Travel reviews by Ms M. from London

"Excellent place for a one night stopover. It’s convenient, very clean and well-appointed. The rooms are quite spacious, with water and coffee making facilities; the bathrooms are all you need and breakfast is more than adequate.

On our last day in Nairobi, before the flight, we first had coffee, then sat by a very pleasant pool before eating in their 5th floor restaurant. We opted for salads, both of which were very nice."

"A unique, boutique hotel where we received a very warm welcome.

The room was large with a very comfortable bed (with mosquito net) and everything you need in the bathroom. The pool was inviting and the food was excellent - we had a light lunch, dinner and breakfast the following morning.

They asked about allergies and I explained that I’m slightly allergic to avocados - my lunchtime salad came covered in avocado and the waiter was mortified to have forgotten what I told him. Both he and the manager apologised profusely, insisted on remaking my salad even though I’d said it would be fine to just remove the avocado and gave us free coffee, so no complaints."

"We loved Sirikoi.

The tents (a whole new definition of the word!) were extremely comfortable and well-appointed, with plenty of room and a deck at the front overlooking the water hole and from where we saw many zebras and impalas, and one rhino. The bathroom was lovely and gave us a wonderful view out, especially from the toilet! We were perfectly happy with the fact that the tent opening was canvas with a zip and certainly don’t feel that the glass doors which many camps now have are necessarily better; they do offer a lovely view but can detract from the authenticity.

Our tent was the furthest away from the main area but, given that there were only four tents, that wasn’t a problem and, in fact, it was rather nice to be at the far end as we had a better view. The fire which was lit for us while we were out on the afternoon game drive made the tent a very warm snd welcoming place to come back to. There’s a very pleasant pool and sitting area which we made use of on two occasions.

The main area was very welcoming and it was lovely to eat out in the evening as well as at lunchtime. There was a fire pit in the evening for pre dinner drinks and then small braziers pulled up to the tables to keep us warm. The food was excellent, some of the best we’ve experienced on safari and certainly the best, by far, this year. We really liked having a buffet lunch where we could control what we ate, given how much food is always on offer on a safari holiday. We went on a back of house tour and were very impressed by the organic garden and the extraordinary range of homegrown produce - no wonder their food is so good!

We went on a walking safari, which we had not done before and which was interesting ; we were surprised to be met at the end of it by not just our guide but another vehicle preparing a picnic breakfast for us. It was delicious.

The following day we saw a rhino darted in order to be relocated to another conservancy. Again, this was interesting but we found his terror at being pushed into the container and the thought of him having to be there for a four hour road journey quite disturbing.

The wildlife was good and we saw huge numbers of zebras (common and grevy all mixed together in large groups), antelopes elephants, buffalo and rhinos. We also saw several reticulated giraffes, including the semi-resident one. We were told that, a few days earlier, guests had seen quite a few lions, including some mating, but we were not so fortunate. We did see one male lion walking down the road towards us and a different male and female pair sitting perched on a rock at sunset. We also another male lion resting and were so busy watching him from one side of the jeep that we didn’t realise that two huge rhinos with equally huge horns had planted themselves right by our other side within touching distance! Our guide was good, full of enthusiasm and knowledge.

We knew that we were very unlikely to see any cheetahs or leopards and so were not disappointed.

We really enjoyed our time there. The managers, Greg and Anik, were very friendly and knowledgeable and it was particularly interesting to meet Sue Roberts and talk to her about her life and work. We liked the fact that the camp is small and intimate; we felt very at home there."

"The camp is very nice and the managers, Eric and Caroline, could not have been more warm and welcoming. There’s a strong emphasis on community, with dinner being served on an amazing long table, fashioned from a single huge tree. There was always the option to have dinner on a separate table but, while we were there, nobody did so.

The tent was well-appointed and very comfortable, as was the bathroom, and there was a large outdoor deck with a small pool and comfortable, shady seating, which we certainly made use of.

The food was plentiful, perhaps too plentiful: lunch was served and they always gave us enough for 4 people at least, despite us saying we were not big eaters! It seems such a waste. There was a fire pit for pre dinner drinks and nibbles, and this added to the convivial atmosphere. On our first day, we were met by a mobile drinks bar and we, together with all the other guests, watched a wonderful sunset.

