Olonana has been our last stop in Kenya for the past two days...and what a way to end our fantastic adventure! Olonana is found on the bank of the Mara River, prime location for viewing wildlife, and really feeling a part of Africa. Our experiences here have been a wonderful culmination of game viewing, engaging in the local culture, and resting in our luxurious surroundings. Olonana has a main lodge with cozy corners for reading, gathering, etc. and 14 luxurious permanent tents. Each tent has two queen beds, spacious bathrooms, and beautiful verandahs that are situtated behind each one. 
We came with high hopes to see some hippos (one of the only animals yet to be seen on our excursion) who freqent the area, and we were not dissappointed! They have been spotted from our verandah around dusk, enjoying the Mara River.
We have created such vivid memories here--particularly through our time spent among the Maasai people, seeing their day to day lives. The game drives have also been incredible. In addition to spotting the hippos, we have seen lion, elephant, giraffe, zebra, gazelles, and the hard to find rhino! Our hosts took us exploring today and yesterday in open-topped jeeps, so the visibility was unparalleled. Maasai Mara is 320 square kilometers and boasts of an ecosystem like no where else on the planet. It has been amazing to see it up close and personal!
Our Africa travel experience will come to a close tomorrow morning, and we are all sad to leave. We all are thankful for the time spent together and seeing this incredible part of our planet--it has been the experience of a lifetime!
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And, it was early! We watched as the balloon was inflated against the first rays of sunshine, and our pilot went through safty proceedures. Then it was time to climb aboard. Lifting off was unnerving, but magical. Once aloft, the balloon floated gently over the plains, giving a bird’s eye view of the game below as the sun crept slowly over the horizon. To have perspective on the area where we have spent the last couple of days was incredible--we have covered a lot of territory, but from up there, the vastness of the park was overwhelming.
Each tent is set with beautiful furniture and hand woven rugs in warm organic colors to blend in with the environment. Each tent has a personal tent steward, who makes sure that the Egyptian cotton sheets on our large, comfortable beds are freshly ironed and that a hot water bottle is slipped beneath our duvets if it is a chilly night. While we are at supper each night, he turns down the bed, slips in a hot water bottle and draws a mosquito net around the bed--incredible service here in the midst of the Mara!
Each of our tents has arched windows and an open front entrance that are made from a special netting to allow the breeze to pass through without letting in the occasional insect. On each verandah are two director’s chairs and a butler table, to enjoy a drink whilst reading, visiting, or watching animals winding their way across the savannah.
Our tent stewards are always at hand to make sure that our naval bucket showers are mixed to the perfect temperature for whatever time of day or night you choose to bathe. We each have a fully flushing, ceramic toilet and even running water!
The tent attendant also takes care of our laundry which has been delivered to our tents each evening, pressed beautifully by an old fashioned charcoal iron. He also takes any shoes that require cleaning in the evening and returns them with your morning tea or coffee.
We have eaten delicious meals each day! They like to play meal times and locations by ear to suit our schedule, and even prepared an incredible picnic for us to take into the bush one day. We have been so impressed with their ability to improvise and work around our needs and desires!
The meals themselves are prepared with the very freshest ingredients and they have gladly taken dietary preferences into account for a few of us. The expert cooks take full advantage of vegetables and salads that are in season, and they are up before anyone else in camp to bake the finest breads and pastries for breakfast--an incredible smell to wake to.
House wines, house spirits, beers and soft drinks are also included, and they are able to source a number of cellar wines and spirits upon request. All are served in the finest crystal glass with a clink of ice - a welcome and unexpected luxury in the bush.
We have also been impressed at their involvement with as many community initiatives as possible. For example, Rwandan refugees hand craft the rugs and bed covers; a group of Samburu ladies make the leatherwork and beading for the furnishings; Maasai and Samburu warriors to keep watch in the camp at night; and they fully support the A&K Global Foundation.
The wildlife is abundant and the swaying grasslands ensure that animals are never out of sight. Elephants browse amongst the large herds of wildebeest and topi, eland and buffalo, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle. The plains offer a rich variety of food for the dominant predators: lion; leopard; hyena and cheetah. In the Mara River, hippos submerge to snort and grumble while crocodiles sunbathe, mouths agape, on the riverbanks. We have seen all this up close-there is nothing more awe inspiring than to see this amount of wildlife in person.
The Sarara Lodge, named after the sand river that runs through the area, is particularly special in that it is the anchor of a community project that directly benefits the pastoral Samburu and the wildlife of the area. 
This is a truly un-spoilt wilderness conservation area with few roads. Part of the emphasis here is on rifle led walking excursions, with local Namunyak community game scouts as guides. We had an amazing opportunity to be able to interact with the local Samburu peoples. One of the great highlights was experiencing the “singing wells” of the Sarara sand river. These are wells that have been dug deep in to the sands to extract water by leather buckets for the tribal livestock herds. The warriors pass the water up from hand to hand in sequence and sing out ancient songs in praise of their cattle and of brave deeds--we were so thankful to be able to see this part of thier culture.
There is a truly beautiful lounge and dining banda; a thatched area that not only adjoins a remarkable swimming pool created out of a natural rock formation but also overlooks a waterhole that is much frequented by elephants and other game animals. All this whilst enjoying spectacular views of the Mathews Mountains beyond.
After lunch on Monday, we jumped in a in safari vehicle and headed back down to the Lewa Downs where we stopped at Lewa Wilderness for lunch and explored around the area. Lewa Wilderness is a great lodge that belongs to Will and Emma Craig.
The six double bedrooms are open to the wild and have open bathrooms that overhang the drama of the bush below. The lounge/dining area overlooks a stunning swimming pool built into the rocks and then a small dam where elephants are frequent visitors. No trees were felled to create Tassia, which was built by the Massai entirely with local materials and keeping conservation and the environment foremost in mind. Incredible!
The house herself is large and luxurious with a magnificent heated infinity pool and pool house. This is ours exclusively!--So fun. There are spacious guest bedrooms, most with en suite bathrooms, a giant bath and super shower. The house also enjoys a decent tennis court. 
The house is actually located on a large private conservancy called Borana. Borana has been the home of the Dyer family since the 1920’s.
One of the really magical qualities of Borana is that the ranch is an accredited member of the Eco Tourism Society of Kenya, is certified organic and it plays an extremely active role in regional conservation. Michael Dyer, the oldest son, spends much of his time working with community development initiatives on health, education and environmental initiatives. All retained revenue from Laragai goes directly back to conservation and community development.
I had the pleasure of having a site inspection with Astrid de Lima, the travel industry sales manager, who is just delightful. She came in to meet me on her day off which was so nice. 
