Tucked away within the protected wilderness of Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Safari Cottages offers a retreat experience unlike any other. Here, yoga unfolds beneath open skies as elephants wander past the deck and the rhythms of nature shape each day. Family owned and welcoming just one group at a time, the space invites guests to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and experience the wild with intention. We spoke with the team behind Safari Cottages about creating meaningful retreat experiences, practicing alongside wildlife, and why yoga has become a natural part of life in the bush.
What makes Ol Pejeta Safari Cottages unlike anywhere else?
The simplest answer is that this is our home, and when you come here you are staying in it. We're a family-owned property in the wilderness area of Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and we host one group at a time — no reception desk, no dinner gong at seven-thirty, no other guests to be polite to over breakfast. Between us we've spent over ninety years building and running camps across Southern and East Africa, and much of what we learned went into deciding what to leave out.
Every stay includes private chefs, a house manager, and your own guides and safari vehicles at no extra cost. That isn't a luxury add-on, it's the whole point: the day belongs to you. For retreat groups we go further and assign a dedicated retreat planner, so a teacher isn't trying to build an itinerary from six thousand miles away. We can sleep up to 16 with two to a room, or 24 with three, all ensuite with private verandahs looking out over the river.
What do guests discover when they arrive?
Most people arrive tired. They've come a long way, and there's often a slight anxiety about whether they'll "do safari right" — see the right animals, tick the right boxes. What they're actually looking for, we think, is permission to stop.
So we don't programme them. The cottages sit along an acacia-lined riverline and open onto the plains, and a great deal of what happens here happens because nobody rushed it. Elephants come down to the river during lunch. Giraffe wander past the deck mid-practice. You cannot schedule that, and you certainly can't schedule the moment a guest stops photographing it and just watches. Our job is mostly to remove friction — the logistics, the decisions, the mealtimes — so there's room left for that to happen.
How did yoga become part of the experience?
Honestly, it wasn't a business decision, it was family. Our daughter Kat MacLeod is a yoga teacher, and she built the deck overlooking the river long before there was any retreat to put on it, on the vague hope that she might one day teach here. She loved practising on this deck at dawn each day and was often joined by elephants and rhinos. What we didn't anticipate is how well yoga and safari fit together.
What is it like to practice yoga at Safari Cottages?
A safari day already has a natural shape. You're up before light, out while it's cool, back through the heat of the middle of the day. Sunrise practice and an afternoon restorative session slot into that rhythm as though they were always meant to be there.
The bush offers something wild and really authentic to the experience. You're outdoors, on the equator, with no walls, and the wildlife doesn't observe class etiquette. Groups regularly practise with giraffe or elephant in view from the mat.
Can you take us through a typical day on yoga retreat?
Back to camp for lunch, and then the middle of the day is a great opportunity for rest, journaling, a mindful walk around camp looking for birds. There's an opportunity for a second yoga class in the afternoon too, usually something slower and more restorative, before leaving around 4.30PM with your guide as the heat drops and the light turns golden. Somewhere out on the plains we stop for sundowners — a drink and a snack, and nothing to do but watch the sun go down and soak in all the magic. Then we'll return home in the dark, keeping an eye out for nocturnal wildlife, to a fire and dinner under the stars.
That's the shape of it, but nothing is fixed. Because every retreat is private you have your own guide, vehicle and chef, everything moves around your practice rather than the other way around. If a group wants a longer morning session, or breakfast in camp instead of the bush, we simply do that.
What yoga retreats can guests experience throughout the year?
Several groups join us each year and we share their retreats publically on our website. Yoga for the Wild, founded by our daughter Kat MacLeod and Laura Messer, has just completed its seventh annual Kenya Safari & Conservation Retreat with us and they return almost every year. All proceeds from their retreats go to Ol Pejeta; to date the retreats have raised over $17,000 directly for the conservancy, with a further $21,000 of conservation impact generated through the work.
We've welcomed groups from all over the world and most return for a second and third retreat, because it really is more straightforward than most people assume. Tell us your dates and group size and our retreat planner takes it from there. Groups of more than six qualify for a discounted rate, and stays over three nights drop to our lower season rate.
What made Manduka the right partner for your space and vision?
Kat has practised on Manduka for years, so when it came to kitting out the deck there wasn't much of a decision to make. We shipped Manduka mats to our little patch in the bush all the way from Europe. We also provide locally sourced blocks, straps and handmade bolsters, and our deck takes up to twenty mats. That means you can leave their kit at home, which on a long-haul trip to Kenya matters.
Beyond the kit, there's a shared instinct about buying well once rather than replacing often. We built this place to last, and we chose Ol Pejeta because of the work they do here. Partnering with a company like Manduka that thinks the same way about what it makes felt entirely natural.
Grounding Yoga at Ol Pejeta Safari Cottages
Join a 20-minute grounding practice to help you steady yourself when life feels turbulent with yoga teacher Kathrine MacLeod. Through slow, intentional movement and mindful breathing, this class offers a moment to pause, reconnect, and drop anchor within yourself. Return anytime you need calm, clarity, and a sense of stability.
Connect
Website: thesafaricottages.com
Instagram: @thesafaricottages
Address: Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya
Upcoming retreats:
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July 27th - August 3rd, 2026: Yoga for The Wild Safari & Conservation Yoga Retreat
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October 24th - 30th: Yoga and Safari Retreat with Present Practice Yoga
Partner With Manduka
Manduka has supported teachers, studios, and wellness spaces since 1997. Whether you're a yoga teacher, studio, gym, fitness centre, or hotel wellness lead, there's a partnership program designed for you. Learn more about working with Manduka.
