May has definitely brought about some dramatic changes here at ol Donyo.  Now that the rains have ceased and the dry winter is upon us we are slowly watching the colors of the land change and with those color changes the variety of wildlife changes.  Without question, our resident bull elephant herd has found its [...]

oL Donyo Lodge: The Kopjes and Kilimanjaro   Exploring The Chyulu Hills is a magical experience and  ol Donyo Lodge acts as the perfect starting point to explore this amazing area which rises up to 2,174m. The surrounding area is one vast volcanic geological outcrop covered by scenic and mysterious acacia forests which are the perfect place to [...]

While there’s no doubt that being alluded to as the Brangelina’s of the safari industry is quite a compliment, there’s much more substance to the work of Dereck & Beverly than appearances. Tiara Walters of South Africa’s Sunday Times weaves a story which we hope will “turn around a billion Chinese”. But it requires your [...]

March News – Plains of Change – ol Donyo Lodge, Kenya There is a fresh feeling at oL Donyo this month with the start of the rains that have brought welcome change to the Chyulu Hills. The land has awoken from a long, dry slumber and is celebrating with sounds and sights we haven’t seen for [...]

A Visit to Ol Donyo Lodge (full text and images here) So I just came back from a week in Kenya. I initially planned the trip because of a friend’s wedding and because of a Fashion Designers without Borders trip that I planned with Chrissie Lam the Founder of The Supply Change. The trip was [...]

Staying Active While on Safari – oL Donyo Lodge, Kenya                 Concerned about too much leisure and good eating while on safari? You needn’t worry about that at oL Donyo Lodge where we often host friendly volleyball matches with guests and staff. First, the pitch is set up… including tracing [...]

Caught on Camera, Ride Kenya Seems that still Kruger is full of beans at the stables after a recent horse safari.                 Ride Kenya has set up a camera trap at the stables to keep an potential predators – and see what the horses are up to during [...]

SWEET-TOOTHED GIANTS   Elephant reaching up for marula fruit (Sclerocarya birrea) near oL Donyo Lodge, Kenya.

The Undertakers at oL Donyo Lodge, Kenya   Vultures spotted near oL Donyo Lodge, Kenya, hovering over a recent lion kill. Two different species: AFRICAN WHITE BACKED VULTURE & RUPPELL’S GRIFFON VULTURE

To all our managers, staff, colleagues, and tourism friends in Kenya Our thoughts are with you all in Kenya this week for a peaceful transition in government and on the streets. Despite CNN and BBC wanting to show footage of the old election unrest, their efforts have largely been thwarted so far and there is [...]

February here at ol Donyo Lodge has been an exciting roller-coaster of events and emotions.  We have had the great fortune of being able to sight several elusive characters here over the past month with the most recent being a cheetah sighting on a game drive up to the hilltop of  ol Donyo Wuas.  As [...]

On 22nd February, Ride Kenya assisted a vet from the David Sheldrick foundation in darting and treating an elephant with an arrow wound wandering near ol Donyo Lodge and the Ride Kenya stables.                   Ride Kenya managers Paddy and Kim were on hand to track the elephant and follow it [...]

                ….. And all the surrounding landscape merely a playground. At ol Donyo Lodge the ‘element of surprise’ is around every corner, and when a lodge is placed upon a 270,000 acre sanctuary— anything is possible. Last night we unveiled our newest secret Bush Dinner site, and it’s [...]

January has been a month full of fun activities at ol Donyo Lodge! Activities coordinator Scott Dyson and children’s program guide Elijah Morintat have been helping guests document their Chyulu Hills experience through art. Whether painting at the lodge or out on the plains, guests have been treated to dramatic  views of Mt Kilimanjaro and [...]

To say that the sightings and the wildlife here have been unbelievable over the past week or so would be an understatement! The greatest treat our guests had the other evening is actually spotting two of our young local lions enjoying their version of one of our spectacular bush dinners, our guests however enjoyed a [...]

The most exciting thing happened last night when a couple of our guests along with Seki our head guide stumbled upon our well known local lion! It’s always a treat to get a sighting of a species which has been so heavily persecuted in this region. Small conservation steps matter. Today, all of the birds [...]

Our guests, the Timms party just returned from Kenya: “…out of all the accommodations not sure which was our favourite as all had something different but Ol Donyo Lodge was just amazing. The private plunge pools a real plus and everyday just sitting in our rooms looking down at the water hole watching the elephants [...]

It looks like 2013 is starting off as a great year for artists at ol Donyo! With Mt Kilimanjaro making regular appearances and lots of activity in the bush and at the waterhole, there have many opportunities to paint some great subject matter.  Activities coordinator Scott and Children’s guide Elijah have been setting up easels [...]

December at ol Donyo was certainly eventful! Ample late season rains continued to nourish green grasses for the plains game, making for lovely photo opportunities. Mt Kilimanjaro was also frequently visible, and made for a stunning backdrop to a variety of bush activities, gatherings, and celebrations. The Christmas spirit was certainly visible as well at [...]

All too often in the world of conservation, we are peppered with tragic stories. De-horned rhino here, speared lion there, but today we bring to you a conservation story which might just give you great hope for 2013 and beyond. Sure, you might say, “but it’s just a set of games, who cares, what’s that [...]

Senior Editor, Sarah Gleim, selected Great Plains’ ol Donyo Lodge as her “must-see-before-you-die” property for the entire world. She loves its approach to conservation and safari. We are humbled, and honored. Thanks, Sarah. We hope you join us there soon. Read on Forbes.com

Christmas at ol Donyo got underway with a lovely bush picnic under a venerable old acacia, with Mt Kilimanjaro looming as a backdrop. Tables were set with white tablecloths, decorations were hung, and a beautiful spread of salads, quiches and tarts were unveiled. Santa was just entering the scene (with Sabre the incredibly obliging Christmas [...]

First Maasai Olympics in Kenya creates new tradition: The track and field competition uses warriors’ lion hunting skills for athletics “The Maasai Olympics is not just a sporting activity and event. It is a once–in–a–lifetime opportunity given by the Maasai elders to save this ecosystem,” Dereck Joubert, CEO of Great Plains Conservation, said. In Kenya’s [...]

November’s sometimes stormy skies have provided gorgeous backdrops for photography and the plains game have been plentiful. The forest areas at the base of the Chyulu Hills are fully green, and green is spreading across the plains and up the El Mau Hills. Wildlife has grown fat and happy in the midst of all the [...]

After 20 years of sole operation under Richard Bonham’s guidance, Maasailand Preservation Trust is proud to announce its merger with Big Life Foundation. Co-founded by conservationist Richard Bonham & photographer Nick Brandt in October 2010, Big Life’s conservation philosophy is so similar, and goals so identical, that it became obvious to both organizations that the [...]

Lara Logan of CBS 60 Minutes profiles “The Last Lions” filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert on location at their Great Plains Conservation Camps in Botswana Scheduled to air Sunday November 25, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT Lara Logan and a team from CBS 60 Minutes profiled filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert at their Great Plains [...]

November’s abundant rainfall has filled the ol Donyo waterhole, and elephant visitors have been numerous. With the pressure to find water lessened, we’ve been seeing lots of interesting interactions, and joyous splashing and bathing. Green season has certainly brought elephant action, and it can all be experienced close range from the lodge hide!

Great Plains Conservation is not simply a tourism venture. As our name suggests, we are actually primarily focused on conservation and use tourism as a vector to achieve our conservation goals. Hence we we call ourselves a “Conservation Tourism” company. To this end, Dereck & Beverly Joubert founded Big Cats Initiative in partnership with National [...]