From
$7,339
Private Villa · Laikipia, Kenya
Sirai House
On the highest ridge of the Borana Conservancy, at the foot of Mount Kenya — Africa's most coveted private safari home, available exclusively for twelve guests
There are places in Africa that exist on paper — in brochures and itinerary documents — and places that exist in the imagination of everyone who has been told about them and not yet been. Sirai House belongs firmly to the second category. It is Kenya’s most consistently named address when guests who have done everything else ask what remains. The answer tends to produce a particular silence.
The house sits on the highest point of the Borana Conservancy’s ridge, above the cedar and wild olive forests of Ngare Ndare, at the foot of Mount Kenya’s southern slopes. The altitude — around 2,000 metres, 17 miles north of the equator — means days are warm and clear, nights are genuinely cool under blankets, and the region is malaria free. The view from the main terrace sweeps northward across Lewa Downs to the horizon of the Northern Frontier, westward across the 35,000-acre conservancy, and south to the unmistakeable and permanent silhouette of Mount Kenya’s twin peaks. It is the kind of view that guests arrive at in daylight and return to every morning for the duration of their stay, each time finding something different in it.
The house was built in 2009 by the owners — shareholders in the Borana Conservancy itself — following years of searching Kenya for a site that was exceptional without qualification. Working with local craftsmen and local materials, they built a contemporary East African home that sits gently within its setting: the architecture does not announce itself but reveals itself gradually, as the Laikipia landscape does. Inside, the design reflects a genuine love of art and craft — pieces collected from across East Africa, textiles and ironwork made by local artisans, furniture built for comfort and longevity. The house produces much of its own food: vegetables and fruit from the garden, beef from the Borana cattle herds, eggs from the farm’s own birds, honey from the estate’s hives.
A dedicated team of forty staff — led by chef George and house host Tara — manage the property at a standard that removes every operational consideration from the guest’s experience. What you eat, where you eat it, and when are entirely at the group’s discretion. The only structure to the day is the one the guests themselves create.
Set within the 35,000-acre Borana Conservancy, Sirai House offers twelve guests exclusive Big Five safaris, world-class horseback riding, and sweeping Laikipia views — staffed by forty and widely considered Kenya's most exclusive safari address.
Why Stay Here
- Africa's most celebrated private safari home — exclusive use, twelve guests, forty dedicated staff
- 360-degree panoramas from the highest ridge in Borana — Mount Kenya, Lewa Downs, and the northern frontier
- Horseback safaris in the Big Five — Borana's horses allow closer wildlife encounters than any 4×4 vehicle
- All-inclusive: all meals, house wines, champagne, spirits, spa treatments, and laundry
- Malaria-free at 2,000 metres — warm days, cool nights, and the freshest air in Kenya
- Sister property to Sirai Beach in Kilifi — Africa's finest private safari-to-coast combination
Our Commitment to Conservation
Sirai House's owners are shareholders in the Borana Conservancy, a non-profit stewarding 35,000 acres of Laikipia habitat, with the property's revenue directly funding anti-poaching, the Borana-Lewa rhino corridor, and school fees for local children. The estate itself is solar-powered, largely self-sufficient in food, and staffed by forty locals — many trained from within the Borana community.
Rooms & Accommodation
Six suites are distributed across four cottages within the 250-acre estate, each with a private veranda, en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, and views oriented toward the Borana Conservancy and the Laikipia plains beyond. The Master Suite stands alone as the house’s largest and most elevated accommodation; Suite 2 also stands independently. Suites 3 and 4 are connected by a shared sitting room, as are Suites 5 and 6 — both configurations ideal for families or travelling companions who want shared communal space alongside private sleeping rooms. Egyptian cotton linens, locally sourced bathroom products, and bespoke furnishings run throughout. Each cottage has been individually positioned within the estate to maximise privacy; stone-lined paths connect the suites to the main house and pool terrace without disrupting the landscape between them. A pilot’s room is available for an accompanying guide or additional staff member.
