Sosian Lodge : Sosian Reviews – A perfect staycation in Kenya for offbeat safaris at Sosian Conservancy
Because of the Covid -19 pandemic most of us are still skeptical about planning a trip to other countries or cities and definitely the entire scenario has taken a toll on everything. For all of those who really miss travelling and wish to spend quality time with friends and family, here is a perfect plan for you – Sosian Lodge. Have you ever thought of renting a staycation in Kenya for offbeat safaris within few kms away from Nairobi and making the most of your time?? Life these days are pretty depressing at times so spending couple of days in such beautiful staycations can be the best alternative. We would definitely suggest to invest in this kind of beautiful getaways at least once in a month if not weekly!! In this Sosian Reviews, we will cover some of the offbeat safaris you can experience in Sosian Conservancy and an indication on Sosian Lodge Rates or Sosian Lodge Prices.
As we stay in Nairobi we definitely try to make our weekends useful by bag packing for one or other unexplored locations. But this time after a bit of research and scroll this amazing Ranch in Laikipia county caught our eye , which is located 265kms away from Nairobi city.
Interesting facts about Sosian Lodge : Sosian Conservancy : Sosian Reviews: Offbeat Safaris : Staycation in Kenya
In the year 1920 Major General Edward had settled in this Ranch, when he was granted the land after the 1st World War. Later he dedicated his life on taking care of this cattle ranch, but soon after his death the whole of the acre was left unattended bringing drought and unfortunately no wildlife could survive for long leaving the whole place abandoned in 1990.The news was widely spread over multiple media and in the year 1999 a group of friends decides of buying this whole Sosian ranch with an idea of restoring it again and bring it back to life. It needed huge amount of investment for next 5-6 years, but sooner the land again received back its fertility and wildlife.
As of today the entire ranch is converted into a luxurious safari lodge and wildlife conservation within the boundary. Honestly this ranch is insanely beautiful inside out and from the past 20-25 years tourism also came into light. The whole of the ranch is a home for many wild birds and animals such as dik-dik, elephants, leopard, lion, hippos ,zebras, giraffes and to name a few.
How to reach Sosian Lodge for Offbeat Safaris : Staycation in Kenya
If you are already staying in Nairobi, Kenya reaching Sosian lodge won’t be of much of a trouble. Just turn on your google map and you will be good to go. It took us 5-6 hours of drive from Westlands area. If you are travelling from another country or location you need to first land either in JOMO KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (281kms) or WILSON AIRPORT which would be nearly (270kms) to reach. Also the good part is Sosian ranch has their personal air strip which you can definitely request for and you would be directly picked up from any airport you choose to land, but we guess that would be expensive!
How we planned : Sosian Lodge : Sosian Conservancy : Offbeat Safaris
We already pre-booked our stay for 2 nights and would definitely advice the same to make the prior bookings. This place remains quite in demand so there might be a possibility you might not get available bookings on certain dates. From home we left early by 6am in the morning so that we can make most of our time there . However we reached by 12 noon with 1-2 petrol station break in between. On reaching the manager and other staffs welcomed us with refreshments . Because of the current covid scenario we decided to book the entire ranch just to ourselves, and just to avoid much of crowd . The check in time was short and in no time we found ourselves stretching out on a comfortable bed. We believe there only 8-9 rooms available for guests in the entire lodge. So if you wish you may not book the entire lodge to yourself and make your stay more economical, if you are comfortable with few people around.
Sosian Lodge Price : Sosian Lodge Rates : Staycation in Kenya
The best part about this lodge is that it offers all inclusive package for activities all included within your stay cost(100 dollar per person per night) (Excluding Meals). To make it a pocket friendly experience we decided to carry our own food raw materials and alcohols from Nairobi itself which was also doable. We decided our meal plan with the chef add he really had amazed us with his culinary arts for all breakfast ,lunch and dinner. So if you wish to do the same get in touch with the management beforehand and get your meal lists sorted. Chef service is available at no extra cost. Sosian does provide meals and booze if you wish not to bother much, but again it would be more of an expensive side, still you can make your own choices as per your conveniences.
TELEPHONE: +254 (0)704909357 / +254 (0) 725968351
Email :[email protected]
What makes this whole place unique : Sosian Conservancy : Offbeat Safaris: Staycation in Kenya
Our stay was just amazing and we would definitely like to go back someday again. Sosian definitely offers a wide variety of activities and game safaris for all age groups. The best what we liked and enjoyed about Sosian is that it keeps you busy and entertained at all times offering various activities throughout the day. There is no limit, you can decide to go for each activities multiple times as per your wish. It’s not like other game drive safaris which have time limit of entering the park but its open for 24*7 and you can make the most of your time spotting animals whenever you wish. They also offered us with LAND ROVERS for best of wildlife viewing. Honestly we didn’t much cared about time and went for safari game drives as many times we wanted be it early mornings or late at night. If you are an animal lovers like us and don’t want to miss a chance the to watch wild animals would say, prefer going early around 6-11 am as most of the animals are active during those hours and during the night between 8-12 to get a better chance of witnessing nocturnal birds and animals like Hyenas, Owls, several wild cats and birds. If you are lucky enough there is a high chance of seeing Africa’s Big5 as well.
Accommodations : Sosian Reviews : Sosian Lodge
The largest ranch house is the centre piece and main house of Sosian Lodge, which has of a large sitting room, dining room, bar and billiards room, surrounded with a veranda. There are 8 bedrooms in total which are all located across the lodge gardens and small bushes.
