Reviews of Porini Amboseli Camp

"This is a traditional tented-camp with bucket showers so no running hot water. There were no charging facilities in the tents so all charging needed to be done in the Manager's Office.

There was no wifi or internet connection which will suit some people but in these times of connectivity, we found it difficult. This would prove to be a serious problem if this was the final stay on a trip as it would be impossible to complete and upload things such as Passenger Locator Forms etc.

The vehicles take 6/7 people and if 6, all have a window seat however, as the back seats are raised and because of the vehicle roof, the views from the back are a bit restricted.

But if you are looking for the 'old-style' safari camp and experience this would be a great place for you." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

"We loved our stay at Porini Amboseli, it is a fairly simple camp but what it lacks in luxury and frills it makes up for with a feeling of being fantastically close to nature and immersed in the bush. It has a great community run ethos and the staff are wonderful and particularly knowledgeable about the wildlife.

One really feels that as a tourist you are making a tangiable contribution to conservation by visiting the slightly lesser known Selenkay consession, just outside the main Amboseli National Park and supporting somewhere like Porini.

A real highlight was sundowners at their elephant observation platform (on a clear day you can see Kilimanjaro from here) by a waterhole near camp - we drank gin and tonics watching two huge tuskers." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

"Camp is simple but comfortable, tents are quite close together. Organisation and communication in the camp could have been better. Generally our dietary needs were catered for but there were some lapses.

Guiding was good.

The habitat around Selenkay is mostly scrub. Although the density of wildlife is not as great as the Mara, it is still interesting with a range of different species e.g. gerenuk and lesser kudu. Given this, in our opinion this camp is better visited at the start of a safari. Visiting the man-made waterhole added a lot to the stay.

The trip into Amboseli was enjoyable. In both Selenkay and Amboseli the birding was very good and we saw a number of large tuskers (elephants, not beers!)." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"The camp was everything that we hoped for and exceeded our expectations as it was a simple but very comfortable tented camp. Our guide Amos was very proud of the Masai culture and very knowledgeable about the wildlife. The driver Melita was superb at positioning the vehicle to get the best light for photography.

We loved the sundowners at the waterhole and enjoyed the day out at Amboseli and great to see Kilimanjaro and to get the classic photo shot of elephants in the foreground of Kili, but we appreciated being based in the Selenkay conservancy as we saw no other vehicles.

The food was delicious and of the right quantities.

We enjoyed flying with Yellow Wings to the Selenkay airstrip and sitting in the co pilots seat." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya

"We arrived at Porini Amboseli on schedule and from the first minute the service was excellent. We were made to feel very welcome.

Our tent was comfortable and the location was unbelievable , right in the middle of everything and all the wildlife. The game drives were absolutely first class and we saw such a lot. Our 22 year old grandson was with us and this was his first safari and indeed long haul flight. He was totally amazed with everything.

The food we had was first class as was the service. Our grandson, Toby has to eat gluten free and is vegetarian. The camp coped with this very well indeed and were very careful . We were really impressed. The concept of these Conservancies is excellent and the fact that on the drives you can go off road is ideal and very exciting." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"Not one of the better camps I've stayed at ! I found the camp a bit disorganised, we were asked to be ready for game drives at a certain time, but our guide was always 15-20 minutes late.

I had chosen this camp because of my love of elephants, very few in the conservancy, and we only went into Amboseli one day for a few hours.

I presume that you passed onto the camp that I was vegetarian, very embarrassing when I asked for a vegetarian meal, it finally arrived when all the other guests had finished eating, and was the same meal they all had, minus the chicken.On the last night the meal was good, so they finally got things right.

I was in the furthest away tent, which is ok, but they would forget about me in the evenings, and I would need to walk to dinner unescorted-- I was ok with this, but for other guests who have not had much bush experience it would have been a frightening experience, especially after they had emphasised the dangers of walking alone after dark.

