I booked Ngulia Bandas last year as part of our honeymoon experience, but a mistake led us to Ngulia safari lodge ( reading the reviews people seem to be confusing the pair) - I had booked the suite at the top of the hill with the jacuzzi but was atad bummed that due to driver error ( silly error) we stayed at the Lodge which was not that nice -infact, the view was the only saving grace. To rectify this our very lovely driver spoke to the manager at the Bandas and we spent several hours between our safari drives in the suite we booked, jacuzzi, sunloungers and what a view. We ate lunch there which served the best french onion soup I've ever had. The staff were fab, and the manager there to greet us was just the nicest man who just hoped we would have the best honeymoon. Drinks were fairly cheap and the panaromic view from the restaurant was just the best.
I cannot say enough about Ngulia Bandas, just ask for the suite at the top of the hill, huge canvas fronted suite, panoramic views, huge bed, huge bathroom, Jacuzzi ....whats not to love!!!!
Any questions just ask
Thanks Caroline and Martin

We arranged a safari whilst staying in Mombasa and selected to stay at Ngulia as the brochure proved interesting.
We were not dissapointed! We enjoyed the Tsavo West safari but the highlight of our trip was without question our stay at Ngulia. The setting is perfect, perched up on the side of the hill the rooms themselves have superb views across the African plains.
The lodge was comfortable with modern bathroom yet we were still very aware that we were in the wilderness. Electricity was only part of the day and was switched off in late evening (10 o'clock we seem to remember) which made the use of the candles and gas lanterns part of the experience which we loved.
The whole side of the room was constructed 'tent style' that could be unzipped and opened up onto the small private terrace.
After dark the Masai escort you to the main building as you are in leopard country . This escorted walk through the narrow pathways to the sounds of African insects and bull frogs was again a wonderfull experience.
Food was African and interesting, the service was very good and sincere.
In summary, we loved the whole experience, wonderfully romantic, unspoilt and a real treat. We would love to return.

Let's get one thing straight - there are two Ngulia 'lodges'. One is a 50 bedroom mega building with an amazing view over mmba (miles and miles of bl*** Africa), complete with swimming pool (very useful on a hot day). Stayed there 40 years ago - very nice, been back several times since for drink and a swim, not my scene any longer but they try hard - everyone in Kenya tries hard.
The other is the Ngulia Safari lodge which in my day ( as a child many years ago) used to be a self catering camp with bandas. It has now been converted into a serviced 'lodge/camp' where we have stayed every year for the last 5 years and taken many guests.. Rooms are amazing for a 'camp' - large rooms with a very nice bathroom, fully functional showers, loos and basin - all you need on safari unless you are incredibly fussy in which case go back to the original meaning of safari - camping in the wild. Things go wrong from time to time - as they tend to in Africa - last year we had no electricity for 24 hours - generator failure - but hurricane lamps did the trick and the food was still great - all the better for a bit of mystery, and the bar still functioned - fantastic.
We like this place very much - amazing views, very good food, incredibly helpful staff, (who remember you from year to year, how good is that) (including the guy with the spear who sees you to bed - not a bad idea as we have encountered both leopards and elephants between the bar and the bedroom) - there are also very loud frogs in the pool in the bar - neat.. It's not 5 star luxury but it's not half bad for somewhere 100 miles up a bumpy dirt road from the nearest basic shop with no mains water/electricty on tap. Give it a go - we'll be back.

Why...Why...Why...did I listen to the advise of our tour operator and change our two day stay at the Kilaguni Serena Lodge to this lodge...Why...Why...Why...

As soon as we arrived I knew it was a mistake but unfortunately because of our late arrival we were unable to do anything about it...the lodge is very out dated and appears to be falling apart at the seams...it doesn't appear to have been upgraded since the day it was built...our rooms were very small and still dirty from the previous guests (dirty garbage cans, messy floors etc etc)...the bar was less than exciting and the entire place seemed to lack positive energy...dinner (and then breakfast) was the worst of any place we've eaten while on safari and that includes this three week vacation and a previous four week safari...the noise level from others in the hotel is very bothersome...it's almost as if you're in a cardboard house...no air conditioning and we were there at a time when the bugs came out and were everywhere...now granted they can't do much about the bugs outside but if you are like myself and the travellers I was with then you prefer to sleep with out the bugs crawling EVERYWHERE in the room...was a crappy nights sleep to say the least...the staff did try to accommodate where they could but the place has been left in a state of despair too long...

Anyway, I don't like to use the word "hated" but that's what I'm going with when describing the Ngulia Safari Camp...we ended up going to the Kilaguni Serena the next day and completely enjoyed our stay there...hope this helps...Cheers from Canada...