Elephant Watch Camp

Elephant Watch Camp is a privately owned and run tented camp in the Samburu region of northern Kenya. The camp is beautifully located on the sand banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, beneath big Kigelia trees and Acacia elatiors. Children of all ages are welcome.

Accommodation & Facilities
This eco-friendly camp has just six individually styled tents with colourful cloth drapes and unusual furniture. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom built around a tree with flush loos and bucket showers. Much of the furniture in the camp has been made from fallen trees, and locally woven mats provide comfort and colour on the floors. The main building is open sided, largely built from fallen trees, and has a thatched roof shading the dining room and lounge. There is also a library with a good range of books, films and information about elephants. Meals are often eaten outdoors, and the kitchen serves meals prepared with fresh ingredients from the owners’ farm and local producers.

There are two family tents. The biggest comprises two octagonal shaped tents linked by a small enclosed corridor. This tent is more suitable for younger families and is very close to the mess tent and dining area. The second family room has a large square tent for the parents and a smaller plaster and thatched cabin at the back for children connected by an open air sitting room. This would be more suitable for families with slightly older children. Each family tent can house parents with two to four kids depending on ages/sizes.

Eating & Sleeping
Children are offered an earlier dinnertime at around 6pm. The chef tends to offer scaled down dishes from the adult menu but parents can also request nursery favourites.  The Askaris (guards) provide a complimentary listening service whereby they are posted outside the tent until the parents return to their room. Babysitting is also available for US$50 per half day of US$20 per evening and is provided by female members of staff – all of whom are mothers themselves.

Wildlife & Activities
Wildlife viewing activities at Elephant Watch are focused on elephants, and specialised guides introduce guests to the local elephant families, as well as showing them the other endemic species of northern Kenya such as reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx and generenuk. Guided bush walks and visits to the Save The Elephants research centre are also available, as well as hill-top sundowners and visits to the local Samburu people.

Specifically for children …
The owners live on site with their young family (six and eight years) and as such they and the camp staff are very child orientated. Activities include:
• Sand castle building.
• Tree climbing.
• Swings.
• Samburu warrior training and games.