Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs BP from Surrey

"We arrived after midnight and left after early breakfast so didn't really experience the hotels facilities.
The great thing about this hotel is the proximity to the airport. As we were 2 hours late arriving it was lovely to get to the hotel with out further delay.
It is a smart hotel. The room was large, modern and very comfortable.
They were able to provide us with (swift) room service, despite the late hour.
Breakfast started early, which was perfect for us.
The staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful.

We did pop in for a couple of hours on our last day just to relax before our flight.
It proved to be a great place to relax with nice bar, restaurant and outside space.
And a short hop to the airport - invaluable!"

"We had 3 fabulous days at Elsa's Kopje
It is a unique place with a fascinating history. The story of Joy and George Adamson , Elsa & other animals is evident throughout the lodge, in the form of photographs and books.
The lodge is warm and welcoming, with a lovely sense of permanence.
The rooms are spacious, all with a balcony and fantastic views.

Food is excellent, I don't know how they manage to produce such a fantastic array of fresh and tasty dishes.
I am a vegetarian & they had no problem catering for me.
One of the highlights was a fabulous bush breakfast all set up in a lovely river side location.

The staff at Elsa's were without exception warm, helpful and friendly. They are clearly proud of their lodge and happy to answer questions and relay stories.

There is a beautifully located spa and lovely swimming pool. A great treat after a long warm game drive.

Being the only lodge in the park there are very few other vehicles. This made our game drives peaceful & personal.
Our guide (Joel) was excellent, cheerful, friendly and very knowledgeable. His knowledge extended to the wonderful bird life as well as resident animals.

One of the highlights of Meru is the Rhino Sanctuary. A large part of the park has been given over to the rhinos. They have put in a low fence to keep the rhinos safe but to allow other animals to enter the area. Hence it feels very natural. It is a joy to see so many rhinos (with young) and complete with beautiful horns!
The population is rising steadily, it is a fantastic achievement.

I highly recommend a visit to Meru & Elsa's Kopje."

"Sarara Camp is spectacular!
The communal area is beautifully designed with fantastic views. There are 2 waterholes (upper & lower) frequently visited by elephant, giraffe, zebra, kudu & more.
A beautiful place to relax and enjoy the view.

The rooms are spacious and beautifully appointed.
Once again the food was excellent.

The bush was thick around the camp (due to unusual rain) so spotting on game drives was difficult.
The conservancy is vast, consequently the animals are spread out and even in drier weather, hard to find.

Sarara is community driven, many of the activities allow guests to be involved in samburu cultural activities. This is a great way to learn and understand the lives of these pastoralists.

Our visit to the Reteti elephant sanctuary was the highlight of our visit.
I have supported the Sheldrick sanctuary for many years and its great that a sanctuary has been established in the north of the country.
We fed the orphans and walked with them. Then had breakfast on a rock outcrop while they wandered around us
The sanctuary is owned and run by the Samburu community.
The project is in its infancy but so far proving successful.

Sarara is remote, it is a dot in the vastness that is amazing north Kenya.
Not perhaps a first choice for visitors to Kenya but it is a special place.
I sincerely hope the community initiatives continue to be successful."

"We enjoyed our stay at Emakoko, it is a great alternative to staying in Nairobi centre.
We were collected from the airport - it was already 9.45pm but we drove through the National Park seeing quite a few animals.
Our first night drive of the trip!
The guide picking us up remained with for our stay.

Despite arriving late Anton met us and offered us a light meal in the dining room - it was perfect.

On our way to the Sheldrick visit the next day we had a lovely game drive through the park.
It was especially good to see the Rhino.

The lodge is in a superb location by the river, ideal for peaceful relaxation before setting off on safari. The staff were lovely and the food excellent

Altogether a perfect way to start our trip."

"It's hard to know where to begin.
Kicheche Bush is indeed a lovely camp. It is no surprise it has such a high number of return visits.

We were very fortunate to find a cheetah family eating by the side of the road on our way from the airport - obviously a good omen!

We received a very warm welcome from managers Daniela and Dido, they were both visible throughout our stay ready to help and answer questions at any time.

Just 6 comfortable tents in a beautiful location equipped with everything we could need.
They are placed a good distance from each other and positioned to maximise privacy.

We had lunch out under the acacias and dinner in the covered dining room (after drinks by the fire of course) We were given the choice of eating communally or having a separate table.
We opted to eat with our fellow guests and enjoyed entertaining, convivial meal times.

The food was excellent. I'm always amazed how the chefs perform such miracles in a bush kitchen but this was exceptional. Fresh ingredients, tasty but light.
As a vegetarian I was catered for brilliantly with some of the tastiest vegetarian food I have ever had.

Our guide Joseph was excellent, very friendly and well informed. We had lovely game drives with my favourite treat - breakfast in the bush!
Around the camp (and sometimes in the camp) we saw a lot of game.
The conservancy has several cheetah groups, (which is reassuring), lion and leopard as well as elephant, buffalo and many herds of herbivores.

My husband told Joseph he was a keen bird watcher. He certainly knew his birds and helped Mike spot and identify several 'new' sightings.

Altogether a fantastic experience - great game viewing but also relaxing.
There is no pressure to 'do everything' if you would rather just enjoy being in a perfect African setting."

"Kicheche Valley camp is a beautiful camp in a great location.

On arrival we were welcomed by relief manager Rachel - an amazing lady. Born in Kenya, she was very interesting and interested, we had lots of chats!
She and all the staff were delightful. On hand all the time to answer questions and provide us with everything we needed.
On our 3rd morning Minnie (camp manager) returned. Also a charming, friendly and helpful lady.

Our guide, Bernard, was excellent. Once again, very knowledgeable, a lovely man and a good communicator. Mindful to go at a pace that suited us and our desire to see the birdlife.

Naibosho has more water than Olare so was much greener, especially in areas near the rivers.
Bernard took us to different areas of the conservancy, always finding a riverside spot for our breakfast. Consequently we saw lots of different birds and lots of hippo! (I do love a Hippo!)
He was also happy to talk about his culture and family life, something we are both very interested in.

The highlight at Valley was our night drive. This was something we had specifically wanted to do. The infrared allowed us to observe the animals at close quarters.
We were lucky to see Genet, Bat eared Fox, hippos out of the water and a special treat - a very large porcupine!

The two camps, Bush and Valley are similar in the size and the quality of accommodation, staff and guides in both camps is outstanding.

They are different in other ways.
The location of Valley on the hillside means it has wonderful views from every part of the camp, especially the lounge and dining area.
The tents feel more permanent as they are on wooden decking (possibly because of the sloping ground) and are slightly bigger.

We preferred eating communally at Bush (we had separate tables at Valley) but the make of guests in the camps was different (there were 2 families with youngish children at Valley.
I'm sure this varies a lot throughout the year.

I am pleased that we visited both camps. If we could only go to one I would have difficulty choosing!"

"This was a perfect stopover hotel. we arrived at 10.30pm from JKIA, the restaurant was open until 11 and they were very happy to serve us a good evening meal.

The staff were friendly and helpful.

The rooms were very good.

Breakfast was excellent.

The swimming pool and gym looked good but unfortunately we didn't have time to use them."

"I chose Saruni specifically for the location but got so much more. The elevated position gives magnificent vistas extending hundreds of miles across the northern plains. An aspect of northern Kenya that I particularly love.

I was completely blown away by the lodge, the design and size of the rooms left me speechless. The use of local wood and furnishings gave a warmth and luxury to the rooms.

The rooms all built on the hillside with completely open fronts give unfettered views over the open plains. Unforgettable from the outdoor shower! The rooms are spread out so that no room overlooks another. You get the feeling you are the only guests.

There are 2 lovely infinity swimming pools, a welcome extra which again give that amazing feeling of space. Complimentary massages were also a unexpected bonus!

Around the lodge we saw Klipspringer, DikDik Dassies and lots of birdlife.

We were collected from the airstrip by our friendly guide, Sambara. He was an excellent guide with an extensive knowledge of the animals and birds of the Samburu region. He was very proud of his Samburu roots and happy to answer all our questions. Of which there were many!

We had a warm welcome from Zoe and Johan on arrival and they were very attentive throughout our stay. They were there when we went on a game run, there when we returned and present at every meal.

I enjoyed eating at a communal table with the other guests, sharing their experiences. The food was excellent. As a vegetarian there was always a special meal for me. A lot of thought went into the menus both at lunch and dinner.

We specifically chose Saruni for its remote location but it is important to be aware of the distance form Samburu National Park. It takes an hour to get into the park where most of the game drives will take place.

Saruni Samburu is not just a safari lodge, it is a beautiful, peaceful place to spend time just relaxing.

Very difficult to leave!"

"This is our 3rd visit to Little Governors. We first came with the family in 1995 - very little has changed, we loved it then and we love it now. It is a real tented camp in an amazing location right in the heart of the Mara. This position makes for a fantastic safari experience.

The marsh outside the tents is teaming with game. No fences mean the animals frequently come into the camp. Usually warthog and zebra but elephant are never far away and hippo are frequent night visitors.

The tents are well equipped with large comfy beds and excellent hot showers. The electric light is an addition since we first came!

Tables are placed outside in the shade of trees for breakfast and lunch. There is no formality but the food is good and the staff very attentive. The tables are moved under cover for dinner but the sides of the dining tent are open so that you can hear the night sounds. We were well looked after in camp by 2 Stanleys, one was our waiter, the other took care of our tent.

We were collected from the plane by our guide Robert who stayed with us throughout our stay. Initially a little quiet, it soon became obvious that he was a warm and friendly guy and an excellent guide.

Our morning game drive began at 6.30, being in the heart of the Reserve we were seeing game from the moment we left camp. The time of year means an abundance of wildlife. Large numbers of Elephant, Hippo, Giraffe and Buffalo. Vast herds of Wildebeest, Zebra and Antelope providing ample food for Lion, Cheetah and Leopard.

Just a fantastic safari experience and being able to start early meant we had some special moments to ourselves. On our last day Robert took us into the Mara Triangle in search of Rhino. Astonishingly we were lucky enough to see one. A great end to our safari!

In this camp you are seriously close to wild animals. It can get very noisy at night, lion and hyena sound closer than they are but you do have to expect the snuffling of hippo eating just the other side of your tent wall! It is a fantastic experience as long as you are comfortable with it.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will be back!"

"This hotel is a little gem! After a great safari it is lovely to take time to relax completely.

We were warmly welcomed by Ana who explained everything to us and took us to our cottages. The staff were delightful and always available but not intrusive.

All round the grounds there are numerous chairs and benches beautifully decorated with colourful cushions. All placed in a little corner of peace. Some in the shade, most with fabulous views of the Indian Ocean.

It seems you can always find a little place to be alone and take in the view.

I loved that everything was out for us to help ourselves, drinks by the pool, towels by pool and sea, tea and coffee stations at various points in the grounds. Kayaks and snorkel equipment on the beach.

There is a yoga station and some morning classes, also some rather outdated gym equipment on a cliff giving it a fantastic view out to sea. Very therapeutic!

The food was good, there was a set menu for both lunch and dinner but other things were available on request. The best meal was the Sunday curry lunch!

In the same spirit of informality lunch and dinner is taken in different places throughout your stay.

This was a perfect end to our holiday but guests should realise it is not suitable for trips to Mombasa, the Marine Park, or safaris in Tsavo. It is a good one and half hours drive to Mombasa on slow roads. Also there are no local shops, bars or restaurants.

The beach is beautiful but there is a wide stretch of coral beyond the beach which means you need shoes. The owners have made a concrete causeway below waterline so that it is possible to walk beyond the coral to swim."