Master Suite
The property's premier suite, set at the highest point of the estate with unobstructed views of Mount Kenya to the south and the Borana plains to the north. A private veranda, spacious indoor-outdoor bathroom, and locally crafted interiors make it the suite returning guests specifically request.
Standalone cottage · Panoramic Mount Kenya & conservancy views · Private veranda · En-suite bathroom with indoor & outdoor elements · Air conditioning · Egyptian cotton linens · Full butler service
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Garden Suite
Four garden suites arranged in two paired configurations, each a spacious woodland cottage with a private veranda, en-suite bathroom, and conservancy views. The paired layout — with a shared sitting room between adjacent suites — makes them the natural choice for families travelling with children.
Private veranda · Conservancy views · En-suite bathroom · Air conditioning · Egyptian cotton linens · Butler service · Paired configurations available for families
Experiences & Activities
Every moment at Sirai House is crafted to immerse you deeper in the wild.
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Dining
Chef George runs the kitchen at Sirai House with the produce of the estate as his primary ingredient list. Vegetables, fruit, and herbs come from the kitchen garden. Beef is from the Borana cattle herds. Eggs and poultry from the farm. Honey from the estate’s own hives. What cannot be grown or raised on the property is sourced from the region’s farms and the finest suppliers George has developed relationships with over years of cooking here. The result is a menu that changes daily, is calibrated entirely to the group’s preferences, and ranges from Kenyan coastal dishes prepared with highland ingredients to international cooking of genuine sophistication — lobster ravioli served on a Laikipia hilltop, freshly baked bread for a bush breakfast at 6am, ice cream made in-house for the children after an afternoon game drive. Meals are served wherever and whenever the group desires: the terrace overlooking the conservancy, the grand dining room for a formal evening, a bush table set in the field at sunset, or an early morning spread laid out beside the watering hole hide. The wine cellar is personally selected by the owners and holds a range of labels from South Africa, France, and further afield that rewards guests who know wine and satisfies those who simply want something excellent with dinner.
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Best Time to Visit
Sirai House is available year-round and its high-altitude climate makes it rewarding in every season. The Borana-Lewa wildlife corridor supports resident populations of all its key species throughout the year — the Big Five, Grevy’s zebra, cheetah, and wild dog are not seasonal visitors but permanent residents of a carefully managed and well-protected ecosystem. The dry seasons — January to March and June to October — offer the most reliable game viewing across the conservancy’s open plains, with shorter vegetation, concentrated wildlife at water sources, and the clearest skies for the Mount Kenya views that define the Sirai aesthetic.
The highland climate is consistent and pleasant in all seasons: maximum temperatures around 26 degrees Celsius, nights cool enough for blankets, and no humidity. The region’s malaria-free status makes Sirai House an appropriate choice for guests of all ages and health considerations. April and May bring the long rains — the estate’s gardens and the conservancy’s vegetation transform into a deep green lushness that produces the most photogenic landscape of the year; visitor numbers across Laikipia drop considerably; and the house’s all-inclusive structure means rates can be more accessible. Christmas and New Year require a minimum five-night stay; all other periods a minimum of three nights.
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Location & Getting Here
Destination
Laikipia, Kenya
Conservation Area
Borana Conservancy, Laikipia
Nearest Airstrip
Borana Airstrip (on-site, 15 min game drive) or Lewa Downs Airstrip (45 min transfer)
Transfer Time
20 minutes from Borana Airstrip / 1 hour from Lewa Downs Airstrip / 4 hours by road from Nairobi
Getting Here
Sirai House is a one-hour flight from Nairobi's Wilson Airport, with a 20-minute transfer by private charter direct to Borana Airstrip. For guests combining safari with coast, sister property Sirai Beach in Kilifi is directly accessible by private charter — together forming East Africa's finest safari-to-beach combination.
Safaris That Include This Lodge
Explore handcrafted itineraries where Sirai House forms part of the journey.
