Reviews of Sirikoi

"Based upon what we had read and various reviews, we had high expectations. We were not disappointed. We were here for a 4 night stay.

Wonderful location near a watering hole, terrific accommodations and food and a professional staff. Sirikoi does it very, very well. Sam was our guide for our 3+days of excursions. Game drives were wonderful - fun and educational. We saw and learned so much from Sam.

A great place to see rhinos, especially white rhinos up close. The black rhinos were always at a distance. Even did a walking safari with a hot breakfast on the trail.

Sirikoi will not disappoint!!!" See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya; 8n in Rwanda

"We loved Sirikoi.

The tents (a whole new definition of the word!) were extremely comfortable and well-appointed, with plenty of room and a deck at the front overlooking the water hole and from where we saw many zebras and impalas, and one rhino. The bathroom was lovely and gave us a wonderful view out, especially from the toilet! We were perfectly happy with the fact that the tent opening was canvas with a zip and certainly don’t feel that the glass doors which many camps now have are necessarily better; they do offer a lovely view but can detract from the authenticity.

Our tent was the furthest away from the main area but, given that there were only four tents, that wasn’t a problem and, in fact, it was rather nice to be at the far end as we had a better view. The fire which was lit for us while we were out on the afternoon game drive made the tent a very warm snd welcoming place to come back to. There’s a very pleasant pool and sitting area which we made use of on two occasions.

The main area was very welcoming and it was lovely to eat out in the evening as well as at lunchtime. There was a fire pit in the evening for pre dinner drinks and then small braziers pulled up to the tables to keep us warm. The food was excellent, some of the best we’ve experienced on safari and certainly the best, by far, this year. We really liked having a buffet lunch where we could control what we ate, given how much food is always on offer on a safari holiday. We went on a back of house tour and were very impressed by the organic garden and the extraordinary range of homegrown produce - no wonder their food is so good!

We went on a walking safari, which we had not done before and which was interesting ; we were surprised to be met at the end of it by not just our guide but another vehicle preparing a picnic breakfast for us. It was delicious.

The following day we saw a rhino darted in order to be relocated to another conservancy. Again, this was interesting but we found his terror at being pushed into the container and the thought of him having to be there for a four hour road journey quite disturbing.

The wildlife was good and we saw huge numbers of zebras (common and grevy all mixed together in large groups), antelopes elephants, buffalo and rhinos. We also saw several reticulated giraffes, including the semi-resident one. We were told that, a few days earlier, guests had seen quite a few lions, including some mating, but we were not so fortunate. We did see one male lion walking down the road towards us and a different male and female pair sitting perched on a rock at sunset. We also another male lion resting and were so busy watching him from one side of the jeep that we didn’t realise that two huge rhinos with equally huge horns had planted themselves right by our other side within touching distance! Our guide was good, full of enthusiasm and knowledge.

We knew that we were very unlikely to see any cheetahs or leopards and so were not disappointed.

We really enjoyed our time there. The managers, Greg and Anik, were very friendly and knowledgeable and it was particularly interesting to meet Sue Roberts and talk to her about her life and work. We liked the fact that the camp is small and intimate; we felt very at home there." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"Truly amazing stay, was definitely one of the best places we have stayed at. We were made to feel so welcome the entire time. Everyone was incredibly friendly and staff would go out of their way to help you.

The camp itself is in a wonderful location on a waterhole and can see a wide variety of game from your tents and on the veranda eating meals, and we were lucky that there was an elephant family which hung there the whole time.

The tents are incredibly luxurious and the food was absolutely outstanding, that it was always hard to turn down having extra.

We were here for our honeymoon and they went out of their way to make it extra special by arranging romantic meals and bush breakfasts in romantic settings.

Legei our guide, was fantastic, very knowledgeable, incredibly enthusiastic with an excellent sense of humour, who always made the drives interesting and fun. We were lucky to see a wide range of animals, including 2 different prides of lions and the rarity of a leopard, as well as managing to see the Northern 5. It is hard to believe that rhinos are endangered coming to Lewa Conservancy as they have done an excellent job protecting them, and we were fortunate to see a 3 week old baby.

This is a place which we would definitely come back and return to." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya; 6n in Zanzibar

"Unbelievable place - camp is as good as it gets on all levels!

You can see pretty much everything from the comfort of your lunch table but guides will take things to the next level on your walks/drive. Outstanding safari camp.

Accommodations were comfortable, food was excellent, and the staff was first rate.

The Lewa Conservancy was absolutely beautiful." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya

"My family are seasoned global travelers, fortunate to have experienced luxury hotels and resorts across the globe. But never has hospitality come close to what we experienced at Sirikoi. They fully deserve Conde Nast‘s Reader’s Choice Award for #1 Luxury Resort in the World.

We were there during the short rains period in early December, which is low season for the resort, but a spectacular time to go. Everything was green, food was in abundance for all animals, and many of them had babies in tow. The grass was tall, so it wasn’t as easy to spot animals as it would be during the dry season, and we couldn’t drive off-road, but our guides Onesmus and Peter spotted so many animals anyway that it didn’t matter.

Onesmus was a supremely knowledgeable guide, enthusiastic about everything in the natural world, and a great teacher. When you ask him a question like what kind of bird is that, he doesn’t just answer but gives you a education. What’s unique about the bird, why it’s doing what it’s doing, maybe how it got its name, folk wisdom or previous misconceptions, etc. The two times we stumped him with a question, he researched the question in detail and shared the compete answer the next time we saw him. Onesmus was as excited about insects, birds, and poop (yep) as about the big mammals, which made us more excited about all those things too. Peter was our official spotter, sitting in the back with us and providing camaraderie and comic relief. He was a great source of information too, happy to answer all our animal questions. We all adored both these men.

The camp host and manager, Alistair, served up unparalleled hospitality and service with a side of dry wit that made us feel at home. He came by our house multiple times per day to check in and make arrangements for us. We were always glad to see him, though I can’t imagine how he put up with our party of six people with diverse and changing preferences. Alistair’s passion for termites was contagious, and you should definitely ask him about his colorful life.

Sirikoi has more options for things to do than any other safari camp we’ve heard of, and we availed ourselves of many during our four-night stay. (If you go when it rains, staying at least three nights would be strongly recommended, since it could be too rainy for safari drives during part of your trip.)

We took a bush walk, went horseback riding (go!), toured the Edenic garden that provides all the delicious produce you’ll be served at Sirikoi (George is a master permaculturist who was training 26 gardeners from around the world when we visited), got a massage, visited the ops center for the anti-poaching unit at the conservancy (unfortunately the dogs were out doing their job), met the habituated giraffe who’s being encouraged back to the wild but still visits, and bought some beautiful gifts at the shop. And of course we took many safari rides, all different. My favorite encounter was watching a male ostrich wooing a female with a funny dance (she was not impressed), and there are white and black rhinos in abundance including a famous one named Sonja.

Sue, who founded and owns Sirikoi, lives in a tent on the property and was so gracious to join us for lunch and then later to invite us over to view the bush babies we were keen on. Her life and her family are fascinating. The details are hers to share, and you’ll be fortunate if you get to talk with her. Sue is a kind and graceful force of nature.

We stayed in the house, which is a compound of three private buildings, the common space being a huge lodge open on one side and spectacularly gorgeous. Lounge overlooking the wetlands, breakfast area, living room with a fireplace, full bar, and dining room with another fireplace. It was chilly in December, but the fireplaces, Masai blankets, fresh mint tea, and hot water bottles in our beds kept us warm. The claw foot tubs and abundant hot water for baths are the cherry on top of a huge pile of cherries.

The whole resort sleeps 18 and has a full time staff of 70. You get a private guide and vehicle even if you come by yourself. If you stay in the house, your meals are served privately in the house or on the luncheon deck in the wetlands area, and you have a whole staff to serve you and keep you clean, safe, and happy. Martin and Josephine served us food and drinks all day, it seemed, and they were consistently kind, inviting us to request absolutely anything. The food during our first two days was more delicious than any Michelin star restaurant we’ve been to, and when we requested to try Kenyan foods the chef put together a whole day of local dishes we really enjoyed.

I could go on and on—but I already have. If you stay at Sirikoi, you won’t regret it, and you will remember it forever." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"It's a beautiful camp, and our guide and spotter, James and Mr. B, made every moment wonderful.

We saw lots of wildlife, but James and Mr. B were the best entertainment of our trip." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya