SARUNI SAMBURU – KALAMA COMMUNITY WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY – SAMBURU

Saruni Samburu is perched high up in the most amazing spot with one of the best views you will ever enjoy out over the Kalama Conservancy. The lodge is the only lodge in Kalama Conservancy which borders Samburu National Reserve and has over 200,000 acres of unspoiled wilderness teeming with wildlife to explore exclusively. Guided by Samburu warriors passionate about their land and culture – you will learn about their customs and gain ancient, local knowledge about the land and animals.

LOCATION

Saruni Samburu is located at the heart of the Kalama Community Wildlife Conservancy, about 7 km from the Northern border of the Samburu National Reserve and accessed through the Kalama Gate. It also borders Ngutuk Ongiron to the west, Namunyak Community Conservation Trust to the north and Sera Community Wildlife Conservation to the north east.

CAMP 

Saruni Samburu’s six luxury villas are open and spacious with spectacular views over Kenya’s Northern Frontier District and Mount Kenya. The lodge has an innovative, eco-chic design and offers delicious Italian-inspired cuisine. You can enjoy the vast panoramas from your room, the dining and lounge area, the two infinity pools and the spa.

Villa One is a large family villa with two separate bedrooms and two spectacular bathrooms with bath tubs and outdoor showers. The villa has a large and open veranda with a private fire place, a spacious sitting area and dining area for private dinners. Perfect for families with small children, Villa One is accessible by car and is only a short walk from Kudu House, the main eating and lounge area.

Villa Two can be used as a large family villa with two separate bedrooms and two spectacular bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers. The villa can also be used as two separate rooms for two different groups of guests. The villa has a spacious sitting area and dining area for private dinners, a large and open veranda. Perfect for families, groups of friends or for two separate groups of guests, Villa Two is the largest and most spacious villa.

Villa Three is a standard villa with one large, open bedroom and a spectacular ensuite bathroom with a bath tub and outdoor shower. The villa has a spacious sitting area and dining area for private dinners and a large and open veranda. Perfect for a couple’s romantic escape or group of three, this villa has a unique character and style which blends it into the surroundings.

Villa Four is a large family villa with two separate bedrooms and two spectacular bathrooms with bath tubs and outdoor showers. The villa has a spacious sitting area and dining area for private dinners and a large and open veranda overlooking your own secluded and speculator view of Samburuland. Perfect for families or a group of friends, Villa Four is beautifully decorated and designed to blend into the natural surroundings.

Villa Five is a standard villa and is known as Saruni Samburu’s honeymoon villa. With an open and spacious bedroom and spectacular ensuite bathroom with a bath tub and shower, Villa Five is a perfect romantic escape. The villa has a spacious sitting area and dining area for private candle-lit dinners and an open and secluded veranda. Perfect for couples, Villa Five is suspended over Samburuland with incredible panoramic views.

Villa Six can be used as a large family villa with two separate bedrooms and two spectacular bathrooms with both indoor and outdoor showers. Or the villa can be segregated into two separate units for two different groups of guests. The villa has a spacious living and dining area for private dinners and a large veranda with the most magnificent view of the Northern Frontier Mountains. Perfect for families, groups of friends or for two separate groups of guests, Villa Six has a completely different view different from any other accommodation throughout the lodge; its innovative location, the Swahili touches and the stylish furniture make it very unique.

ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE

Guided Game Drives – Day and Night – you can enjoy morning, afternoon and all day game drives through the conservation areas of Kalama Conservancy and Samburu National Reserve which are two fantastic habitats for African wildlife.  You can also go on a night game drive in Kalama Conservancy to look for nocturnal species.

Bush Meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – you can enjoy breakfast along the Ewaso Nyiro River and starlit dinners in a dry river bed under the vast African skies (weather permitting). Note – bush dinners are usually part of a group, unless the lodge can accommodate otherwise.

Photographic Hide – Saruni Samburu offers you access to an elephant-proof, open ground level hide based at a waterhole where you can photograph animals and elephants from ground level. The waterhole at Saruni Samburu offers a unique opportunity to spot from very close up of the elephants that come and drink water, the fantastic birds species and the ‘Samburu Five’; reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk, Somali ostrich and Grevy’s zebra. You may see some predators of Samburu, especially lion and leopard.

Guided Bush Walks – walking safaris are individually tailored to your interests – walking with the Samburu warriors out in the African bush is a fantastic experience and a chance to learn about plants, animals and landscape, about local traditions and culture.

Samburu Wellbeing Space – enjoy massage and wellness treatments under the supervision of highly trained staff all with an open view of Kalama Wildlife Conservancy where elephant, kudu and giraffe roam freely.

Infinity Swimming Pools – take a refreshing dip in one of the two infinity pools during the heat of the day.  The upper infinity pool is located high on a panoramic view point near to villas 5 & 6 and the spectacular lower infinity pool is situated close to Kudu House on a rocky formation.

Birdwatching – Saruni’s guides are birdwatchers by instinct and training and share a love for birds and always carry field guides in the game drive vehicles.

Warriors Academy – the Warriors Academy is a special interactive safari experience with a strong educational flavour designed especially for families with children or small groups. It is a fun learning experience that encourages families to explore the wildlife and lifestyle of one of the most well-known and culturally fascinating tribes left in Africa; the Samburu. Combined with regular safari activities and tailored to your interests and timeframe the Warriors Academy can last between 1-3 days and needs to be booked in advance.

Cultural Visit to local village and community – visit Samburu villages to see how the local communities live, protect the environment and how they differ from other African tribes.  Please note, this visit incurs an additional charge that goes to the community directly.

Reteti Elephant Sanctuary – located in Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in Samburu County of Northern Kenya, Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the first community owned and managed elephant sanctuary in Africa. The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is situated in the remote Mathews Range among Kenya’s second largest elephant population and takes in orphaned and abandoned elephant calves with the aim to release them back into the wild herds adjoining the Sanctuary. This excursion needs to be arranged in advance or with the lodge management and is payable extra.

Saruni Weddings and Blessings – Saruni Samburu is the perfect place to experience an unusual but very genuine Samburu wedding ceremony which can be enjoyed by newlyweds who want to re-affirm their vows in the middle of a very spiritual land or by those who plan to actually get married in Kenya. The ceremony takes place in a Samburu village with the participation of the elders, the women and the warriors, or on the top of a mountain overlooking the endless landscape.

Helicopter Excursions – these are available upon request and payable extra, with excursions to Mount Kenya, Turkana and everything in between.

Visit to local caves featuring rock art – as part of the guided bush walks you can also visit nearby mountain caves where hundreds of years ago the Samburu have drawn hunting scenes and animals in what the experts call ‘white rock art’.

The Sacred Mountain Trek – Mount Ololokwe – Mount Ololokwe is the Samburu tribe’s sacred mountain. It is a pillar of cultural significance to the Samburu and an exciting trekking venture to many others.  Setting off at dawn your guides will accompany you during this excursion to the summit with picturesque pit stops for breakfast and lunch. Please note, this trek is payable extra.

Scorpion Safaris – each night the lodge manager takes guests on a ‘scorpion safari’ using his special ultra-violet torch that locates scorpions in the sand. Walking shoes or boots advised!

Stargazing – unpolluted and unobscured night skies around the lodge are stunning and there is a powerful telescope to view the stars in Kudu House.

SARUNI SAMBURU IS OPEN YEAR ROUND

THE LODGE WELCOMES CHILDREN OF ALL AGES – HOWEVER DUE TO STEEP ROCK DROPS FROM THE ROOMS THIS LODGE IS BEST FOR 8+