Travel reviews by N&C from Poole

"Arrived here about 11:30 after a slightly delayed BA flight from London. The roads were traffic free - a mayor advantage to travelling at that time.

All staff were very welcoming and the bar was still open!

The room (in the Captain’s wing) was perfectly adequate for a one night stay. The bed was large and comfortable and the shower room functional. Breakfast was excellent and transport to Wilson was easy to arrange.

We would definitely stay here again."

"We had stayed at Loldia previously, at the end of 2016, when the New Year was heralded by a Scottish family on bagpipes. The temporary manager at the time was a lady called Rachel, abetted by yellow lab Scotty.

Loldia is no longer actively hosted, as it was by Rachel, and no longer has communal dining at a shared table, but it is still a lovely sociable place.

We previously stayed in Room 1 in the main house, which we liked a lot. This time we had Room 6 which was equally good. It has a huge shower, freestanding bath and a fireplace, which was an asset on chilly afternoons and evenings (we had a couple).

We passed on the day trip to lake Nakuru as we had done that previously. We did go on a boat trip on the lake, went horse riding and visited the museum at Elsamere.

The swimming pool is a lovely new addition to the property."

"We have stayed in a lot of safari camps and this is definitely one of the best we have encountered.

Very nice first impressions - a lovely oasis in the bush.

Well spaced tents with ample privacy.

All in all a first class camp - the food was really good as was the guiding."

"We came here from Kicheche Mara; the transfer was a little convoluted because of the amount of rain (very unusual for January everyone kept telling us!) The transfer was expertly co-ordinated by the management of the two camps.

The Kicheche branding was visible in the fixtures and ethos of the camp.

Another excellent camp. Good staff. Good guiding.

Some exceptional sightings including the most prolonged leopard encounter we have had.
Also really big herds of elephant, zebra, topi. And lots of lions!"

"Impressive speed boat transfer from the airport!
Very well spaced rooms. Very private. Lovely huge room.
Barefoot living - no need for shoes, as long as you can cope with the hot sand underfoot.
No land or water hazards - amazing!
If we come back to this part of Kenya we would definitely revisit.
Went on a lovely sunset dhow cruise and on a brilliant sundowner trip/safari to the Manda ruins with owner Andy.
Went kayaking and paddle boarding.
My husband, who claims not to like beach holidays, admitted he would happily have spent another night here.
Mwesi the manager (assisted by Nikki) did a brilliant job."

"The beating heart of Shela!
We had a lovely room (#25) with private access through window to the swimming pool.
Also swam in the lovely clean sea right outside our room.

Lots going on - bar and restaurant busy with residents and visitors.

Hotel guests have tables reserved automatically on a residents only terrace and also have a residents only rooftop bar.
Family friendly - seemed to be somewhere where those from around the world gather.

Lots of activity on offer - Carole is a very proactive host.
We took a boat for lunch at The Cabanas near Kipungani one day - a lovely spot and a great escape from the bustle of Shela."

"Lovely room (#1) with outlook over gorgeous swimming pool and garden.
Excellent breakfast- perhaps the best of the trip!

A lovely tucked away place.

Food excellent - we had 2 suppers there.
We walked to Hemingways for supper one evening - very easy to do.
We visited the Karen Blixen museum and coffee gardens and had lunch at Talisman on our final day all with aid of a driver arranged by the hotel."

"We had visited The Emakoko four years ago and were keen to return. It was as good as we remembered.

Our flight to Nairobi was delayed but the staff had stayed up and offered us a meal, despite it being 3am by the time we arrived! We declined the offer and that of an early morning game drive, opting instead for a leisurely morning and an afternoon drive.

There is no shortage of game in Nairobi National Park and it is interesting to see it with the backdrop of the city skyline and the railway line, which was not built the last time we were here.

The following day we had a post breakfast game drive to Wilson to get our flight to Loisaba."

"I have seen this place described as ‘rustic’ but I do not think that is accurate; it certainly in no way does it justice. If your idea of luxury includes space, peace, relaxation and excellent food then Sabuk should best be described as luxurious.

Sabuk is owned and hosted by the wonderful Verity Williams. Together with dogs Chesa and Tam, Verity met us on our return from activities and ate meals with us and the other guests. She is a fount of knowledge about Kenya and Tanzania in particular as well as being very well travelled generally.

We were picked up from Loisaba airstrip by our guides Robert and Kumbau who stayed with us throughout our visit. It was about an hour drive to Sabuk.

The lodge is stunningly situated above the river. The great room is huge, as are the rooms. All are open to the elements but are remarkably bug free, although bug repellent is supplied in the room. The only area we encountered some mosquitoes was around the pool, these are grass mosquitoes - Sabuk has officially been certified as being malaria free by an entomologist!

Whilst at Sabuk we went walking, camel riding, swimming in the river and on game drives. Breakfasts at stunning locations in the bush were supplied with a latrine tent - no need for going behind a bush - this was the first time we have come across this luxury!

We loved Sabuk and would happily return. It is perhaps not a conventional safari lodge (if such a thing exists) but is arguably all the better for it."

"Sosian is lovely. It provided a good contrast to our other stops on this trip, which is what we wanted.

The staff are very friendly and accommodating. I went riding and we went swimming at the waterfall. We had an excellent bush dinner in what is best described as a treehouse overlooking a hippo pool. Lunches by the pool were another highlight.

In these Covid times Sosian are trying to keep guests separate for meals and activities, although we did all meet for afternoon tea. This made our visit a bit less sociable than normal, although it did mean we had our game drive vehicle to ourselves."

"We arrived at Olepangi after an easy 3 hour drive from Sosian.

We stayed here 2 years ago and were keen to return. In those 2 years Elizabeth, Olepangi’s owner, has built a stunning swimming pool and pool house and acquired 2 Great Danes!

Olepangi is beautiful, the location and grounds are gorgeous, as are the rooms. This is not a safari lodge, instead it offers respite to those that might be a bit safari’d out.

There are horses to ride (as I did) and many trips to go on should you wish. Or you can just relax in the company of Elizabeth, her friends, the artists in residence and the other guests."

"The landscapes and vistas at Lewa are stunning. There is such variety – rolling hills, open plains, rocky escarpments, marshland and acacia tree forests where cranes roost in huge numbers overnight.

The four lodges at Lewa share the area and also share intelligence about sightings, very useful given the size of the conservancy.

Lewa House is a lovely lodge ably hosted by Calum, Sophie and guest manager Claire. I thought the rooms were perfectly designed for the safari goer and the swimming pool really is warm!

One highlight of our visit was a trip to the conservancy HQ where we learnt about all the work that goes into the management of Lewa and the work of the rangers. I would recommend this visit to anyone, especially those with an interest in technology.

I went horse riding and got incredibly close to the wildlife."

"We came back to the Emakoko at the end of our trip.

We appreciated their flexibility; we are able to invite a friend staying elsewhere in Nairobi to lunch and we had no need vacate our room prematurely (as does happen with some day room stays) even when our departing flight was delayed."