A small thing, but I never got a clean towel in the 3 days I was there. The second day I purposely left it on the floor, but it still wasn't replaced, just folded and put back on the rack, dirty .

The staff were lovely, I just don't think the management skills were there, things seemed a bit disorganised. This all sounds quite picky when I read back over it, but I have stayed in many different camps over the years, and have very rarely been disappointed." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya

"Amboseli is, of course, best known (and rightly so) for its iconic vistas and wonderful elephants. But it should also be highly rated for its birdlife, the primary aim of our trip.

We opted for six nights (more than the norm based on what we saw of other guests while we were there) in part because of the frequency of Kenya Airways flights from Livingstone (where we live) and in part because we wanted to have a decent break and really explore Amboseli and the Selenkay Conservation Area where Porini is based. We are also very interested in camps which are owned and (largely) run by the local community. this being the fourth at which we have stayed in Kenya. Six nights was not too long.

This is not a high end camp. But it is comfortable and offers good standards of service. Acting Manager Daniel did an excellent job while we were there, keeping everything running smoothly. In the mess tent, John ensured that drinks and meals were well provided in a timely manner. All the staff were friendly and helpful.

The Conservation Area is a very worthy and well run project. From next to nothing two decades ago the community has created a hub for a whole range of animals - including four of the 'big five'. The game is plentiful and habituated, attracted by permanent water. It lives alongside the Masai cattle which are protected by the lion guardians whose job it is not only to protect the lions but also to keep distance between the two prides and the cattle herds, thereby avoiding clashes between the people and the cats.

The area offers several micro-environments which means that there is a great range of birds there. Add to this Amboseli NP itself, less than an hour drive away, and it isn't surprising that we logged 214 species in our six-night stay, despite being out of peak (ie inward migration) season.

All in all, strongly recommended both in its own right and as a base for exploring the NP." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"Our visit to Porini Amboseli began with a sighting of a cheetah leading her two cubs to dine on an impala -- a thrilling start to our 4 days there. Wildlife was plentiful, especially around the waterholes that have viewing stands. We enjoyed seeing many elephants, lions, and had our first sighting of the gerenuk, a gazelle that stands on tiptoe to feed in the trees. The area is uncrowded, and we saw few other cars on our game drives.

The camp itself was uncrowded during our visit and we were indeed the only guests one night. Because of that, we were able to have a private car with two guides for each drive. Both of the guides were Maasai from the Mara and had only been in the Amboseli area a short time.

The visit to the national park was probably worthwhile to see the lunar-like landscape and dust devils, but it makes a very long day and of course doesn't allow for driving off road for closer animal sightings. We did enjoy seeing the marsh area, but in the main we wished we had stayed in the Selenkay conservancy for the day.

The camp tents are adequate but not luxurious. The lighting could be improved, and our bucket shower provided plenty of hot water but at a trickle. The food was good, but not exceptional and the staff was gracious and friendly. We chose the Porini camp because of the emphasis placed on Maasai culture, but we didn't find the experience any different than what we experienced at the other Kenya camps we visited where the staff is almost exclusively Maasai. We did the village visit, which was interesting and thankfully non-commercial. But visits of that sort with lots of picture-taking and no ability to communicate with the residents are always a bit awkward.

In general, we had excellent wildlife sightings and good guides, but didn't feel like this camp was one we would return to." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya

"Amboseli, was just amazing and life changing. Run my mara people, who were and are all just fantastic, knowledgable, funny and kind.

They don't quite beat the awe of the fantastic wildlife that I was treated to but they certainly add too it and help make it an unforgettable adventure." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"Simply wonderful. Staff and management were marvellous. The chef was very accommodating to Mary's rather specific dietary needs and took the time and trouble to provide meals she really loved, thank you!

The guides and drivers were excellent, professional and courteous as well as skilled and knowledgable.

Waiting staff may have been a little over-anxious to clear away after meals, sometimes we felt we were a little rushed.
Overall, an amazing experience, and one we could not recommend highly enough." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya