Macushla House | Nairobi
17 Aug 2023 - 20 Aug 2023
Charmed by the warmth and hospitality of the Irish on a visit to the Emerald Isle, in the last century,
the founder of Macushla House (Gaelic for ‘my beloved’) opened the doors to those seeking the
natural joys of life.
Macushla House is an owner-managed guesthouse situated in lush gardens in the central Karen district in Nairobi. It has six comfortable en-suite bedrooms. The bedrooms are spacious and well appointed. During the colder nights you will often be pleasantly surprised to find a nice hot water bottle hiding underneath the cover. Macushla house is ideal for single travelers, couples or families spending the night in this bustling city.
The house is surrounded by indigenous bushland and offers privacy and space in an informal atmosphere. Public areas are home to an eclectic celebration of artifacts from countries as far flung as Yemen to Australia. Birdsong and wind chimes accompanied by flowing water from the swimming pool dragon are part of the daily concert.
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Your Stay
3 Nights
Bed and Breakfast
Your Rooms
2x Twin Room
1x Double Room
Double Bed - Room located just outside the main house on the left of the main entrance
Twin Room located in the main house adjacent to Room 3 next to the main office
Double Room located in the main house adjacent to Room 2 next to the main office
Double room with bath tab and shower
Twin Room located inside the main house on the other end close to room 4
Double room located just outside the Main House on the other end behind the Kitchen
Sosian Lodge | Laikipia
20 Aug 2023 - 23 Aug 2023
Sosian lodge is a beautifully restored African ranch house that was built in the 1940s by Italian artisans, and accommodates up to sixteen people in the atmosphere of a private home. Seven cottages lie in the tropical garden overlooking Mt Kenya and miles of unspoiled Africa, each with its own private verandah and ensuite bathroom, as well as a purpose built family cottage with an inter-connecting children's bedroom
As well as all the exciting safari activities on offer each day, the lodge has a swimming pool, tennis court and miles of wilderness to explore with top guides. Sosian is well known for its delicious home cooking using fresh ingredients from the organic vegetable garden and for its warm and friendly hospitality.
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Your Stay
3 Nights
Full Board Plus - Dinner, Bed, Breakfast, Lunch and Activities
All Drinks (excl Premium Brands) Included
Your Rooms
1x Double Room
2x Twin Room
Fast Facts
Safari Lodge
Spoken Languages: English, Swahili
No. Rooms: 7
Special Interests: Adventure, Big 5, Birding, Cycling, Fishing, Hiking, Leisure, Nature, Relaxation, Sports, Star Gazing, Wildlife
This is our honeymoon cottage, which is set in its own private garden area with extra privacy. It is the largest of all our rooms with bedroom, walk through closet and large bathroom with twin basins, shower and bath.
This cottage can either be a 2 or 3 bedroom unit, accommodating a family of up to 7 people. There is a double room with an interconnecting twin or triple, which has its own bathroom (with a bath).
The double room also has an en suite bathroom (with a shower).
There is also a twin en suite (with shower) room next door, with separate access through it's own door.
We have 3 double rooms but can make more if necessary. All have en suite bathrooms and their own veranda.
We have 4 twin rooms. All have en suite bathrooms and their own veranda.
Property Facilities
24-hour Security, Bar, Barbeque Facilities, Battery Charging Facilities, Communal Dining, Eco Friendly, Internet Access (Complimentary), Laundry Service (Complimentary), Library, Malaria Free, Meal on Request, Mobile Connectivity, Pool, Private Vehicle Available, Secure Parking
Room Facilities
Dressing Gowns, Electrical Outlets, En-Suite, Laundry Service (Complimentary), Lounge Area, Mosquito Nets, Pure Cotton Linen, Shower, Verandah
Services
Airport Shuttle (Available), Babysitting Service, Credit Card
Game drives at Sosian are in open 4x4 land cruisers with specially raised seats to allow the best wildlife viewing. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to go, as the wildlife is most active when it is cooler. The middle of the day is also a wonderful time to look for herds of elephants cooling off and playing in the mud on the rivers.
