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00°17′N · 36°54′E — Laikipia

The right place, in the right spot.

A safari camp is not a hotel with a view. Where you stay decides what you see, how private your days feel, and how well you’re looked after — so we choose it by hand, on merit, and match it to you.

What defines it

Not a hotel with a view. Part of the experience itself.

A camp’s location decides what you see; its size decides how private your days feel; its people decide how well you’re looked after.

At its best, a safari camp is not somewhere you merely sleep — it’s part of the safari. Its position in the landscape shapes your game viewing; its scale shapes your privacy; its team shapes your every day. We choose accommodation the way we choose everything else: by hand, for character and standard, never from a catalogue.

That usually means small over large: intimate tented camps of a few rooms, private houses taken exclusively, or a mobile camp pitched for you alone — rather than the big lodges that trade intimacy for numbers. It means places set inside the wildlife, in private conservancies and prime positions, so the game comes to you and the crowds don’t. And it means people and guiding that match the setting — because the finest tent in Kenya is only as good as the welcome inside it.

Above all, it means honesty about what each place is. “Luxury” on safari isn’t marble and chandeliers — it’s the right camp, in the right place, for the way you want to travel. Sometimes that’s a design-led lodge with a spa and a pool; sometimes it’s a classic canvas camp deep in the bush, where the trade for that peerless location is a beautiful simplicity. We’ll tell you plainly which is which, and match it to you.

We don’t own the camps — and that’s the point. Because we’re independent, we recommend properties on merit alone, never because they’re ours to fill. If a place isn’t right for your trip, we’ll say so, and suggest one that is.

The pillars

The four things we choose for

I

Location

Camps set inside the wildlife, in private conservancies and prime corners — where the game is, not where the coach parks.

II

Intimacy

A handful of tents, or a house that’s yours alone — never a hundred-room lodge.

III

Service & guiding

Places whose people and guiding match the setting — warmth, expertise and quiet attention.

IV

Sense of place

Architecture and character that belong to Kenya — comfort that deepens the wild rather than sealing it out.

The spectrum

From design-led lodges to canvas in the wild.

Part of our job is placing you at exactly the right point on a very wide spectrum.

Kenya’s finest accommodation runs a long range, and matching you to it is much of the craft. At one end, design-led luxury lodges with pools, spas and every comfort. At the other, classic tented camps and mobile fly-camps that set you deep in the wilderness with elegant simplicity. In between sit private houses and villas — whole homes, staffed and exclusively yours — and the exclusive-use camps that many of our guests prefer.

Most journeys blend several: a design lodge for a gentle first night, a remote camp for the heart of the safari, a private house for a family or a celebration. We match each stay to the place, the season and the people travelling — and, where it matters, take the whole thing privately. See exclusive-use safaris.

Ways to stay

The kinds of places we use

Intimate tented campsA handful of canvas suites, deep in the wildlife
Design-led lodgesArchitectural, with pools, spas and every comfort
Private houses & villasWhole staffed homes, exclusively yours
Exclusive-use campsAn entire small camp taken privately
Mobile & fly-campsPitched for you alone in remote, unspoilt country
Conservancy homesteadsOwner-run houses in Kenya’s private conservancies
Family-friendly staysFamily tents, connecting rooms and space to roam
Beachfront & islandFor the coast half of a bush-and-beach journey

One honest word on remote camps. The most far-flung camps trade some infrastructure for their extraordinary locations — simpler power, no pool, a shorter list of extras. For many guests that simplicity is the appeal; either way, we tell you exactly what to expect before you go.

Good to know

Accommodation questions

What kind of accommodation do you use?
Hand-picked camps, lodges, private houses and villas across the full spectrum — from design-led luxury lodges to classic tented camps deep in the bush. We choose each on merit, for location, intimacy and service, and match it to your trip.
Can we have a whole camp or house to ourselves?
Yes — exclusive-use is one of the most popular ways our guests travel. We can take an entire small camp, a private house or a mobile camp privately, so it’s just your party. See exclusive-use safaris.
Is “luxury” tented camping actually comfortable?
Very. The best tented camps offer proper beds, en-suite bathrooms, hot water and excellent food under canvas — comfort without losing the wildness. We’re honest, though: the most remote camps trade some infrastructure for their extraordinary locations, and we’ll tell you exactly what to expect.
Do you recommend places because they’re yours?
No. We don’t own the camps we use, which means we recommend them purely on merit — the right place for your trip, not one we need to fill. If somewhere isn’t right for you, we’ll say so and suggest a better fit.
Do you have family-friendly accommodation?
Yes — family tents and connecting rooms, private houses with room to spread out, and camps that genuinely welcome children. See our family safaris.
Can you combine safari camps with a beach stay?
Absolutely — many journeys finish on the coast. We pair remote bush camps with beachfront hotels, villas or private islands. See bush & beach and the Kenya Coast.
Enquire

The right place, in the right spot.

Tell us how you like to travel, and we’ll place you in camps and houses chosen for you — by hand, on merit, and matched to the journey.

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