Olarro Lodge

This lodge is stunning! The grounds are beautiful, the pool area is special, the massage therapist is one of the best, ever !! The dining area, the fireplace, the food, the service are five star plus! Be aware, that this lodge is on an incline and there is a bit of climbing to get to each room. In the rooms, there are stairs, with no handrails, to get to the bathrooms. Anyone with balance issues would not fare well. Unfortunately, the real downer here are the vehicles. They are probably the worst I have ever been in, after 25 trips to Kenya! They are so bad, that I would not return to this lodge. It was impossible to see ANYTHING out the front. The windshield did not come down, canvas wrapped around the side of it, which further blocked the view and the small piece above it that zipped and folded up did nothing to improve the view. In addition, there was NO door on either side of the vehicle, so guests have to climb over the side to get in. A safety hazard at the very least. If you don't care about game drives, and you don't mind stairs, then this would be the place to go....but if it's the game drives that are your priority, I'd stay away until, and if, they ever replace those antiquated vehicles.

Olarro exceeded my expectations! Very private and the staff catered to all of our needs. It is a small place which is great. There were only 6 of us there at our visit. The private conservancy is amazing and offered better game drives than the Mara national park. Dominic, our guide was amazing and so helpful!! Peter took care of every need! This place is amazing and I highly recommend it. My one suggestion would be AC for the rooms or at least an oscillating fan.

We had an awesome five days at the Olarro Lodge. From the moment we arrived to our departure it was amazing. We are a family with three teenage boys and everyone agreed we were so lucky to have chosen this for our first safari. All the staff were so nice and professional. Peter was the kind lead for all things food and drink. He would tell us anything is possible and meant it. We had our meals between the main area and the upper dining area. Fires and candles were always burning at dinner and we’d play games over drinks. He’d also pack us whatever we wanted for the game drives and sundowners. Alex was our guide. We could not have asked for better. He drove through anything and everything and could spot animals we’d never have seen. Very knowledgeable and very laid back. We saw so many animals in both the private conservancy and on our full day Masai Mara drive. The amazing thing about the trip was he was up for as much driving as we wanted and would mix it up. On two of the mornings we went out and the three boys got to fly around on ATVs while my wife and I watched from the Land Cruiser. We combined the day at Maasai Mara with the ballooning. That worked well as Alex grabbed us right after the breakfast. Masai Mara is magical and we saw some of the great migration. It’s also busy so having the conservancy the other days worked so well. We had that basically to ourselves. We saw the big five (though the cougar was not cooperating. So many lions, rhinos a cheetah. You get the idea. I’d recommend the little Olarro where we stayed for families. It’s huge and super nice. The other rooms would be great for couples. Thank you for having us.

My wife and I went to Olarro Lodge on our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. For anyone looking for a quiet, personalized safari experience, this is absolutely worth it. Olarro Lodge sits in a conservancy, nestled on a hill with a spectacular view that hits you right as you walk out your door. The conservancy has the same ecosystem as Maasai Mara, is a short 10 minute drive away, and is limited to Olarro guests, giving you a much more secluded experience (compared to the Mara, which is stunning in its own right but also full of roaming Land Cruisers). We were able to find an entire pride of lions, lionesses, and cubs relaxing before sunset, and we competed with no one for a view of only 5 yards away. While you'll want to plan for time to explore both the Olarro and the Mara, I should note that my favorite part of the trip was Quad-Biking among the animals in the conservancy. The staff is nothing short of incredible - given the limited number of lodges, the staff to visitor ratio enables a very high touch experience. The entire staff was coordinated on every detail, from packed lunches and custom made Bloody Mary's, to 3:30AM coffee before heading off to the hot air balloon ride. Our personal Maasai guide, Brian, had an encyclopedic knowledge of the animals, flower, and fauna of the region. He also taught us quite a bit about the Maasai and how they live. You won't be crammed in a van with a ton of other visitors like some other lodges - it was just my wife and I with Brian, scrolling through the hills looking for all types of animals. The feeling of exclusiveness really hits as you settle into a picnic lunch underneath a lone desert date tree atop a hill and overlooking a landscape resembling something out of the Lion King. It was our first experience in Kenya and on safari - I'm afraid we won't ever be able to top it.