For us, the biggest problem was the relative scarcity of wildlife. Our idea of Africa is of going out in the morning and seeing large herds of animals as far as the eye can see; sadly, we sometimes drove for an hour and saw almost nothing! The unprecedented rain up until we arrived (we were so lucky to have just missed it!) meant that the grass was very high, above waist height; inevitably, that made it more difficult to see whatever animals were there and, in addition, meant that some of the grazers had gone to other areas with shorter grass where they were less vulnerable and so some of the predators had followed them.

We saw no zebra or wildebeests, and not a single cheetah or leopard. Our guide and spotter did their best and we did see some wonderful animals, including 1 impressive male lion, 2 lionesses with 3 cubs between them and another lioness with very tiny cubs. We also saw several elephants but almost all our other sightings were of single animals, rather than groups, and there were long stretches of time when we saw nothing.

As a result, 4 days felt too long but the excessive rainfall is hardly the responsibility of the camp or the guides!"

"This was our second visit to Naboisho, the first having been in 2019 before the upgrade. We loved it in its original incarnation and enjoyed it again this time round, with the addition of a very smart swimming pool with its own bar area.

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."

"We spent the first night there and also went back there, rather than to the Ole Sereni on our last. Half day in Nairobi.

Our room was smart and comfortable, the breakfast was plentiful and good, although the food on our last day was fairly mediocre."

"Solio is a delightful place to spend a few days. The cottages are beautiful, very comfortable and with great views from the floor to ceiling windows. The staff couldn’t have been more warm and welcoming, and quickly established easy, but professional, relationships with guests. The food was delicious and the portions were just the right size. It was so nice to have a buffet lunch, primarily made up of salads!

We were disappointed by the relative scarcity of big cats. Whatever cheetahs used to be there have, accordingly to our guide, all died; there was a leopard but no-one had seen it for ages, and many of the 25 or more lions had left through holes in the fencing which Solio Ranch is responsible for mending but had not done. We were very lucky to see two lionesses and six cubs on one of our days, and then to see a male and a female lion who came back through the fence on another day.

Having said that, we saw fantastic rhinos (white and black), giraffes, zebras and a range of antelopes, even the rogue elephant who had broken in and so, overall, it was a good wildlife experience."

"The camp is in a lovely spot - it was really nice to be by a river, a new experience for us. Our tent was good, the balcony with small plunge pool was a real asset, and it was amazing to have an elephant walking up and down in front of us!

The staff were in no way unpleasant but had relatively poor communication skills. Our allocated waiter, for example, said almost nothing other than introduce himself and our guide, whilst perfectly pleasant and polite, also said very little to us. He pointed out animals but only spoke otherwise in answer to direct questions, and then fairly briefly. He never asked us what we wanted to see, told us where he was heading nor asked us whether we were ready to move on from a particular site.

The food was plentiful, ridiculously, but mediocre. Surely no-one needs a three course lunch at 1pm having had breakfast at 9.30 and then a four course evening meal. We felt that quality was sacrificed to quantity. It may seem petty to comment on it but we found the way of serving the food childish and faintly ridiculous: any hot dish was brought under under a silver dome and the waiters made a big show of removing with a flourish making us count down from 3. It was just about ok the first time but after that became simply annoying!

The wildlife was disappointing, apart from the elephants which were great. There’s just didn’t seem to be that much there even and we really had to search for it, driving for long periods of time without seeing anything much..on our first afternoon, we began to wonder if there was any at all! Having not been to Samburu before, it’s difficult to judge whether this is typical of the area but it does seem that the unprecedented levels of rain had something to do with it. We were told that many animals had crossed the river to Buffalo Springs but, contrary to what usually happens, we were unable to follow because the bridge had been damaged in the flood. So, we saw only one Grevy stallion, the large female herd having decamped, the same couple of giraffe several times, some gerenuk, oryx, impala and gazelles, but no cheetah and two male lions only; we were, however, lucky enough on our last drive to see a leopard."

"The location of the camp is very good and our tent was really lovely, incredibly spacious, but one of the best features of the camp is the management, Tom and Alison. They couldn't be more friendly, warm and accommodating. Nothing is too much trouble, they spend a lot of their day making sure the guests are all well and have everything they want, are always there to see us off in the morning and welcome us back, even in the pouring rain, and their sense of humour certainly kept us entertained!

It was nice to have lunch all together at a big table and the range of salads for the buffet lunch was excellent, innovative, tasty and different every day. The homemade bread was also delicious.

