Best Camps and Lodges in Samburu

Arijiju House is an exclusive-use luxury retreat; a beautiful, private residence in the game-rich, Kenyan Highlands with rare, truly wild luxuries—a spectacular retreat on the Borana Conservancy on Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau. Arijiju’s architecture borrows from the Kenyan tradition of grouping rooms to house multi-generations, with three suites in the main house and two generous cottages along a stone pathway. Essentially a large private villa, it is a stylish grassed-roof construction designed to blend seamlessly into the hillside on which it sits and offers a new standard of luxury for the area. Throughout the communal areas at Arijiju Retreat, the design is inspired by styles both African– there are references to the famous monasteries of neighbouring Ethiopia, and the entire structure is clad in local Meru stone – and European, with chandeliers and first-rate western-style furnishings. Nourishment is the cornerstone of Arijiju’s philosophy. Using local, farm-reared beef and poultry, local herbs and vegetables from our organic kitchen garden, our chefs create delicious, healthy dishes with low-or-no food miles, and allow you to tailor your menus from indulgent to slimming, vegan, and/or gluten-free. There is a candle-lit lounge and bar area, a library and office, a spa house, a gym, a yoga studio, tennis and squash courts, and an infinity pool with views over a waterhole frequented by elephant, rhino, cheetah, giraffe and many other species. There is a fourteen-strong staff in attendance, including the butler, chefs and a ranger. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property. The indulgent 19 m (65 ft) infinity swimming pool, often also enjoyed by elephants to quench their thirst, offers the ideal respite after a warm Kenyan day’s adventure.  To the north and east of Arijiju lie snow-capped mountains, dense forests and sprawling deserts, while to the south looms Mount Kenya. Open fences and corridors allow for safe passage for animals on migration, while radio collars on elephant matriarchs and roaming lions help inform and divert human-wildlife conflict. As such, Laikipia has emerged as the only region in Kenya where wildlife numbers have increased over the past 20 years. The vision of one determined character, Arijiju is quite unlike any other safari lodge. It's also a secret weapon in the battle to save rhinos from extinction. A SANCTUARY FOR ADVENTURE: read more read less

Poised on a rocky kopje, the Loisaba Star Beds command sweeping views over an undulating valley and a permanent waterhole, frequented by resident wildlife. Handcrafted four-poster wooden beds sit on raised wooden platforms jutting out from a thatched-roof accommodation and are rolled out each night for guests to enjoy the most memorable sleep under the endless African sky. Rustically designed to complement the surrounding environment, each star bed is individually built in harmony with the natural rocky features, incorporating a sitting area, and an open-plan bathroom with a view. Loisaba star bed is unique, cosy, luxurious and ideal for anyone seeking relaxation and an authentic African experience. Meals Guests at Loisaba Star Beds are attended by a team of local Samburu and Laikipia Maasai warriors who are also expert guides. The welcome offered is exemplary: warm, friendly and professional. The sister Tented Camp is well-known for the quality of its cuisine, and the offering here equals it with a highly diet-adaptable menu produced with local ingredients but an international outlook. There is a good list of wines and other drinks available. Rising early to watch the sunrise from your Star Bed with a comforting hot beverage, the day ahead promises adventure, with a myriad of activities by which to experience Loisaba. A day of fun is rounded off with drinks by the log fire in the Star Beds lounge, sharing tall tales of the African bush, with the tale-telling continuing over a delicious shared dinner. Area Loisaba is a 57,000-acre conservancy within Laikipia County that is owned by Loisaba Community Trust, a Kenyan Trust incorporated under the Perpetual Succession of Trustees Act and is committed to wildlife and ecological conservation. The Loisaba mission is to protect and enhance critical wildlife diversity, abundance and habitat in the Loisaba landscape, which sits on the western edge of one of Kenya’s most important elephant movement corridors, while concurrently supporting sustainable livestock production and improving the lives of neighbouring communities. Activities At Loisaba If you are able to leave your starbed, there are some excellent activities available! With its sprawling plains, rushing river, scrublands and woodlands, Loisaba Conservancy is a haven for many animals. There are abundant lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, zebra, giraffes, gazelle, and many more predators and herbivores! The birdlife is impressive too, with over 500 resident and migrant species. Game drives are great for taking in all the spectacular sights of safari, while guided walks bring guests closer to the little details on the ground. Horse riding is another wonderful way to get to know the area, while camel rides allow guests to expand their horizons even further. There is mountain biking too, and fishing is possible all year round. *This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course. read more read less

Lengishu is an exclusive-use family home offering unparalleled luxury accommodation in Laikipia at the heart of Kenya’s 32,000-acre Borana Conservancy, one of the country’s most successful rhino sanctuaries. Nestled into a ridge with stunning views across the Laikipia plains and deep into the Northern Frontier, Lengishu is a luxury home offering sustainable tourism and safari adventures in one of Kenya’s leading wildlife destinations.  The main house and its four hand-built cottages can accommodate up to 12 guests, including a scenic pool, a grand main dining area where you'll enjoy hearty farm-to-fork cuisine and plenty of outdoor social spaces making this a great spot for family groups and friends. With a team of staff and guides to look after you, you get to choose which activities you’d like to do and when. Some of the exciting ways to fill your day include private game viewing on land and in the air, mountain biking, rhino tracking on foot and horse riding. THE ROOMS Fish Eagle and Goshawk are standalone double rooms, perfect for couples. The Upper and Lower Cottages work well for guests travelling with young children or couples on safari together, with the bedrooms leading off a shared sitting room that is found at the centre of the cottage. All bedrooms are spacious with fireplaces or wood-burning stoves for the cooler evenings and have en-suite bathrooms with rain showers and freestanding copper bathtubs. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide majestic views of the undulating plains beyond, perfect for bathtub game viewing. Lengishu is situated on Borana Conservancy – home to The Big Five, along with an abundance of other species of African wildlife – bringing you to the heart of the action. Working with the Conservancy, we offer a wealth of game drives and other safari adventures on land, by air and on horseback, along with hands-on conservation experiences, accompanied by your own private guide. read more read less

Sabuk is all about the fabulous camel walks and safaris with fly camps together with a rich cultural experience and heartbeat. Majestic nights spent out under starry skies , rolling hills and adventures,moments of anticipation, excitement shared with your guides and safari team. Sabuk have been running camel safaris in this area for the past 25 years. Sabuk is remote and beautiful…an exclusive wilderness on the edge of the Northern Laikipia Plateau; perched on a cliff overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro River, which cascades beneath the lodge all year round. Sabuk, which remains a family home, offers wilderness and stunning views of the Laikipia plains towards Mount Kenya, as well as the Karisa Hills and Mathews Mountains in the North. read more read less

Nay Palad Bird Nest is a one-of-a-kind accommodation on the grounds of Segera Retreat, an award-winning sustainable luxury destination. Perched amid the treetops on a river teeming with wildlife, the Bird Nest offers views of the plains by day that are matched only by those of the stars at night. In the morning, guests awaken to the magical sounds of animals at play. Ever fancied spending the night in a bird’s nest? Probably not, but you may wish to consider it now. Welcome to the Nay Palad Bird Nest, Africa’s latest quirky and luxurious safari lodge, located in the wilds of Kenya - a raised suite that offers 360-degree views over the surrounding plains of Laikipia. The nest is lit with lanterns, champagne, and delicious food set out on the open-air top level. Inviting beds (either open-air or within the shelter of the first floor) are prepared with soft linens and hot water bottles, ready for the night ahead. From the comfort of the nest, guests will watch the sunset, feast on a picnic-style dinner and fall asleep under the starry sky. To wake up to the sounds of wild animals and a view as far as the eye can see makes for a wonderful experience. Part of the Segera Retreat and built next to a river well-stocked with wildlife, this two-level suite was built with interwoven tree branches and a circular viewing platform up top. read more read less

Unpack your bags at Mukima and relax in the luxury and privacy of your own magnificent home, visiting the many local parks and amenities as and when you please. Deep in the heart of Laikipia, one of Kenya’s most spectacular game viewing areas, stands the perfectly restored, colonial-era Mukima House, with its twin gables, cedar framed windows and large, sweeping verandahs overlooking rolling lawns towards the private dam. In the distance, the snow capped peaks of Africa’s second highest mountain. Set within 360 private acres of African bush and on velvet lawns dotted with lavender and embellished with a shaded tennis court and an oval swimming pool, this timber and stone mansion could as easily stand in the home counties of England as it could in Kenya’s heartland….. except that in front of it rise the jagged peaks of Africa’s only Equatorial volcano, Mount Kenya, or that should you take an evening drive to one of the several neighbouring conservancies, you can be surrounded by elephants within thirty minutes. read more read less

