Kenya Horizons is one of the most popular safaris in Kenya, where lodges are stylish, guides are knowledgeable and scenery extraordinary. From gerenuk browsing vertically in the Samburu, to the resident hippos of the Mara River, this is an exhilarating safari.
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Nairobi is Kenya’s capital city. In addition to its urban core, the city has Nairobi National Park, a large game reserve known for breeding endangered black rhinos and home to giraffes, zebras and lions. Next to it is a well-regarded elephant orphanage operated by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Nairobi is also often used as a jumping-off point for safari trips elsewhere in Kenya.
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We didn't really know what to expect from the Tamarind hotel as we had never been there before. However, we had eaten at it's sister restaurant, Carnivore in 2002 and loved the experience. As Carnivore is a 2 minute walk through the hotel garden, where better to spend our first night than the botique hotel that is, Tamarind Tree Hotel. We were not dissapointed and would highly recommend it for your first night in Kenya, but promise us that you will also feast until you burst at Carnivore.
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The Carnivore is the ultimate 'Beast of a Feast' A variety of meats including ostrich, crocodile and camel, are roasted over charcoal and carved at your table. Delicious side dishes and an exceptional array of sauces complement this fixed price feast that also includes soup,a selection of desserts and Kenyan coffee. Set in attractive tropical gardens, the service and the décor are outstanding.
The Carnivore opened its doors in September 1980 to instant success. The food, service and atmosphere were strikingly different from anything in Kenya and has since played host to over 2 million customers from across the globe including numerous celebrities. In fact the Carnivore visitors book read like a global who is who!
The atmosphere combines the rustic feel of a rural setting and a medieval banquet hall. Another famous feature to set the tone of the Carnivore experience is the house cocktail The 'Dawa' (magic potion in Swahili). It is based on a famous Brazilian drink, and was introduced to Kenyans at The Carnivore. It is brought to you on a portable tray by the medicine man fittingly named Dr. Dawa.
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Ranging between altitudes of 800 to 1230m above mean sea level, the Samburu National Reserve forms a part of a far larger wildlife conservation area which incorporates the Buffalo Springs National Reserve to the south, and the Shaba National Reserve to the east between which the resident wildlife freely migrates.
And it was in this area that George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the lion cub, and where they wrote the best selling book, Born Free, which later became an award winning movie. Joy later also wrote books about her pet cheetah and leopard, and today there is a museum dedicated to their memory at Lake Naivasha.
The Ewaso Ngi’ro River flows through this semi-desert, arid and environmentally harsh region while it divides the Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves, and forms the northern Border of the Shaba Reserve. While it sustains Samburu’s large populations of wildlife in an area of 165 km², it also nurtures numerous forms of lush vegetation along the lines of its banks to include doum palm groves and dense riverine forests.
While there is a wide variety of animal and bird life to seen in the reserve, several species are considered unique to the region including the Grevy’s zebras, Reticulated giraffes and Vulturine guinea fowls. Lions, leopards and cheetahs can also be found here, as can elephants, buffalos, crocodiles and hippos. Other mammals frequently seen in the park include Olive baboons, gerenuks, warthogs, Grant's gazelles, Kirk's dik-diks, impalas, waterbucks, and Beisa oryxes.
There are also over 350 species of birds which include Somali ostriches, Grey-headed kingfishers, sunbirds, bee-eaters, Marabou storks, eagles, yellow-necked Spur fowls, lilac-breasted rollers, palm nut vultures, red-billed hornbills, secretary birds, Verreaux's eagles, superb starlings and yellow-billed hornbills.
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Experience the magic of Samburu
Set in a rugged landscape with a backdrop of jagged mountains, Samburu is host to indigenous animals unique to the region. Samburu Lodge is situated in the Samburu National Reserve with cottages, bandas, single and twin rooms spread out along the stunning banks of the Uaso Nyiro river.
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The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level. Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.In the middle of the reserve, the Ewaso Ng'iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests. It provides water, without which the game in this arid region could not survive.The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness, made famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie Born Free. The Elephant Watch Camp, of which Saba Douglas-Hamilton is director, lies within the park.The Samburu National Reserve is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves.
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The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level. Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.In the middle of the reserve, the Ewaso Ng'iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests. It provides water, without which the game in this arid region could not survive.The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness, made famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie Born Free. The Elephant Watch Camp, of which Saba Douglas-Hamilton is director, lies within the park.The Samburu National Reserve is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves.
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The Aberdare National Park is a protected area in the Aberdare Mountain Range in central Kenya located east of the East African Rift Valley. It covers the higher areas and the Aberdare Salient to the east. The park is located about 100 km north of Nairobi and stretches over a wide variety of terrain at altitudes from 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). Established in May 1950, the Aberdare National Park covers an area of 766 square kilometers and forms part of the Aberdare Mountain Range. The park contains a wide range of landscapes - from mountain peaks that rise to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) above sea level, to their deep, v-shaped valleys intersected by streams, rivers, and waterfalls. Moorland, bamboo forests and rainforests are found at lower altitudes.
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Outspan is a beautiful Colonial Styled hotel where we stop for lunch on the way to Treetops hotel. At around 5,800ft above sea level, and 25 miles form the equator, Outspan is a refreshing stop point after 3 hours of bumping about in our jeep.
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Located in the Aberdare National Park, the Treetops Lodge Nyeri tree-house lodge on stilts is famous as the place where Queen Elizabeth II visited as a princess and left as queen.
Originally built in 1932, Treetops Lodge lies in the path of an ancient Elephant migratory route between the Aberdare Ranges and Mt Kenya National park, and is strategically sited right in front of a natural watering hole and salt lick, making it the perfect place to view game.
Treetops is as much a part of nature as it has an ancient tree growing right through the hotel, with the lodge being built around it. It is the perfect fusion of nature and comfort sporting a rustic look that fits right into the Aberdares.
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