Four-star Nanyuki, Nyeri County, at the edge of Laikipia, Laikipia
Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club
A club William Holden made famous in 1959, on a hundred acres of lawn and forest below Mount Kenya, a few miles from the equator.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Founded
- 1959, as the Mount Kenya Safari Club
- Grounds
- About 100 acres, shared with a wildlife conservancy
- Rating
- Four stars, Kenya's Tourism Regulatory Authority
- From the airport
- About 30 minutes from Nanyuki airstrip
The hotel
From Mawingo to the Safari Club.
The house began as Mawingo, built for Rhoda Lewisohn, an American socialite, and Gabriel Prudhomme, the French aviator she met on a Kenyan safari in the 1930s. In 1959 Ray Ryan bought it with the actor William Holden and Carl Hirschman, and the three turned it into the Mount Kenya Safari Club, a private retreat in the foothills a few miles from the equator.
Holden added cottages, stables and gardens, and the guest book filled with names: Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby, Conrad Hilton, Lyndon B. Johnson. Fairmont joined in the 2000s, alongside The Norfolk in Nairobi, and still manages the club. The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and its animal orphanage share the grounds, and the rooms have since been refurbished in their 1950s style.
- The conservancy The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and Animal Orphanage is on the grounds, and breakfast can be taken there among critically endangered mountain bongos.
- Riuki Spa Treatments, a pool and a fitness room, with Mount Kenya in view.
- Fire and river Dinner by an open fire on the banks of the Likii River, or among the roses in the garden.
Rooms & suites
Rooms, cottages and Holden's own suites.
Rooms, suites and villas in a 1950s style, recently refurbished, set around the gardens and along the river.
- Rooms Fairmont and Riverside Deluxe The entry rooms, with a queen or twin beds; the Riverside rooms stand by the water.
- On the line Manor Equatorial Suite A king-bedded suite in the manor, which the hotel places along the equator itself.
- Two bedrooms William Holden Suite and the villas Two-bedroom suites named after the founder, and the Batian and Sendeo villas, the latter on two floors.
Dining
Terrace, garden and riverbank.
Venues and experiences as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Tusks Breakfast The main dining room
- Zebar Terrace Cocktails Sundowners facing the mountain
- Rose Garden Private dinners Set in the hotel garden
- Open Fire Dining Grill By the Likii River
Recognition
Awards and ratings.
- World Travel Awards, Africa's Leading Hotel 2009, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025
- Tourism Regulatory Authority Four stars
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival The hotel has its own airstrip for private charters. By road, Nanyuki airstrip is about 30 minutes away.
- Wildlife The conservancy and animal orphanage are next to the gardens, and the hotel arranges guided visits and eco-safaris with them.
Getting there
Flying to Laikipia.
Private jets land at Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi, about 200 kilometres or three hours by road, and a smaller aircraft can fly on to the hotel's own airstrip. Scheduled light aircraft fly from Wilson to Nanyuki twice a day, and the drive from the Nanyuki airstrip takes about 30 minutes.
- Zanzibar 1 h 10
- Kigali 1 h 20
- Seychelles 3 h 05
- Dubai 5 h 00
- London 9 h 20 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Who founded the Mount Kenya Safari Club?
- Ray Ryan, the actor William Holden and Carl Hirschman bought the estate, then called Mawingo, in 1959 and opened it as a club.
- Can a charter plane land at the hotel?
- Yes. The hotel has its own airstrip for private charters. Jets land first at Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi, where customs are, and a smaller aircraft flies the last leg.
- Is the hotel on the equator?
- Almost. It stands a few miles from it, and the hotel describes the Manor Equatorial Suite as lying along the line.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Laikipia?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Laikipia, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Laikipia
Other hotels worth the trip.
Staying at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Laikipia, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.