Ashnil Samburu Camp

We spent two nights at this place. It is far more affordable than the lodges and it offers a much greater sense of adventure. Much of the sense of adventure comes from sleeping in a tent though this is not as dangerous as you may think. The beds and facilities are comfortable though I would advice to keep everything closed to stop uninvited visitors. And of course do not leave any food lying around. The meal facilities are basic to match the camp but meals are nevertheless very tasty. Staff are helpful, accommodating and knowledgeable. Don't be afraid to ask questions or to ask for things like towels or if you have food requests. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants that little bit of extra adventure in their visit to this wonderful park.

If you are looking for luxury this isn't the camp for you but if you are looking for the real African experience then this is the place to stay. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful and Kelvin was a great guide - 9 visits to Kenya and at last we saw leopard! Yes, it is basic but the food was very good and it was clean, no frills but we came to see the game and you certainly won't be disappointed.

We opted to stay here as it was more affordable. We booked the only two 'en suite' tents which had very comfortable beds. It is a very simple camp with most of its tents having shared facilities. (These were quite basic). It has a simple mess tent. We took our own drinks and meat but that isn't really necessary. They do provide food, Sodas, beers. The kitchen produced tasty simple food and cooked our fillet steak perfectly. Don't expect frills here but the service is good for the level of accommodation. Kelvin who owns the camp is very pleasant, knowledgeable and trying hard. We went on a game drive with him and found excellent sightings of Leopard. Would definitely return.

Good location, nice staff, good tents to sleep in, safe. Only downside is that electricity is not available for charging at night so bring your powerbank if you want to be sure you can take all the pictures you want. Tents are rather small for 3 people but we managed even with our large backpacks so it is certainly doable. If you bring your own padlock you can lock your tent. "Cages" to store your valuables are under the bed. We were 12 people and all were positive about this place. Great value for money!

I am writing this review as it was extremely difficult to find information about the Samburu campsite before booking a trip with GAdventures, who uses this site often on their Kenya Camping Safari. I hope this helps future travelers. We came to this campsite at the end of a long day of driving, followed by a short and exhilarating game drive in Samburu NP. This is situated very near the gate, and is in a clearing of a copse of trees, with a permanent cooking and toilet facility. Make no mistake, this is not "glamping" - the tents are all nylon with fly tarps and a thin piece of foam with a blanket on the ground as a sleeping mat. There is no light bleed, as it's within the park, and no artificial lighting to guide your way. It is simply a beautiful, wild site, with vervet monkeys in the trees all around you, elephant calls and other animal sounds in the near distance as you fall asleep. Also, at dusk, little mouse bats come out and fly manically around the umbrella acacias near the cook tent, so you have a show as you wait for supper. The tents were quite clean and well maintained, and mine had a metal D-ring at the inside top-most part which I could attach my headlamp with a carabiner, making an overhead light. I could also stand up in the center, (I'm 5'8 or 1.73 meters), making life much easier. The zippers were sturdy, and the mesh allowed for cool breezes and no bugs. Common sense applies - don't leave trash or food inside the tent, and you won't have curious monkeys or ravenous bugs come visit. Take off your shoes outside the tent if you want a clean sleeping area inside. The toilet facility was a concrete block structure across the road with Western style flush toilets into a long drop tank, and cold water showers with gravity feed force from the roof. The lighting was completely provided by your torch, so be prepared, and the route can be disorienting at night, since you're walking through some bushes towards other bushes, which obscure sight of both the tents and the toilet structure. Best done during the day the first few times. In truth it was much more of a toilet facility than I expected, so it was all fine with me. The cooking shelter is a dark shack made of palm leaves and posts with a tarp slung over the roof and between the trees and the table, as there are many vervet monkeys in the trees who fear nothing when tasty buffets are laid out. The staff carries slingshots to scare the monkeys off (not to hurt them), but they are clever bandits. There is a standing collapsible tub of water for doing dishes and cleaning hands, and the cook stove is run on fuel, not a generator. There is a long picnic table with those ubiquitous plastic molded deck chairs for seating. Given the rudimentary nature of the facilities, I was impressed by the meals the camp cook was able to make every night. Finally, at night, there was a small bonfire area towards which the plastic chairs were pulled from the dining area to enjoy the huge moon and stars over the park. Thoroughly a delightful, rustic place.