Ol Malo Lodge Kenya:
The Safari That Changes You
Ol Malo Lodge is one of Kenya’s most immersive and private safari experiences, set in the wild Laikipia region. It combines deeply personal hosting, exceptional guiding, and a rare range of activities, from horseback safaris to helicopter expeditions across northern Kenya. This is not a traditional safari. It is a fully tailored journey into landscape, culture, and adventure.
From the moment you arrive, the setting shapes everything. Ol Malo sits above a vast stretch of Laikipia, with far-reaching views across rugged valleys and open plains. The property is beautiful in a quiet, grounded way. Built from stone and designed to sit naturally within the landscape, it feels elegant without trying too hard. There are just four cottages, including a family unit, which gives the whole experience a sense of space and privacy .
The rooms are generous, comfortable, and thoughtfully done, with everything you need and nothing that feels unnecessary. Large windows keep the landscape constantly in view, so even when you are indoors, you remain connected to where you are. It is the kind of place where the scenery is always part of the experience.
Wildlife is all around you here. Elephant, giraffe, zebra, eland, oryx, and predators move through this landscape, and what makes that especially meaningful is the quality of the guiding. The guides are very knowledgeable, with a deep understanding of the land, the wildlife, and Samburu culture. Whether you are out on a drive, on foot, or riding through the bush, they give context to everything you are seeing and make the experience far richer.
A Safari with Range and Rhythm
One of the reasons Ol Malo stands out is the sheer variety of what you can do, and how naturally it all fits together. Your stay includes full board accommodation, drinks, laundry, airstrip transfers, and the core safari activities, which means once you are there, everything moves with ease .
Game drives are quiet and well guided, with none of the rush that can define busier safari areas. Walking safaris slow things down even further and bring a different level of understanding. You start noticing tracks, plants, smaller details, and how the land itself works.
Horse riding is one of the defining experiences here, and it is available for all levels, from complete beginners to experienced riders . That matters, because it opens up one of Ol Malo’s most special experiences to almost anyone. Riding through this landscape alongside wildlife is memorable in a completely different way to a drive. Camel rides offer another change of pace and often lead to beautiful bush breakfasts that feel simple and perfectly judged.
For guests who want something more active, the 3 Peak Challenge adds another layer. Crossing three different high points within the property gives you a real sense of the scale and variation of the landscape. It can be done on foot or combined with driving, depending on how you want to experience it. There are also sleep-outs in a treehouse or leopard hide, mountain biking, medicinal plant walks, and sundowners set in carefully chosen spots that make the most of the setting .
What makes all of this work is the rhythm of the place. Ol Malo has a huge amount to offer, but it never feels busy or over-programmed. It feels considered. Every day can be different, and everything is tailored around how you want to spend your time.
Why It Feels So Personal
What stayed with us most was not just the range of experiences, but how naturally they unfolded. We were able to ride horses, take a helicopter trip, go on a camel ride, walk, and have a beautiful bush breakfast, all without the stay ever feeling packed or over-structured.
That is where Ol Malo excels. It does not feel like a lodge that delivers a schedule. It feels like being welcomed into a home.
The Francombe family’s presence shapes that atmosphere in a way that is hard to replicate. You see how closely involved they are, and how naturally the whole experience is run. There is a warmth to it, but also a calm confidence. The team adjusts around you with ease, and that flexibility changes the tone of the stay. Nothing feels forced. Nothing feels generic. It is highly personal in the best possible way.
A Meaningful Sense of Place
Ol Malo’s connection to Samburu land is not separate from the experience. It is part of it. Guests can visit homesteads, spend time with local children and schools, see beadwork being made, and visit local markets held twice weekly .
These moments are important because they offer perspective. Seeing how people live in this remote landscape stays with you. Life is simple, resilient, and closely tied to the land. There is something deeply moving about witnessing that way of life up close, and it becomes one of the most valuable parts of a stay here. It is an experience everyone should have, not because it is staged for visitors, but because it gives a fuller understanding of the place itself.
Kenya Choppers and the North Beyond
A helicopter experience at Ol Malo is not included in the rate, but it is absolutely something worth considering because it opens up a completely different side of northern Kenya .
This is where Kenya Choppers comes in. Operating from Ol Malo, these trips go far beyond a scenic flight. They take you into landscapes that are otherwise difficult to reach and show you just how vast and extraordinary this part of Kenya really is. The best known journey is the flight to the Jade Sea, which takes you over the Suguta Valley, past volcanic formations, painted valleys, giant sand dunes, and Lake Logipi with its flamingos, before continuing to Lake Turkana .
South Island is often part of the experience, and it is one of the details that makes the whole day feel even more remarkable. Remote and starkly beautiful, it offers the chance to spend time on the island itself, explore by boat, and even fish for Nile perch before heading back later in the day .
There are also half-day scenic flights, sundowner flights, visits to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, and Mount Kenya fly-fishing trips . The important thing is not the aircraft model or the logistics. It is the experience itself. This is one of those rare add-ons that can become one of the defining memories of a trip.
The Details That Complete It
The food deserves a mention because it is genuinely excellent. Fresh, generous, and beautifully done, it is one of the quiet highlights of staying here. Meals are served in different settings throughout the stay, from bush breakfasts to relaxed lunches and dinners back at the lodge, and that variety adds to the sense that each day has its own character.
Getting here is straightforward by air. Scheduled flights run from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Loisaba Airstrip, followed by a short transfer, and private charters can land closer to the lodge . That ease of access matters, because Ol Malo feels wonderfully remote once you are there, but it does not feel difficult.
Why We Like It at the End of a Kenya Itinerary
For Stanley Safaris, Ol Malo works especially well as the final stop on a Kenya journey.
By that stage, guests have often already had classic game viewing elsewhere. Here, the focus shifts. The experience becomes broader, more layered, and more personal. You are not only watching wildlife. You are riding through the landscape, walking it, flying over it, eating in it, and understanding more of the people who live within it.
That is why it is such a memorable place to end. It leaves guests with more than sightings. It leaves them with a deeper sense of the country and a very different type of safari memory. The style is informal but beautifully considered, and that balance is exactly why it suits the Stanley Safaris approach so well.
Planning Your Stay
Ol Malo is one of those places that reveals itself fully only once you are there.
At Stanley Safaris, we design each journey around the individual, and Ol Malo is often one of the most rewarding places to include when the timing and routing are right. If you are planning a Kenya safari and want to explore how Ol Malo could fit into it, we can help shape the right combination and flow.
