Anthony and Emma Childs conceived The Emakoko over a sundowner on the very site where it now stands. They designed and built it from scratch, opening the doors in 2012. Both were raised in Kenya and know the safari business from the inside. They live here on the land with their children, and that presence gives the place the feel of a family home rather than a hotel operation.
Both were raised in Kenya and know the safari business from the inside
The lodge is built into the side of a steep valley above the Mbagathi River, along the southern boundary of Nairobi National Park, and reaching it is part of the pleasure. The transfer from Jomo Kenyatta or Wilson airport runs through the park itself, so the drive in is already a game drive. Guests are watching wildlife soon after clearing customs, before the city is even out of mind.
Ten suites and a two-bedroom Private House step across different levels of the cliff, worked around the existing fig trees rather than cut through them. You arrive on foot, crossing a wooden footbridge over the Mbagathi with birdlife and crocodiles moving in the water below. At night, from the rooms, you can sometimes hear lions and hyenas calling across the valley.
Game drives run in Land Cruisers into Nairobi National Park
Game drives run in Land Cruisers into Nairobi National Park, home to four of the Big Five and a healthy population of black and white rhino. Guests whose main interest is the city itself are better placed elsewhere, because this is a wildlife lodge first, working best as an immediate start, or a quiet close, to a longer Kenya safari.
Nairobi National Park is that rare thing, a piece of wilderness pressed against the edge of the capital, with a city skyline visible from inside it. From the lodge, the acacia plains, the river valley and the distant towers all gather into a single view. The birdlife alone runs to more than 400 recorded species, while the game drives regularly turn up lion and leopard, cheetah and buffalo, giraffe and zebra and wandering wildebeest. Above all there are the rhino, whose sightings are a particular strength here and draw what most guests come to see, at the start or the close of a longer Kenya safari.
The suites fall into two groups. Lower down, closer to the main lodge, sit the River Suites. Higher into the rock face are the Cliff Suites, reached by a small funicular that opens onto wider views across the valley. Each has a private veranda facing the park and a large bed under mosquito netting, an en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower and bath, and a fireplace for the cooler months of July to October, when Nairobi’s altitude above 1,600 metres makes the evenings genuinely cold.
Each has a private veranda facing the park and a large bed under mosquito netting
The kitchen draws on produce from the lodge garden and eggs from its own free-range chickens, running its menus through British, French, Thai and Indian influences. There is an outdoor pizza oven and dinners on the terrace, a sunken flagstone dining area beside the pool, and a lounge of deep sofas and substantial fireplaces that opens straight onto the river. Little of it feels arranged, and none of it feels like a hotel.
The days need not begin and end with the Land Cruiser. In the adjacent Kitengela Conservation Area we can arrange walking safaris, tracking giraffe, eland and impala on foot, while excursions run further afield to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Giraffe Centre. Helicopter charters can compress transfers or reach areas further out, and in-room massages and slow hours by the pool fill the gaps between drives.
accommodation
Ten suites plus a two-bedroom Private House. Five River Suites sit near the main lodge; five Cliff Suites are built into the rock and reached by funicular. Each has a private veranda facing the park, a large netted bed, an en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower and bath, and a fireplace.
activities
Game drives run in Land Cruisers within Nairobi National Park, known for close rhino sightings. Walking safaris are possible in the neighbouring Kitengela Conservation Area. Excursions reach the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Giraffe Centre. Helicopter charters and in-room massages can be arranged.
conservation
Every guest stay includes a USD 43 conservation fee paid to the Kenya Wildlife Service toward protecting Nairobi National Park's black rhino, more than USD 982,000 to date. The lodge also runs the Lion-Light scheme, fitting deterrent lights to family homesteads beyond the park edge, eighteen sets across eight bomas so far, so lions wandering out at night are turned away without harm.
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.
No domestic flight is needed. The Emakoko sits on the southern edge of Nairobi National Park, so you transfer by road from Jomo Kenyatta International or Wilson airport, and the drive in runs through the park itself, which means you are on a game drive before you have even arrived. We arrange the transfer to meet your flight.
You reach the lodge on foot, crossing a wooden footbridge over the Mbagathi River. There is a park entry fee for the drive-in route, which we build into the arrangements, and it makes The Emakoko a natural first or last night of a safari.
Nairobi is one of the few parts of Kenya that official guidance treats as very low risk for malaria. Its highland altitude, at around 1,700 metres, and the urban setting keep transmission low, so the CDC and TravelHealthPro class the city as very low risk rather than a standard malaria area. Low risk is not the same as no risk.
We do not give medical advice. We are travel planners rather than doctors, so the choice of tablets, and whether they suit everyone in the party, belongs in a conversation between you and your own doctor or a travel clinic. What we can be useful on is the non-medical part: cover up once the light goes, and carry repellent.
Nairobi's altitude keeps the climate mild the year round, with warm days and cool evenings, more like a spring than a tropical heat. The dry months are clearest for the game viewing in the park, while the rains green the landscape and can turn some tracks muddy.
Pack light layers with a jumper or fleece for the evenings, neutral colours for the game drives, and sun protection for the day. A light waterproof is worth having in the wetter months.
Game viewing in Nairobi National Park holds up the year round, but the drier months, June to October and January to February, sharpen it, with shorter grass, clear skies and animals near permanent water. The rains lift the birdlife but soften some tracks.
As a first or last night rather than a main safari stop, though, The Emakoko works well whenever your international flights bring you through Nairobi.
This is a wildlife lodge rather than a city base, so the main activity is game drives in Nairobi National Park, which holds four of the Big Five and a healthy population of black and white rhino, often seen close. Walking safaris are possible in the neighbouring Kitengela area.
Excursions reach the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage and the Giraffe Centre, and helicopter charters can be arranged onward. If your main interest is the city itself, we would place you elsewhere, since the pull here is the park at the door.
Yes, in the main lodge, where children of all ages are welcome, and there is a two-bedroom private house for families wanting their own space. The private house has carried a minimum age, so for very young children we would usually place you in the main lodge, and we confirm the current policy for your dates before you book.
The short game drives in the park suit shorter attention spans well, and being a family-run home, the lodge looks after children easily. Tell us their ages and we will arrange the rooms and the drives to fit.
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.
