakfast before embarking on your first activity. Guests will return to a wonderful buffet lunch. In the evening, enjoy some light canapés before being served a mouth-watering three-course meal in the evening. Finish off your day with an indulgent dessert and a refreshing beverage from the bar.

Embark on an exciting game drive across the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, in a specially-designed open safari vehicle, and view amazing creatures including the Big 5. Sirikoi’s knowledgeable guides will be able to teach you fascinating facts about the animals that live within the Lewa Conservancy, such as the endangered black rhinos and Grevy zebras. Guests may also catch sight of prowling predators, or witness a dramatic hunt.

Night drives are also available, allowing guests to find some of the conservancy’s nocturnal species that don’t come out during the day. Search through the gloom with a spotlight, or venture out under the light of a full moon, and find adorable bushbabies and aardwolves. Look out for elusive leopards which are most active when the sun goes down.

Enjoy picturesque views of the snow-capped Mount Kenya and the sweeping grasslands as you explore the bush on a guided walk. Wander around at a pace that allows you to take in the smaller details and immerse yourself in the beautiful landscape. Your guide will teach you how to recognise tracks, and follow clues in the bush that will lead you to exciting wildlife viewings.

Learn more about Lewa’s conservancy activities with a visit to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy headquarters, where guests can discover the work that goes into conserving wildlife and supporting the local communities. Guest can also visit the anti-poaching tracker dogs that help rangers to protect the wildlife within the reserve, and the LWC sponsored local school and clinic.

Venture out across the plains on the back of a horse and explore the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Borana Conservancy. Riding allows guests to experience close encounters with zebra and giraffe, as well as have an opportunity to take in the breathtaking landscape. There is a range of horses to choose from which are able to cater for riders of varying levels of experience.

Riding in the Barona Conservancy is recommended in the morning and guests will depart at around 6:30 am. Enjoy a delicious picnic breakfast out in the wilderness. Guests wishing to ride across Lewa Wildlife Conservancy will depart at 3 pm. Lewa also offers guests the option to ride camels.

Travel to the Ngare Ndare Forest and journey across the 40-foot high canopy walkway. The bridge is constructed out of wire mesh and cables, giving guests an incredible view of the forest below as you travel beside tree canopies. The walkway ends at a beautiful viewing point where visitors can gaze down at the river and watch the elephants and buffalos as they drink and play by the waterside.

The Ngare Ndare Forest is also home to a selection of beautiful waterfalls, where guests can enjoy the peaceful surroundings and even take a dive into the cooling waters. Relax, surrounded by trees that have stood there for 200 years, and listen to the gentle songs of the birds.

Visit the local Il Ngwesi community and learn about the people living on the Maasai Mara. Discover traditional customs and learn about local culture. Guests will leave the lodge after breakfast, reaching Il Ngwesi after a 90-minute game drive. Watch amazing performances of dance and song, and enjoy a picnic lunch as you return to camp.

Travel over the Mathews Mountain Range and visit the Reteti Elephant Orphanage after an exciting helicopter flight. The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary rescues elephant calves that have lost their parents, due to either abandonment or death, and raises them before releasing them back into the wild. Guests can reach the sanctuary before feeding time to get the full visitor experience, and will be able to enjoy stunning bird’s eye views over the beautiful Mathews mountains. The helicopters can cater for a maximum of 5 passengers and are best booked in advance.

Take an early morning helicopter ride over the diverse landscape of moorlands and forested valleys, and land on the colossal Mount Kenya (the second tallest mountain in Africa) for a delicious picnic and walking and fishing excursions. The helicopters can cater for a maximum of 5 passengers and are best booked in advance.

Travel over the untouched wilderness, passing above arid plains, rocky outcrops, volcanic craters and ancient lava flows. Guests can expect to see lakes of flamingoes and crocodile pools, as well as contrasting cycad forests and desert sand dunes. Witness Kenya’s diverse landscape and take the unique opportunity to visit the Pokot tribal community. Guests will be provided with snacks and refreshments. The helicopters can cater for a maximum of 5 passengers and are best booked in advance.

