T h e O l o l o E x p e r i e n c e
Crossing the Ololo footbridge is the beginning of a unique, once in a life time experience with all of us at Ololo. You can choose to do as many .... or as little... of the adventures we have on offer.
Relax around the pool with a sundowner and bitings or perhaps go on a wander to take a look at the Ololo farm or our furniture workshop.
We can take you on game drives into the only national park in the world on the edge of a capital city. Nairobi National Park is a surprise package and many of these birds and animals are visible from our terrace and restaurant as they move around the bush. Ololo also takes guests to visit the renowned Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage without having to exit the national park.
You are invited to take part on an excursion to Karen to visit the famed Karen Blixen Museum, the Giraffe Centre or Kazuri Beads. Or more to your inclination some shopping at local markets and boutique stores can be arranged. Anselm Hot Glass Studio and Kitengela Glass is a walk away across the neighboring farms to Ololo, with one of our Askari guides.
Nairobi National Park
Ololo is lucky to border the Nairobi National Park and to have on our doorstep the unique wildlife that inhabit the park.
Bequeathed to the Kenyan Government and established as a national park in 1964 by the local Massai community elders, the park is unusual in being the only national park in the world that shares a boundary with a bustling capital city.
Approximately 117 square kilometres in size, Nairobi National Park offers a diverse conservation area ranging from savannah grasslands, to forested pockets and rocky gorge country.
There are over 100 species of of mammals including a large population of black and white rhinos, cape buffalo, as well as lions, leopards, hyena, zebra, jackal, eland, hartebeest, impala, dik-dik antelope and giraffe to name a few. There are also 520 species of birds, more than 150 species of butterflies and many more other spectacular creatures.
Ololo is able to take our non- resident guests, and game package resident guests into the park each morning or afternoon inclusive with your stay with us.
Ololo Farm and Furniture Workshop
Take a stroll with us up to the farm, or "shamba" to see all of Ololo’s paddock to plate produce. Collect eggs from our hens, visit our mushroom house and peruse our vermiculture compost beds. And of course, a visit to the Ololo Farm must include a chance to meet Joyce, our ‘milker’ cow and her playful little calf.
Our talented Fundis (carpenters in Swahili) take great pride in their furniture, dotted around Ololo in our rooms and communal areas. Guests are more than welcome to visit them creating these beautiful pieces in the Ololo workshop.
Massages at Ololo
Guests are welcome to book an on-site massage with our trained and experienced masseurs who are happy to sooth away those tired, knotted, safari muscles. Relax and enjoy this experience in our historic rondavel room overlooking the national park.
We offer: Swedish, Deep Tissue, Shoulder and Neck Massages. Also, Pressure Point Foot Massage and Hot Stone Therapy.
David Sheldrick’s Wildlife Trust:
‘'The Baby Elephant Orphanage'
Ololo is situated nearby the re-noun Baby Elephant Orphanage and Ololo is able to take our guests to visit, without exiting the Nairobi National Park.
Founded in 1977 by Dr. Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her late husband and naturalist David Sheldrick, the trust is today one of the most successful orphan elephant rehabilitation
programmes in the world.
Ololo is able to take guests to all sessions at Sheldrick’s.
The Open 11h00 Session, the Fostered Session at 17h00 and the Private Session at 15h00.
The open session does not need to be pre-booked. There are varying entry cost for each of these three sessions.
Karen Excursions
Ololo offers a range of excursions into the leafy lanes of Karen, which is named after Karen Blixen, the acclaimed author of ‘Out of Africa'. Her coffee farm was located in the district, and the current museum was her original home. The Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens, just down the road, was the site of Blixen's estate manager's cottage. Many scenes from the movie 'Out of Africa' were filmed at the museum and other locations around Karen.
Karen is situated approximately 60 minutes from Ololo, through the Nairobi National Park.
Excursions are priced on a Half Day or Full Day with a private driver/guide and vehicle.
Entry Fees are not inclusive.
Some of the popular places we take our guests are:
The Karen Blixen Museum
The Giraffe Centre
Untamaduni Traditional Craft Centre
The Matbronze Sculpture Gallery and cafe
Kazuri Beads
The Langata Link Shops and Tin Roof Café.
Kitengela Hot Glass
Take a steady 25- minute return walk with one of our askaris (watchmen) to Kitengela and Anselm Hot Glass.
Recycled glass is transformed within a large brick dome into a diverse range of both house glassware or stunning and unique collection pieces.
All the glassware is for sale, and can be shipped to any destination.