Oasis Lodge: Our full report

Overlooking the southern shore of Lake Turkana, this long-established fishing lodge and caravanserai set ...

... on a low bluff in the village of Loiyangalani, offers simple accommodation, a bar, restaurant and two small swimming pools.

For years, Oasis Lodge managed to maintain a reputation as about the only credible accommodation around Lake Turkana. Run by a truculent German owner, it achieved fame in the later scenes of the movie The Constant Gardener, Fernando Meirelles' Hollywood adaptation of John le Carré's novel. Most visitors were, however, put off by the poor welcome and wavering facilities. Like it or lump it, there was nowhere else to go.

Conceived as a fishing lodge, the hotel has recently been taken over by new owners and renovated, so our pictures from a brief visit in 2009 on Rough Guide to Kenya research may not do the place justice. The views from the bar-restaurant and their two pools fed by the local warm springs are the main attractions, beyond shade, shelter from the wind, and a bed for the night in simple, en-suite cottages.

Most visitors will be on privately guided safaris, and the lodge is usually full during the annual Lake Turkana Cultural Festival in May or June.

We haven't visited since the change of ownership, but hope to do so the next time we're in northern Kenya.

Our view

As long as you don't hold out high hopes of a luxurious desert lodge, you should find the newly refurbished Oasis Lodge provides adequate comfort and service.

Richard Trillo

Country manager: Kenya

Geographics

Location: Northern Kenya, Kenya
Ideal length of stay: 2 nights
Directions: Oasis Lodge is a two-day drive from Nairobi. You could also visit as a side trip while staying at the much more luxurious Desert Rose, a four-hour drive to the south.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board
Food quality: Meals are largely set menus, and cost around US$20.
Dining style: Individual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Drinks included: Drinks are not included, but are not unreasonably priced, and are often cold.

Children

Attitude towards children: Children are welcome.
Property’s age restrictions: None.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Oasis Lodge

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Oasis Lodge have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.