Season’s greetings from our wonderful friends from Saruni. The Saruni lodges and camps are some of the best places to stay withing Kenya, that we would recommend. From the rustic delights of Saruni Rhino to the stunning views from Saruni Samburu, you really are spoilt for choice and the people who work at any of these lodges and camps will always welcome you with open arms, and no problem is too challenging for them! The staff are seriously dedicated to ensuring you have an experience you will never forget and hopefully inspire you to come back!

With the end of the year approaching fast, the Christmas trees are decorated and there is a festive spirit in the air, it’s time to reflect on some of Saruni’s golden moments. So much of this was made possible through the support of guests as well as colleagues who work within the Saruni family including those from around the world for supporting Saruni through some tough times making the continuation of the lodges and camps to continue.

At the beginning of the year, Saruni were delighted to have two of their iconic activities inaugurated into the Kenya Tourism Boards 2021-2022 ‘Magical Kenya Signature Experiences’ Collection – ‘Black Rhino Tracking Experience’ at Saruni Rhino and ‘Warriors Academy’ at Saruni Mara.

For the second year running Saruni Mara was awarded Gold Eco-training by Ecotourism Kenya, followed later in the year by Saruni Samburu, also achieving the elite status. Both camps demonstrated ‘outstanding best practices in responsible resource use, environmental conservation and socio-economic investment’. Saruni Mara and Saruni Samburu are two of only 47 ‘elite’ facilities across Kenya achieving this gold status.

Saruni was also proud to be one of the key sponsors of the 10^th Annual Free Aitong Medical Camp in the Mara North Conservancy, contributing much-needed funds towards operating costs and patient medication, voluntary support to over 600 community members, many of them women, who lined up for complimentary health consultations and immediate treatment.

Their ‘Adopt and Acre’ appeal is a lifeline to so many, with more than 1,440 acres “adopted” and over $50,000 worth of funds received, ensuring a reliable income for families who struggled to make ends meet, land remained protected, wildlife continued to roam in safety, and the harmonious partnership between land-owning communities and tourism operators has stayed intact.

This year also saw the exciting development of Basecamp Explorer Kenya and Saruni, who came together through a dynamic partnership. Both Basecamp and Saruni combined have for the last four decades pioneered conservation practices and safaris in Kenya and both believe that Africa needs community-based approaches where local communities’ income from wildlife conservation leads to more entrepreneurial and educational opportunities. We shall continue to provide you with updates on the next steps of this exciting alliance.

All Saruni staff are now fully vaccinated, furthering the level of Covid-19 health and safety standards and the government-issued protocols, in which we operate in accordance with at all times. It is encouraging to see travel picking up globally and more international travellers coming to Kenya too, but we need to continue to support these wonderful properties and their surrounding locations, as the knock on affect will be huge if it were to collapse again.