El Karama Lodge, Laikipia

Family safari from a truly unspoiled lodge in Northern Kenya

Kenya Travel styles

El Karama Lodge is a love story set in the unspoiled majestic bush of northern Kenya. Owned and run by Murray and Sophie and their 2 children - with a heart that beats for the wild and untamed authentic nature. The cornerstone being the local community and the meeting with the guests of El Karamq. It is a family safari, where you will be seduced by impressive wildlife, spectacular nature and a unique host.

Why we love El Karama Lodge

The dedicated and amazing hosts, make you feel at home.
The perfect experience for adventurous families looking for something unique.
Many experiences: game drives, walking safaris, pool time, or a football match with the staff.
Campfire, dinner (and maybe overnight) in the bush under the stars.
All proceeds are reinvested in nature conservation and the local community.

El Karama Lodge is located in the wild and unspoiled Laikipia approx. 3-4 hours drive (or a short flight) north of Nairobi. Laikipia contains Kenya's second highest concentration of animals after the Masai Mara, but the number of visitors is only a fraction. A huge attraction in itself.

It is a wilder and more unspoiled experience, which certainly does not diminish by staying with a family with the heart in the right place. The beauty and variety in the nature experience with waterfalls, winding rivers and flat savannah all within reach from El Karama.

Sleep in a hammock under the stars

Game drives for wildlife observing is naturally an essential part of the stay. And as this is a private reserve, it can be done at any time of the day at your leisure.

But El Karama Lodge is so much more than classic game drives. It is a bundle of diverse experiences, all of which, however, have wildlife and epic nature as their focal point.

Another unique feature at El Karama Lodge is their Bush School, where visiting children have the opportunity to learn first hand about the wild nature.

One of the great experiences is camping in small tents or hammocks in the middle of the bush. BBQ at the open fire, cuddle around the campfire and fall asleep with a direct look at the star.

The starry sky is just amazing in this part of the world. No big city “light pollution here”. It may sound a bit wild, but of course there are staff and not least a specially trained guide to look out for your. This adventure can be done for families with children from 7 years and above.

Bush school

Another unique feature at El Karama Lodge is their Bush School, where visiting children have the opportunity to learn first hand about the wild nature.

Young children can, for example, help to identify animal tracks in the ground, help Sophie to pick up eggs from chickens, build sculptures of clay or make a private diary log of the safari experiences.

Older children can take the ranks on patrol, visit a school, learn to do safari photographing, fishing, getting the insight of the life of predators, or play football with the staff. In other words be included in the everyday life at a small private lodge in Africa.

From farm to fork, served by a passionate foodie

Sophie really loves food, and then she is also a mum. She believes that food should be a real experience for both children and adults. Vegetables comes from the El Karamas own vegetable garden, the eggs come from their own chicken farm, the fish from a nearby lake, the meat and milk from the local farm. The rest is sourced locally

It's as fresh as it can get. When Sophie and her team then add a portion of creativity and serve it with passion and heart, it becomes a magic experience for the entire family. If needed the kids gets homemade snacks before meal time. Again the food is just ready when it suits the children.

This is a 100% personalized kitchen. Roasted marshmallows over the campfire is the perfect dessert and finale to a day in the bush.

A heart that beats for the protection of nature, wildlife and communities

Sophie and Murray run El Karama Lodge with a big passionate heart rather than strictly commercial principles. It makes the experience something very special and much more personal.

Conservation

The majority of the income from the lodge is reinvested in protecting and preserving nature and ensuring that the local community as a whole receives a share of the income from tourism. For example, for the operation of the ranger patrol that protects against poaching. For monitoring and protecting some of the unique, endangered species that live here; this applies, for example, to special giraffe and zebra species. For schools and teaching.

Community

For Murray and Sophie, it is absolutely essential that tourism does not just have as small a footprint as possible. It must help make a positive difference for both nature and the local community. And then it almost goes without saying that the experience also gets better. Its a perfect example of intelligent regenerative travel.

The lodge itself is also 100% powered by solar energy and close to achieving the goal of not producing waste, but recycling everything. And then there is everything else they do. But you have to go to El Karama to experience it.