The wildlife was good, but not outstanding, mainly due to the effect of previous torrential rain and the rain and storms we experienced whilst there in the afternoons. On the morning game drives, we did manage to see a variety of animals but not in the numbers we had expected. Our guide told us that many of the herds had moved to areas with shorter grass but it was only when we and the couple we shared the jeep with specifically asked him if some of those areas were accessible to us that he took us up to the higher plateau where we did see the herds of zebra and wildebeest we had expected, along with a larger number of giraffe than we saw anywhere else.

It was very cold there in the evening. The open sided dining tent didn't provide much protection from the cold on the three rainy evenings we had and we ate our dinner in not just a fleece but also our outdoor jackets! The Naboisho camp last year also had an open sided dining tent but we certainly don't remember having to wear coats so it must be down to this year's weather - nobody's fault but it wasn't a very relaxing way to eat your dinner!"

"Having arrived at 10 pm, had a cup of coffee and gone to bed, and then having got up just in time to have breakfast before being picked up by Giraffe Manor, it's difficult to offer a considered assessment of the hotel.

However, the breakfast is very good and the location is excellent - it seems to be the perfect place for a stopover."

"What can we say???? Everything about Giraffe Manor lived up to, and exceeded, our expectations. The house and grounds are lovely, the staff were delightful, and endlessly patient with over-excited guests, and Tony, the manager, was welcoming, helpful and enthusiastic.

The food was delicious (creative and very well cooked), and as for the giraffes, it was love at first sight! Breakfast seems very mundane without them.

It was very easy to get to other places and we went to the Giraffe Centre, the Karen Blixen house and the elephant sanctuary - even though we had already booked a foster parent visit for our last afternoon in Nairobi, we opted to go on the public morning visit as well, and are glad we did so as we able to see the elephants in different circumstances on the two visits.

We understand that they might build a pool and that’s would be a welcome addition - exercise might help counteract the large meals!"

"We loved this lodge. Our room was amazing, sculpted out of the rock, and so comfortable. The management and staff were brilliant - welcoming, warm, knowledgeable and friendly. George and Theresa were great and the staff, generally, were more at ease in their interaction with us than at the other two lodges we stayed in, whilst being entirely professional. The food was a cut above, second only to Giraffe Manor, no mean feat given that they are cooking in a much less high tech kitchen, and it was so lovely to eat out under the stars.

It was great to have a pool which we made use of in the afternoons.

The guides were excellent, making sure they showed us as much as possible. The wildlife was good but more difficult to find than in the Mara - you had to go looking for it, and we didn’t come across a cheetah or leopard. We did know before we went that the wildlife would not be as extensive as in the Mara so this is not a complaint, just an observation.

There’s a lovely atmospheric feel to Elsa’s that’s quite hard to define but is key to its appeal. It’s a very charming place that we would seriously consider going back to a second time."

"Lewa Wilderness is a very attractive lodge, with manicured gardens and spectacular bougainvillea.

It has a welcome, if slightly cold, pool with a very comfortable seating area around. Our room was beautiful and very spacious, with a huge veranda on which they hyraxes sunned themselves every morning! The open fire was very welcome in the evening, both for its look and its warmth, as this was definitely the coldest of the places we stayed - this was the only place where there were no dressing gowns, and the one place we could have done with one.

The surprise breakfast in the Bush was lovely, and the best one we had. The buffet lunch was good but the food in the evening was slightly bland, with no choice, unlike all three other places.

There was a greater variety of wildlife than at Meru although, as in Meru, you had to look for it. We were pleased to see rhinos, black and white, a leopard and a cheetah, as well as a bush baby. Our guide was great."

"How can our room be called a tent??? It was bigger than many studio flats in London! Obviously, it was not as stunning as our rooms in Meru and Lewa but it was extraordinary for what it was, and we were very comfortable in it. The food was very good, with a buffet lunch and choice for the main course in the evening.

The management and staff were friendly and knowledgeable and, again, our guide was excellent. He (Daniel) knew our passion for the big cats and ensured we saw them as much possible, whilst also showing us all the other animals. He even found us three tiny lion cubs in the dark, which no-one else saw. The variety and number of animals was far and away the best we saw.

The hot water bottle in the jeep in the early morning was a very nice touch, as was the campfire in the evening."