Saruni

Saruni Basecamp are delighted to confirm that a 25-year management agreement has recently been signed with the Masai Mara Lemek Landowners Conservancy Ltd, which ensures continued support for both tourism and conservation through a reliable conservancy model for many years to come.

Author, photographer, friend of the Samburu people and true Kenya legend Nigel Pavitt has passed away after a long, productive, inquisitive, adventurous, travel-filled life that lasted 85 years.

We are thrilled to announce that we have successfully extended our Lease Agreement for 15 years with our local community partners in Sera, re-enforcing our continued commitment to invest in the land and conservation efforts in the area through tourism.

On behalf of Sera Community Conservancy in Northern Kenya, Saruni lodges & camps is delighted to share the news that a new male rhino calf was born in the Sera Rhino Sanctuary on 18th May 2021.

After an in-depth, lengthy evaluation and selection process, Saruni is delighted that two of its iconic activities have been inaugurated into Kenya Tourism Board’s 2021-2022 ‘Magical Kenya Signature Experiences’ Collection.

Flexibility is the name of the travel game these days – so at Saruni lodges & camps, Kenya, we’ve been limbering up! Due to ongoing travel-related restrictions, we have just revised our Booking Procedures, Terms and Conditions & Cancellation Policy.

Saruni in Kenya has launched an appeal asking past & future guests, friends and supporters to play a direct part in its conservation mission and to 'adopt' one or more conservancy acres for a year with a donation starting from US$35.

More than ever before, the link between people, land, and wildlife is today critical to the future of conservation. An engaged, employed community, owning and managing wildlife habitats, incentivized to preserve pristine land through tourism revenue is at the core of responsible-tourism.

Saruni is proud to share its first collection video showcasing the magic of its four authentic and intimate lodges; Saruni Mara, Saruni Wild, Saruni Samburu and Saruni Rhino – together in this beautifully-shot 3-mins’ film. Watch it HERE. Shot by the talented videographer Laura Scatena, the video captures the essence of the Saruni experience in all its aspects: accommodation, activities, staff, landscapes, indigenous cultures, abundant wildlife and much more.

Located in nearby Namunyak Conservancy in Northern Kenya, guests staying at both Saruni Samburu or Saruni Rhino can easily visit the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary – a pleasant half-day excursion away in The Northern Express. Not only an incredible addition to any Saruni safari but one of the best ways to safeguard the wildlife in the area, as well as supporting the local community dedicated to protecting them.

Inspired by a recent trip to Uganda tracking gorillas, we are proud to announce the launch of our own tracking certificates. All guests staying at Saruni Rhino who track, on-foot, Sera’s endangered black rhino with our Samburu guides will now receive a personalised certificate detailing the names of the specific rhinos tracked on their safari.

By popular demand, Saruni, Kenya launches its fifth annual #WhyILoveSaruni photo & video competition. Launched on 1st November 2019, the competition will run for six months. The most exceptional monthly entries will be shortlisted for final consideration in April 2020.

We are excited to welcome Charity Lemein back to Saruni Mara.  She successfully graduated from The Koyiaki Guiding School and completed a three-month internship with us last year. She is now a member of our guiding team and is doing exceptionally well! Being one of only around ten female guides in Kenya, we are incredibly proud of her achievements and feel honoured to be a part of her bright future. She is an inspiration to her community and all the women in Kenya.

Excited to announce the birth of a healthy black rhino calf in the first and only community-run black rhino sanctuary in East Africa. Nariku Sera, a nine-year-old female black rhino, was transferred from Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to Sera Rhino Sanctuary in 2015. The calf, who is yet to be named or sexed, was born on the 8th of October 2019, bringing the total population of the Sanctuary to 16. More information and pictures to follow on social media.

As you know, at Saruni, we are committed to protecting the future of Kenya’s wildlife and the communities who safeguard them. We have partnered with Seedballs Kenya to help re-green parts of the country... one seed ball at a time. ‘Seedballs’ containing the seeds of indigenous trees, specifically chosen for each of the areas in which we are located, can now be purchased throughout our lodges.

For all those burning questions you have about Saruni Rhino and the Northern Kenya Black Rhino On-Foot Tracking Experience, but were afraid to ask, fear no more! Saruni have produced a comprehensive ‘How & Why’ Guide to Selling Saruni Rhino for our industry colleagues.

