Sarara Wilderness

OVERVIEW:

Sarara Wilderness is an exclusive-use mobile camp in Kenya’s remote and scenically outstanding Mathews Range. This area is particularly unique for its time-forgotten cultural experiences that allow guests some truly authentic encounters with Samburu locals, including access to traditional dancing, beading, and the work of a master blacksmith. Secluded and unfrequented, Namunyak’s verdant landscape offers endless opportunities for walking, searching for elephant, leopard, and lion on glorious guided game drives, and open-air bush dining accompanied by birdsong or a chorus of nocturnal cicadas. Accommodation is full board and includes all meals and beverages, a fully stocked bar in the lounge area with soft drinks, local beers, and non-premium wines and spirits, a laundry service, and local airstrip transfers from/to Kalama and Buffalo Springs.

ACCESS & LOCATION: 

Sarara Wilderness is located in the Namunyak Community Conservancy, in northern Kenya’s Mathews Range and part of the greater Samburu ecosystem. Guests can arrive by scheduled flight to Buffalo Springs or Kalama airstrips, followed by a 4×4 car transfer, which may take up to 3.5 hours depending on conditions and what you see en route. Private charters are the most convenient way to travel to Namunyak.

ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT SARARA WILDERNESS: 

Sarara Wilderness is equipped with up to six comfortable, en-suite guest tents and can be customised according to group size and preferences. A true bush experience in the heart of nature, the camp is completely off-grid, with 24-hour solar-powered electricity and intermittent phone signal. Each custom-made tent is set up under a fly sheet and has insect-proof mesh-pannelled windows with roll-up canvas blinds, a flush toilet, and an outdoor, solar-heated bucket shower. The simple furnishings include explorer-style storage trunks, writing desks with camp chairs, bedside tables, and storm lanterns. Each bathroom is separated by a canvas partition, where you’ll find a simple storage unit, a washbasin, and a hanging mirror.

Meals at Sarara Wilderness are served at the dining tent or outside in scenic wild settings. Healthy meals are prepared on site, and the camp caters to a range of dietary requirements. There’s also a fully stocked bar with a selection of soft drinks, local beers, non-premium wines, and spirits. By night, the campfire is a welcoming spot for pulling up a chair with a cold drink and exchanging stories of the day’s highlights. Guests can escape the hot Samburu days with a dip in the camp’s mobile swimming pool and invigorating cold plunge machines. Yoga mats are provided, and treatments are offered at the wellness tent.

ACTIVITIES AT SARARA WILDERNESS:

The highlight activities at Sarara Wilderness are its cultural experiences, which offer authentic insight into Samburu culture. The camp is surrounded by beautiful, pristine nature, so walks and game drives are also particularly memorable.

• Game drives

  – Unrestricted game drives take place in the Namunyak Community Conservancy, which is in the Mathews Range and part of the greater Samburu ecosystem. While this isn’t a typical Big Five game-viewing experience, you’ll uncover scenically spectacular, remote wilderness with ancient elephant corridors, populated by lion, leopard, and plenty of buffalo.

• Cultural experiences

  – This part of Kenya is the heartland of the Samburu people, and cultural experiences are a truly exceptional feature. You can visit a Samburu manyatta (homestead), try your hand at brightly coloured beading with Samburu ladies, witness an Ngoma (Samburu dancing), and learn some tips from a master Samburu blacksmith.

• Bush dining

  – Dine in the great outdoors under the clearest, zero light pollution night sky, accompanied by the hypnotic sounds of the nocturnal bush.

• Stargazing

  – As dusk takes over, turn your attention to Kenya’s mesmerising night sky with its mysterious galaxies of stars.

• Helicopter excursions

  – Helicopter excursions are the best way to explore hard-to-reach areas in this remote part of Kenya. Soar above the Mathews Range with its verdant hills and valleys, see ancient volcanoes, and perhaps even reach the Chalbi Desert and jade waters of Lake Turkana.