Sarara Camp — Hotel in Wamba East ward

Our family (including twin 6 year olds) had the most magical experience at Sarara—“magical” is not a word I use lightly, but it’s the only one that fits. From the moment we arrived, everything felt thoughtfully designed for both adults and children, creating memories we will cherish forever.||Some highlights that made our stay truly unforgettable:||A Montessori experience like no other: We were able to visit the local Montessori school, and it was such a gift for our children to interact with the students there. Watching them play and learn side by side was deeply meaningful—not only did our kids get a glimpse of another culture, but they also saw how much they had in common. I was so impressed with the handmade learning materials the teachers created—it spoke volumes about the passion and creativity here.||Reteti Elephant Sanctuary: This was one of the most magical parts of our entire trip. The exclusive visit is absolutely worth it—you can sit on the rocks with coffee and hot cocoa while orphan elephants hang out and browse (eat) all around you. Russia welcomed us so warmly and shared insights that helped our children connect with the elephants and truly understand their stories.||Reteti House: I thought it was just a house but it turned out to essentially be a whole private camp with a main lodge area and multiple permanent tents, which gave us both grandness and intimacy in the most beautiful way. It was our own private space, with stunning views and the joy of walking to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary only 10 minutes away.||Sarara Camp: This absolutely gorgeous camp even had a pool carved into the granite on the ground! Almost every evening we saw animals gather at the watering hole right in front of us, including giraffes who often wandered up to the main lodge to say hello. Many giraffes are rescued and released by Sarara and three of them keep returning which was a top highlight of our trip! ||Sarara Wilderness: This camp showed us yet another side of the landscape with mobile tents that somehow felt both adventurous and luxurious, where we had the thrill of seeing elephants up close (and I mean CLOSE -- I got the most amazing photos with my iPhone without any attachments) in the wild and even spotting lions. ||The food was delicious at all of the camps and they accommodated vegan meals for us. Michael even noticed that the kids weren't eating the vegan dishes they made for us when we first arrived and he approached me to ask what the kids like to eat -- and they whipped up another dish right on the spot! THen the rest of the kids' meals during our trip included ingredients they love. ||A team that genuinely cares: From Tilas sharing folk stories with the kids while elephants gathered at the watering hole, to John teaching them mancala, carving boats for the kids to sail on the stream, and even singing “The Wheels on the Bus” on a bush walk (imagine someone in a full warrior outfit holding hands with a 6 year old singing as they hiked)—every moment was full of connection. Ann and Chef Elizabeth invited the kids into the kitchen to make mandazi when one of my daughters asked for the recipe. Ann and Michael noticed and anticipated what would make our experience richer, and Ken, our ranger, showed such kindness and empathy when our daughter cried about leaving Reteti House—it truly touched our hearts.||I especially appreciated that all of the Sarara Camps communicated with each other before we arrived at the next camp so that we immediately felt welcomed and "known" when we arrived at each place.||What stands out most about Sarara is the way everyone cares not just about wildlife, but about people. The compassion and authenticity of the staff made us feel like family. My husband and I visited the Mara years ago. You see more wildlife at the Mara but honestly I don't remember specific moments from that trip. I'm so glad we decided to come to Sarara in the Samburu for our kids' first safari because the experience at Sarara was so personal with magical moments that our kids will cherish these memories for many years to come!||If you’re considering a stay at Sarara with kids (or without): do it. It’s the most meaningful family travel experience...

We just spent the better part of a week across both Sarara Treehouses and Sarara Camp and the collective experience has us longing to return. The teams at both properties genuinely care about your experience and are passionate about community conservation and sharing the ways of Samburu life. The properties themselves, the wildlife, flora/fauna and terra firma are stunning, but it is the Samburu themselves that keep you wanting to return and learn more. Never have I met a community of people so in tune with EVERYTHING about the place they call home. Daniel was our guide the length of our stay - he imparted a wealth of knowledge to us about Samburu culture and Samburland inspiring us to dig deeper into the the wildlife and flora/fauna in our own community.

We were the only guests at Sarara Treehouses the first two days of our stay, so we literally had the run of the property thus lending our incredible host Darren to focus his attention on us in a way that felt mega personal therefore, making this one truly unforgettable experience. Through many wonderful & lively conversations with Darren, he learned that we enjoyed eating many types of food. Considering we were the only mouths that needed feeding the first few days, Darren worked with the talented chef to deliver flavorful Ethiopian and Indian inspired dinners. Lunches were a buffet of delicious fresh/healthy salads, breads and cheeses.

Darren also learned that we were fangirls of a certain photographer. Fortuitously, Darren knew this photographer very well. He called in a favor to her and she put together a special video message for us. Darren surprised us with this gift before we left for our stay at Sarara Camp. Asante sana Darren! Above and beyond you went; we will be forever grateful for this kind and thoughtful gesture.

We look forward to visiting the Sarara family...

Sarara Camp was just magical and delivered a perfect balance of wildlife sightings, irreproachable accommodation and charming hosting.||We were so very well looked after from beginning to end. Mikel Mutisya and his delightful wife Ann were super attentive and thoughtful about our stay.||The food in both was truly world class: healthy, well balanced menues and simply delicious. Our meals were sometimes shared with other guests but we were also treated to lovely romantic meals on our own, one of which was overlooking the water hole where the ellies and giraffes were drinking. ||We did not expect such an exclusive experience: all our game drives and visits were private, for just the two of us. This meant we were able to see and do things and chat to Kevin our guide in a way that would have been impossible in even a slightly larger group.||Kevin Lenanyangerra Loitpush was excellent. He is a Samburu warrior with a degree in Forestry and was extremely knowledgeable about all the animals and plants. He had a great sense of humour too so our drives out were always informative and good fun, and he was happy to talk about the culture of the Samburu people and clearly has a close relationship with all the people we met during our visits. ||The warmth and friendliness of all the people we met made us feel so welcome and we came away quite taken back by how connected we felt with our hosts even though we were there for only such a short time. ||We have memories which will enrich our every quiet moment - and we have also come back quite thoughtful about certain aspects of what we learned and saw.||We visited a Montessori School (I was a Montessori teacher before we came to Provence to become farmers). It was one of the purest Montessori Schools I have ever had the privilege to observe in. ||With all our...