Reviews of Satao Camp

"Very welcoming and friendly staff. Incredible location.

The room was lovely.

Good buffet selection.

Would not hesitate to recommend this beautiful camp." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya

"Satao Camp is in a lovely location near a waterhole.

The tent we had was excellent with good facilities and a great location with an unimpeded view of the waterhole, which was partially lit at night. The amount of animal and bird activity in and around camp was superb.

The food was buffet style, which we enjoyed and was of a good quality. We loved the relaxed feel of the camp and thoroughly enjoyed our stay here." See all these reviews: 15n in Kenya

"Larger camp but tents very comfortable, food was buffet style but delicious and it has a very nice relaxed casual feel.

A herd of Impala live in camp where they feel safe and it was good to be so close to them. As the rains had been so heavy nothing came to the watering hole but what we missed at the watering hole we saw in the park.

Lovely to see everything looking so green and fresh, lots of young animals and hundreds of elephants." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"As in our review of Satao Elerai this review needs to be divided into Satao Camp and the guide

The camp is in a nice location in front of a waterhole. It is larger than most camps we visited. Due to local flooding the waterhole did not have many visitors while we were there.

The tents are scattered all over the site. If a view of the waterhole is important to you then make sure you ask for the right one. The named rather than numbered tents are closest to the waterhole, and are bigger. The inside of the tent was nice and there was a small fridge in it. The bathroom was the same as at Satao Elerai which was lovely. The tents themselves are looking very tired and probably in need of renewal. The mosquito netting in the front of the tent has many holes and you could see daylight through the roof over the bathroom

The communal area is split into sitting and dining areas separated by the bar. Some people were smoking in the sitting area while we were there. The dining tables are under trees so be prepared for some of the leaves to land on the table. Breakfast has cold choices, fruit is cut to order which causes delays (it is usually already prepared in the buffet), a cooked buffet is available and eggs can be made to order. For lunch and dinner the starters and desserts are served to your table and the main meals are served buffet style. There are several choices for each meal. We had packed lunches which were absolutely awful. Our food was not in the cooler so was in boxes in the heat from the time you left (and however long before that it had been prepared) to the time you ate. The bread for the sandwich was dry with a few bits of grated cheese in it. There was cooked chicken in foil that was not chilled. There was also unchilled yogurt. This lack of concern over food poisoning was a health risk and made you wonder what hygiene was like elsewhere. There was a small bottle of water included in the lunch box which was also warm.

We had to arrange for all of our water on our trip (including the transfer from Amboseli) as neither our Guide nor the camps did. One day we asked for ice and our guide put a frozen bottle of water in the cooler but it did not last for long. The lack of water provided, let alone chilled water was inexcusable and we still do not know what should have happened but it should not have been our responsibility!

The staff were very pleasant with our waiter and the barman very good. The management were not as visible as at other camps. More energy and enthusiasm would benefit the lodge as the atmosphere feels a little tired.

We had a Sundowner trip provided which was very nice.


Our major complaint was our unprofessional guide: He was a driver/guide supplied by Southern Cross to transfer us from Amboseli, guide us in Tsavo West and East and then a final transfer to Watamu over a 4 day period.

This was the worst part of our entire trip and caused us to contact Expert Africa immediately. Due to problems with some of the guiding at Satao Elerai we were promised a good guide for the next stage at Satao. This was certainly not the case!

- The transfer did not go as planned. We had discussed with Expert Africa how the transfer should go from Amboseli to Tsavo West and then into the nearby gate into Tsavo East. However, when we got to the closest Tsavo East Gate he did not enter and continued along the highway to Voi which we had specifically said we did not want to do. We were given no explanation as to why the changes occured but our guide did stop to pick up a package in Voi which he said was for the camp and which we can only assume was the reason for going to Voi..

- Our guide frequently drove at very high speeds well above the speed limit (50 kph) in the park. There is no way a guide can drive at 70 - 90km per hour in a park while watching for potholes and also spotting animals. We could not spot anything at that speed either and sat in our seat holding on. Over the course of the next few days we asked him to slow down which he did for a while then sped up again. We were so frustrated with his behaviour that we told the Assistant Manager at the Lodge but he laughed at us and said he would get the Manager to talk to him. No-one got back to us. The next day, our now very sulky driver then drove at 20 km looking straight ahead without pointing out any animals and ignoring the other vehicles and radio which were talking about a cheetah and cub. We eventually saw the mother for 2 minutes before she moved off.

In addition to the above there were a number of further issues with the driver/guide:

- Due to the speed at which he was driving we hit 3 birds (on separate occasions) which could not get out of the road fast enough. One actually ended up in the vehicle having bounced off of the windscreen.

- We had to organise/provide our own water although he should have done this.

- His routes were unusual and never discussed with us.

- At an owl sighting he started making loud noises in an attempt to get the owl to look our way- no respect and very unprofessional.

- He frequently drove away from a sighting without warning us or asking if we were finished leaving us lurching. We were still taking photos!

- At one point we hit a pothole at such speed and with such force the cooler went up in the air landing and breaking a bottle on the inside. Never any apologies or concern for us

- We did speak to him numerous times as well keeping Expert Africa in the loop.

- The management of the camp must have known the situation, the main management of Southern Cross certainly did but no-one bothered to discuss anything with us to help improve the situation. This part of our trip was spoiled." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"We loved the elevated lookout over the waterhole, though it could get crowded at times .. Perhaps they could add another one?

It was lovely having lunch under the Tamarind tree every day watching the elephants so close with no fence.

The wifi was not working when we arrived and was a bit unreliable at times ... It didn't really matter to us, but if you were expecting it to work well it could have been a frustration." See all these reviews: 5n in Kenya

"Satao is a lovely unfenced camp with spacious well-appointed tents set out facing an amazing waterhole. Elephants of all ages wander in from all directions throughout the day and night to splash drink and socialise, leaving little room for the abundant plains game to get a quick drink. The gathering of solitary old bull elephants and their social behaviour is fascinating.

The tally of recorded visitors to the waterhole daily is amazing. Birdlife in camp is prolific including vivid Vulturine Guinea Fowl, sunbirds, woodpeckers and Grey headed kingfishers along with many other common birds. Impala wander between the tents. Truly never a dull moment and a photographer's paradise!

The staff were brilliant and the food was excellent.

The wildlife in the surrounding areas was also very good. Highly recommended." See all these reviews: 13n in Kenya

"There is plenty of game in camp. I think the herbivores must think they are safe there. The food is great. The tents are as expected, with reliable hot water and electricity. I researched this place before I went there and found it appeared to be the best place in East Tsavo -- and it lived up to the promise." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya

"We loved Satao and found the staff really helpful & friendly. Service was swift and efficient too.

Very comfortable tents & great bathrooms.

The lack of fences made you feel you were really in the bush - the two lions very near our tent roaring loudly one night was amazing as was the hyenas' "laughter" the next night!" See all these reviews: 10n in Kenya

"Satao Camp was an excellent facility that was very efficiently run.

The accommodation was extremely comfortable, the staff friendly and the food fantastic" See all these reviews: 2n in Kenya

"It's a long, long road trip from Pinewood Resort to Satao. 7 hrs by road each way. Too long!

If it was our first safari or we were keen photographers it would have been a disappointing trip. Plenty to see but not enough tracks or roads in the park to get close to the animals. The result is that a resting pack of lions and cheetah and cubs could barely be seen as they were so far away. Certainly over 300 yards away! As well felt that the hide at the camp was too far from the waterhole.

Accommodation was very nice as was the food. Again the staff were terrific." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya