Reviews of Sarara

"This camp may be one of my very favorites. Sarara is unique. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful throughout the entire stay. Rehama , my special host was so very kind and attentive. I had a woman guide - Anne, and her name - Nashipae means happiness. My other guide was Kalamon, meaning writing pen. Both were extremely knowledgable about the birds and the animals. They respected the distances while viewing the wild animals. They both shared their culture and answered all my questions in detail. The area was hot so I did enjoy the natural made pool every afternoon while watching other animals drinking in the pool below me. Animals were everywhere. I visited the Montessori schools that are in mobile tents to accommodate the pastoral community. All the materials were made by college students and each child had an oil cloth mat and then an activity to work on while I was visiting. There was no paper and pencils or crayons, but none were needed: the activities were so well planned and fit in with their culture...This activity was one of my favorites. In addition, I visited a village and also the mobile clinic. I met the male nurse who works with mothers and small infants in order to assist them with challenges they may be experiencing. The female nurse, Dorca, called me from Nairobi, she regretted not being there to greet me.
The singing wells were fabulous. It was difficult to imagine what staff were talking about before I visited the wells and seeing all the warriors and the animals. What is heartwarming is that the pastoral community leave the area by early evening so that the wild animals can also use the water in the dry riverbed. Respect for others is a mainstay of this community.
I also visited with the ladies who bead and learned they use all left over bags for their stitching. If you travel to Sarara, you might wish to bring small beads for them to use. In addition, I visited with the blacksmith. He takes scrapes and makes beautiful bracelets, rings and other items. He uses skins to force air into the fire to melt the metal. His services are needed everywhere in the community.
The people dress so beautifully everyday and it just makes me smile while remembering the beautiful colors and wonderfully welcoming smiles I encountered every day.
I am already planning a return trip to this wonderful camp: who supports the surrounding community and the tasks needed to be addressed.
I appreciated the good lighting, the robes provided, the massages provided, the outside shower was definitely one of my favorites - thank you.." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

"We visited in 2018 and had such wonderful memories that we returned. This time it was even better. Our guide Mark, managers Terri and Robert and the whole camp staff made us feel instantly at home. Full of suggestions about what we could do, but happy to go at a pace that was right for us. We soon fell into a pattern of early morning walks, afternoon game drives with leisurely lunches by the pool watching the elephants, giraffe, warthog, impala and lots of other wildlife at the waterhole below. Nothing was too much trouble." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"Sarara was a wonderful camp. The setting was gorgeous and the whole camp felt luxurious without being pretentious.we especially appreciated the close relationship between the Samburu team and the local community. We felt we get to see a bit of Samburu culture without the experience being contrived for tourists.

On the down side, this is not a a place I would go outside the dry season. Because the rains had come, some activities we had really looked forward to like the Singing Wells and sleeping in a star tent were not available. We had actually booked Sarara Treehouse but because of the rains the road getting there was so bad supplies couldn't be delivered so they shut it down. Wildlife had fanned put across the great expanse rather than gathering at watering holes so we saw very little. Worse, the bugs were intense-so intense that most guests ate in their tent instead of at in the lovely open air dining area. Beetles were literally flying into our faces, her and water. At night you couldn't read because the light from a kindle would attract them. There were no mosquito nets!

But even with all that, we could see Sarara is an extraordinary place and only wish we could have been there at the right time of year." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya; 5n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"We particularly came to Sarara because our son, who lives and works in Kenya, wanted us to include in our itinerary the more mountainous regions of Samburu and the Matthews Range. In this respect Sarara Camp certainly delivered.

The location is absolutely stunning and even without all the excitement of the game drives, bush walks and local visits, this would be a fabulous place simply to chill out and enjoy the views and the facilities of the camp. The staff were all incredibly attentive and friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. Our guide, Robert, was particularly impressive, sharing with us his enormous knowledge of the wildlife, the flora and his Samburu cultural heritage in a most engaging, articulate and good humoured way.

Our visit coincided with the rare event of a local Samburu gathering for the ceremony of circumcision of the young men about to become warriors. In the evening we were honoured to be invited to witness the celebrations and dancing that followed the ceremony, during which Robert just seamlessly morphed from safari guide to Samburu warrior and joined in the dancing, with impressive expertise!" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"Absolutely wonderful in every way- the location, tents, staff, things to see and do, food... all terrific. The infinity pool a delight- overlooking two water holes which were regularly visited by elephant, buffalo, warthogs, giraffe, zebra and impala.

