List Of Best Camping Sites In Kenya

Here is a list of the best camping sites in Kenya. Camping is an outdoor recreational activity where individuals or groups spend time in nature, typically in a tent or other portable shelter. It can be done across different terrains such as beaches, forests, campgrounds, and national parks among other locations.

A camping trip can provide alternative methods of relaxation and unwinding. You get a firsthand look at life in the wilderness: sleeping under the stars, waking up to the chirping and singing of birds, and seeing Kenya’s most amazing wildlife. Camping can be done during different seasons, so it is important to camp according to your weather preference, whether in fairly hot weather or cool weather.

Camping Essentials Checklist

1. Sleeping Gear

A Tent, Sleeping bag, and Sleeping pad are essential for a comfortable camping experience. Ensure that your sleeping bag is appropriate for the climate you’ll be camping in. Others include Air pump, Masaai Shuka and Rope.

2. Cooking Supplies

Bring a camp stove or portable grill, along with cooking fuel, utensils, and cutlery. Also bring enough food and snacks to last your entire trip, along with a portable water filter or enough water for drinking and cooking.

3. Lighting 

Bring a Headlamp or Flashlight with extra batteries, as well as lanterns. Flashlight; glow in the dark does magic here. Also carry Firewood, lighter, Camera, Sharp pocket knife.

4. Personal Items

Bring toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and toilet paper. Others include Map/Compass, Raingear, Insect repellant and Water bottles.

5. Clothing and Footwear

Bring appropriate clothing for the climate, including rain gear, warm layers, comfortable hiking shoes or boots, socks, gloves and a scarf.

6. Entertainment

Bring games, books, or other forms of entertainment for enjoyment at the campsite.

7. First Aid Kit & Navigation

Always bring a basic first aid kit with essentials like bandages, antiseptic, and pain relievers. As well bring a map and compass or a GPS device to help navigate the area.

8. Sun Protection

Bring sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun.

List Of Best Camping Sites In Kenya

1. Rapid’s Camp, Sagana

Rapid’s Camp is located by the River Sagana. River Sagana is in Kirinyaga County. It boasts exotic surroundings and a landscape that leaves your mouth agape with wonder. At Rapid’s Camp boredom is not an option. There are activities to keep you occupied throughout your stay. These include camping, white water rafting, bungee jumping and a variety of team-building activities. The campsite has superb picnic grounds. There is a catering unit to attend to all your culinary needs. Just in case you have no camping gear, Rapid’s Camp also hires out tents at affordable rates.

Camp Phone:+254 732 308 026

E-mail: info@raftinginkenya.com

2. Malewa Bush Ventures, Naivasha

Malewa Bush Ventures is located in Naivasha, next to Kigio Wildlife Conservancy. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful, with lush vegetation. The campsite offers both luxury and dome tents. Malewa Bush Ventures’ activities keep you energised day after day. They include rock climbing, trekking, game viewing, boating, and fishing. It would be considered a crime to leave the campsite without experiencing these activities

Contact: +254721 941 494

E-mail: christinemalewa@gmail.com

3. Camp Carnelly’s, Naivasha

A popular haunt with city folk looking to get out of Nairobi for the weekend, Carnelly’s is a fun and friendly campsite on the banks of prehistoric-looking Lake Naivasha. With a great restaurant and bar, ping pong table, volleyball court and picnic sites scattered throughout, this is the place to come as a group or for a laid-back weekend. There’s also lots going on in Naivasha, from a visit to Hells Gate National Park (popular with rock climbers who scale the gorge) to hiking up to the crater at Mount Longonot National Park.

Head out onto the lake to see the huge population of hippos living in the waters here. You can book your boat trip through Carnelly’s. If boats aren’t your thing, grab a beer and head to the pier late in the afternoon to watch the sun rippling off the lake.

Contacts: 0722 260 749, 0715 209 931

Email: info@campcarnelleys.com

4. Kiboko Luxury Camp, Naivasha

Kiboko luxury camp is located at Moi South Lake Road, Naivasha. There are eight luxury tents in Kiboko Luxury Camp, with four facing the lake, offering you an incredible view of Lake Naivasha. The best thing about this campsite is you get close to nature. Giraffes, waterbucks, and zebras are frequent visitors to the campsite. Kiboko has lots of hippos too, with most of them staying just a few yards away from the tents. You can hear them throughout the night, and you get a chance to watch them during the day from your private veranda. Boat rides are also available and we recommend you take them. The camp offers unlimited soft beverages, wines, local beers, and tea/coffee with one guided nature walk during your stay with the resident guide/ornithologist and free high-speed internet.

Contact: 0703 048 000

Email: info@sunafricahotels.com

5. Amboseli Bush Camp, Amboseli National Park

Located in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, just a few miles from the entrance to Amboselli National Park is Amboselli Bush Camp. It’s a rustic and charming place with everything you could need – pre-packaged tented rooms, a lounge, books, cooking equipment and even a pizza oven. You can also pitch your camp. From here there are some lovely walks in the area, but it’s also an excellent spot from which to visit the national park or just to sit and gape at Mt Kilimanjaro.

Email: camp@amboselibushcamp.com

6. Hells Gate Gorge and National Park, Naivasha

Hell’s Gate National Park contains three campsites: Endachata Campsite, Naiburta Campsite and Oldubai Campsite. After a day of exploring the gorge and viewing animals in the park, you should treat yourself to a camping experience at one of these camps. All of these camps are awesome with beautiful views of the landscape. Hell’s Gate is an ideal venue for a day trip from Nairobi where, in addition to the bio-diversity that includes raptors, visitors can enjoy mountain biking, rock climbing and a natural spa. You can camp here for a few days without ever getting bored.

7. Bongo campsite, