Three generations after the Dyer family first settled this stretch of the Laikipia Highlands as a cattle ranch, they opened Borana Lodge, and its eight cottages of local stone and cedar sit terraced into a rocky hillside above the Samangua Valley, with Mount Kenya rising to the south. Below, a dam draws elephant, giraffe and baboon through the day. Over the years the Dyers steered the ranch into a private rhino sanctuary without ever abandoning the cattle, so that the lodge now exists to fund that conservation work rather than the other way around.
Below, a dam draws elephant, giraffe and baboon through the day.
The family’s hand is felt everywhere, from Michael Dyer, still managing director of Borana Conservancy, to the fires lit at dusk, the hosts who sit down to dinner and the indigenous gardens screening each cottage on the hillside. The atmosphere is closer to a family home than a hotel, in part because it still is one, and the ranch continues around it much as it always has.
Twenty-one black rhino were reintroduced to Borana in 2013, under Kenya’s national rhino recovery plan, and when the boundary with the neighbouring Lewa Wildlife Conservancy came down, the two became a single continuous landscape of more than 92,000 acres. That land is now home to over 200 black and white rhino, and poaching incidents have held at near-zero for several years running.
Twenty-one black rhino were reintroduced to Borana in 2013.
Rangers monitor the animals daily, and guests can join them on foot, tracking individuals and seeing how the anti-poaching patrols work. Because Borana is a private conservancy rather than a national park, the guiding goes well beyond daytime drives, into night drives under spotlight, off-road approaches to wildlife, and horse-riding safaris that carry riders quietly among herds of plains game.
Horses matter more at Borana than at most Laikipia lodges, and the stables keep mounts and ponies for every level, from complete beginners and young children to experienced riders covering ground at pace. Riding among zebra and giraffe without the noise of an engine, then returning to the waterhole at dusk, is the activity most associated with a stay here. The rest of the days fill more gently, with guided walks, mountain and e-biking on the ranch trails, and helicopter excursions to the Ngare Ndare Forest and its natural pools.
The cottages carry an English country feel adapted to the highlands, with open fireplaces in the bedrooms, private verandas facing the valley, and en-suite bathrooms holding both bath and walk-in shower. Two family cottages each pair a double and a twin room around a shared veranda and private dining area, one of them with its own plunge pool. A horizon pool overlooks the valley, positioned so that elephants moving through below become part of an afternoon by the water.
Meals move between the main dining area, bush breakfasts, a tree house and the private verandas
Much of what reaches the table is raised within sight of it, the meat and dairy from the neighbouring farm and the vegetables from Waitabit Farm, a permaculture project on the conservancy that also supplies the anti-poaching team. Meals move between the main dining area, bush breakfasts, a tree house and the private verandas, with the Dyers and their managers hosting dinner. The lodge sits high on the Laikipia Plateau, close enough to the equator for warm days and cool nights, and cold enough after dark that the bedroom fires are lit rather than decorative.
Borana’s conservation funding runs deeper than lodge earnings alone. Through a Kenyan lease company, a small number of house sites on the conservancy were sold to impact investors, and the not-for-profit budget behind Borana Conservancy is now underwritten by those shareholders alongside conservation fees paid by every commercial visitor. Because that structure raises money for rangers, endangered species monitoring and community programmes without needing more guests through the lodge, Borana has stayed at eight cottages while the conservation effort around it has grown.
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accommodation
Eight cottages of local rock, cedar and thatch, built into the hillside above the Samangua Valley. Four stand-alone cottages have king or twin beds, private verandas and open fireplaces. Two family cottages each pair a double and a twin room around a shared veranda and dining area, one with a private plunge pool. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with bath and walk-in shower.
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activities
As a private conservancy, Borana permits day and night game drives, off-road viewing, and guided walking safaris alongside horse riding, its signature activity, with stables serving all levels. Guests can also track rhino on foot with rangers, join anti-poaching teams, mountain bike or e-bike ranch trails, and take helicopter trips to the Ngare Ndare Forest.
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conservation
Retained lodge earnings fund Borana Conservancy's rhino and Grevy's zebra monitoring, ranger training and anti-poaching operations. Named programmes include the Borana Mobile Clinic, the Borana Education Support Programme across seven primary schools, the Mazingira Yetu conservation education centre, and Waitabit Farm, which supplies the lodge and patrol teams.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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You fly from Nairobi's Wilson airport to an airstrip on or near the Borana Conservancy, about an hour by light aircraft, and the lodge collects you for the short drive to the hillside above the Samangua Valley. We build the flights into your itinerary and match them to your arrival, and we can also arrange the leg as a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, flown direct to the conservancy on your own schedule.
The bush planes take soft bags of roughly fifteen kilograms per person including hand luggage, so pack a duffel. Borana keeps a helicopter for excursions to the Ngare Ndare Forest and beyond.
Borana lies in the Laikipia highlands, which is lower risk for malaria but not free of it. The altitude and dry air hold mosquito numbers down, yet the conservancy sits below the height at which the CDC and TravelHealthPro treat risk as negligible, so antimalarial tablets are usually advised.
As this is a health question and guidance is updated regularly, please confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor, and take the normal care against bites in the evenings.
This is high country, so warm days and cold mornings and nights are the rule the year round, with fires lit at dusk. The dry seasons are clear and dusty; the rains green the valley and can bring showers.
Pack warm layers for early rides and drives, sun protection for the day, neutrals for walking and rhino tracking, and a swimsuit for the pool. Riders should bring their own gear if they have it, since horse riding is the lodge's signature.
The dry months, July to September and December to February, bring the strongest game viewing and the clearest conditions for riding, walking and tracking rhino. The green seasons are quieter, good for birds, and beautiful after rain, with the wildlife more spread out.
Expect cold nights and warm days in any season, so pack for the range regardless of when you come.
Yes on both counts. Borana and neighbouring Lewa form a single conservancy of more than 92,000 acres holding over two hundred black and white rhino, and the lodge exists to fund that protection. Rangers monitor the animals daily, and guests can track rhino on foot with them and join the anti-poaching teams.
Being private conservancy land, the day also runs to night drives, off-road viewing, walking, riding and biking, none of which a national park permits. The conservation work is not a side attraction here, it is the reason the lodge is there.
It is well set up for families. Two of the eight cottages are family cottages, each pairing a double and a twin room around a shared veranda, one with its own plunge pool, and the riding stables cater to all levels. Tracking rhino, biking the trails and the pool give children plenty beyond the game drive.
Riding and walking near wildlife carry age and ability requirements, so tell us your children's ages and riding experience and we will plan the days and arrange a private guide and vehicle where that helps.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