Also there is swimming pool at the extreme end of the lodge where you can also arrange your meals under thatch roof pool house which is just a perfect place for some fire beer & chill. Please note you might not have any internet access in any of the rooms apart from the main office area.
You can either choose for –
Italian cottage – The Italian Cottage(honeymoon suites) was built by Italian artisans which is situated a mile apart from the other cottages, with its own private front yard and offers absolute privacy. There is only one Italian cottage which has a large bedroom with a king size bed and a suite bathroom with a jacuzzi. This room and its view is stunning inside out. Also this Italian room would cost your extra compared to other family and garden cottages.
Family & Garden cottages – The Family and Garden Cottages and perfect for families and couples as well. There are 2 opposite cottages under one roof as the rooms interconnects each other from a common verandah . Both rooms have their own bed and bathrooms without a jacuzzi here, still these rooms are equally gorgeous and comfortable at the same time, with all basic amenities needed.
Activities you must not miss : Sosian Conservancy : Sosian Lodge Rates
BUSH WALKING AND BIRD WATCHING
All activities are free of charge and included in the package!! As we went for 2 nights and time was limited for us, we decided to go for bush walk just after we reached. We were excited as this was our first time walking in the woods on foot, also we were little scared and freaked out in the beginning . But don’t worry there would always be a guide and a ranger walking along with you all the time, who also shared with us stories about various flora and fauna, of various wild animals , nearby villages and lot more. Surprisingly we came across many animals during our bush walk like giraffes, gazelles, zebras etc. Also make sure to wear your clothes mindfully before going for the bush walk(full hiking pants recommended) as there are thorns and spooky bush all around which might make you very uncomfortable during the walk. There is no time refrain for how long you wish to go for bush walk and you can really enjoy nature getting so close. The rest the evening we kept it for ourselves at leisure and good food before heading out for an extensive night game drive.
Go for camel treks
So before starting on with any game drives the first and foremost thing is to let the manager know about your plans , so that he/ she can help you to arrange things for you before time. The camels do not stay in the ranch for long as most of the time they are freed out for. Camels at Sosian are very friendly and also their ride. Let us tell you we were very excited for first couple of minutes but later on our butt gave up and the ride was getting little uncomfortable with time, still it was fun. We entered the forest bush and took about 30-40min to finish the trek. We always had a camel rider and ranger accompanying us throughout . Also you may not expect to see any carnivores, as they maintain a different trail for camel trekking. But there are possibilities you can definitely come across other animals like zebra, giraffe, gazelles etc.
Horse Back Safari
Horse riding is one of the major attractions in Sosian ranch. We aren’t a trained rider so were not very sure of riding horses all by our own. The horses present there are beautiful and glazy just fell in love with those. We went for riding too for 30 mins with proper equipment’s and a guide of course. If you are comfortable horse riding all by yourself then it’s your day. Sosian is widely spread over large open plains filled with wildlife and you can explore the ranch for at-least 6-7 hours (either mornings or noon) crossing the beautiful stretch of river and grasslands. Truly its breathtaking!!
Sundowner and fishing
On our 2nd day after wee headed back from safari game drive , by 4pm there was already a beautiful setup done by the team for sundowner and barbeque by the lake. The overall sight was just spectacular and a perfect evening for us to remember for the rest of our life. The sky lit up with vibrant hues of grey pink and orange. We quietly sat for sometime relishing the moment sipping some good wine and tried our hands on fishing too!! but Alas! nothing came to our hand for dinner. As it went dark we returned back to Sosian for dinner and something exciting kept for the night.
Day game drives
Obviously there is no point for not going for unlimited game drives isn’t it? And no one would miss that opportunity. The best hour to go for morning game drives are between 6am -9am and 4pm-6pm as animals are mostly in search of food and there is a high chance to see them close. By the noon the temperature rises , so the wilds mostly remain inside the bush hidden. Go for safari game drives and get an overall view of its natural habitat and its wildlife. The ranch is a home for more than 80 species of wild animals and more than 300 species of birds. We were so lucky to spot 2 big leopards there which are very elusive animals. We saw herd of elephants roaming all over the grasslands and other animals too which was filled with acacia trees.
Night game drives
In Kenya there are not many game parks who allows night safaris . So this experience is just above all yes the ‘night safaris’. Have you ever imagined how the wild behaves in the night? Well go for a night game drive in Sosian and see it all by yourself. Trust us guys that would definitely be a lifetime experience. The best time to go for night safaris would be between 8pm-12am also you can continue for as long as you wish too. Do pack some winter clothes for the night as temperate might drop. During the night game drive there are more chances to witness some of the nocturnal animals like hyenas, nocturnal birds, fox etc which cannot be seen during the day.
Budgeting for your trip : Sosian Lodge Rates : Sosian Lodge Prices
Sosian lodge is currently offering you to book the whole lodge at KES 60,000(up to 6 people) per night. Per extra person would be charged KES 8,000 per night(max 18 pax).
Conservation fees per night for adult is at KES 3,000 per night.
The above cost includes Unlimited Day & Night game drives, Horse back safaris, Bush Walks, camel treks, fishing, sun downer, laundry, service of staff & chef and drinking water.
How many days to spend in Sosian Lodge for offbeat safaris
We would recommend to add an extra night if possible and stay for 3 nights to explore and relax. We felt our 2 nights stay was slightly hectic with all the activities around. Enjoy the best time at Sosian!!
