Reviews of Sarara

"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

"The third and final camp we visited this trip was Sarara, further north in Laikipia (and listed under 'Northern Kenya' by Expert Africa) on the edge of the Matthews Range and also a community-based project which presents some interesting contrasts with Il Ngwesi and Tassia.

Sarara is the home of Jeremy and Katie (and was established originally by Jeremy's parents), who run the camp in a relaxed and welcoming style. Having been brought up there to a significant extent, Jeremy in particular is a font of insights into the region and its culture. The accommodation is genuinely high end - very comfortable, spacious tent with a fine view of the busy waterhole, excellent lounge and mess facilities etc. Meals were consistently enjoyable - nice to have fish on a couple of occasions as well as lamb (two dishes which are not that often served in safari camps in our experience). We are not surprised that there are many return visitors (including while we were there).

Throughout our stay we were guided by the excellent Mark, a Masai who has an extensive knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region as well as local culture and who is engaging and humourous. We really enjoyed his company and benefitted enormously from his knowledge and willingness to share his thoughts with us on local issues.

For three of our four days we followed a pattern of early morning birding walk, a drive after breakfast and then a late afternoon drive stretching into a night drive. The wildlife in the area is excellent: we topped 120 bird species and saw around 20 mammals, including leopard, buffalo and plentiful elephant. The fourth day was taken up with a climb up the ridge behind the camp to about 6,500 feet into the cloud forest - not for the faint-hearted but well worth the effort for those prepared to make it.

We also visited the famous 'singing wells' and witnessed this cultural phenomenon for ourselves. Despite the (appropriate, in our view) ban on photography, we were left feeling that our presence and, therefore, tourist visits generally are having an impact on the conduct of the herders there and, without in any way wishing to be judgemental, we wonder how much longer the phenomenon can continue in its 'natural' state, despite efforts to preserve it.

In sum, Sarara provided us with a fitting final four-night stay to our 12-day tour through Laikipia and camps rooted in the local community." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya