Samburu Riverside Camp

This is nice simple campsite near the river at Samburu National Park. Tents are pre-set up, with simple mattresses, pillows and blankets. There are two bathrooms and one kitchen/dining area. The staff was very friendly and meals were delicious. There was a super fast Wi-Fi, which was surprising.

This was the fourth destination on our safari introducing our son and daughter in law to self drive in Kenya. We arrived a little late for lunch from the luxury of Sweetwaters in Ol Pejeta and after a lot of payment hassle at the Archer's Post gate to the reserve. First impressions were only fair. The camp looked a bit run down but the staff greeted us shyly but pleasantly enough and the freshly cooked lunch was very good. The tents were better appointed than first impressions gave and we soon learned that if something was missing (drinking water in the bathroom) we only had to ask! We also had to ask for a game drive in the camp vehicle but as we had arrived under our own steam it was not surprising that it was not offered. It was very worthwhile, we had our only view of a cheetah on this trip as well as wonderful elephants. The beds proved as good as any of the ones we had slept in before, the shower, which looked pretty 'heath robinson' worked beautifully and Wilson's meals were freshly cooked from first class ingredients and were delicious, the best mandazis of our trip! Sleeping so close to the wildlife was magical and once the staff got to know us conversation flowed and we all four fell under the spell of staying in this camp and venturing out for game drives at any time we wished. By the time we left after three nights we were wishing we could stay for much longer. Thank you to the team at Samburu Riverside Camp.

Friendly staff, very comfortable tents in a great location. Food was very tasty. Highly recommend for families. Able to arrange ranger-guided hikes and hear the sounds of wildlife at night. I would go back anytime!

Samburu Riverside Camp is a tented camp with both permanent tents (two with en suite - we booked these at extra cost) and also pitches for your own tents which other people used during our stay. During our recent 16 day tour around Kenya we stayed in 9 different accommodations ranging from lodges to bandas to wooden cabins to luxury tented camps. Samburu Riverside Camp was our favourite (and incidentally, it was also the cheapest place we stayed!). The camp is located within the Samburu Reserve in a good location for game viewing. Within minutes of leaving the camp for our morning/evening game drives we saw two leopards, multiple lions, elephants and buffalo. The camp is not fenced, meaning that the animals are free to roam through the site - there's nothing quite as amazing as being able to see hyaena, elephants and monkeys from your own bed! The thing which made this camp exceptional compared to our other accommodation, though, was the people who run it. Wilson, Mike and Lino were incredibly welcoming, kind and friendly. They answered our many questions and nothing was too much trouble. Wilson's cooking was also the best we sampled in Kenya - fresh, tasty and personally cooked for us (compared to the many cold buffets we sampled elsewhere). If you're looking for luxury rooms with a swimming pool, massage parlour and wifi then this is not the place for you. If you are looking to spend time in the bush with the animals, a clear view of the stars and milky way. and wonderful people - I couldn't recommend Samburu Riverside Camp more! As an aside - if the camp had had a curio/gift shop I would have definitely purchased some souvenirs to bring home. This might be an idea for future improvement and a way for the Samburu staff to supplement their income?