Sarara is a unique conservation & ecotourism model, driven by the indigenous Samburu people of Northern Kenya. In the remote Samburu lands of northern Kenya, the peaks of the Mathews Range surge toward the sky, studded with forests of cycads and juniper and surrounded by vast stretches of savanna lies Sarara, one of Kenya’s ultimate luxury tented camps. In an area of unrivalled natural beauty and wilderness. The savannah plains and lush mountain slopes are home to elephants, leopards, reticulated giraffes, wild dogs and kudu in ever-increasing numbers. This remote and dramatic landscape is also home to the local Samburu people whose age-old traditions, including the famous ‘singing wells’ are as much a part of the fabric of this land as the wildlife; 850,000 acres of pristine wilderness. The tents are spacious and high-ceilinged with private terraces with tables and chairs and morning coffee and tea are brought to you so that you can leisurely arise gazing out over the mountains. There is an outdoor bathroom offering a superb view of the hills from the shower and an indoor toilet and sink at the back of the tent. An absolute spoil, relish hearty breakfasts in the mess building, buffet-style lunches under the shady trees and delicious dinners served on the pool terrace or a romantic bush affair under starry skies. The roughly hewn rock pool, with its view over the distant mountains, offers the ideal place from which to view the surrounding wilderness in private. The adventurous can venture out on nature walks, mountain hikes, game drives, fly camping safaris, moonlit bush dinners, horseback riding, scenic flights, visits to the Samburu Singing Wells and a variety of other exciting adventures. Intimate and Limitless read more read less

Saruni Samburu is a luxury lodge perched atop a rocky inselberg in the exclusive, remote, Kalama Conservancy, north of the Samburu National Reserve. The six luxury eco-chic villas are open and spacious, each heralding spectacular views over Kalama Conservancy and Mount Kenya. The warm and welcoming hospitality makes for an intimate and exceptional experience. The lodge is revered for its innovative, eco-chic architecture and interesting design and décor, as well as its Italian-inspired cuisine. Guests can enjoy the vast panoramas from the dining and lounge area, the infinity pool and Samburu Wellbeing Space. The entire property is spread across an ochre-red mountain of solid rock with every part facing out across the plains far below. The arresting view is hidden until the last minute: you arrive by vehicle, up a steep rocky track at the rear of the lodge, and only when you walk from the car into the main lounge and dining area does the full vista open up in front of you to dramatic effect. It is truly spectacular. The open-fronted central lounge and dining area, known as Kudu House, is partially roofed and has a few shallow steps to create a subtle subdivision between the two areas. They share a similar style with clean, whitewashed walls, polished red-cement floors and North African and Arab fittings. The homely lounge is decorated with comfortable cream sofas positioned around tables strewn with coffee-table books and the floor is studded with Persian rugs and tall terracotta pots. A further sofa and chairs are set closer to the rock edge for those who can't tear themselves away from the view. A telescope sits in one corner and if you want to try star gazing in the evening then the staff will happily show you how to use it. Saruni Samburu is the only lodge in Kalama Conservancy, which borders Samburu National Reserve, with 200,000 acres of unspoiled wilderness to explore and enjoy exclusively. You are guided from start to finish by Samburu warriors who are passionate about their land and their culture, learning first-hand about their fascinating customs and traditions and gaining ancient, local knowledge about the land and the animals – a truly authentic experience. read more read less

Sarova Shaba Game Lodge is located in a natural oasis in Shaba National Reserve and offers complete serenity amidst wild and beautiful surroundings. It is a unique safari experience that will fill your every sense with the sights and sounds of nature all around you. The Shaba Game Reserve is the natural habitat for the Grevy Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe and Gerenuk, only found in this part of Kenya. There are herds of Elephants, plenty of Lions, Cheetah and Crocodiles. The Shaba/ Samburu region has more than 350 different species of birds. Some of the species are endemic to the region whereas others have a more cosmopolitan distribution. The lodge offers guests an authentic safari experience, providing comfortable accommodation in a tranquil setting near the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river. This unique safari lodge stands out for its pioneering spirit and innovative design. The 85 woody rooms all have terraces and all rooms and the restaurant and bar overlook the river. read more read less