Samburu Riverside Camp

Samburu Riverside Camp

Samburu National Reserve Park, Samburu National Reserve 60302 Kenya
Traveller (91)
view of a 2 person tent from the dining area
Room & Suite (29)
Coin repas et cuisine / dining room and kitchen
Dining (7)

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About

#4 of 6 campsites in Samburu National Reserve
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Location
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Rooms
4.6 of 5 bubbles
Value
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Cleanliness
4.7 of 5 bubbles
Service
4.3 of 5 bubbles
Sleep Quality
Samburu Riveside Camp is a Tour Travel Company based in kenya. We provide the best Game Drive services,Camping Tours,Safaris generally to most parks in Kenya ,Mountain Climbing and Hiking Safaris,Cultural Tours designed for those in search of a real adventure who enjoy the wilderness experience . With extensive experience and knowledge providing reliable transportation services
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HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Quaint

Location

Samburu National Reserve Park, Samburu National Reserve 60302 Kenya
1 Attraction
within 10 kilometers
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Detailed Reviews
Howie A wrote a review May 2023
Toronto
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Friendly staff, very comfortable tents in a great location. Food was very tasty. Highly recommend for families. Able to arrange ranger-guided hikes and hear the sounds of wildlife at night. I would go back anytime!
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Date of stay: February 2023
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
These reviews are machine translated from their original language. Show machine translations?
murielr18 wrote a review Feb 2024
Lille, France
+1
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Small camp surrounded by nature (which is very pleasant) where we only spent one night.
Our tent was (very) spacious. Not much would be missing to make it perfect (cushions for the outdoor armchairs because they were not at all comfortable and above all 1 or 2 shelves and a few hooks to be able to put your things in the (large) bathroom) .
The 3 meals we had were simple but good and plentiful. Special mention for dinner by the light of a campfire.
A very good option for visiting Samburu Park.
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Google
Date of stay: January 2024
4.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stefano A wrote a review Feb 1
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We stayed in this camp for five nights. The place is very beautiful, surrounded by nature. Good service and very friendly staff. Spacious and clean tents. We enjoyed the food, Wilson is a really good chef. The jeep tours were fabulous. A big thank you to Anthony, who was our guide, friendly, very generous and very good at finding animals. I really hope to return to this park next year. I will definitely choose Samburu Riverside Camp again.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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Date of stay: January 2025
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
5.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ala Z wrote a review Feb 2021
Europe
+1
3.0 of 5 bubbles
It looks like our motto is ‘go compare’. In our case it means staying at extremely different places, after some days in a luxurious lodge we try a very basic, budget camp. We have been doing it for years and still find it entertaining and challenging.

We arrive at Riverside Camp in time for lunch which offers pasta, French fries, fried vegetables, salad and fruit, all very nice.

Our tent is called Tembo (elephant), there are two beds, a small bathroom with flush toilet and a wash basin with only one tap.
The access paths are set out with stones painted in zebra fashion which gives brilliant effect.

At 4pm when the temperature is 37 C we start our game drive.
It would be very appropriate to call it a drive through Elephant Kingdom.

What should clever animals like elephants do when in the scorching sun? They play in water, of course. So we stay glued to the river bank the whole afternoon and watch big elephants, small elephants and baby elephants, on our side of the river, then crossing the river, going back, mock fighting, splashing. From time to time they would get interested in our vehicle and come very close. We were demonstrated how to feed the babies if you have breasts between the forelegs or how to rub against the trees. For the first time we were able to see some elephants actually lying down in the shade of a bush.

When it is inevitable to start going back to the Camp, we are making a rather slow progress as the elephants are all the time around us: some are on our left, on our right and in front of the vehicle.

When we eventually get back to our camp and our very appropriately called tent (Tembo) we are offered dinner with a perfect tomato soup with croutons, choice of rice or potatoes, stew, cooked vegetables, coffee. Generally the food is a very strong point of this establishment.

We stay up long talking with our guide and the very friendly men who run this camp so efficiently.

Our breakfast was also perfect, fruit - pineapple, mango, pancakes, warm toast, fried eggs, coffee.

Remember: the choice is yours.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cabiriastyle wrote a review Feb 2017
Brooklyn, New York
+1
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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Date of stay: January 2017
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
3.0 of 5 bubblesService
3.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: tents at the farthest point from the dining area and fire will be shielded from human noise.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R0b_Amsterdam wrote a review Nov 2019
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jade R wrote a review Aug 2022
Swansea, United Kingdom
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Samburu Riverside Camp is a tented camp with both permanent tents (two with en suite - we booked these at extra cost) and also pitches for your own tents which other people used during our stay. During our recent 16 day tour around Kenya we stayed in 9 different accommodations ranging from lodges to bandas to wooden cabins to luxury tented camps. Samburu Riverside Camp was our favourite (and incidentally, it was also the cheapest place we stayed!). The camp is located within the Samburu Reserve in a good location for game viewing. Within minutes of leaving the camp for our morning/evening game drives we saw two leopards, multiple lions, elephants and buffalo. The camp is not fenced, meaning that the animals are free to roam through the site - there's nothing quite as amazing as being able to see hyaena, elephants and monkeys from your own bed!