Game drives can take you up to the plains where it is wide open country and you can expect to see oryx, hartebeest, ostrich, grant’s gazelle, giraffe, elephant, bat-eared fox, Grevy’s and common zebra. Game drives are also the best way to see predators up close, we can head out with tracking equipment and search for lion, wild dog, cheetah and leopard.
Being a private ranch we are lucky enough at Sosian to be able to experience the bush and it's nocturnal animals by driving with a spotlight at night (not allowed in national parks or reserves). After sunset we often encounter leopard, spotted and striped hyena, aardwolf, aardvark, porcupine, bush-baby, hippos grazing out of water, buffalo, serval cat and other exciting species.
Walking is the most intimate way to explore the bush. Led by an experienced walking guide you will learn how to follow animal tracks, recognize dung, insects, flora and fauna and all the other tiny details that you might miss from a vehicle. We also have lions and wild dogs which are collared by the Laikipia Predator Project, which means we can go out with a tracker and find them.
You don’t have to be super-fit to enjoy walking, which can be from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on how you feel.
Horse riding is a wonderful way to see the bush and Sosian is one of the best places in Kenya to do this. The varied terrain makes it interesting riding, through rivers, along tracks and across more open country, where you can canter, jump and gallop. Riding is a peaceful and yet exciting way of becoming part of the landscape and experiencing the surroundings.
We have 26 horses (including children’s ponies), many of which are bred at Sosian. Riders must have considerable riding experience and be confident at all paces, so that they can handle a horse in open country and cope with close encounters with big game should it arise. Rides tend to be 2-3 hours in the morning and/or evenings, with groups no bigger than 8 riders. Guests are lead by an experienced guide, plus a back up rider/groom. We can also cater for young children and novice riders with short rides close to the lodge and simple lessons in the fenced arena.
Camels have been part of the northern Kenyan landscape for hundreds of years and are kept as livestock for their milk and meat. Contrary to popular belief, if well looked after they are very well tempered.
Sosian camels are friendly and at times can be overly affectionate! Camel riding is a fun activity and typically a ride will last 40 minutes or so and allows you to see the bush from a great vantage point.
Sosian is lucky to have the Ewaso Narok River pass through it with its magnificent 30 ft. high waterfalls. A highlight for some who are brave enough is to jump off the waterfalls into the deep pool below. For others swimming in the pool below or just enjoying the sight from next to the river is lovely. After a morning driving, walking or riding, we often have picnic brunch by the river and then enjoy the waterfalls or tubing down the river on inflatable tubes.
Sosian's river and dams also have a good number of catfish, yellowfish, tilapia and barbel for those who are keen for some light-hearted fishing using worms and spinners. As well as catching a few fish, which can delight all ages, sitting quietly next to the river, can be a peaceful moment to enjoy watching wildlife coming down to drink.
Bringing you closer to the bush and further from modern frills, fly camping in bedrolls under the stars is an adventurous experience. Dinner is eaten by the campfire and most nights we drop off to sleep listening to distant lions, hyena and leopard but yet sleep better than we can remember...
For keen bird-watchers, Sosian has over 350 species of birds; several types of habitat and the guides are all keen ornithologists. If you enjoy birding you can spend as much time as you want exploring the river, thicker bush, open plains and gardens around the lodge for many species of birds.
Sosian is situated at a junction of many different tribal areas in Northern Kenya, a very diverse area rich in traditions and untouched by western development. Samburus, Pokots, Turkanas and many smaller tribes live in the area and by special arrangement guests at Sosian may pay a visit to a local village.
The villagers are very proud to show you their cultural traditions and your visit emphasizes the importance of these traditions. Dances of courtship, fertility and marriage, jewellery making and fire making are explained in detail and it is then possible to go inside some of the houses in the village to see how these very proud people live and how strongly their customs are ingrained in their society. This is a fascinating excursion from Sosian for both adults and children and an important part of a safari holiday to Kenya.
