Inside Suyian Lodge, Kenya: A luxury safari retreat in Laikipia

There are baboons on the terrace. A lot of them. Ranging in size from adorable babies to imposing adults, they’re all hanging out by my suite’s plunge pool, talking among themselves. I’m inside, lounging on my king-size bed post-early morning safari, but when I sit up for a closer look (and to make sure I’d closed the door properly), the baboons flee, shrieking, disappearing into the surrounding vegetation like they were never there. It feels like I’ve landed somewhere between a dream and a wildlife documentary, a feeling that sums up Kenya’s astonishing Suyian Lodge.

Run by &Beyond, a company seriously committed to both luxury and sustainability, Suyian Lodge is a recent addition to a 29-property portfolio across three continents. Located on a majestically beautiful 17,806-hectare, privately managed nature conservancy in the Laikipia region in Kenya’s north, Suyian is a triumph of balance. It seamlessly blends indulgent and exquisitely designed luxury with a philosophy of sitting lightly on the land (solar power, recycled water systems, zero plastic) and getting up close and personal with a dizzying variety of African wildlife.

It starts with the drive to the lodge after touching down from the 45-minute flight from Nairobi. Our guide, Denzol Nongutho, is there to greet and ferry us to Suyian along a series of dirt roads in a smart racing green, reassuringly large and sturdy safari truck. We don’t travel far before we see two types of zebras – Grevy’s and common – plus elephants and Grant’s gazelles. I begin to jot down the animals and birdlife that Denzol points out on that first drive. By the end of the stay, the list runs to more than 70 species.

The thrill of seeing these animals roaming freely across the scrubby savannah might seem like a hard act to follow. Then we arrive at the lodge. Stretching along the ridge of an escarpment that offers heart-stoppingly gorgeous views of the granite outcrop-studded wilderness, Suyian reveals itself slowly, as it is designed to do.

Clad in natural stacked stone that echoes the colour of the local rock formations, the lodge is mostly hidden from the road, making the first Tardis-like encounter with the airily spacious main building surprising and delightful. It houses the lodge’s restaurant, bar, lounge areas with large open fireplaces, gift shop, map room and library, swimming pool, fire pit and wood-fired pizza oven, wine cellar and an expansive terrace with its hypnotising vista to drink in alongside excellent Kenyan coffee and/or cocktails.

Suyian has just 14 suites, seven on either side of the main building, all with uninterrupted views and complete privacy, fortunate given the lure of the outdoor shower and plunge pool-equipped terrace. They are among the most beautiful I’ve experienced, their roofs sporting ochre-coloured domes and planted with native vegetation, the expansive interiors all about curving lines, recessed wall lights and silky smooth polished concrete floors covered in cow skin and woven rugs, lovely underfoot.

An entrance vestibule equipped with sunhats, umbrellas and walking sticks, leads to a lounge area with a fireplace and soothingly minimalist décor textured by woven wall hangings, timber joinery and lamps with raffia shades. The generously stocked minibar favours Kenyan produce and addictive house-made cheese straws and oatmeal cookies. The bedroom sits under one of the domes, the bed enclosed at night by a circular mosquito curtain and cooled by an overhead fan. A spacious dressing room area and voluminous bathroom, complete with large tub and timber-floored circular shower recess, add to the current buzzword vibe of quiet luxury. Quiet that is, except for the occasional night sounds of the neighbourhood leopards.

It’s tempting just to hang out in the suite but there’s wildlife to observe, excellent South African wine to drink, superb food to eat and a spa complex to wallow in. Perched at the end of the escarpment, the spa’s equipped with treatment rooms, steam room, cold plunge pool and, like everywhere at Suyian, unfailingly adept and friendly staff.

We go out on safari twice a day, once early in the morning and once in the late afternoon when the heat of the day has subsided and the animals are more likely to be out enjoying the cool. Denzol’s expertise is incredible, particularly in a new safari area where the animals are not used to tourists. We actually have to go searching for many creatures, which makes coming across them even more satisfying. Though we hear the leopards, we never get to see one. Turns out, the chase is just as thrilling.

Mornings, we head to the main lodge building before the sun is up, accompanied by a staff member. Given the proximity of the wildlife, we are not permitted to make the walk alone, a heartstarter as effective as the coffee and pastries set out for us before we board the safari truck. The sun rises as we snack, painting the horizon smoky orange and revealing in the distance, the peak of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest at more than 5000 metres.

We set off in the truck, warmed by blankets and hot water bottles against the morning chill. We are close to the equator here but as the Laikipia region is on an elevated plateau, around 1700 metres above sea level, the temperature fluctuates throughout the day.

I will never forget the delight of spotting giraffe heads emerging from treetops, a pod of hippos lolling about in the river, pungent lions strolling just metres away from the truck, a cheetah laying low in the grass, sprightly gerenuks springing up rock formations, startlingly large white-backed vultures, jackals and bat-eared foxes watching us suspiciously from a distance or being eyeballed by a herd of huge, menacing buffaloes. On one occasion, I ride a horse surrounded by a herd of zebras.