Borana Community Lodge, Borana Luxury Lodge, Kenya Luxury Tours

Dawn is a fabulous time on Borana - wake up with steaming hot tea or coffee and watch the sunrise over the Samangua valley and Hyena Dam.  An early morning walk with Ant Kaschula or one of our experienced local Maasai guides give guests the benefit of their extensive knowledge of the bush and its ways. They have an intimate knowledge of the land and its inhabitants.  Seeing big game on foot is extremely satisfying and allows guests to stalk game in completely safety. The slower pace means that guests also have a chance to see smaller animals that they would miss if speeding past in a car.

Then again you could just put your feet up, sit back in your open 4x4 and be taken to the game. Since Borana is private property, there are no Game Park rules and no one else will ever obscure your view of the big game that lives here. Night game drives - when most animals are active - are very popular, allowing guests an insight into the nocturnal life of the bush that is denied them in most of the parks.

One of the best ways of seeing big game is on horse-back - we have horses to suit all riders from beginners to experts. Guests can ride through the plains at the foot of the escarpment among giraffe, hartebeest and impala or into the forest that cloaks the foot of Mount Kenya.  Guests can explore the ranch with guides to show them the special places and the big game that abounds here. Picnic lunches and sundowners can be organised for those wanting a day's ride but a quick hack before breakfast is just as easy to arrange.

The silence and off-road ability of our top of the range mountain bikes allow guests to get very close to big game - quickly and in safety. Mountain bikes give guests the opportunity to travel long distances, at their own pace and in a completely natural environment. There are few better ways to see the bush.

Of course a visit to the high altitude rose farm or to our organic essential oil distillery is by no means compulsory - a day of eating delicious home grown organic food by the pool and maybe muster up the energy to drag yourself away from your exclusively comfortable sleeping house for an afternoon massage overlooking Mount Kenya.

Borana is not just a game sanctuary, it is also a working ranch - many guests have found that spending a day on the ranch is equally as interesting as looking at the animals. Michael Dyer - who runs the ranch - is happy to take guests on his rounds. He shows guests the challenge of ranching in these hostile conditions - elephants in the vegetable patch, lions in the cattle bomas, flood, drought, famine.

An evening sundowner on Pride Rock followed by drinks in front of an open log fire and dinner under the ostrich egg chandelier is a perfect end to a perfect day.