Reviews of Naboisho Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
49 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Naboisho Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Naboisho Camp Does it All!!!"
Wonderful setting looking out across the grasslands. First class accommodations, including food, professional (yet fun) staff and abundant wildlife. Dining at a communal table made for a fun time with conversations with guests from other countries. A nice touch.
Naboisho is simply a wonderful place.
Lynnkoko was our guide for the 4 nights / 3 days we were there. Game drives were fun and educational with abundant wildlife, especially lions. We will always remember our stay at this wonderful camp.
If you are thinking about booking a stay at Naboisho, book it!!! You will not be disappointed." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya; 8n in Rwanda
"Naboisho Camp review"
"Naboisho Camp review"
Our tent was extremely comfortable and the outside shower was delightful but a low voltage hairdryer in the room, as we had in the previous two camps, would have been nice. There was one to borrow, which we made use of twice but one in the room would be easier than having to request one and wait for it to be delivered.
The two managers were on leave and so there was a relief manager, Esme, ably supported by Maggie, both of whom were very warm, efficient and professional, and we had some very lively, interesting chats around the communal table at dinner time. Lunch was a buffet which suits us very well and the food was always fresh and tasty.
The wildlife was wonderful, prolific and exactly what we had been hoping for. We saw large groups of buffalo, giraffes, hippos, zebra snd wildebeest, and the largest group of hyenas that we - and our guide - had ever seen, about 45 of them! Big cats were plentiful, to our delight, and we saw lots of different lions, one cheetah family with 4 cubs on several different occasions and a leopard with her cub. We couldn’t have asked for more!
Our guide was very enthusiastic and informative, clearly enjoying his job, and often managed to get us a prime position. On our last morning, we saw lions, the cheetah family and the leopard all in the space of two hours, and largely thanks to him." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
So many lions, and vultures, and hyena. Different varieties of giraffe, ostrich, zebra etc and many different species. made a very good pair of camps to visit. Sun downers every day. Though we abandoned one to stay with a lion hunt.
Very wet when we arrived and paths just mud but the early rains meant the landscape was totally different from Samburu.
Restricted number of jeeps per lodge in conservancy meant that sometimes there were up to 5 people in each vehicle, but we had several drives to ourselves too.
The company actively discourage visits to the Mara for the Crossing etc. Mara Reserve is so crowded with tourists now they think it is unethical for the animals. Will soon ban completely?" See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
The food was consistent and well prepared and the staff extremely hospitable and engaging. There is a "family feel" to the camp which they try to encourage amongst the guests as well by doing communal dining. Some days we were happy to go along with that and others we wanted to dine separately - you need to give the staff notice in advance as they have set up an extra table.
The conservancy is reasonably small so the guides seem to know it very well and where the animals reside so you are not being driven for ages before finding a sighting - that is a plus or a minus depending on your point of view. Our guide was superb, he knew huge amounts and was keen to share his knowledge about the animals and local life. He was an excellent communicator and attentive to our needs.
I would recommend this camp for cats, we saw several lions and a lot of "action" including fighting and communication within the pride. We also saw cheetahs. Overall I would not hesitate to recommend if a traveller was looking for a luxury experience." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
We found our guide Lucas highly knowledgeable but sadly he was rather arrogant and full of his own importance which meant that we enjoyed our drives more when he was leading walks and we had different guides who listened to what we wanted to do." See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
The camp is beautifully placed overlooking wide plains and feels very remote. The main areas are beautifully designed and the pool area is lovely and a real treat - with game viewing possible from the pool. The tented bedrooms were stylish, comfortable and spaced out. The camp is closing for 3 months in March 2023 and all bedrooms are being completely upgraded so expect a significant upgrade.
The managers, Lewis and Becky, do a fantastic job as well as being really friendly, interesting and consummate professionals. The staff are uniformly wonderful and nothing is too much trouble. There are a myriad of small touches that together combine to make the experience first rate such as the hot water bottles on your seat in the jeep every morning to keep you warm before the sun came up.
The guides are experts and work together (as well as with guides on the other conservancy lodges) to identify what game has been spotted and to ensure that guests are given the best experience possible. Our lovely guide (Karia) did an amazing job and nothing was too much trouble - we learned so much from him and saw so many wonderful things as well as laughing a lot. He was an expert at finding the absolute best place to position the land cruiser to view game. We were particularly impressed that one of the five guides is female (Evelyn) and there is a new trainee female guide as well. Other guests visited a Masai village with Evelyn and said it was wonderful to see the villagers being amazed to see a female guide and wanting to ask her questions - a real role model.
