When Bill Gates Visited Sanctuary Olonana In Maasai Mara

Sanctuary Olonana along the banks of the Mara River is historic for having housed billionaire Bill Gates during his vacation in Kenya.

Bill Gates had for years heard of the thrill of the Seventh Wonder in the world which is the Great Migration. He purposed to see it all as it happens and booked his stay at the classy Sanctuary Olonana.

Sanctuary Olonana boasts of luxury in everything; it is sandwiched between the iconic Maasai Mara Game Reserve and the Mara River is known for its enormous crocodiles that feast on wildebeest every year as they cross over to Tanzania.

The luxury lodge which Bill Gates stayed in during his visit for the Great Migration has great views of the Mara River. Coupled with scintillating architectural designs to die for; it brings about a feeling of cultural modernity.

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The walls of Sanctuary Olonana are made of tiny stone particles constructed in the Maasai technique of mudding and smoothening surfaces. The allure this design brings is mindboggling.

Olonana Lodge also makes a statement with its interior décor mainly reflecting a deep Maasai-African theme and a lot of jungle life in it. Floorboards evoke wood bleached by the African sun, while splashes of saturated mustard yellows and cerulean blues conjure the colours of African wildflowers glowing in a ‘golden hour’ light.

A string of hand-crafted Maasai ornaments such as spears and shields are plastered in the wall as African prints décor. The weapons are synonymous with the Maasai culture as the tools of the trade during war. A spear was and is still synonymous with the Maasai people as it signifies an important tool for the rite of passage.

Decades ago, a young Maasai moran would be ushered into the adult club if he successfully killed a lion using a spear given to him by his family. This is what compounded the bravery of Maasai morans who are revered for their survival tactics in the jungle. This is the aura that Sanctuary Olonana brings forth, a feeling that Bill gates once took to his system.

Though deeply African, the doors leading to the terrace are made of glass. Woven rugs stick to the wooden floor of the lodge as bulbs hand from wooden poles illuminating the terrace and the decking area where the glass doors bring in natural light during the day.
The lodge’s decking area has an enviable fire pit surrounded by comfortable rocking chairs to make every moment on the deck memorable. You can grab your favourite drink at the deck while watching hippos rise and submerge into the waters of the Mara River.

Sanctuary Olonana has a well-stocked library where guests while away their time adding more knowledge into their system. The beauty of the lodges comes from its 14 exceptional suites. They are spacious measuring at least 130 square meters in size. They are 100 per cent made of organic materials. Entry to the suites gives a presidential-like feeling as floor-to-ceiling glass doors open widely. The suites overlook the Mara River.

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Elegance oozes from every bit of the finishing of the suites topped by a warm comfortable king-sized bed with running fans dangling from the ceiling and a daybed deck to whirl away time on the outer part of the suit watching the happenings of the Mara River. During the Great Migration, sights of wildebeest crossing the Mara River into the Serengeti in Tanzania are breathtakingly recorded from the suite’s deck not to mention the beautiful landscape that you see in the Mara.

Sanctuary Olonana’s lounge area is a window for the beautiful landscape in the Mara. Vast savannah grassland with rolling hills on the horizon come up clearly.

For a taste of the African touch in the Mara, Sanctuary Olonana has a spa with exclusive African relaxation remedies.

The fact that Bill Gates chose to holiday here says a lot about the touch of luxury and exclusivity found here.