Luxury Kenya Safari Lodges, Camps & Hotels | Where to Stay?
Kenya is our country and the Africa of childhood dreams. Cape buffalo, zebra and giraffe mix with lions, leopards and cheetah on the huge, wide plains of Africa. The sheer diversity of premium Safari Camps and Lodges in Kenya’s gamelands can leave one wondering where to start. So let’s provide some guidance. We’ve put together a couple of our favourite city-centre Nairobi hotels, alongside the unashamedly luxury camps and lodges in those game-filled parks and reserves.
Kenya, widely regarded as the birthplace of the safari, is one of those places in Africa that may readily evoke feelings of romantic escapism. You’ll undoubtedly experience an Out of Africa moment at one of Kenya’s many five-star hotels. Kenya is one of the top luxury safari locations in Africa because to the Masai Mara, which serves as a staging ground for the Great Wildebeest Migration, the mesmerizing vistas of Mount Kilimanjaro from Amboseli, the stunning leopards of Samburu, and the unrivaled wildlife conservation zones of Laikipia.
When going on a luxury safari in Kenya, picking a location to stay is almost as crucial as picking a game reserve or national park. To make things a bit simpler, we’ve compiled Kenya’s top luxury lodging options here:
Luxury Kenya Safari Lodges
Luxury Kenya safari lodges collection features some of the most incredible locations to stay in East Africa. Each resort is located in a totally distinct location so your Kenya luxury safari becomes a voyage across mountains, grasslands, woods and desert light.
Explore isolated parts of Kenya in a private helicopter. Camel ride to a sundowner point in Samburu Tour the sustainable farms we work with, such a perfumed rose farm and a family-run herb garden that helps us make our unique bathroom products. Our guides are experts in the areas we visit, so you receive true insight into the wildlife, culture and tales of each site you visit. The wildlife experiences are unforgettable. You may hand feed endangered Nubian Giraffe during breakfast at Giraffe Manor. Sala’s Camp is in the Masai Mara where the drama of the wild is played out by lions, hippos and large herds of grazers. Guests at Sasaab have a chance to see the unusual species of northern Kenya including the Samburu special five.
Each lodge is intimate, private and personal in feel. Our guests love the careful details of a handful of rooms in each resort that create a lasting memory. A surprise meal under the stars or a warm bubble bath after a game drive is all part of the experience. This level of care is why many tourists consider our resorts one of the top safari lodges in Kenya.
Kenya Safari Lodges, Camps & Hotels
1. Masai Mara Safari Lodges
Camping in Masai Mara National Reserve: Luxury, Public, and Private Camps. Explore all camps in Masai Mara National Reserve and Masai Mara conservancies, for a luxury safari experience.
One of the top safari destinations in the world is Kenya’s Masai Mara, so called because it was originally home to the Maasai people and because the name “Mara” (meaning “spotted” in Maa) describes the country’s outcrops of acacia trees, depressions, and craters when seen from a distance.
From around July to November, tourists can see the Wildebeest Migration, one of nature’s biggest spectacles, and engage in genuine cultural exchanges with the Maasai people. When you consider that the Masai Mara is home to some of the best game watching in Africa at any time of year and that there is a vast array of accommodations suitable for families, couples, and honeymooners, it becomes clear why this flagship conservation area of Kenya is a popular safari destination.
2. Mara Serena Safari Lodge
Perched high on a bush-cloaked hill within the exclusive Mara Triangle of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Serena Safari Lodge is renowned for its panoramic, sweeping views of the savannah and the Mara River. Styled after a traditional Maasai manyatta, this 5-star lodge offers exceptional wildlife viewing and front-row seats to the annual wildebeest migration.
3. SALA’S CAMP
A private camp hidden in the deep south of the Masai Mara, one of the richest locations in the world for wildlife and home of the ‘big five’. Witness mind blowing wildlife sightings all year round, top-notch birdwatching, amazing astronomy and the famed wildebeest migration thunders right past from June to September. A lifetime’s true Kenya safari vacation.
4. SASAAB
A Moroccan themed lodge set high on a rock with excellent views over the surrounding wildness of Samburu-land in northern Kenya Enjoy exhilarating wildlife drives, camel safaris, quad bike rides, amazing helicopter journeys to the distant north, educational Samburu village tours and fly camping beneath the stars. There are countless adventures to be had.
5. GIRAFFE MANOR
In the green outskirts of Kenya’s capital city, a historic manor house serves up an incredible bucket-list breakfast with giraffes, followed by afternoon tea with the same resident herd. Unwind, walk around the grounds, enjoy superb cuisine and excellent service or visit the orphanage for elephants or other local attractions.
6. THE RETREAT
The Retreat at Giraffe Manor, just 80m from the main Manor House, with the same calm views of the wooded giraffe sanctuary. The Retreat is designed to be the perfect start or end to any African safari, offering an excellent spa experience for our Manor House guests and day room facilities for visitors of The Safari Collection® portfolio who require a layover in Nairobi.
7. SIRUAI MOBILE CAMP
We have a very private mobile camp called Siruai, which has fantastic views across the Laikipia plains and Mount Kenya. Sleep under the stars, relax over an open campfire, kayak along the Ewaso Narok River and have breakfast among hippo pools, making amazing experiences during your stay with no compromise on luxury and the ultimate immersion in nature.