good for you

Sarara is located at Namunyak, meaning 'a place of peace' in the local Samburu dialect, and this luxury tented camp certainly lives up to its name.

Located in the midst of a vast tribal community wilderness area in the fabled Mathews Mountains of Northern Kenya, the area is home to the proud Samburu, a group of semi-nomadic pastoralists who have long shown tolerance for the wildlife that co-exists alongside their cattle.

With very few roads, the emphasis in this remote rarely-accessed area is on walking safaris in the unspoilt wilderness, with the local Namunyak community as the perfect guides. Try fly-camping safaris (on camel back) in the midst of the wilderness if you fancy a really wild night.

While Sarara is difficult to reach, the rewards are many, as the camp serves as a refuge for several hundred elephants and resident lions and leopards. When you wake to the calls of black and white colobus monkeys in the forest, there is no doubt that you are in the heart and soul of Africa.

good for kenya

Sarara has minimal impact on its surroundings and it is situated in an area that is quite untouched, with minimal paved roads, no electricity at the camp and sensitively built lodges.

Owned by the Samburu community, Sarara was set up by the Namunyak Trust specifically to promote wildlife conservation and to assist the local community to benefit from tourism, in return for protecting the wildlife species living on their land.

The conservation work carried out by the Trust has been hugely successful, with several thousand elephants living and breeding in the area, together with a variety of other species such as buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, greater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, impala and dik dik.

Rooms

Food

Full board is included in all rates and that means three meals a day, plus snacks and alcoholic and soft drinks - so you definitely won't go hungry or thirsty.

Menus are international in flavour and change daily depending on locally available ingredients. Following is a sample.

breakfasts

Fresh fruit, cereals, breakfast bar with eggs/omelettes served to order, pancakes, toast, home made marmalade and jams.

lunches

Gaspacho Soup, Cucumber/Avocado Soup, Paella, Curries, 'Taste of Africa', Quiches, Various pastas, various salads, fresh garden salad with rocket, fresh fruit salad,

Orange tart, passion fruit mousse, raspberries and cream, Kenya Cheese platter

dinners

Melon and parma ham, tomato roulade, salmon and avocado mousse, tomato and orange soup, Mushroom vol au vent, prawn cocktail.

Quails, Duck casserole, fillet steak, herb fish, chicken a la king, roast lamb, roast pork fillets and prunes, various vegetables, roasted peppers/baby corn, courgettes, brocolli and sesame.

Rich Chocolate mousse, Cheesecake, Brandy snaps, Meringues, Crepe Suzette, Creme Caramel.

Features & Facilities

• Full range of guided safaris and activities are included in the rates
• All meals and drinks are included in the rates.
• Five spacious tents, which accommodate ten people comfortably.
• Flush toilets and open-air bush showers
• Natural rock swimming pool
• No electricity; gas lamps provided in each tent and a battery charger is available for recharging cameras and other electrical equipment.

See Local Info for more on Activities.

Local Info & Activities

Escorted walking safaris and Game Drives in 4-wheel-drive vehicles, all with expert local field scouts. Several thousand elephant are recorded as living and breeding peacefully in the southern Mathews Range area, together with a variety of other wildlife species such as buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, greater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, impala and dik dik.

Hiking into the Mathews forest

Climbing to the top of Lolokwe with donkeys.

Singing Wells: When the Sarara River is not flowing the Samburu people dig wells in the riverbed and mine water accompanied by evocative songs which their individual cattle herds seem to recognise. It is a rare opportunity for westerners to view this ritual.

Fly camping: Try fly-camping in the bush if you fancy a really wild night. 'Fly camping' is a walking safari where visitors sleep out in the open - Camels accompany the group to carry provisions and also tired walkers!

Moonlit Bush Dinners beside natural animal watering points.

insider tips

Yellow Fever, hepatitis and tetanus vaccinations are also recommended for all of East Africa.

While in East Africa, only drink bottled water. It is recommended that at least four litres of non-alcoholic fluid be consumed each day to prevent dehydration.

African gastroenteritis 'bugs' are the next most common cause of stomach upsets and diarrhoea. Generally, antibiotics will cure this illness within 24 hours.

There is a 15 kilogram luggage limit on the internal flights within Kenya.

An airport departure tax of US$40 per person, or its equivalent, is payable when leaving Kenya. A local departure tax of Kshs 200 (approx. US$3) per person, per flight, is payable for internal Kenyan flights.

Sustainability

protection of wildlife

Up to the 1980s the area around Sarara Camp was rife with poaching. The Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust, an area of approximately 75,000 hectares was set up in 1995 specifically to promote wildlife conservation and to assist the local community to benefit from tourism, in return for protecting the wildlife species living on their land. The camp is owned by the Samburu community.

The conservation work carried out by the Namunyak Trust to date has been hugely successful. Today, several thousand elephant are recorded as living and breeding peacefully in the southern Mathews Range area, together with a variety of other wildlife species such as buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, greater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, impala and dik dik.

Harnessing the local community, and with backing from various sources including the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Tusk Trust, plus the energy and passion of many individuals, Namunyak Wildlife Conservation has become an incredible success story. Rangers keep poaching down to almost nothing, wildlife is flourishing, and the local people get an excellent income from the lodge through bed night fees and conservation fees.

environment

The camp has been crafted from local riverbed rock and twisted natural deadwood to make as little impact as possible on the natural environment. With no electricity at the camp, the Carbon Footprint of Sarara is very small, although getting there does involve a long journey by car, or for most guests, a short-hall flight from Nairobi.

Getting There

Sarara is approximately five hours drive from the town of Nanyuki.

The camp is also accessible by road via Archer's Post, a one day drive from Nairobi.

Kenya is well served by major international airlines, which fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi) or Moi International Airport (Mombasa).

Air Kenya has daily scheduled flights to Nanyuki, Lewa Downs or Samburu National Reserve from Wilson Airport in Nairobi . Z Boskovic Air Charters (Nairobi) or Tropic Air (Nanyuki) can also fly guests by private air charter directly to Namunyak airstrip.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

sarara is closed from april, may, 25 oct - 15 dec

US$425 p/person sharing

US$530 p/person single occupancy

US$210 p/child under 12 years

daily park fees

Adults US$60

Children US$30

• Three meals
• All drinks including beer and house wines.
• Game drives, night and day
• Guided Walks
• Hiking in the mountain forests of the Mathew Mountains
• Laundry
• Transfer from airstrips

booking & cancellation policy

• A 25% deposit secures reservations and balance must be paid in full 45 days prior to arrival.
• Cancellation policy: Between 120 and 45 days before stay - 20% of total cost of stay is forfeited
• Between 30 and 45 days 40% of total cost of stay is forfeited.
• 100% is forfeited if cancelled 30 days prior to arrival.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.