Discover the forested hills and immensely diverse landscape of Meru National Park, home to the legendary lioness Elsa, and be enthralled by nature in all frames and forms.

Delight in the rugged, raw beauty of Samburu’s unending views and diverse ecosystem of unique wildlife, and the teeming open plains of the Masai Mara – a natural wonder of the world.

Encounter two of Africa’s most authentic and fascinating tribes – the Samburu and the Maasai, learning first-hand about their ancient culture and local knowledge of the land and animals as you are guided by warriors.

Rhino River Camp

Rhino River Camp is an unusual, exclusive eco-lodge located in the beautiful Meru National Park, where the legend of Elsa the lioness began. The five charming cottages built out of caramel canvas and sustainable hardwood, raised on platforms above a gently flowing river, create a peaceful atmosphere. Each room has its own private ‘zen’ area where you can unwind. The design of the lodge is contemporary with a hint of Africa, with a swimming pool, well-stocked bar and numerous nature trails to explore on foot or bike – this is a perfect hideout. Meru National Park is one of the most diverse parks in Africa, with an abundance of water flowing through a predominantly arid part of Kenya, creating a mosaic of different habitats.

Activities and amenities: game drives, guided walks, nature trails, fishing, bush meals, swimming pool, payable extra activities: exclusive use of vehicle, visits to cultural village, mountain bike riding, hiking, massage & treatments.

The Saruni Lodges

Sample Itinerary

Day 4: Saruni Samburu

• Continue to explore the wonders of Samburu with a morning game drive into Samburu National Reserve to seek out the ‘Samburu Special Five’: the reticulated giraffe, the Grevy zebra, the beisa oryx, the Somali ostrich and the gerenuk, all rare species that occur only in this part of the country, and look for its well known larger wildlife including elephants, lion and leopard. Enjoy a picnic lunch before heading back to the lodge to relax for the afternoon.
• Evening game drive in Kalama Conservancy, the 200,000-acre private wildlife conservancy in which Saruni Samburu is located, ending with a bush dinner under the stars in the middle of the wilderness, and a night drive back to the lodge. The Samburu warriors dancing, candles and fire under the vast African skies, make this a truly magical experience, and one of the highlights of your stay.

Day 5: Saruni Mara

• Depart Samburu on your flight in the morning* and arrive in the Masai Mara an hour and a half later.
• Game drive with a picnic lunch to enjoy under an acacia tree or by the river next to a pod of hippos, or head to Saruni Mara or Saruni Wild for some rest and an exclusive game drive later in the afternoon in Mara North Conservancy – over 30,000 acres of plentiful, protected land bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve. Enjoy a completely different and less-explored corner of the Mara ecosystem in total privacy, brimming with wildlife.
• Enjoy massage and beauty treatments at the Maasai Wellbeing Space.
• In the afternoon, a game drive will take you to a special area where the largest tower of giraffe can be seen, followed by dinner at the lodge or camp and an optional night game drive.

Day 6: Saruni Mara

• Walk through the valleys and plains surrounding Saruni Mara, accompanied by a vehicle, or a game drive up to the top of Kilileoni, the highest mountain in the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem – led by your skillful and knowledgeable Maasai guides.
• In the afternoon you will discover more of Mara North and its neighbouring conservancies and experience first-hand what makes the Mara one of the most exciting wildernesses in the world.
• Weather permitting, experience a bush dinner in the middle of nature under the vast African sky, with Maasai warriors singing and dancing around the fire.

Day 7: Departure

• Enjoy your last morning of waking up in paradise with a beautiful sunrise and the dawn chorus.
• Visit the rhino sanctuary on the way to the airstrip and once again admire the hippos and the crocodiles of the Mara River.
• Depart on your flight back to Nairobi leaving the Mara at 11:00 AM and arriving in Nairobi at 12:20 PM.
• Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with Saruni driver and vehicle. Depending on the time of your international flight, stop at the Talisman or Carnivore restaurant for dinner.

The Wilderness

The Masai Mara
The Masai Mara is a 5,000 square kilometre-ecosystem made of a national reserve and several private conservancies. The national reserve covers 1,672 square kilometres (more than 400,000 acres) and is situated between 1,500 and 2,100 metres above sea level. It is part of the Serengeti ecosystem that extends from northern Tanzania into southern Kenya. Of the conservancies, the main one (where Saruni is located) is the Mara North Conservancy, 74,000 acres of amazing wilderness, where most of the wildlife is concentrated most of the year. The Masai Mara region is considered the jewel of African wildlife and nowhere on the continent can you find the same abundance and variety of wild animals. Millions of wildebeest, gazelle, zebra, buffalo, impala, topi, hartebeest, giraffe, eland, elephant, dik-dik, hippo and warthog live their natural lifecycle alongside the largest population of lions in Kenya. For our safaris we use comfortable, fully-open Land Rovers, specially designed to give you maximum visibility over the landscape and the animals. On our foot safaris we walk, on the plains and in the mountains that surround Saruni.

The Samburu Ecosystem
Is one of the most exciting in East Africa and is made of several national reserves, private ranches and communally-owned group ranches that are more and more interconnected. Famous for its large population of elephants, Samburu stands out for the abundance of northern species that cannot be found in other areas of Kenya. Kalama Conservation area, the wildlife sanctuary bordering with Samburu National Reserve where we are located, has an abundance of other rare species, like the leopard, the striped hyena, the civet. We’d love to take you to our secret spots, especially for bush dinner, or to the river for a picnic lunch that allows us to be with elephants, waterbuck, lion, impala, giraffe and all the Samburu species that go and drink water. If you are passionate about birds, Samburu is the place to be: not only the species are abundant, but the birds are very tame and can be easily spotted and photographed.

Note: The Saruni Tours team can modify and tailor this itinerary to suit your personal preference. Baggage allowance on internal flights is 15kg per person, preferably in small, soft bags without wheels. Seats on the schedule flights are subject to availability at confirmation. Rates with children or single occupancy are available upon request. *Flight times and durations may vary depending on airline and routing, and are subject to change. All guests travelling into Kenya with duty free plastic bags shall be required to leave the bags at the entry points and seek alternative carrier bags. We request that you do not carry plastic bags whilst visiting or working in Kenya as there are strict penalties for those caught with them.