Arijiju is outstanding! Not your ordinary safari lodge, this luxurious exclusive-use retreat exhibits a perfect African-Western design style blend. The establishment is your quintessential chameleon, perfectly camouflaged into a forested hillside and well embedded into the Borana Conservancy landscape.  The house, one of total five properties in the conservancy, four of which are exclusive-use, takes its name ‘Arijiju’ from the Maasai word for the hill on which it was built.

If conservation is a considerable factor whilst selecting where to stay in Kenya then it’s worth noting that you will be directly contributing to Rhino conservation when at Arijiju. Bordering Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, which has been committed to rhino conservation for over two decades, the preservation effect has since sipped into Borana Conservancy with a heavy investment that includes an anti-poaching unit gone into the protection of rhinos under constant threat from poaching. Currently the conservancy holds 22 black rhinos, translocated from Lake Nakuru National Park and neighbouring Lewa – which had reached its own carrying capacity of 70.

Part of the investment involves an understanding that properties within the conservancy chip into the conservation efforts with some profits being fed back into the land’s projects. Lions, enormous herds of elephants and giraffes are some of the amazing plains game you will spot whilst at Arijiju alongside local maasai herding their livestock as Borana Conservancy doubles up as a working cattle ranch and a wildlife sanctuary.

Social responsibility aside, Arijiju the establishment will blow your mind! Literally etched into the rock bed, it is truly a remarkable work of art. One that painstakingly took 10 or so years to complete. with its wild grass roofs and considerate structure, it disappears into the landscape akin to a leopard slumped over his chosen branch in a nearby tree.

Working with two architects – Nick Plewman from Johannesburg and Alex Michaelis from London ; the owner was keen to create something unobtrusive and embedded in the landscape. Inspirations for this establishment include a 12th century French Abbey; Le Thoronet Abbey, a Cistercian monastery built in Provence in the 12th century, distinctive for its lack of embellishment. Arijiju’s structural reclusivity also makes references to the buried, rock-hewn churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia topped with turf, creating something more nuanced. All the quarried Meru stone was hand-chiselled by local masons – that feels ancient and wise, honest and elemental, but also very contemporary.

Within polished concrete and exposed stone walls, stunning in their calming simplicity, oversized chandeliers, sumptuous furniture and opulent trimmings – such as the splendid copper bath tubs and enormous French mirrors – to do the talking. No, it doesn’t quite feel like your quintessential safari lodge, but that’s precisely what makes Arijiju stand out among its neighbors; a lesson in unadulterated luxury.

Service at Arijiju Retreat is impeccable: attentive, stylish, friendly, highly professional. The kitchen takes a farm-to-table approach and caters simultaneously to the health-conscious and the gourmand; the Ottolenghi-style cuisine combines the modern, the classic and the local. The dining area features two large fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling arched windows, and meals can also be taken on any of the many decks and patios or even further afield in the conservancy.

Accommodation comprises of five suites: ten guests is the upper-limit, with smaller groups also catered for. Three of the suites are in the house itself, arranged around the central courtyard. Two more are in ‘cottage’ suites connected to the main villa. Throughout there are king-size beds (some four-poster), stone fireplaces, large lounge areas, luxurious ensuite facilities (with freestanding baths as well as showers) and expansive views. Furnishings are stylish and unique, as in the main areas, blending the traditional Kenyan and the contemporary European.

Activities at Arijiju Retreat are plentiful and varied. There are guided wildlife drives and walks available, as well as mountain biking, helicopter safari, quad-bike trips and access to the Ngare Ndare Forest, as well as much more.

Unequaled luxury in Laikapia

This is one of the most luxurious private homes I’ve ever been to. Everything is included- laundry, food, drinks, game drives, massages, yoga, games, sports, spa, etc. And most darling were the elephants drinking water from the swimming pool. If there is a heaven on earth, this is it.

LhornHarvardMom, Tripadvisor Review