Glorious Loisaba in Kenya

As a tour operator, I get to visit lots of camps and I can’t help having favourites. A camp which stands out for its fabulous staff, or its location, or its fun activities. Loisaba Tented Camp in Kenya is one such incredible property.

I was met off my plane by my private ranger, Brown, dressed in his traditional Samburu clothing of gorgeous colourful fabrics and bling headgear. A highlight of my trip, right there on the runway. Brown is great fun to be with, and was eager to show me as much as possible during my two night stay. Loisaba offers so many activities that it just wasn’t possible to do everything, but now I have an excuse to go back and try the rest.

Game drives, like most other game reserves, are the backbone of the Loisaba safari. Loisaba is a large conservancy owned by the community trust and is located on an important elephant corridor. My first game drive at Loisaba was a relaxed bumble across the rolling hills, enjoying the sightings and learning more about the reserve. Just before sunset, we rolled around a corner and there was an outside picnic set up. Chefs cooking delicious delicacies over the fire, gorgeous seating for all of the camp guests. The kids were given fishing rods and enjoyed some fun at the pond with the rangers while the rest of us enjoyed telling tall tales of our sightings over Gin & Tonics.

Horses and I have never been friendly. They are dangerous at both ends and impossible to get onto. So it was with some trepidation that I agreed to a camel safari. It turns out, my camel was the highlight of my safari at Loisaba. And as luck would have it, camels are very easy to get onto and pretty comfortable to ride. To be honest, we didn’t see a whole lot of game while on the camels, but it was incredible to be bumbling through the bush on these enormous animals. Until my camel started to get frisky and it was time to put a stop to the shenanigans….!

A visit to the local Samburu village is not to be missed. The Samburu of northern Kenya are a colourful and friendly people, who wear the most gorgeous, beaded jewellery and head-gear. They are semi nomadic and move around in search of better grazing for their animals and it really interesting learn about their culture and visit their manyattas. When I was there, we enjoyed the local dancing and did some very bad dancing of our own, much to the amusement of the village kids!

Keeping a big reserve like Loisaba safe from poachers is a 24 hour struggle for the conservation team. Luckily, they have the help of highly trained sniffer dogs whose job it is to locate poachers. While at Loisaba, you get to meet the dogs and their handlers and get a demonstration of how the team works and learn about their day to day training.

I didn’t do the horse riding safari – camels were as far as I was willing to go! But horses are a wonderful way to safari, especially for those who don’t get stiff after a 10 minute ride. I recommend this for people with some riding experience.

What I did enjoy though, was the incredible view of the reserve and Mount Kenya in the background. I admit to whiling away a good few hours with a glass of wine, gazing at the view.

The rooms at Loisaba are gorgeous and surprisingly large. All the normal bells and whistles that you would expect from a 5 star lodge, including multi plugs and charging point, wifi and views across the plains. Families are catered to with a two bedroom suite, set apart from the rest of the tents. The camp is cleverly built so that families or small groups can be catered to separately, with their own pool and dining area, should this be desired.

I could go on, but this is a camp that needs to be experienced. So just book it (I will help you!) and ask for Brown. You won’t regret it.