Accommodations in Kenya

Next Adventure recommends a wide variety of camps, lodges and hotels throughout Kenya. A few of our favorites are listed below and can be included in a custom safari itinerary:

Mara Plains Camp Masai Mara

Nkorombo Mobile Camp Masai Mara

Serian Camp Masai Mara

Ol Donyo Lodge Chyulu Hills

Sasaab Samburu

The Emakoko Nairobi

Kenya has an international reputation for its classic East African beauty. The country has savannas, deserts, highlands and beaches that contain a rich and varied wildlife population. The presence of a colorful diversity of culture is also one of Kenya’s greatest attractions. Over thirty tribes inhabit Kenya. The five largest and best known are the Masai (or Maasai), the Samburu, the Tugen, the Turkana and the Kikuyu. These groups share a semi-nomadic, pastoral lifestyle, and each has a unique and rich culture. Kenya’s hospitable people, fascinating cultures, great tourist destinations and, especially, stunning scenery and wildlife make it a popular and unique destination.

Leopard Buffalo Encounter – Kenya’s Maasai Mara – Photo by Taylor Phillips

Kenya is a large and diverse country. Although straddling the equator, the landscape is mostly semi-desert savannah. The climate is generally dry with warm days and cool nights although altitude and prevailing winds affect local conditions. Mount Kenya’s highlands are typically cooler while the northern and lower desert areas are warmer. Safaris operate year-round although East Africa has two rainy periods. The “short rains” fall in November/December and the “long rains” in April/May when lower rates may be available.

Typically safari costs include a safari vehicle with a roof hatch and a driver/ guide, meals, accommodation, park and entrance fees and applicable taxes. Children under 12 sharing with adults may qualify for discounts.

Hotels and airport transfers, optional sightseeing in Nairobi and Kenya visas are extra (currently $50 for US citizens online but subject to change). If your itinerary includes Tanzania, visas currently cost $100 per person for US citizens, also subject to change.

MASAI MARA

Cape Buffalo & Cattle Egrets in the Masai Mara

The Masai Mara National Reserve is one of East Africa’s top game reserves and is located adjacent to Tanzania’s famous Serengeti Park. The Reserve has plentiful wildlife, with large populations of gazelle, antelope (especially topi) and predators. This park is the only place in Kenya to see the Roan antelope. The Mara is famous for its prides of black-maned lions, and has cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs and even the elusive leopard. The annual migration of wildebeest and zebra from July to September provides one of Africa’s most dramatic scenes as millions of animals cross the Mara River into the Masai Mara. The stately presence of the Masai people greatly enhances the experience.

TSAVO

Tsavo is among the world’s largest animal sanctuaries, covering 20,000 sq. km, and has an incredible diversity of wildlife and scenery. The park is split into East and West Tsavo by the Nairobi/Mombasa highway. Tsavo is known for the so-called “red” elephants who cover themselves in the rich red earth of the area. Tsavo West has an odd, otherworldly landscape and is a Black rhino sanctuary. The western side also contains Mzima springs with hippo and crocodile, which can be seen from an underwater viewing tank. Tsavo’s wildlife also includes many lions, possibly descended from the famous “Man-Eaters of Tsavo”. Other animals found in Tsavo include leopard, cheetah, Lesser Kudu, Eland, waterbuck, oryx, Coke’s Hartebeest and gerenuk. The sunsets can be striking as the expansive sky is painted in rich color. The national park is located between Nairobi and the coast city of Mombasa.

MOUNT KENYA REGION

The striking and snowcapped Mount Kenya is the second highest point in Africa at 17,058 ft. The mountain is a beautiful and challenging destination for trekkers and climbers. The summit and a second peak are for advanced climbers, but a third peak, Lenana, is more accessible. The volcanic peak dominates the surrounding slopes, valleys and gorges. Mountain elephant, black Rhino, Cape Buffalo, antelope and Giant Forest Hog roam the foothills in the 228 sq. mi. national park. The landscape is covered in unusual high-altitude equatorial vegetation like tussock grass, giant heather, lobelia and groundsel. This vegetation gives Kenya’s slopes an alpine desert appearance and an otherworldly feel.

The Lewa Downs Game Ranch covers 40,000 acres of savanna beneath the northwestern slopes of Mount Kenya and carries game and cattle in balance and harmony. Lewa Downs provides a safe refuge to plenty of African wildlife, including Black and White rhino. Access to this area is exclusive.

Not far from Mount Kenya National Park is the Aberdare National Park, a landscape of high alpine moors and primeval forests. The Aberdares are known for an abundance of wildlife, including a number of rhino, and the Karuru waterfalls, the highest in Kenya. It is also home to the world-famous Treetops Lodge and several other beautiful lodges.

Also close by is the luxurious Sweetwaters Tented Camp, which is in the heart of the game reserve of the same name. It has magnificent views of the peak. Accommodations overlook a water hole, and wildlife around the camp includes giraffe, zebra, elephant and buffalo. Some of the activities offered are night game drives, bird and nature walks, and visits to a chimpanzee sanctuary and even camel riding.

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

Simply known as Lewa, the Conservancy is nestled at the foothills of Mount Kenya and is home to some of the continent’s most endangered species – the black rhino and the Grevy’s zebra- and a plethora of other wildlife including the elephant, giraffe, buffalo, antelope, lion, cheetah and leopard.

Conservation of endangered species
Lewa is home to some of Africa’s critically endangered species, notably the black rhino and Grevy’s zebra. The Conservancy has been hugely successful in conservation of the native black rhino and the resident population has grown at an impressive 6% per annum.

Lewa plays a crucial role in rhino conservation in Kenya, facilitating the translocation of its rhino to new or previously inhabited areas & providing technical expertise to established and new rhino sanctuaries.

Lewa’s Grevy’s zebra population, at approximately 380 individuals, is the single largest at any one place in the world. With less than 3,000 left in the wild, the Grevy’s zebra is the world’s rarest zebra and the second largest equid. Lewa’s Research Team carries out important monitoring and research to inform management decisions on Grevy’s zebra conservation.

Community Development
For communities neighbouring wildlife, conservation can be the greatest tool for development and Lewa’s community development programmes have over the years transformed the lives of thousands from the adjoining communities. Today, Lewa supports 19 schools, 10 water projects, four clinics, a women’s micro-credit programme and so many other community projects, improving the quality of life of many.

Conservation tourism
Lewa boasts some of the most spectacular landscapes in northern Kenya and Mount Kenya serves as the perfect backdrop. With gentle rolling hills and natural, unspoilt beauty, guests enjoy the trip of a lifetime that consists of an unforgettable combination of great scenery, superb game viewing and excellent hospitality.

Visitors also have the opportunity to experience Lewa’s extensive conservation and development projects. Proceeds from tourism are ploughed back into our various programmes, crucial funds that contribute to Lewa’s annual revenue.

Lewa’s History
Lewa’s rich history in conservation spans three decades, having started out as the Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary established in 1983 to help save the last remaining black rhino in northern Kenya. At the time, poaching for rhino horn saw a once thriving population plummet to near extinction, and Ngare Sergoi was a brave and pioneering venture, driven by love for the rhino. The sanctuary thrived and was later re-established as the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in 1995.

MERU

Meru National Park, north of Mount Kenya, offers a great range of mountain landscapes and wildlife habitats. Its lowland plains contain forest, swamp, savanna and rivers. Abundant rainfall and permanent streams support some luxuriant vegetation. Meru also has huge numbers of wildlife, including all of the Big Five – elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard. The unique species of Reticulated Giraffe and Grevy’s Zebra are found here. Meru is also known as the home of Joy and George Adamson and their “Born Free” lions. The area was once badly damaged by poachers, but has since been better protected. Meru is now a beautiful and relatively unused park. The inclusion of Meru into your itinerary may depend on the season. At times it can present superb wildlife opportunities without many tourists.

