Facilities
Camping
Sarara is a leading community-run tented camp set in the Mathews Range of Northern Kenya. Accommodation is in six double tents, each with flush-loos and open air showers. A natural rock swimming pool overlooks a waterhole frequently visited by animals.
Wait in the hide and see what comes down to drink at the watering hole
Visit the singing wells
Spend a night under the stars, sleeping in your own mosquito-netting tent in the middle of a dry river bed, watching the stars in the clear sky above you
Enjoy a bush dinner on a dry river bed close to camp
Sarara is a dry season refuge for several hundred elephant. Lion and leopard are resident and there are two separate groups of the endangered African wild dog. Other wildlife species interest include kudu, black and white colobus monkeys, Grevy’s zebra, striped hyena and gerenuk.
The conservation work carried out by the Namunyak Trust to date has been hugely successful. As a result of the severe ivory poaching crisis of the mid 1970s and early '80s, there were no recorded elephants remaining in the Mathews range by 1985. Today, several thousand elephant are recorded as living and breeding peacefully in the southern Mathews range area, together with a variety of other wildlife species.
Sarara Camp has six luxury tented rooms each positioned to maximise the stunning views of the Mathews Mountain Range and the watering hole. There is an outdoor bathroom offering a superb view of the hills from the shower. But there is also an indoor loo and sink at the back of the tent. Each tent has its own private terrace with table and chairs and morning coffee and tea are brought to you so that you can wake up gazing out over the mountains.
One of the highlights of the Namunyak area must be a visit to the famous ‘Sarara Singing Wells’. Samburu warriors bring their cattle to these watering holes on a daily basis during the dry season. Some of the wells are up to 10 metres deep. The warriors strip off, descend to form a human chain and chant traditional Samburu songs as they pass water up by hand for the cattle. This mind-blowing ritual goes on for several hours a day.
When to visit
A trip to the singing wells is an absolute must! A most fascinating experience.
Camping
Sarara Camp is situated on 75,000 acres of Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust land. It is mostly dry plains, but the Sarara River flows through, and is flanked by the Mathews Ranges, giving it a truly stunning setting and a good range of habitat.
It is an 8-hour 30-minute international flight to Jomo Kenyatta International. Scheduled flights from Nairobi Wilson airport to Nanyuki or Lewa Downs followed by a short private charter flight to Sarara. Or by road, it is an 8-hour drive from Nairobi.