Sirikoi Lodge supports the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy by paying regular conservancy fees and donating to the conservancy. This money goes towards helping local communities, providing education and protecting the wildlife within the conservancy. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is part of a number of initiatives such as micro-credit schemes, water projects, and education and healthcare projects.

Sirikoi Lodge works with Pack for a Purpose in order to support education bursary programmes from lower school to university. Pack for a Purpose is an initiative that encourages travellers to benefit local communities by using spare suitcase space to bring much-needed supplies such as pens, notepads and textbooks.

All of the profits generated from Sirikoi Lodge’s beauty treatments are donated to local schools and the local orphanage, and Sirikoi Lodge also supports local school visits to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to help teach the children about wildlife and conservation. Sirikoi also supplies water to the local Lewa School.

Sirikoi Lodge is dedicated to providing opportunities for local people. Their staff consists of members from 15 different tribes and as a result, guests can pick up a wealth of knowledge about living in the Laikipia region. By employing locally, Sirikoi is helping to support nearby communities and the economy. They provide on-site training, and front and back house internships to help new/prospective members of the Sirikoi team to become comfortable and familiar with their roles. Sirikoi have also funded guide training, cookery courses, first aid courses and more to allow employees to develop and unlock new skills.

‘Thanks to our active Sacco our staff have been able to purchase land, houses, vehicles and pay school fees, this has given financial freedom. Our training programs are extremely popular and well attended, they learn a variety of subjects from financial management, management training, organic gardening, computer skills etc. They especially love the role-playing which usually ends with great hilarity and clapping.’

Sirikoi is an ethical organisation and only implements fair practices in its business model. They work with their employees and communicate any new policies so that they can provide a ‘fair and transparent work ethic.’ Sirikoi also works with the local community by supporting local trade. They source culinary ingredients from local farmers and purchase handmade products from the local craft groups. This helps to support the local economy and aids local workers in providing an income for their families.

Sirikoi also believes in fair trade and will offer above-average prices in order to show their appreciation for the work that the local community does. They purchase as sustainably as they can, buying in bulk to reduce packaging and waste.

Sirikoi Lodge is fully powered by solar energy, as is one of their safari vehicles, and they grow their own fruit and vegetables in their organic garden. This reduces the lodge’s carbon emissions as Sirikoi Lodge uses a clean and renewable source of energy and they do not need to import fruit and vegetables. Sirikoi Lodge receives all of its water from a natural spring, filtering and purifying all water on-site so that they do not need to use any plastic bottles.

They also use natural cleaning products to reduce the risk of pollution and contamination. The lodge’s solar power also supplies the electric fence surrounding Sirikoi, in order to protect the woodlands from elephants and to prevent them from imposing on black rhino territory. Sirikoi Lodge plants indigenous trees and shrubs within their grounds which are enjoyed by the birdlife, and they remove invasive species of plants to help support the indigenous plant life. This is important as it has allowed the native acacia trees to recover, providing the endangered black rhino with a vital food source.

Sirikoi Lodge has a strict recycling policy and sends glass, metal and plastic to their nearest recycling centre where they are processed to be reused. The lodge keeps glass jars, and uses them for storing homemade jams, jellies and preserve which reduces the need for single-use plastics such as clingfilm. Single-use plastic carrier bags are illegal in Kenya, so Sirikoi Lodge uses woven and paper bags instead, and tries to minimise packaging where possible. Wastewater is treated by the lodge’s eco-friendly bio box system.

Sirikoi Lodge supports the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy by paying regular conservancy fees and donating to the conservancy. This money goes towards helping local communities, providing education and protecting the wildlife within the conservancy. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy provides protection from poachers for a wide range of animals, including endangered species such as black rhino and Grevy zebra.

Since the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy began translocating and monitoring black rhinos, their numbers have risen from 15 to 169 on the conservancy, and the populations are continuing to recover. The protected land is also very important for the Grevy zebras who have moved to the conservancy of their own accord, and 12% of the world’s population of Grevy zebras now live there.