Saruni News & Views

See reviews of Saruni Samburu and Saruni Mara
and watch our Saruni video here.

Dear <<First Name>>,

We have had a busy and productive few weeks with exciting new developments, from launching our new website (www.saruni.com), releasing our 2015 rates, attending We are Africa and Indaba travel shows in South Africa, featuring as a guest on BBC Radio 4â€™s Today show, being nominated as Kenyaâ€™s Leading Safari Lodge and more.

Be sure to tune in our our websites and social media channels to stay connected and updated with all our news and developments.

Best regards,

Riccardo

Saruni Samburu: Kenya's Leading Safari Lodge

Saruni has been nominated for a World Travel Award in the category of Kenya's Leading Safari Lodge!

Saruni Samburu is acclaimed as one of the most innovative lodges in East Africa. Set in one of the most spectacular and pristine wildernesses in Kenya, Kalama Conservancy, it supports the community and protects 200,000 acres of untouched wilderness. Safaris at Saruni Samburu have a rare and authentic cultural element: the close relationship with the local Samburu people and having warriors guide you throughout your stay, sharing their ancient wisdom and knowledge of the landscape and the wildlife, is a truly life-enriching experience.

Please support Saruni and click here to place your vote! Voting closes on the 15th on June.

Training the Saruni guides

Pietro Luraschi, the guiding expert, has been training our guides at Saruni Mara and Saruni Samburu for the last two months. The training focused on giving a wider base of scientific knowledge to compliment their specific and unique local knowledge, and enhancing the communication of this to create exciting and memorable experiences for guests.

Pietro's feedback has left us all with a fantastic feeling of anticipation for the season ahead:

â€œTraining the Saruni guides both in Mara and in Samburu is always great. You are confronted with two of the most impressive tribes in East Africa, tribes that have always been living along wild animals in these amazing places. Their local knowledge is impressive â€“ every plant you see has a purpose, every corner a story.

The training was intense, with daily lectures and drives to apply theory to practice. The guides responded enthusiastically, really willing to learn more and trying with all their energy to improve. Thatâ€™s what makes me happy!

Being more proactive then reactive is what I pushed them to, and they have been amazing, reading animals and situations sometimes in an almost supernatural way.â€

Nyati House: experience the Mara in total exclusivity

Nyati House is Saruni Maraâ€™s Private Villa, one of the few private villas available in the Masai Mara, which opened for exclusive bookings earlier this year. Guests have the opportunity to experience the Masai Mara in seclusion from the comfort of their own wilderness home.

Click here to view the newly released PDF showcasing Nyati House.

Saruni Lodges top of the charts

Thanks to the constant flow of great reviews from our guests, both Saruni Mara and Saruni Samburu have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor! This award recognises businesses that consistently earn top ratings from TripAdvisor travellers.

Click here for Saruni Mara's reviews
Click here for Saruni Samburu's reviews

Riccardo on Kenyan Tourism on the BBC

Riccardo appeared as a guest on the BBC Radio 4's Today Show about tourism in Kenya. He stated that "Kenya is a resilient country...and as a foreign investor of 11 years in the [Kenyan tourism industry] I am confident in the country and I believe in Kenya as a top tourist destination." He also confirmed that Saruni Ocean will be opening at the end of this year. Listen to the interview here.

Beautiful photography portfolio by Dirk Rees

Renowned photographer, Dirk Rees, visited Saruni Samburu recently. As promised, here are a few of our favourite photographs he took and has kindly shared with us. Dirk has wonderfully captured the ancient soul of the Samburu people and landscape in his series of photographs. He will be entering his photographs in various international photography competitions, and is putting together an amazing portfolio of African tribes. Enjoy!

New East African Tourist Visa

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have recently forged an agreement to waiver visa re-entry fees if travelling between the three countries. A tourist can now obtain an East African Tourist Visa for $100, which allows for multiple entries into the three countries within the validity period of three months. This is an exciting and important step in promoting tourism to East Africa.