The 'singing wells' hugely interesting- a unique experience - we only hope it will not be affected by too many tourists.... (A ban on photography such a good thing..). The new Namunyuk Elephant Sanctuary - about an hour away - is beautifully run, with excellent facilities - in a natural setting.

A visit to a local Samburu nomad's village was fascinating- how nice of them to allow us to pay a visit... Andrew amazed them by being able to milk a goat. (They were obviously ready to have a good laugh!)

We loved this place- the resident echidna under the main house, semi-tame Grevys zebras visiting the swimming pool, a friendly, rescued giraffe, beautiful birds, magnificently dressed Samburu men- all adding to its unique charm." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"We had the great luck of staying at Sarara when Nicky and Tim were hosting. They are old-time Kenyans who know everybody and are so thoughtful and gracious in making sure we were always having fun and being well looked after. Amenities such as tea or coffee brought down to the room before our 7am rides with Lenawalla, or knowing there were kikoy-wrapped towels for use after a splash in the pool overlooking the waterhole below.

Sarara is such an inspiring example in the new model of engaging with the local community to create eco-tourism that benefits everybody. The Samburu staff and guides had such pride in their place to share with us and it was like visiting old friends. The walk to the Singing Wells is a must-do, as is a trip to Reteti, the elephant orphanage." See all these reviews: 18n in Kenya

"Sarara Tree House Camp is a new satellite Camp to Sarara Camp (only open for 6 weeks). We only stayed two nights (one full day) at the end of our holiday after having done exhausting safaris in the Mara.

The camp is well run and our Samburu hosts were great - we learnt a lot about the Conservancy and its history. Robert our Samburu Tree House Host was really good and a very likeable chap. He was good company and very knowledgable.We had fun together.

We really enjoyed our short visit. The experiences we had were new to us and varied. Walking, visiting the rescued baby elephant sanctuary, the Singing Wells (A biblical experience as our guide described it - and it was!). Night driving, just relaxing by the infinity pool with magnificent views

It is not a classical game viewing location like the Mara (i.e. no Lions or Rhinos or Buffalo - the top predators are the Hyena and Lepoard). But it has a lot to offer. We are regular safari trippers and have seen most things but we saw 5 new species and have never seen so many Dik Dik and Hyena, the scenery is stunningly beautiful.

It is a great place to relax and unwind at the end of a hectic safari tour. Fond Memories." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"Sarara is special - accommodation, staff, guides, food all superb. The downside is the 2hour drive from Kalama airstrip but when you get there it's worth it! (a large family or group of friends travelling together might consider a charter plane to land at the airstrip nearby but it's costly). Four nights here is ideal - both to enjoy the setting and everything about Sarara, and to face the long drive back to the airstrip especially if it's a very early flight - but I could happily have stayed longer.
Meg and Rob were perfect hosts, my two guides were wonderful. The 'roads' are pretty rough - it's a long time since I've been flung around a Land Rover like that! - the wildlife sightings were better than I'd been led to believe (update your Rough Guide Richard!) but the highlight was the Singing Wells. I went back to experience this a second time and would have gone again if I'd stayed longer. My guides were amazingly knowledgeable and simply lovely people. Think I'll dream about returning to Sarara for a long time to come." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"We absolutely loved Sarara. It's a bit off the beaten track for most safari goers and so the people here tend to be a bit more intrepid. The setting is spectacular and the interaction between the lodge, the conservancy and the local people is excellent.

We particularly enjoyed visiting the singing wells. The wildlife is increasing and we had the opportunity to visit the local elephant sanctuary, which was well worth it. We tried hard to see a leopard but were unlucky this time.

Rob, Meg and the team are excellent and so welcoming. Mark, our guide, had been around the area his whole life and so was full of knowledge about the area, the people, the wildlife etc." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya

"Whoever you are Sarara is a magical experience. We were most warmly welcomed, although a little puzzled to be asked, at 3.0p.m., what would be our choice of sundowner!

At 4.30 we set off for our first game drive, with our assigned driver/guide and askari, and after more than an hour of watching reticulated giraffe, elephants, impala, dik dik and more, we pulled up beside a large, flat, sun-warmed stone where we sat and were served our G&Ts as we watched the African sun go down.

We loved the easy, happy relationship with the local people, and one of the (many) highlights of our stay was our visit to the singing wells, which was so beautifully done, with the opportunity to walk down for those who were able, and a complete ban on cameras, which made everyone more relaxed and able to participate fully in the experience.

We also enjoyed the relationship with some of the hand-reared animals, especially Kody, the lesser kudu who was always ready to join the party." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya