Reviews of safaris to Samburu National Reserve

"A very good trip.

Richard's recommendations of the Emakoko and Laikipia Wilderness were perfect for us, with real style. Saruni Samburu was spectacular but probably not quite our style, although I think some people would love it. Air Kenya is what it is, a magical mystery tour.

Very happy overall." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"Richard delivered again! After looking to book with various companies I am so glad we came back to Expert Africa. Richard's in-depth knowledge and enthusiasm for Kenya is a refreshing change from those companies whose 'expert' did a flying trip of a few camps but actually know nothing about the actual country. Keep up the research and the actual trips to Kenya Richard as your knowledge is invaluable.

My husband and I lived in Kenya previously and have visited regularly but this time I took my Canadian 24 year old nephew on a safari that he had been promised since he was a child. It could not have been a more successful nor enjoyable trip!

We stayed for 2 nights at Macushla House (Nairobi), 1 night Aero-Club (Nairobi), 2 nights Elephant Bedroom (Samburu), 3 nights Governors (Masai Mara), 2 nights Encounter Mara (Naibosho Conservancy - Mara).

Nairobi traffic jams are crazy and are only going to get worse. Choosing your hotel and what you want to do needs to take this into account. We wanted to visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage (please go there), the Giraffe Sanctuary (good fun) and Nairobi Game Park (much underrated) and a few shopping areas. Staying at Macushla House meant this was possible without having to deal with much traffic which suited us. We decided to use taxis for one day and then a driver for the second. In hindsight having a driver means you can really please yourselves and change your plans if you want to and I would do this in the future rather than taxis. If you want to go into the city and experience the restaurants and city life then possibly a more central hotel would suit you better.

We had a very early flight out the next morning so rather than chance the traffic and have a ridiculously early start we stayed at the Aero Club which is on Wilson Airport. This is a Nairobi institution and the bar (where we also ate our dinner) was welcoming and interesting and, best of all, was a 5 minute trip from the terminal. The accommodation is very basic but it worked for us. I do not think it would not suit most people.

Elephant Bedroom in Samburu was fantastic in every way. My only complaint is that we did not have time to spend 3 nights here as we usually do. It is one of my favorite Reserves and very different from other locations. This was my second stay at Elephant Bedroom and all of the tiny problems have been dealt with now and the welcoming and efficient staff were fantastic. The animals have the right of way through camp and that makes for wonderful experiences especially with elephants. My nephew's many questions were answered with accurate information delivered with enthusiasm from the guards through to James our guide. Because it is usually so dry you do not get the quantity of game here you get in the Mara but you get varieties of animals you can not see elsewhere and the elephant sightings are incredible. The scenery is also fantastic.

We mixed our time in the Mara between Governors (in the Reserve and a large camp) and Encounter Mara (in Naibosho Conservancy and a small camp). This was the best mixture and each offered us something different and special. If you want to see animals you can not beat the Mara and boy, did we see animals in both places. It should have been the end of the migration but there were still lots of wildebeast and we actually saw a crossing. Where there is food there are predators and we saw lots of them as well. The Mara was still busy so going to Encounter Mara meant we saw wonderful cat sightings with very few vehicles. Encounter Mara also allowed us walking safaris, night drives and a (non-commercial!) boma visit. With their lovely guides and staff we will go back there and I hope others do too as it deserves to do well.

I think the balance of Nairobi Game Park, Samburu Reserve and the two locations in the Masai Mara gave my nephew a varied glimpse of Kenyan wildlife and countryside. He has not stopped talking about it. He absolutely loved the trip but confessed that he did not realise that sitting in a vehicle and looking for animals could be so exhausting! As for me, Kenya has so much to offer that I will return again (and again and again)!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Kenya and Richard at ExpertAfrica was instrumental in orchestrating the perfect trip for us. We had communicated our preferences to him in terms of wildlife, activities, budget and also the mix and sequence we were seeking to achieve and he was thoughtful, creative and flexible to put together a truly unique trip for us that exceeded our every expectation!

The highlight of our trip was our time at Samburu, where we enjoyed (perhaps with some luck) exceptional moments (lions stalking impala herd, lion stealing a leopard kill, leopards climbing trees, cheetah making a kill among others) and had the privilege of travelling with one of the best guides we've ever experienced in Francis at Saruni Samburu - a breathtaking setting for a lodge!

Our time at Meru at the start of our trip and just before getting to Samburu gave us an intimate and involved experience which was a perfect way to kick-off the Kenya experience. After Meru and Samburu we enjoyed the overwhelming abundance of the Mara. Our stay was initially in the Mara North Conservancy where we were able to enjoy more flexible activities like walking safaris and night drives and concluded in the main reserve with spectacular river crossings on our last day in Kenya!

Throughout our trip, we felt very safe and the locals were always welcoming, cheerful and always happy to help and went the extra mile to make us feel comfortable and at home. We also had a vegetarian dietary requirement which was perfectly catered for throughout our trip at all the lodges. Recent events have hurt the tourist business in Kenya which is a real shame as the country, its people and its wildlife have a lot to offer and a lot for the rest of us to learn from!

We would absolutely visit Kenya again and almost certainly call ExpertAfrica on our next African holiday! Thank you very much for helping us with this memorable Kenyan experience!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"Great trip came back refreshed, the private conservancy stuff is well worth doing it may cost a little more but you have the pleasure of watching great wildlife without anyone else around still busy in the mara with loads of trucks/combis but not such an issue in Samburu which I think is my favourite park in Kenya.
Compared with the prices in Botswana and Zambia given the wildlife we saw Kenya is a Safari Bargain!
Please GO!

Cheers to all at Expert Africa and thank you once again for pointing us in the right direction!
Will be back for some more punishment in the near future!

Martin & Loz" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Kenya safari

"We enjoyed our trip and will have many good memories. When three people travel together, it's difficult to represent all opinions in one rating form, but the important point of view is that we were glad we went and were largely satisfied with our itinerary.

Emakoko, where we spent our last day, was not on the feedback list. I'd like to add that it is lovely and I would have enjoyed an overnight there. When I was dealing with a family emergency and had no cell signal, Anton was very generous and helpful, and the staff was excellent. Also, this was the best food we had on our trip." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari

"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and it was really illuminating to find that the game viewing in the conservancies is even better than in the parks/reserves. With the right guide, wonderful sightings can be had away from the crowds that are associated with some of the main parks. Given the places we specified we wanted to go to, we do not think you could have chosen better camps for us and you did well to recommend adding Lewa to our itinerary.

We went on from our trip with Expert Africa to join a photographic trip in two of the conservancies north of the Maasai Mara, staying at Kicheche Mara and Bush camps. The sightings here were superb and we highly recommend these camps/conservancies too.

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Keep up the good work! Every trip Expert Africa has planned for us has been superb and we are very grateful.

The client feedback on your website and your staff's knowledge of the camps also really helps us to make the right choices time after time." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"Samburu has stunning scenery and is an excellent place to watch elephants as they are plentiful, calm and unstressed. It is also home to some particular animals not found in other places, the gerenuk, besia oryx, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra and Somali ostrich. We saw all of these, as well as numerous dik-dik, impala and Grant's gazelle. However, at this time of year that seems to be about it. Apparently there are buffalo at other times and occasionally there might be waterbuck by the river, but there are no rhino or other varieties of antelope.

We did well with cats, seeing both lions and leopards, but they can never be guaranteed. Birds were abundant, especially raptors, and we saw many eagles, buzzards and goshawks. Kingfishers, bee eaters and waterfowl were also plentiful. Overall, a good game viewing holiday but after 5 nights we felt we had done it thoroughly and seen all that Samburu had to offer.

En route back home we had several hours to spend in Nairobi, during which we had the services of a driver. He collected us at Wilson airport after our flight from Samburu and ferried us to several interesting sites (e.g. the giraffe sanctuary, Karen Blixen's house museum, hotels for lunch and tea) before taking us to Jomo Kenyatta International airport for our flight home. This made the wait much more tolerable – airports are not the most inspiring places to spend hours of time!

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All good, nothing to add." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 5 on a Kenya safari

"We enjoyed our holiday even more than we expected. The two camps complemented one another very well. Meru is a splendid park to visit.

There was lots of wildlife without the pressure of other visitors and vehicles and Offbeat Meru was an excellent camp from which to explore it. Samburu was rich in wildlife, although a little busier, and the river-side setting of Elephant Bedroom was ideal.

We happily recommend our trip and combination of camps. In retrospect, our transfer arrangements from and back to Nairobi was the weak link and could hopefully be improved. We will email separately on this." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 3 on a Kenya safari