Colin and Rocky Francombe bought 5,000 acres of overgrazed cattle land on the northern edge of the Laikipia Highlands, and built the first cottages by hand, living out of tents while they worked. The escarpment they chose stands high above the Ewaso Ng’iro River, and they named the place Ol Malo. Days run on horseback, on camels and on foot with Samburu guides who grew up on this land.
Leopards visit the waterhole below the lodge after dark.
A waterhole and salt lick sit directly beneath the cliff, and elephant herds, reticulated giraffe, eland and buffalo come to them in full view of the saltwater infinity pool. Leopards visit the waterhole below the lodge after dark. Guests sleep in the stone hide built beside it, on bunks, and watch what comes and goes through the night.
There are no set departure times here. Each party has its own vehicle, guide and spotter, and decides the shape of the day. Walks follow tracks, not trails, with armed Samburu guides. Horses and camels leave from the stables, and because plains game read them as grazers rather than predators, riders draw closer to Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffe than any vehicle allows.
Walks follow tracks, not trails, with armed Samburu guides.
Night drives and off-road tracking are permitted because Ol Malo sits on private land rather than inside a national park. Andrew Francombe, Colin and Rocky’s son, flies the ranch’s helicopters, and doors-off flights reach the Suguta Valley dunes and Lake Turkana within a morning. Closer to home, the Ewaso Ng’iro carries tubers down its rapids, and mountain bikes cover the plateau.
Colin Francombe spent five decades ranching cattle, twenty-three of them managing Kuki Gallmann’s land, before he and Rocky bought 5,000 acres of exhausted grazing on the northern edge of the plateau. The domestic stock came off, the indigenous vegetation recovered, and the wildlife followed. Guests arrived into cottages the couple had built themselves. Colin and Rocky host the lodge, Andrew and his wife Chyulu run Ol Malo House and Ol Malo Nomad, and the family runs the wider ranch together, raising a third generation on it.
Ol Malo House came later. Andrew designed it and managed the build, living in a camper van on the escarpment so he could watch the work daily. The walls are local stone, the roofs hand-woven thatch, the posts and beds cut from dead olive and cedar. Inside, thatch vaults over the rooms, stone staircases spiral between floors, and the fireplaces are hand-knapped. Samburu women beaded the light fittings, and a stair climbs to a rooftop deck for the stars.
Samburu women beaded the light fittings, and a stair climbs to a rooftop deck for the stars
Julia Francombe, Colin and Rocky’s daughter, founded the Samburu Trust from the ranch in 2000. A school on Ol Malo’s grounds followed in 2003, its timetable built around families who move with their herds, and a clinic beside it handles basic care and emergencies. Laikipia’s private conservancies protect black rhino, though those sanctuaries neighbour Ol Malo rather than forming part of the ranch itself.
Beisa oryx and gerenuk browse the dry country, and striped hyena, cheetah and African wild dog hunt it, with more than 330 bird species recorded on the ranch. Elephants move through Ol Malo on routes between Mount Kenya and the deserts further north. Meals come largely from the ranch’s own gardens and cattle, eaten wherever suits, beside the pool, on a riverbank, or at a fire after dark. Children of any age are welcome. Scheduled flights from Nairobi land at Loisaba, roughly 50 minutes away by road, and private charters come in to Ol Malo’s own airstrip.
01
accommodation
Four hand-built stone cottages stand along the cliff edge at Ol Malo Lodge, each with a king bed, an open fireplace, a dressing room, a veranda and a sunken bath, and one set up for families. Ol Malo House, taken on an exclusive-use basis, sleeps up to twelve, three bedrooms in the main house and two further cottages on the escarpment.
02
activities
Riding and camel safaris leave from the stables, walking is led by Samburu guides, and game drives run by day and after dark on private land rather than under national park rules. Add mountain biking, tubing on the Ewaso Ng'iro, sleepouts in the treehouse or the leopard hide, and helicopter flights north from Ol Malo Lodge towards Lake Turkana.
03
conservation
The Samburu Trust, founded by Julia Francombe in 2000 and run from the ranch, supports water, health and education across Samburu communities. Its school on Ol Malo's land, opened in 2003, teaches children from pastoralist families, its clinic covers emergencies, and its beading workshop pays Samburu women for their own design work.
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.
01
Laikipia Highlands
02
Laikipia Highlands
03
Laikipia Highlands
04
Laikipia Highlands
05
Laikipia Highlands
06
Laikipia Highlands
07
Laikipia Highlands
08
Laikipia Highlands
09
Laikipia Highlands
10
Laikipia Highlands
11
Laikipia Highlands
12
Laikipia Highlands
13
Laikipia Highlands
14
Laikipia Highlands
rated five stars by our clients
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
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.