Connecting Kenya’s Northern tourism destinations just got easier… Saruni introduces ‘The Northern Express’: a custom-made vehicle, based at Saruni Samburu, allowing for quick, comfortable and safe transfers between Saruni’s two northern Kenya properties and various tourist attractions in the region. The 7-seater, air-conditioned car connects by road Saruni Samburu (Kalama Conservancy) to Saruni Rhino (Sera Conservancy) and both properties with the not-to-be-missed Reteti Elephant Sanctuary (Namunyak Conservancy). Saruni guests can also travel in comfort and style to other destinations, like the Ololokwe ‘Sacred Mountain’ hiking experience and to the wider Laikipia plateaux and beyond. Read more HERE.

Saruni invites bookings for a 2 nights’ minimum stay at Saruni Rhino alone. We are delighted to announce that Saruni Rhino, our intimate camp in Sera Community Conservancy, Northern Kenya and the base for on-foot black rhino tracking, can now be booked independently from our other Saruni properties. Until now, a stay had to be combined with a stay at our neighbouring lodge Saruni Samburu, in Kalama Conservancy. The camp is comprised of:

On the 7th October 2018, the total count of rhino in the Rhino Sanctuary in Sera Conservancy (Northern Kenya), home to Saruni Rhino lodge, became 15 when it welcomed a new male calf. This confirms Sera Conservancy’s success as a unique conservation project in Kenya. Born to ‘Nairrenyu’ (Sala), the young male has been named by the community as ‘Ltupunywa’ which means ‘born when we weren’t expecting to give birth that month’ in the Maa language. Translated in English – ‘Surprise!’.

Saruni lodges & camps Kenya is proud to launch a brand new, streamlined & centralised website – four previous property sites rolled into one hot destination – www.saruni.com. Restructured for easy navigation, the new website allows visitors to see our Saruni Samburu & Saruni Rhino and our Saruni Mara & Saruni Wild properties all under one ‘roof’ in one quick & simple click! Why go anywhere else?!

We are delighted to share with you the breaking news that Sera Community Conservancy in northern Kenya has welcomed a newborn rhino this past weekend.

We are thrilled to announce that Sacha Craig will be representing Saruni, the collection of lodges & camps in Kenya, alongside Lewa Wilderness from July 2018. This is an exciting collaboration which we hope will build a stronger relationship between Saruni and Lewa Wilderness, both proud, family-run safari operations.

The 6th of June 2018 marked a very special date in Sera, Northern Kenya as the Sera Conservancy Community welcomed the return of the much-loved rhino calf, ‘Loijupu’.

Saruni, the Kenyan portfolio of lodges in Samburu and the Masai Mara, is launching new exciting activities from its Northern Kenya properties: panoramic air excursions and transfers with an aircraft based at Kalama airstrip, starting from 1st July until the end of September 2018.

In a community outreach program, Saruni Mara has embarked on a tree planting and forestry education initiative in a bid to educate our next generation conservationists on the importance of trees and encourage communities to understand their vital role in the preservation of nature.

A fitness room will be built at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and its pool deck will be replaced, as hospitality group Africa Albida Tourism continues to enhance its offerings as Zimbabwe’s top resort town enjoys a tourism boom.

ITB Berlin is where it is At(ta) this March and Saruni doesn’t want to miss out on the action. Riccardo & Elizabeth Orizio of Saruni Lodges & Camps, Kenya (www.saruni.com) will be attending ITB from 7th-9th March 2018 inclusive and can be found on the Atta stand Hall 20 /121. From a new family ‘banda’ unit at Saruni Rhino, an elephant rescue involving guests, new & returning baby rhinos at Sera Rhino Sanctuary – not to mention fantastic up-close opportunities with leopard & ellies at our lodge waterholes – the future looks bright, the future is Kenya! Contact [email protected] to book your appointment.

Less than a year after its opening, Saruni Rhino in Northern Kenya grows its capacity to keep up with demand. The property is the first in East Africa to offer the experience of on-foot professional tracking of black rhinos, and is located on the edge of a doum palm-lined, dry river bed in Sera Community Conservancy, Samburuland. With its newly inaugurated 3rd banda (stone cottage) it can now accommodate 8 guests. http://www.saruinrhinotracking.com