Laikipia’s high country opens wide at Sosian Lodge. A restored ranch where cattle and wildlife share the same horizon. Morning light finds the veranda cool and quiet. Horses step out across open plains and riverine forest with Mount Kenya on the skyline. On the Ewaso Narok, waterfalls feed deep pools for wild swims and unhurried paddles. Night brings clear stars and the low crackle of a fire.

 

Sosian Lodge moves at an easy rhythm. Guides shape each day to your pace and ability. Families find their stride between ponies, picnics, and tennis. The welcome is homely, and the landscape is generous. You come for riding and river days. You stay for space, simplicity, and a story of land restored.

 

Why We Love This Retreat

• Ride first immersion across 24,000 acres with serious horses and options for beginners
• River days with waterfalls, wild swims, kayaking and seasonal tubing
• Homely ranch house with veranda mornings, picnic lunches and candlelit dinners
• Land restored since 1999 with portable night bomas, ranger teams and community projects
• Endangered species present including wild dogs, reticulated giraffe and Grevys zebra
• Family friendly by design with ponies arena and an interconnecting family cottage

Location and Sense of Place

Laikipia rises in slow hills and wide light. Sosian sits in the middle of it, on twenty four thousand acres stitched by the Ewaso Narok. The river runs for fifteen kilometres through riverine forest and rocky ledges. Waterfalls drop into pools and the air cools as evening arrives. Mount Kenya holds the far horizon, and the nights are star bright.

Getting to the lodge seems and is simple. Fly to Nanyuki from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. Drive on to the lodge through open country and acacia shade. When you step onto the veranda, you can hear the river and the garden birds, and the pace has already changed

 

Design and Atmosphere

The original ranch house anchors the lodge. A generous sitting room opens to a dining room, a bar, and a billiards room. A wide wrap-around veranda holds long views of garden and bush with the river country beyond. Lawns meet acacia shade and a calm pool for relief from the heat of the day. Evenings settle by the fire with candlelight and easy conversation. The mood stays homely and unpretentious. A place that works every day and welcomes you in the same breath.

Suites and Stays

The eight rooms sit within the Lodge’s gardens for space and quiet. Firstly, there is the Italian Cottage, which stands apart with its own small garden. A king bed and an airy bathroom make it a favourite for honeymooners and anyone who wants privacy.

The Family Cottage links a double and a triple, so parents and children sleep close. Each room has its own bathroom. One with a bath and one with a shower.

 

The Garden cottages complete the set with a mix of doubles and twin rooms. Every room is en-suite with reliable power through the night.

 

Dining and Produce

Sosian cooks from the land. The kitchen garden grows salads and vegetables. Pigs are reared on the ranch and neighbouring farms supply excellent beef, chicken and lamb. Meals are seasonal and home cooked with generous flavour.

 

Breakfast can appear by the river or on the veranda. Lunch is often a picnic in the shade or by the pool. Dinner is three courses by candlelight. Dietary needs are met with care and children can dine early when sleep calls.

 

Experiences

Riding at Sosian Lodge
Kenya is the home of horseback safari and Sosian is a true lodge based riding destination. Rides cross twenty four thousand acres with Mount Kenya on the skyline. Terrain is varied with river crossings, sandy tracks and open country for canters and gallops among Elephant, Zebra, Oryx, Giraffe, Eland and Gazelle.

 

The yard has about thirty well-schooled horses, including ponies for children. To ride out in the bush, you need solid experience and confidence at all paces in open country. Less experienced riders enjoy shorter hacks near the lodge and lessons in the sand arena. Typical rides run one to three hours in the morning and or afternoon. Keen riders can sleep out on a fly camp with the horses and return to the lodge the next day. Longer safaris of five to seven nights are available by arrangement.

 

Game drives day and night
Open Land Cruisers with raised seats head out when wildlife is most active in the cool hours. Midday holds its own magic with elephants at the river, baboons on the rocks, and giraffes strolling through the savannah. Sightings are possibilities, not promises, and patience is often rewarded.

 

Walking safaris and birding
Walk with experienced guides and read the small signs of the bush. Learn about the wild spoor, dung, insects, plants and birds that are found within this vast area of beauty. Distances and pace are tailored to you.

 

Fly camping
Sleep under a sky full of stars. Simple tents, bedrolls, a bucket shower and a fire to warm you up while having supper. Wake to river mist and fresh coffee before riding out.

 

River days
Sosian holds about fifteen kilometres of the Ewaso Narok with natural pools and thirty foot falls. Enjoy wild swims, gentle kayaking and seasonal tubing when water levels and safety allow. Unhurried fishing on the bank is another quiet pleasure to be had.

