Solio Lodge

Solio Lodge was stunning. It was huge and luxurious. Lily and Tess (I hope I have the names right) were there to welcome us to our cottage before and after each trip out to view the animals. We saw both types of rhinoceros and learned that the white rhinos aren't white. We enjoyed our time at Solio but wished we had spent more time viewing the animals. Our guide and spotter were intent on finding leopards. There are six that normally live in that area, but they hadn't been seen for two weeks. We spent a lot of time driving around looking for the leopards which had gone missing. We did have a very close up viewing of a mother rhino and her baby as we were being served breakfast on the savannah. They came quite close to see what we were doing.
We loved the cottage (still doesn't seem the right word) and wished we had more time in it.

What a gem! This is a very special property, situated overlooking the Aberdare Mountain range and Mount Kenya. The rooms where huge, with your own lounge area leading onto the bedroom area, leading onto a separate bathroom. All fronted with glass, so one had great views over the plains, which offered plenty of wildlife.

The property is a cattle ranch, but we saw no cattle during our stay, as the area where they are, together with herds of plains game is on the outskirts of the property, protecting the rhino sanctuary and wildlife area. If clients want to see rhino, this is definitely the property to send them to. Whilst enjoying a bush breakfast one morning, we were surrounded by at least 70 – 80 rhino, so very spoilt.

Apart from game viewing (no elephant) but everything else, one can enjoy a horse ride, mountain biking, bush walks, full day trips to the Aberdare National Park, helicopter trips, plus excursions to a local coffee farm, school and flower farm. Warn clients that it can get cold in the evenings, so best to pack layers.

Solio Lodge gets a plus/plus rating from us. The day we arrived the manager left for Nairobi, we saw her for a few minutes. The Assistant Manager turned out to be a gem. Ole our guide, photographer, spotter and general everything was wonderful. Susan and Ole were joined at the hip, comparing photographs he was taking, to Susan's photograph. He tried to get the Impala to jump high so Susan could get the ultimate action photograph she had discussed with him. He had such a wonderful sense of humor. Never gave up trying to get the ultimate experience for us. Susan had said to him she would really love to have a male lion with a huge mane, as she had not been able to deliver that on previous safari's. Did he ever deliver. It was the biggest male I had ever seen, and I have seen a few lions in my life.

The accommodations were excellent and clean. Nothing better than getting back in the cold evening after dinner, to have a bubble bath drawn for you, and a wood fire burning in your room.

We saw more wild life per square kilometer than anywhere. If we were new to safaris, and wanted to see a lot of wildlife in a few days, that is where you need to go. The only thing in this sanctuary we could not see, were elephants. Understandable, the area is not dense and big enough to accommodate them. We would go back to Solio in a heartbeat. It was rather strange there were not more people at the lodge during our stay. Perhaps the colder weather is not appealing. We found it enchanting.

Solio Lodge was awesome. The accommodation was huge, far too much for two people, but pure luxury. The staff were very nice, friendly and helpful. Ava the manager came up and spoke to you at every meal time and was genuinely interested in your day. The food was excellent, fresh and tasty, although if I was to have one moan there were no options, the evening meal was set. Although I am sure if you didn’t like something they would have made an alternative. A fire was lit every evening in your lodge and a hot-water bottle provided, Also all toiletries, including sunscreen in the van, were provided. We would definitely like to come back here again. Amos and Blackie were our driver and spotter and did an amazing job. One evening Blackie spotted a snake no bigger than a pencil swallowing a frog on the side of the road as we were heading out. We thought it was Blackie’s pet snake and he had planted it there! The rhino sightings were absolutely incredible: 360-degree rhino. They were also in large groups and interspersed with other animals, mainly buffalo.

A wonderful five star accommodation in a private wildlife sanctuary. Solio has the perfect combination of superior service, excellent excursions and is brilliant for rhino sightings. A bush breakfast here is a must!