Sarara is a leading community-run tented camp set in the Namunyak Conservancy on the lower slopes of the Mathews Range in Northern Kenya. A natural rock swimming pool overlooks a waterhole frequently visited by animals.
Visit the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary nearby for a transformational appreciation of the conservation work applied here.
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
A busy waterhole attracts an array of wildlife you can enjoy from the pool or the lounge.
Sarara serves as a dry season sanctuary for several hundred elephants. Lion and leopard are resident here, and two distinct packs of the endangered African wild dog roam the conservancy. Other wildlife highlights include kudu, black and white colobus monkeys, Grevy’s zebra, striped hyena and the elegant gerenuk.
The conservation work undertaken by the Namunyak Trust has been nothing short of remarkable. Following the devastating ivory poaching crisis of the mid-1970s and early 1980s, there were no recorded elephants left in the Mathews Range by 1985. Today, several thousand elephants live and breed peacefully in the southern Mathews Range, alongside an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, a true testament to the success of community-led conservation.
Sarara Camp features six beautifully appointed tented rooms, each carefully positioned to make the most of the sweeping views across the Mathews Mountains and the nearby watering hole. Each tent includes an outdoor bathroom with an invigorating shower overlooking the hills, as well as an indoor loo and basin discreetly tucked away at the rear. Every tent opens onto a private terrace, complete with table and chairs, the perfect spot for your morning tea or coffee as the sun rises over the mountains.
A stay in Namunyak would not be complete without witnessing the mesmerising Sarara Singing Wells. During the dry season, Samburu warriors bring their cattle to these ancient watering holes — some plunging as deep as ten metres. Stripping down, they form human chains and sing hauntingly beautiful Samburu chants as they pass water, hand to hand, up to their herds. This extraordinary daily ritual, echoing across the valley, is one of Kenya’s most moving and authentic cultural experiences.
When to visit
A trip to the singing wells is an absolute must! A most fascinating experience.
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Sarara Camp is situated in the 850,000 acre Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy. 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.
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