 

Camel treks
Gentle and sure footed camels carry you for about forty minutes for a different view of the bush.

 

Mountain biking
Ride quiet tracks through open country. Stop to read tracks, plants, and insects along the way, not forgetting the amazing wildlife around.

 

Cattle ranching
Spend a morning with the ranch team for dipping, branding and sorting. Learn how cattle and wildlife share grass, water and space on a modern Laikipia ranch.

 

Cultural traditions
With prior arrangement, you can visit many nearby manyattas to meet Samburu, Pokot and Turkana neighbours. These hosted visits offer respectful insight into nomadic life.

 

Tennis
A full size hard court sits close to the pool and bar for friendly matches between swims and siestas.

 

Conservation and Community

The Lodge is a working ranch and a wildlife conservancy in one landscape. The team calls it conservation beef. Careful grazing keeps the grass short and sweet so wild grazers follow. Old rank grass is knocked back by cattle, and the new growth brings Zebra, Eland, and Oryx. Since 1999, all internal fences have been removed so wildlife can move freely. Portable night bomas are rotated and the soil they leave behind greens up into seasonal hotspots. In the dry months, cattle are kept away from the Ewaso Narok, so Hippos, Buffalo and Elephants hold the river.

Predator conflict is tackled with secure steel panel bomas. Interlocking gates stop stampedes, and night losses to Lions have fallen by about ninety percent. The team works with Lion Landscapes to track prides. One lioness wears a GPS collar so livestock can be moved early and neighbours warned. Rangers protect elephants and other species. Support from For Rangers helps with training and equipment.

Community work is part of daily life. Around one hundred and twenty people from neighbouring villages are employed across tourism, ranching, and security. A nearby primary school with about three hundred and thirty pupils receives classrooms, sanitation, kitchens, desks and teacher support. A local clinic receives funding and training for it to be as helpful as possible to the locals. Family planning outreach gives women real choice and builds long term resilience and empowerment.

Pastoral livelihoods matter here. The Community Cattle Trading Project buys cattle in dry times, finishes them on Sosian grass, and thus roughly injects two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year back into the community. High-quality stud bulls are loaned out so herds improve and families earn more with fewer animals.

Sosian also runs a large Boran stud. About two thousand two hundred registered Boran cattle, with around six hundred eighty breeding cows and thirty stud bulls. The breed is hardy and well-suited to Laikipia. Attentive herding and regular dipping are part of the rhythm. The result is healthy rangeland and a landscape where people, cattle, and wildlife share the same horizon.

 

People of Sosian

Sean, whose family has lived in Kenya for five generations, is one of the general managers. He studied in Kenya, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. He returned home to work on the land. Since 2006, he has overseen every part of Sosian’s 24,000-acre ranch and wildlife conservancy. He has built one of Kenya’s largest Boran cattle studs with more than 680 breeding cows. He is happiest on foot in the bush or fishing with his two young sons.

Charlotte is the other general manager, who also joined the lodge in 2006. She built the lodge’s renowned horseback safaris and shaped the riding yard. In 2020 she moved into sales and marketing and now shares Sosian’s story with guests from around the world. She still helps match riders to horses and plans fly camps with the guiding team.

Both work with a strong local team. Guides, grooms, rangers, hosts, cooks, gardeners and drivers. About one hundred and twenty people keep the lodge working and welcoming every day.

When to Go

Laikipia works year-round with cool nights and wide, clear light. Dry months bring firm ground that suits long rides and nights out under the stars. Green months paint the hills fresh and swell the pools for wild swims and gentle kayaking. Activities always follow weather and river conditions for safety.

Getting There

• Fly from Nairobi Wilson to Nanyuki then continue by road to the lodge
• Private charters to nearby airstrips available on request
• Soft sided luggage recommended and observe light aircraft limits
• Exact transfer timings confirmed on booking

Good to Know

• Children welcomed with ponies and a sand arena plus early suppers on request
• To ride out in the bush, you need solid experience at all paces in open country. Beginners ride near the lodge or take lessons, helmets provided
• Night drives available with guides
• Fly camping is simple and rustic with bedrolls, a bucket shower, and a long drop loo
• Wi Fi in main areas may vary with the weather
• Same-day laundry is usually possible
• Private buy-out available for families and groups
• Activities and river use always follow conditions and safety

Final Thoughts

The lodge moves at a kind pace. Horses at first light and cool water by afternoon. Fire and stars when night comes. The house feels homely and the land feels generous because the work is real. You leave with dust on your boots and a quieter mind. Laikipia at its best.