Built on raised ground allowing for panoramic views of the distant Samburu Hills on one side and Mount Kenya on the other, the Samburu Sopa Lodge stands in the centre of this beautiful and pristine reserve. Featuring a curve of cottages clustered around a waterhole, it is presented in classic Samburu style. Both the central dining and bar areas and the cottages enjoy unristricted views of the waterhole which attracts a wide range of wildlife both day and night.
Location
The lodge stands in the centre of the reserve, some 325 kms from Nairobi. It has its own air strip.
The Background
Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs National Reserves
‘The Plains of Darkness'
Vast, magnificent and still largely unexplored, these three neighbouring reserves offer an evocative cocktail of uniquely contrasting habitats, veering from stark cliffs and boulder-strewn scarps to lush swamps and muddy sandbanks; and from bone-dry bush to fronded riverine forests. Hot and arid, this area is known by the local nomadic tribe, the Gabbra, as ‘the Plains of Darkness', whose heat-scorched scrublands extend all the way to the jade-green waters of Lake Turkana. Uncompromisingly rugged, yet vividly beautiful Samburu, verdant Buffalo Springs, and the wildly volcanic Shaba (once the home of Joy Adamson of ‘Born Free' fame, and famous for its large prides of lion), all offer virtually guaranteed wildlife encounters, while elephant roam in large herds and are best seen crossing the river at dusk.
Wildlife highlights: elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, buffalo, hippo, zebra, oryx, gerenuk, gazelle, gerenuk, hyrax and klipspringer. Birds: 395 recorded species.
Kenya hotels and accommodation
Amongst the wide range of Kenya hotels, some make the ideal Kenya safari destination. Choose a safari lodge, safari hotel, bush camp, luxury lodge, safari camp, tented camp or bush lodge. National park accommodation usually takes the form of a traditional safari lodge or tented camp, but numerous other options exist on the park boundaries. Luxury lodges and luxury camp options are also offered in the private wildlife conservancies.
Accommodation
There are thirty cottages, each with two bedrooms. Each bedroom has two queen-sized beds, an ensuite bathroom and a private verandah. Two rooms are offered for the physically challenged. 24-hour generator power.
Dining and bars
There is a central dining and bar area which is presented in local stone and carved timber. The lodge also has its own bush dining facility where bush breakfasts, lunches, dinners and cocktails can be served (with the option of traditional dance performances)
Conference and event facilities
The lodge has its own conference facility offering full conference planning and incentives packages. The lodge also offers a complete wedding and honeymoon service.
Child-friendly
The lodge welcomes children and offers a baby-sitting service. A children's pool is provided.
What to see and do
A place of endless skies, dust-red plains and palm-fringed rivers, Samburu National Reserve lies on the fringes of the vast and arid desert once known as the Northern Frontier District, whose heat-scorched scrublands extend all the way to the jade-green waters of Lake Turkana and beyond. Physically dramatic, the 104 sq kilometre landscape of the Reserve features rocky battlements, craggy scarps, dry river beds and fallen boulders rising out of the thorn scrub against a backdrop of the far-distant hills and the great red table mountain known as Ololokwe. As for wildlife, Samburu provides one of the few sanctuaries in Kenya for the endangered Grevy's zebra, the rare beisa oryx and the blue-shanked Somali ostrich whilst large herds of elephant roam the gaunt hills during the day before returning to bathe on the banks of the river in the evening.
Activities include:
The lodge has a swimming pool and gift shop. Activities include Samburu cultural talks, guided nature walks and bird-watching tours, Maasai dance performances and visits to local Samburu villages. There are also wildlife feeding sessions nightly.
Samburu Sopa Lodge - Samburu • Traditional Safari Lodge • Kenya Hotels, Safari Lodges & Tented Camps
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