8 Days in Kenya: A Camping Safari Review (Samburu, Nakuru, Masai Mara & Amboseli)

Okay, planning a safari, is that right?, feels, like, both super exciting and a little, just a little bit overwhelming, right? I mean, there are a lot of, just a lot, options out there, and choosing the perfect one can feel tricky. We actually looked into that 8-day camping safari hitting Samburu, Lake Nakuru, the Masai Mara, and Amboseli, and so I’m going to walk you through that experience, so you can, I would argue, get a better feel for whether or not, you know, it’s the right choice for you. So, too, grab a cup of tea (or coffee!) and let’s jump in!

What to Expect from an 8-Day Safari

Safari itineraries, almost any of them, are that, tend to be jam-packed, really packed, with activities. That eight-day adventure gives you what seems like a comprehensive overview of Kenyan wildlife and landscapes. You basically hop, nearly literally, from one park to another, and so experiencing the distinct ecosystems each has to show. Expect what may feel like early wake-up calls, actually super early, to catch animals during their most active times, long game drives where you can keep an eye out for wildlife, and evenings spent swapping stories around a campfire.

The pacing, I guess, is that quite intense, but so, very rewarding, really rewarding. You’ll rack up quite a few miles, almost hundreds of miles, traveling between the parks, yet that’s part of seeing different slices of this region.

Samburu: The Rugged North

The Samburu National Reserve, arguably, offers what I would consider to be a different, totally different, sort of vibe compared to the, I want to say, more widely recognized Masai Mara. Situated, you know, up in the north of Kenya, it’s very much, extremely hot and rather arid, which really shapes the landscape and the animal life there. This area is really best known for its, to be honest, “Samburu Special Five”— namely, the Grevy’s zebra, the Somali ostrich, the reticulated giraffe, the gerenuk, and the beisa oryx, so if you want to see these particular creatures, that is, you’ve got to come here! Plus, the Ewaso Ng’iro River cuts right through that reserve, which is probably providing what you could reasonably call, to be precise, a lifeline for numerous animals, as a matter of fact offering fantastic viewing spots to just watch them drinking and going about the place in general. Early mornings, almost any day, felt magical there. Watching the sunrise over that, kind of, harsh landscape, spotting giraffes munching on what plants are about, is really remarkable. It’s, as a matter of fact, quite the contrast to what, to be exact, the green plains of the Mara, that too it makes it feel worth a visit.

Lake Nakuru: A Pink Paradise (Sometimes!)

Lake Nakuru is that something completely different to Samburu; instead of what might appear to be dry terrain, there’s, kind of, this shimmering alkaline lake which often, or occasionally, at any rate, draws in massive flocks of flamingos, very beautiful pink flamingos. At their peak, is that right?, there can literally, seemingly literally, be millions there, turning, turning into, the shoreline, too, into a vibrant pink spectacle. Very wonderful for photos, yet, as I am saying, flamingo populations, just flamingo population sizes, fluctuate a little, perhaps a great deal. If water conditions are, like, unfavorable they tend to move to another lake, actually they really do move. Beyond the flamingos, anyway, Nakuru National Park too has what one could reasonably consider to be a pretty sizeable population of rhinos, both black and white ones, alongside lions, leopards, and so wild dogs. So, too, is definitely, what can I say, prime wildlife-watching location, right?

The Masai Mara: The Classic Safari Experience

The Masai Mara, clearly, is that probably the safari destination folks have in mind, at the end of the day, whenever you know the safari destinations in Kenya come to mind. That wide savanna is, it tends to be, positively bursting with what can only be described as animals – big herds of wildebeest, zebra, elephants, then you see a few predators like lions, cheetahs, and hyenas prowling around trying to eat these, very wonderful really, I suggest, game drives, especially at dawn or dusk, tend to deliver fantastic sightings. One thing that, well, one could almost expect, depending on when, so to speak, you actually decide to travel, is this possibility of witnessing the Great Migration. The point is that millions of wildebeest and zebra actually make this circuitous journey from the Serengeti inside Tanzania up to the Masai Mara inside Kenya in search of what would appear to be grazing, is that it? It’s, after all, among nature’s truly great spectacles. We ended up spending what seemed like quite a bit of our time just, what am I saying, sitting, I guess, quietly near some, maybe quiet, watering holes just patiently waited. Boom!, out of the blue here they come a family of elephants, they really do lumber in for a refreshing drink.

Amboseli: Giants Under Kilimanjaro

Amboseli, that’s another park on the tour, that, actually offers pretty memorable experience. Amboseli is best known for its rather, in fact its rather, big elephant populations, which you see wandering against, seemingly against, the backdrop of what would appear to be Mount Kilimanjaro. This park has, kind of, a different feel from the Mara – very dry, very dusty in bits, as it sits in the shadow of Africa’s highest peak, which, of course, gives a whole unique aesthetic element to your, you know, photos and things. We honestly spend ages, kind of watching huge elephants munch on greenery as the sun, at last, set right behind Kilimanjaro, which looks stunning in a landscape, I think it’s the landscapes of East Africa that make the trip a ‘must do’. On this tour you are going to see, not the landscapes that most tourists view.

Camping Comfort and Practicalities

So, too, let’s, finally, talk a little bit about, as a matter of fact about, the camping. With this particular kind of trip, you generally will spend your nights in mobile campsites, it’s what one can only call pre-arranged locations fitted out, more or less fitted out, with basic amenities. So, too, expect to stay in a canvas tent, you know, with what turns out to be a simple mattress or camp bed. Shower and toilet facilities usually are of this shared sort, and quite, shall we say, can vary with regard to quality, at any rate quality and, more or less, cleanliness. As I have stated before the atmosphere in what turns out to be camping area is very communal. Most nights people gather, you know, around that campfire for, seemingly for, story-telling and chatting as well. That thing I actually thought about when preparing, honestly preparing, were all these small essentials that I think it would be of assistance to know. Therefore you should bring, as a matter of fact you will probably need, insect repellent, sunscreen, a torch and perhaps a power bank that lets you recharge what can only be described as your electronic gadgets. In that case it’s advisable that you are generally very ready to, well ready and, just, happy embracing the outdoors! That being in fact very key to taking pleasure of what I could term as that type of very budget-conscious safari encounter.

Pros and Cons of an 8-Day Safari

Let’s look at, okay let us see, the plus and minus aspects to take into account. The thing I liked, obviously, the number of locations visited within that fairly small period of time, fairly limited space of time, enabling someone such as yourself, or any individual, in truth, to take in what can only be viewed as some incredible experiences, I should also mention at this time that transportation being taken into consideration, along with lodging and certain meals, very welcome if not positively brilliant, that is incorporated as a whole. At that level that could possibly, just possibly, make it actually very appealing from what has to be a price point that can suit many individuals. By any chance camping isn’t one’s kind of bag, probably, that is that you can do upgrades to lodges around all locations – you are going to be required to spend a good number more bucks, though I might indicate at this time.

On what I would see to be a downside to all of these events is probably its, what shall I suggest, hectic pacing! The point I’m going to make is, so it could mean the expenditure by the group of much time invested into commuting from here, from here to that place as well! And, clearly, you would only ever get what could reasonably be deemed limited periods invested in anyone reserve – is there ever too much time invested? At this point I will explain facilities, shall we suggest comfort features, while staying as a camper, this cannot compare in some shape to accommodation featured at, or what I could consider would be like being billeted with hotel chains as an example. So let us be very clear with what that safari entails. #kenyasafari #samburu #nakuru #masaimara #amboseli “`