Our General Ranch Manager, Sean, loves to take guests around the ranch to show the cattle, which he is passionate about. Sean gives a fascinating insight into the vital relationship between livestock farming and the conservation of wildlife in the bush.
Guests can see how the cattle are dipped and branded and learn about the selection process involved in picking out the top animals to go on to breed pedigree Boran cattle.
Mara Toto Tree Camp | Masai Mara
23 Aug 2023 - 27 Aug 2023
Mara Toto Tree Camp, tucked away in a forest canopy on a slight bend in the Ntiakitiak River, is just a few kilometres from its sister camps - Mara Plains Camp and Mara Expedition Camp – and pairs perfectly with our Mara Nyika Camp in the private Naboisho Conservancy.
This Réserve-Collection safari camp is tucked away into the shade of old trees, the perfect place for you to return to after a morning, afternoon or full day’s exploration within Kenya’s Maasai Mara ecosystem. We use open safari vehicles for the best viewing and bird watching.
Mara Toto Tree Camp’s design draws from Africa’s original explorers but with all the modern comforts needed for those wanting to spend days or weeks with us and still live in a camp inspired by East Africa’s romantic safari era.
Wildlife here is, of course, spectacular, and we have access to the Maasai Mara Reserve and the more private 28,000-hectare Mara North Conservancy. Take the best advantage of two migrations – the famous annual southern migration of over one million animals from the Serengeti and the green season migration from Loita Plains, where over 100,000 zebras and wildebeest arrive
from the northwest. It is never quiet around Mara Toto Tree Camp.
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Your Stay
4 Nights
Fully Inclusive - Bed, All Meals, Fees and Activities
Your Rooms
2x Twin Room
1x Double Room
Fast Facts
Luxury Tented Camp
Spoken Languages: English, Swahili
No. Rooms: 4
Special Interests: Adventure, Big 5, Birding, Gourmet, Leisure, Nature, Relaxation, Star Gazing, Wildlife
Tented Suites
Mara Toto Tree Camp offers guests a choice of four light and airy, spacious canvas tree canopy tented suites, each with en-suite bathrooms complete with double vanity basins, copper baths and huge brass safari showers.
Property Facilities
Bar, Battery Charging Facilities, Eco Friendly, Internet Access (Complimentary), Laundry Service (Complimentary), Private Vehicle Available, Restaurant
Room Facilities
Balcony / Deck, Bath, Complimentary Wi-Fi, Dressing Gowns, Electrical Outlets, En-Suite, Fan, Hair Dryer, Laundry Service (Complimentary), Mini Bar (Complimentary), Pure Cotton Linen, Safe, Shower, Tea / Coffee
Services
Credit Card
Seating a maximum of 4 guests, Mara Toto Tree Camp’s two specially designed Land Cruisers are regionally renowned. Totally open-sided (a rarity in the Mara), the 300-degree view provides ideal circumstances for photography. Under the guidance of top guides, each vehicle comes fully equipped with a stocked fridge and photography tools.
The beauty of a safari experience at Mara Toto Tree Camp is that guests enjoy access to both the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the private Mara North Conservancy. This allows one to truly experience the best range of habitat and traversing areas available and thus unlock what is truly an amazing East African safari experience in the greater Maasai Mara.
Hot-air ballooning over the Maasai Mara is available at additional cost and is a truly stunning way to experience the landscape and an unforgettable sunrise.
Each of Mara Toto Tree Camp’s guest suites has a professional camera set, including a camera body and lenses. Photos will be downloaded to a memory stick on guest’s departure. Each suite comes with a pair of high-quality binoculars for guest use as well. Photographic tuition can be arranged for guests (at an additional cost) and we recommend prior booking if possible. Tuition can be either on company cameras or own guests’ personal cameras.
Great Plains Young Explorers Kid’s program is available – thoughtfully designed to explore various experiences and topics from birding to cooking to art to tracking wildlife.
