Some of the Luxury Safari Lodges We Visit on our Trips of Kenya and Tanzania

Ashnil Mara, is a luxury, permanent tented camp located in the premier location for viewing wildlife at the very heart of Kenya’s Masai Mara. The camp, nestled among the indigenous forest, is perched along the cliffs of the Mara River. It is a fabulous location for game drives because often during the migration season, large herds of wildebeest and zebra can be seen crossing the river within moments of your leaving camp. Throughout the year, the area is also home to lions, leopard, cheetahs, elephants, eland, hippos and a wide assortment of plains animals.

The tented rooms are spacious, beautifully furnished with African décor, and are complete with attached luxury ensuite modern bathrooms. Each tent also has a covered patio deck for relaxation while your watching hippos frolicking in the water of the Mara River just below.

Ashnil Samburu Camp is comfortably nestled in among the Doum Palms and Acacia trees, in a serene location on the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River in the Samburu area, just north of Mt. Kenya.

The large tented rooms are spacious and beautifully furnished with African décor, and are complete with attached luxury ensuite modern bathrooms. Each tent also has a covered outdoor patio deck for your relaxation and enjoyment while you watch the wide variety of wildlife that come to the river for water. It is a favorite place for elephants, oryx, and gazelle to quench their thirst and enjoy the river.

The open sitting restaurant, the lounge and bar are located in the main building, overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro River. The décor is perfectly done to give them a comfortable African feel.  

Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge is situated high on the side of Lion Hill overlooking the spectacular flamingo pink rimmed Lake Nakuru. Its location affords panoramic vistas of the Lake and the picturesque Lake Nakuru National Park. The Lodge is cleverly laid out so that most rooms and sitting areas afford stunning views of the Lake and the Park. The Lodge incorporates natural landscaping with tall acacia trees, winding walkways and greens dotted with bird feeders attracting over 50 species of birds to the lodge. The park is home to over 400 species of birds and one of the few places to see the both the endangered white and black rhino. The park is also a showcase for lions, leopards, zebra, gazelles, waterbuck, eland, buffalo, baboons and the elegant Rothchild giraffe. 

At the southern end of 1,510 sq km Mara paradise, and right in the path of the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra, lies Keekorok Lodge. There is always plenty of activity around the waterhole but during the migration, the lodge is enveloped by the swarming mass of animals. One need hardly venture from the grounds to game view. From the verandah and from Kiboko Bar, there is plenty to see. One unfortunate zebra met its end right in front of the dinning room, providing supper for a pride of hungry lions, and ‘live’ entertainment for enthralled guests at Keekorok.

Accommodation at Keekorok Lodge is in bungalows, single story blocks, and in comfortable shaded chalets. The liberal use of cedar wood, pink and gray sand river stone, and other indigenous building materials offset the green lawns and colorful bougainvillea. After a day in the fresh air, the excitement of game spotting, a refreshing dip in the swimming pool, and the ritual of sundowners by the roaring log fire in the lounge heralds an evening full of traditional Maasai dancing, cultural or wildlife lectures and videos with yet another of those remarkable Keekorok dinners.

When staying in Nairobi, we stay in one of these high quality luxury hotels.

Ole Serni

Nairobi Serena

The Norfolk Hotel (by Fairmont)

The Nairobi Safari Club

On the eastern side of the Tarangire River opposite Tarangire Hill stands the Tarangire Sopa Lodge. The Lodge is located in the Tarangire National Park and is one of Tanzania’s most easily accessible conservation areas. The lodge is about an hour’s pleasant drive through an area rich in wildlife.

The Tarangire Sopa Lodge, built as a ‘low profile’ structure, nestles into a wooded hillside valley overlooking Tarangire hill. Tarangire Sopa Lodge is the only luxury ‘hotel-like’ lodge in Tarangire. The Lodge offers spacious rooms with good views over the bush; a pleasant lounge and restaurant, and a unique swimming pool located at the edge of a rocky gorge has its own bar and snack kitchen and offers a refreshing interlude between game drives.

Ndutu Safari Lodge is situated in the South-eastern sector of the Serengeti ecosystem. Shaded by majestic acacia trees, each of the thirty four cottages, which are built of local materials, has a private veranda facing Lake Ndutu. The Lodge is surrounded by indigenous trees and shrubs which encourage a host of birds and mammals to come right to your front door. Tucked well away from the busy tourist circuit, Ndutu offers peace and tranquility with an African flair. Each year, Ndutu plays host to the great migration for their birthing season. In late January and early February vast herds of over a million wildebeest move into the area for the females to give birth to their young. It is a scene that one must see first hand to comprehend and believe. The migration attracts the predators in large numbers, so Ndutu is well known for it’s prides of lion, cheetah families and leopards, which are frequently spotted here.

Perched on the jagged rim of the crater, wreathed in morning mist, camouflaged in river-stone and cloaked in indigenous creepers, the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is a triumph of ecological and architectural fusion. Sensitively constructed so as to take nothing from its environment whilst affording endless vistas over the heat-shimmering reaches of the crater below, the clustered boulder-built buildings of the Lodge hug the crater rim, linked by rope-lashed timber walkways that skirt the buttressed roots of ancient, liana-hung trees.

The interior, radiating out from the primeval log fire glowing at the heart of the Lodge, blends the concentrated hush of a game-viewing hide with the ochre, rust and charcoal images of a prehistoric cavern. Lit by flaming wall-lanterns, clad in gigantic volcanic boulders and decorated by the iron spears, bright-beaded robes and intricately carven artefacts of the Maasai, the Lodge is a unique blend of world-class luxury, timeless volcanic splendour and ethnic style. As for the views, from lilac-streaked sunrise, to indigo star-studded night, the immeasurably ancient Ngorongoro Crater delivers a theatre of vistas, most unchanged since the dawn of time.

 Set high on the saddle of tree-clad ridge commanding panoramic views over the endlessly rolling reaches and volcanic reefs of the Serengeti, the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is the ultimate fusion of traditional African architecture and world-class style. Drawing its inspiration from the circular ‘Rondavel’ dwellings and winding paths of a traditional Maasai village, the Lodge features thickly-thatched, stone-built rooms, spaciously set amongst groves of indigenous trees that are cooled by sparkling streams and papyrus-fringed ponds.

The circular bar, its roof supported by massive carven figures of warriors, maidens and elders, looks out over the sky-blue, ‘vanishing horizon’ swimming pool towards the miles of lion-gold savannah that lie below, wherein is enacted the thunderous theatre of the million-strong wildebeest migration. As for views, from lilac-streaked sunrise, to diamond-domed night, the sensational Serengeti delivers a series of timeless volcanic vistas that are second to none.