United kingdom Daily news: Elephant Bedroom Camp and baboons for neighbours on a Kenyan safari adventure

Elephant Bedroom Camp and baboons for neighbours on a Kenyan safari adventure

By Tamara Cohen

PUBLISHED: 04:44 EST, 6 July 2012 | UPDATED: 04:55 EST, 6 July 2012

It is not every day you are told you will be sharing your bedroom with an elephant, but then Kenya is a place to experience nature at very close quarters.

On my first trip to the country, it was not hard to see why old Hollywood fell in love with its cinematic landscape as our 12-seater plane touched down on a dusty airstrip in the blazing sunshine.

Thus began our journey through Samburu National Park to the Elephant Bedroom Camp. Well, no-one could say the name didnâ€™t give the game away.

Friendly neighbours: At Samburu National Reserve, the elephants are never far away from the camp

We flew in from the capital Nairobi at dawn after a whistle-stop overnight stay at Sarova Stanley hotel, a colonial-era haunt of Ernest Hemingway, and the actors Clark Cable and Ava Gardner while they were filming the 1953 film Mogambo which set pulses racing in the savannah.

But the adventure really got going several hundred miles north. Twelve luxury tents set deep inside the lush plains more than fulfilled its promise of a safari without getting out of bed, while offering everything you could want from a top-end hotel - comfy beds, bathrooms, plunge pool and a lounge bar.

Each has a private porch overlooking herds of elephants quenching their thirst from crystal blue streams, monkeys leaping from branch to branch of the acacia trees, lions roaring in the distance and crocodiles lurking menacing by the river bank.

The first game drive saw elephants practically surrounding the jeep, playful lion cubs jostling in the sunshine, and a tr io of cheetahs eying us with suspicion.

Where the wild things are: Tamara had never visited Kenya before and was surprised to find herself staying in such close quarters with the local wildlife

After just a few hoursâ€™ searching, we glimpsed a lone leopard, only a few yards away, scoping out the prospects for lunch from the top of small hill as everything in its midst ran desperately for cover.

With the whole camp almost invisible from just a short distance away, it felt gloriously far from anywhere as we wound down with a sundowner, cicadas squawking and the stirrings of the rest of the parkâ€™s inhabitants not far away.

However we did have to be reminded to padlock our tents to avoid a welcome party from the campâ€™s colony of baboons, waiting patiently outside for a chance to ransack our luggage.

Samburu is still establishing itself as a tourist destination. Until independence in 1961 and for some years afterwards this park known as the Northern Frontier District and only government officials â€" no civilians either African or European - were permitted to enter.

It retains the feel of an untouched wilderness with just a handful of safari lodges dotted around the 8,000 square mile area. The reserve also boasts more than 300 species of bird and is one of the best twitching spots in the country.

Leaving behind the tall trees and winding streams, the next stop was to Meru National Park and possibly Kenyaâ€™s best-kept secret.

Home from home: The Rhino River Camp offered a taste of luxury amid rustic surroundings

The park looks as arid as the Sahara, but is punctuated by a few permanent rivers which is just what its inhabitants like â€" as it is a sanctuary for the increasingly rare black and white rhinos, as well as elephants, buffalo, reticulated giraffes and around 500 species of birds, many of them rarely seen anywhere else.

Although there is an airstrip nearby, the winding four-hour drive was well worth it for the scenery, with breath-taking parkland occasionally dotted with the bright shop fronts of a remote village.Â

Once inside, there were no other jeeps in sight as we battled though the makeshift paths, getting sprayed with red dust. This is yet another film set, this time where gamekeepers George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the lioness, whose story was made famous by the book and film Born Free.

Documentary-maker Andrea Maggi doesnâ€™t mind being one of the only people here. An Italian biologist who moved to Kenya 40 years ago after falling in love with the wildlife and landscape, he thinks he has found the best spot around.

His luxury lodge the Rhino River Camp opened just last year with just six boutique tents, each filled with stylish wooden furniture, homemade cosmetics, and after a long drive or bush walk, a refreshing dip in the swimming pool, built in a sunken valley hidden by high trees.

Rare sight: It is increasingly difficult to spot rhino in the wild, but lesser-known camps afford the chance to see the endangered animals up close

He claims to have entertained celebrities and even European royalty here, and you can certainly see the appeal, cut off from the world but with the best of Italian cooking and fine wines laid out in the evening.Â

An evening drive along the river is the time to see it teeming with rhinos. Six of them were brought here by conservationists in the 1980s after the native population was wiped out by poachers, and their colony of a few dozen is now thriving.

One night was hardly enough, you could stay for weeks. But it was time to jet to the coast to see a totally different side of Kenya.

It is well worth stopping in the port town of Mombasa if only to see the imposing Fort Jesus, built by Portuguese troops 400 years ago and still intact as a monument to the countryâ€™s turbulent history. We had a spectacular guided tour which really brought the seafarers, slaves and battles to life.

My final stop was Watamu, a sleepy white-sand beach resort on the Indian Ocean. Hemingway remembered it as one of his favourite fishing spots, although what was once a fishing village has changed quite a bit since then. Sipping a cocktail on a stunning sunset cruise down the Blue Lagoon was our perfect end to the trip.

Travel Facts

Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com, 020 8283 1818) has flights from London Heathrow to Nairobi from Â£525.98.

Safarilink offers daily flights to all the major game parks in Kenya. Return Nairobi to Samburu flights from US$304 (Â£196) in the low season and US$349 (Â£224) in the high season. For more information please visit www.flysafarilink.com

Elephant Bedroom Camp (www.atua-enkop.com, +254 20 4450035/6)offers full-board accommodation from US$280 (Â£180) per person per night

Rhino River Camp (www.rhinorivercamp.com, info@rhinorivercamp.com +254 732 809287) offers cottages from US$300 (Â£193) per person.

Sarova Stanley (www.sarovahotels.com +254 20 2757000) offers rooms from US$240 (Â£154) on a bed and breakfast basis.

For more information on visiting Kenya, contact Kenya Tourist Board on 0207 367 0931 or visit www.magicalkenya.com