SAMBURU

Samburu View

The Samburu National Reserve is found in the arid countryside north of Mount Kenya and is the traditional home to the Samburu people. Samburu is a haven for rare wildlife such as the Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, the Somali Ostrich and the long-necked antelope, Gerenuk. Samburu has also its share of predators including lion, cheetah and leopard. The arid landscape is made up of grasslands and desert dotted with acacia and rocky hills. Doum palms line the Uaso Nyiro River, which lures animals from across the desert. The vistas and landscape provide fabulous scenery to accent the plentiful game. Samburu is adjacent to the Buffalo Springs Reserve, which has less thornscrub and more acacia trees and savanna grass. Buffalo Springs has abundant game and several quality accommodations.

RIFT VALLEY AND LAKES

The Great Rift Valley is a stunning and impressive landmark that cuts through the Kenyan landscape northeast of Nairobi. The giant chasm was formed by a massive fracture line and is so deep and defined that it can be seen from space. In Kenya, the Rift is about 50 km wide and as deep as 3000 m. The prehistoric landscape has the seven great lakes of Kenya within its dramatic scenery.

Two picturesque lakes found in the Rift Valley are home to a huge population of brilliant flamingos. Lake Naivasha, the world’s highest freshwater lake, is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake whose surrounding area provides a sanctuary for Black and White rhinos and the rare Rothschild’s giraffe. The lake itself boasts a spectacular display of flamingos. On the small lake, barely four by six miles,  one or two million of the flame-pink birds can be seen. Another lake in the valley, Elmenteita, has luxury accommodations, notably the new Serena luxury tented camp. The lake is home to plentiful flamingos as well as Kenya’s only breeding population of Great White pelicans.

AMBOSELI

With the majestic view of Mount Kilimanjaro ever present, Amboseli offers some of Kenya’s best displays of wildlife. Ernest Hemingway wrote of Amboseli as being the essence of Africa. Elephant live in the foothill forests and swamplands, plains animals graze the grasslands and leopard can be seen prowling the salt flats. The open savannas are dotted with impala and many other antelope. Amboseli also has giraffe, rhino, Vervet monkeys, baboons and kudu. The park was first established in 1948, and was later turned over to tribal control in 1961. Amboseli is in the heart of Masai land, containing many of the proud, nomadic people’s manyatta villages.

THE COAST

The Kenyan coastline is one of the most beautiful in Africa. Its climate is tropical and the beaches are fringed with palms. A spectacular coral reef runs along the coastline and boasts beautiful marine life. Lagoons, mangrove forests and cliffs host overwhelming birdlife. The coastal region offers many popular attractions and activities including swimming, sunbathing and birdwatching. The gateway to the region is Mombasa, which has a long, rich history. The seaport has been a trading post since 200 AD, bringing foreign luxuries to the colorful bazaars. Lamu is another bustling community on the northern coast that is still visited by Arab trading dhows.

NAIROBI

Sheldrick Trust’s Elephant Orphanage

Nairobi is the largest city of East Africa, with over 3.3 million inhabitants and steady growth. It has developed into one of the great commercial centers of the world. Nicknamed the “City of Flowers”, Nairobi’s high altitude, warm climate and fertile soil promote the growth of both tropical and temperate plants all over the area. Jacaranda trees gracefully shade the city’s streets, and bougainvillea brightens the avenues it lines. Nairobi also has a national park only five miles from its center. There is a wide choice of hotels and lodges in and around the city.

As the birthplace of the safari, Nairobi city is a natural starting point for most Kenya safari itineraries. Indeed nearly all of the famous safaris of colonial history set off from here, some with lines of ‘bearers’ miles long.

Attractions include:
• Karen Blixen Museum
• Giraffe Centre
• Grand City Tour
• Cultural Tour
• Carnivore Restaurant
• The Nairobi National Park

Kenya – 18-Day Luxury Safari- Kenya, Rwanda & Zanzibar

Cheetah on Landcruiser in the Mara
Photo credit: African Horizons

Bull Elephants at Ol Donyo