Sirai House is served by team of 40 dedicated and attentive staff. Accomplished head chef George creates bespoke and mouth-watering meals using ingredients sourced locally or grown in the estate’s organic ‘shamba’. Milk and cream come from Sirai’s Jersey cows and delicious beef from the Borana cattle herds, eggs are from the house’s chickens and honey from its bees.
What to eat and where and when is entirely at guests’ discretion – whether in the grandeur of the formal dining hall, al-fresco on one of many verandas and terraces, in the poolside loggia or at a sumptuous picnic out in the bush. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free diets are all happily accommodated.
Great care has been taken by the owners to select exquisite wines to accompany George’s wonderful food. Champagne, house wines, cocktails, vintage ports and digestifs, smoothies, juices and soft drinks are all on tap throughout every stay. A private cellar houses an additional 3,000 bottles of fine wine and vintage Champagne from the world’s most prestigious vineyards.
Amongst the wealth of recreational facilities on offer are a fabulous pool area with heated 20-metre infinity pool and extensive loggia with bar, sitting area and dining tables, plus a clay tennis court, croquet lawn, boules pitch and granite table tennis table. The secluded and peaceful yoga retreat is perfect for moments of contemplation and relaxation. The luxurious spa retreat has inside and outside whirlpools, steam room and treatment room.
The cocoon-like cinema has nine double ‘love’ seats, with a choice of over 1,000 classic and feature films on DVD, plus Netflix and Apple TV. There is also a local satellite bouquet so guests won’t miss the latest sports and news. There is a Sonos sound system in every room and the entre property is outfitted with a 50 mbps fibre-optic wi-fi system.
The grand and traditional Club Room is dominated by its full-sized Sir William Bentley billiard table equipped with cues, arches and balls. It is the perfect place for after dinner conversations over fine cognacs.
The six double bedroom suites are dramatic, stylish, refined and romantic. Natural stone and wood blend with raw linen, suede, sheepskin and sisal. Handmade furniture, dramatic chandeliers and African artefacts mingle with vintage and contemporary photographs and an array of beautifully-chosen objets d’art. The results are harmonious, sophisticated and irresistible.
All the suites are connected to the main house via easy pathways, and their bedrooms, bathrooms, sitting rooms and terraces all feel intimately at one with nature. The bathrooms feature separate showers, capacious free-standing tubs, twin hand basins and separate lavatories. Three of the suites have additional outdoor showers, and all have warming indoor fireplaces and flat-screen televisions.
Bedroom linens are of 400-thread count Egyptian cotton, sourced direct from the Nile Valley. Pillows are American-sized and available in both feather and hypo-allergenic options. A private rim-flow plunge pool leads off the master suite bathroom – it measures 4x 4 metres, and 1.8 metres at the central deepest section.
Beyond the myriad relaxing pleasures and diversions of the house and estate, there are more than 30,000 wild acres waiting to be explored. Sirai has its own watering hole and hide for wild animal viewing in situ, and game drives in custom-made open-sided safari Land Rovers, walking safaris, mountain biking trips and delicious bush meals are available to guests throughout their stay.
Sirai’s experienced and knowledgeable guides are all accredited members of the Kenya Safari Guides Association, and the duration and departure times of game drives and safari bush walks are tailor-made to guests’ wishes. Riding safaris and specialist birding guides can also be arranged, and a popular excursion is to the tree-top canopy walk and striking blue pools and waterfalls of the nearby 13,000-acre Ngare Ndare Forest.
The nearby Sirai Stud is dedicated to breeding Boerperd x Friesian and South African thoroughbred horses. The immaculate stables in the grounds, with ménage and surrounding paddocks accommodate the resident Sirai horses and foals, and also house the Boutique which stocks a range of covetable African gifts.
Conservation is ingrained within the DNA of Sirai House. As well as helping to fund the operational costs of the conservancy, the Borana Conservation Trust, established by Sirai House, has donated over $400,000 over the past five years to various specific projects supporting local communities through education and health initiatives, as well as via employment and sustainable tourism.
It has helped to provide local schools with learning materials, with financial assistance for secondary and tertiary school fees and with clean water for the pupils. It has also funded the Borana Mobile Medical Clinic which brings vital care to more than 2500 vulnerable people each year in Laikipia’s most remote areas, and has provided high-end medical equipment for Nanyuki Cottage Hospital.
Other habitat and wildlife conservation initiatives and research programmes include supporting the welfare of rangers working on the frontline to protect against rhino and elephant poaching, funding additional rhino protection and conservation in the conservancy and the installation of electric fencing to enhance elephant conservation, community protection and agriculture security.
‘Sirai Air’ is the property’s very own state-of-the-art Pilatus PC-12 aircraft – the first of its type in East Africa. Built in Switzerland to the very highest levels of precision, design and comfort, it carries 8 passengers in luxury and is available for private charter from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to safari and beach destinations throughout East Africa and beyond.
A versatile aircraft with a pressurised and air-conditioned cabin, the Pilatus is bush airstrip-capable and can climb above turbulence and poor weather to make every flight as swift and comfortable as possible. The PC12 operates at up to 30,000 feet and cruises at up to 280 knots. Flying time from Nairobi to the Borana airstrip is just 30 minutes, and from Borana to sister property Sirai Beach at Kilifi on the Kenya coast takes 1 hour 15 minutes.
Sirai House is the ideal base from which to explore Mount Kenya and the rugged Northern Frontier District by helicopter, light aircraft or biplane. All kinds scenic flights and expeditions can be arranged – from trout fishing trips to elephant orphanage visits.