Reviews of Saruni Samburu
Wildlife sightings and reviews
24 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Saruni Samburu and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

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"Saruni Samburu review"
Meals were very good.
The drive from the lodge to Samburu reserve was devoid of wildlife but once inside the reserve plenty to see. We were lucky to see a family of 5 lions just finishing off a waterbuck, including 2 six month old cubs crunching the bones and then trying to run off with the leftovers before being told off by mum.
Samburu is completely different from other areas in Kenya and is well worth a visit." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya

Elephant
10 sightings

Gerenuk
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Lion
1 sighting

Spotted Hyena
1 sighting

Zebra
10 sightings
"Saruni Samburu review"
Great spa facility.
Fabulous food and activities" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

Cheetah
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Gerenuk
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
1 sighting

Lion
Multiple sightings

Oryx
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Saruni Samburu review"
The setting is stunning, food delicious, we would recommend without hesitation" See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

Cheetah
Multiple sightings

Elephant
5 sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Lion
Multiple sightings

Oryx
Multiple sightings

Wild dog
1 sighting

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Saruni Samburu review"
Once again our guide for our drives was amazing and very knowledgeable about his area always keen to ensure we were having the best time,taught us his tracking skills which was great ,we had the truck to ourselves which made it very private ,he was also made aware of what we wanted to try and see ..which also made our drives very personal .We also liked the fact the conservancy limits the number of vehicles so any sightings are not overcrowded and respectful of the animals
Once again the food and service was top notch ,Simon looked after us very very well bringing dinner to our room and being there in the morning with coffee and biscuits to wake us up ..the accommodation here is breath taking ,the two pools are very welcome at the end of a dusty morning drive" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

Buffalo
3 sightings

Cheetah
4 sightings

Eland
6 sightings

Elephant
6 sightings

Gerenuk
7 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Lion
6 sightings

Oryx
5 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Gorgeous location with stunning views"
One reason for us to visit Samburu was the opportunity to observe the typical mammals of the north: Reticulated Giraffe, Oryx, Gerenuk and Grevy Zebra ... and we saw them all and often!
The lodge itself is superb and the location on a hill fantastic! You will not miss anything there: huge rooms all with great views to an endless landscape, friendly staff and tasty food! But the best of all is the pool at the top of the hill with stunning views - really hard to get beaten!!
Despite the long drive to the National Park all in all we would choose this lodge again because of it's fantastic location: alone in a remote area with unique views!" See all these reviews: 16n in Kenya

Cheetah
1 sighting

Elephant
5 sightings

Gerenuk
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Leopard
2 sightings

Lion
1 sighting

Oryx
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Saruni Samburu review"
The hotel is jaw dropping amazing. The view is spectacular and the rooms are unlike anything we have experienced before. The feeling of the inside being outside is great and we thoroughly enjoyed the outside showers. The room's patio was a great place to sit and enjoy the scenery that stretched for miles.
The rooms were extremely clean, comfortable and luxurious. The communal area was great. The staff were very nice and friendly. Martin who was our waiter for the stay was excellent. He was so friendly and happy to chat about himself and his community. He couldn't do enough for us and was always available, to the extent that he gave us his phone number in case we wanted to text him from the room for anything. We couldn't have been better looked after by him.
The entertainment in the camp was excellent, on Christmas Saruni arranged local village teenagers to put on a dance show and one of the evenings we had a very enjoyable bush dinner.
The downside to Saruni for us was the game drives and the limited amount of time actually in the reserve. The focus here isn't on the drives and you are actively encourages to spend more time in camp. It's a long drive back and forward to the reserve and we found with the drought that there wasn't much to see in the conservancy on the way to and fro.
In comparison we spent 30hrs over 3 days on drives in another camp but only 7 hrs over 3 days in Saruni!
When some of our party booked a special excursion it was assumed the rest of the party would stay in camp and when that wasn't the case it was very difficult for them to accommodate a drive and resulted in only 5 hrs total game drive for the day (3 if you take off the drive to and fro).
When you do get to the reserve the elephants are unreal and its a great experience to spend time sitting amongst them as they go about their day.
In our opinion Saruni is great if you want a little bit of drives and a lot of relaxation and comfort but it isn't the place to be if your main focus is game drives." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya

Cheetah
1 sighting

Elephant
3 sightings

Gerenuk
2 sightings

Giraffe
3 sightings

Lion
2 sightings

Zebra
2 sightings
"Saruni Samburu review"
Great food, great staff, great massage and the boys loved the pool and the environment.
The first guide was very uninspired and I asked for a change - next morning we had a new guide who was great." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

Elephant
10 sightings

Gerenuk
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Lion
10 sightings

Oryx
10 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Excellent lodge, disappointing food"
Everyone talks about the view but believe me, it has to be experienced.
Our villa, (#3) was beautiful and spacious. Service was excellent and we usually dined in our room for a more relaxing experience. Our room attendant, Simon was excellent. However, the food was disappointing. There were no menu options, the Italian-based meals had a consistent sameness, and the chef used a lot of salt on every dish.
The manager Daryll was truly accommodating and he plans further upgrades to the lodge and is dedicated to ongoing maintenance.
Service throughout was friendly and consistently upbeat and attentive. I also had two wonderful deep massages in the wellness centre." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

Buffalo
5 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Gerenuk
10 sightings

Leopard
3 sightings

Oryx
1 sighting

Spotted Hyena
1 sighting

Zebra
10 sightings
"Stunning property"
Again, the season was the downside--no animals at the watering hole and therefore no use for the photographic hide, something my husband had really been looking forward to. Lots of animals in the game drive in the reserve though." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya; 5n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar
"Luxury in the bush"
As the rains had come to Samburu by the time of our visit, there was no wildlife at the lodge's waterhole, but we saw plenty on our game drive into the main national reserve - elephants, giraffe, zebra, antelopes, fantastic birds and a pride of seven lions. We heard other lions roaring overnight right by the lodge too.
Local Samburu staff were fantastic - special mention to Kennedy's Dawa cocktails and Benson's knowledge of the night sky. Thanks, too, to Darryl, who was holding the fort as manager.
The menu was quite meat-based and featured imported produce eg smoked salmon as well as plenty of fruit and veg." See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

Elephant
1 sighting

Gerenuk
2 sightings

Giraffe
2 sightings

Lion
1 sighting

Oryx
1 sighting

Zebra
1 sighting
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