The food was top quality with a great choice and innovative menus. The bush breakfast picnics were wonderful (great range of food, beautifully presented and served in a wonderful new setting every day) and ensured that we were out at first light. Lunch was a buffet with lots of choice and wonderful salads. Dinner was smarter, usually convivial communal dining although one night we had a romantic meal in the pool area (which has a separate lounge area and fire). Bush drinks were so great that we continued wrapped up in the waterproof ponchos provided despite a downpour.
And the highlight is the game: the Mara ecosystem is amazingly rich in wildlife and birdlife. I lost count of how many lions we saw, but must be in the region of 80-100. This is the place to come to see every type of lion behavior out there at close hand from stalking/eating prey to cubs playing or suckling from their mother. We also saw cheetah and had wonderful leopard sightings including following a mother and her 17 month male son on two occasions once for about 30 minutes whilst they walked through a rocky outcrop and stalked impala. On a night drive we were lucky enough to see male lions fighting for territory and an aardwolf which even Karia was excited to see.
There are vast herds of game of all sorts, the birds are amazingly diverse and the hippo pools were full of hippo as well as some large crocodiles. I particularly enjoyed the interaction with seeing a pride of lions eating their zebra kill, with jackel, hyena and vultures trying to steal a piece of the kill. Every game drive brought something wonderful to see and on the walking safari lions were encountered safely.
Overall we can't fault anything and had an amazing time at this camp." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
We were introduced to our guide Benjamin who again was amazing and knowledgeable and once again it was just us in the truck with him so made the drives very personal ..the conservancy again was private which again makes a big difference re other trucks and the guides are so respectful of not encroaching on the animals ,such a variety of wild life here and amazing bird life
The camp itself is open and looks out over the plains you really feel like you are in the bush ,The tents are extremely comfortable with the option of bucket showers or normal showers
The food ,once again,was amazing both lunch and dinner nothing too much trouble …breakfast normally taken during your morning drive ..Benjamin always found a beautiful location .We had the most amazing last night sundowners with the camp cocktail bar set up with a beautiful fire overlooking the plains ..thanks to Issac it was magical
Also thanks to junior and Marco who walked us back to our tent in the evening" See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
The camp itself is a true immersive experience. Located on the plains I saw lions roaming around in the distance whilst I was sitting out on the veranda. During the evening whilst in my tent I could hear the roar from a lioness. This camp was the closest I felt to being completely surrounded by wildlife, a unique experience that I could not have imagined would be possible.
This was not a case of seeing animals in the distance and taking photos, it was close, up front proximity to wildlife, seeing how they lived, ate and survived.
Safari at Naboisho was everything I had dreamed of. Even the drive from the airstrip to the camp felt like a game drive, we saw three cheetahs within 10 minutes. The plains are beautifully green and picture perfect. The wildlife is incredible, everywhere you look there is wildlife, from the herds of elephants to the cats, giraffe, hyena, hippos and crocs…..we didn’t know where to look! I didn’t ever feel like I had to search for an animal as they were everywhere. I didn’t need to keep reaching for my binoculars as they were metres away. It didn’t feel crowded or littered with jeeps, it felt peaceful. Evening drinks watching a pride of 20 odd lionesses with their cubs metres away was a perfect way to end each day.
The safari experience at Naboisho is perhaps the best you could ever get. However, the true stars of the show are the staff. Each and every member are dedicated to ensuring you get the most out of your experience, from management to the Askari that walk you to your tent each night.
My guide Evelyn was superb, there were no time limits on the game drives she was happy to be out as long as we wanted to be. We completely tailored our experience and Evelyn was only too happy to stay out for 10 hours with us so we could watch three cheetahs in their desperate pursuit for food. Seeing these three brothers hunt together, the failed attempts, unrelenting determination and eventual success was incredible. Evelyn organised lunch and breakfast to come to us and ensured that we had the best time ever single day. She wanted to know what we wanted to see and made it her mission to ensure that we saw it. She comes highly recommended to anyone that visits Naboisho.
The food at Naboisho is delicious and the service is impeccable. The pool was a great way to cool off during the day. The tent is very comfortable and the outside shower was a luxurious touch.
Naboisho is truly a special place. Everything was perfect, From the moment we met our guide Evelyn to the moment we left. This camp was a home away from home, the staff felt like family and I felt a true sadness when I left them and promised to return." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
"Naboisho Camp review"
Naboisho camp was fantastic in every way possible - the food was incredible, the staff so friendly, the rooms great (the right level of luxury) and most of all the safari itself was out of this world.
We saw so much wildlife and learned so much information from our brilliant guide Lucas. We did a walking safari which we will never forget and I’d highly recommend.
This trip was for our honeymoon and staying at Naboisho was the perfect start." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya
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