The thing which made this camp exceptional compared to our other accommodation, though, was the people who run it. Wilson, Mike and Lino were incredibly welcoming, kind and friendly. They answered our many questions and nothing was too much trouble. Wilson's cooking was also the best we sampled in Kenya - fresh, tasty and personally cooked for us (compared to the many cold buffets we sampled elsewhere).

If you're looking for luxury rooms with a swimming pool, massage parlour and wifi then this is not the place for you. If you are looking to spend time in the bush with the animals, a clear view of the stars and milky way. and wonderful people - I couldn't recommend Samburu Riverside Camp more!

As an aside - if the camp had had a curio/gift shop I would have definitely purchased some souvenirs to bring home. This might be an idea for future improvement and a way for the Samburu staff to supplement their income?
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Date of stay: July 2022
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
5.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Room Tip: Best tents are the two en-suite tents at the rear of the camp.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lucyan wrote a review Feb 2024
Seattle, Washington
4.0 of 5 bubbles
This is nice simple campsite near the river at Samburu National Park. Tents are pre-set up, with simple mattresses, pillows and blankets. There are two bathrooms and one kitchen/dining area. The staff was very friendly and meals were delicious. There was a super fast Wi-Fi, which was surprising.
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Date of stay: January 2024
4.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
4.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JaneAliceBell wrote a review Jun 2023
NorfolkUK
+1
5.0 of 5 bubbles
This was the fourth destination on our safari introducing our son and daughter in law to self drive in Kenya. We arrived a little late for lunch from the luxury of Sweetwaters in Ol Pejeta and after a lot of payment hassle at the Archer's Post gate to the reserve.
First impressions were only fair. The camp looked a bit run down but the staff greeted us shyly but pleasantly enough and the freshly cooked lunch was very good. The tents were better appointed than first impressions gave and we soon learned that if something was missing (drinking water in the bathroom) we only had to ask!
We also had to ask for a game drive in the camp vehicle but as we had arrived under our own steam it was not surprising that it was not offered. It was very worthwhile, we had our only view of a cheetah on this trip as well as wonderful elephants.
The beds proved as good as any of the ones we had slept in before, the shower, which looked pretty 'heath robinson' worked beautifully and Wilson's meals were freshly cooked from first class ingredients and were delicious, the best mandazis of our trip!
Sleeping so close to the wildlife was magical and once the staff got to know us conversation flowed and we all four fell under the spell of staying in this camp and venturing out for game drives at any time we wished. By the time we left after three nights we were wishing we could stay for much longer. Thank you to the team at Samburu Riverside Camp.
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JamboRegina wrote a review Feb 2019
Colchester, United Kingdom
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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.
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
19 contributions
Really sorry for all this delays I hope you got help somewhere else as we couldn’t see your message till now ? Kindly let us know if you still need our answer
Answer from mary j
Hexham, United Kingdom61 contributions24 helpful votes
Thanks for your answer above, I left a further question about rates below so look forward to your replies and booking. Many thanks, Mary
longhorn1983 asked a question Sep 2018
TX107 contributions15 helpful votes
Is the same place as Heshima Campsite?
Answer from Isaac C
2 contributions
Jambo, it is not. We are inside the reserve. Regards
CambridgeGal981 asked a question May 2018
Cambridge, Massachusetts7 contributions
Do you need to bring your own sleeping bag, blankets?
Answer from Isaac C
2 contributions
Jambo. No need. We provide sheets,blankets... Regards
Jade R wrote a tip Aug 2022
Swansea, United Kingdom26 contributions11 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"Best tents are the two en-suite tents at the rear of the camp."
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cabiriastyle wrote a tip Feb 2017
Brooklyn, New York27 contributions19 helpful votes
4.0 of 5 bubbles
"tents at the farthest point from the dining area and fire will be shielded from human noise."
Read full review
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LOCATION
KenyaRift Valley ProvinceSamburu DistrictSamburu National Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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Samburu Riverside Camp - UPDATED 2025 Reviews & Photos

Frequently Asked Questions about Samburu Riverside Camp
Which popular attractions are close to Samburu Riverside Camp?
Nearby attractions include Samburu National Reserve (4.8 km).
What food & drink options are available at Samburu Riverside Camp?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant during their stay.
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