Meru Wilderness Camp

OVERVIEW:

A super-simple camp set-up, Meru Wilderness is a lot of fun for adventurous travelers. Offering great guiding and a flexible approach to safari, it’s also amazing value.

Meru Wilderness is sister camp to Laikipia Wilderness, and although it is much simpler in set up the camps combine really well to provide a very authentic safari in two of Kenya’s most offbeat wildlife regions. Accommodation is booked on a full-board basis, including all meals, a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, and all activities. Meru Wilderness is open throughout the year.

ACCESS & LOCATION:

The camp can be accessed via road transfer from Meru National Park’s airstrip, which receives daily scheduled flights from Nairobi. It’s possible to drive across from Laikipia Wilderness for guests combining their stay with that property – this journey takes around 5 hours – or we can arrange a charter flight. It’s a mobile set-up, moving between sites within the park.

ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT MERU WILDERNESS CAMP:

Guest accommodation consists of lightweight canvas tents. These are Meru in style, which means that an exterior layer of canvas extends beyond the inner structure to create a small shaded veranda. Here you’ll find a couple of safari chairs, a small table, and beautiful views over the park. Inside, all tents are carpeted and contain comfortable beds, bedside tables and lighting, and shelves for clothes and other belongings. The washing facilities comprise a short-drop toilet, a washbasin, and, in a separate tent nearby, a bucket shower, which uses water heated over an open fire.

The communal spaces at Meru Wilderness vary according to the time of your visit. Guests can relax in comfy chairs and tuck in to delicious meals that have been prepared in an al fresco kitchen, usually set up in the shade of trees. Despite the simplicity of the camp, the food is of a very high quality – just a few treats rustled up by camp staff include homemade bread, quiches, pizzas, salads, and chocolate fondant too! Breakfast is enjoyed during the morning activity, with your guide cooking up a full English over a small gas stove – a great start to your day on safari. You can also enjoy drinks around the campfire.

ACTIVITIES AT MERU WILDERNESS CAMP:

Meru Wilderness offers classic safari activities and a couple of extras, as follows:

• Expertly guided game drives

  - Vehicle safaris set out from camp during early morning and late afternoon, and they offer exciting opportunities to view Meru National Park’s wealth of wildlife! The park’s sprawling plains, woodlands, and water sources are home to all Big Five – lion, black and white rhino, leopard, elephant, and buffalo – as well as cheetah, giraffe, lesser kudu, gerenuk, hippopotamus, and Nile crocodile.

• Birding

  - The camp’s guides are trained ornithologists and highly skilled at identifying the residence birdlife. Meru boasts raptors in abundance, as well as songbirds and waterbirds. Binoculars are provided, but guests are welcome to bring their own equipment – including a camera too!

• Fishing

  - Meru Wilderness provides spinning rods and worms for fly-fishing in the park’s clear waters. It isn’t unusual for guests to catch enough tilapia for dinner!

• Paddling

  - Pools around camp can be created by damming a shallow section of the river, making sure to keep the crocs out. Here, you can relax and cool off in between safaris.

*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.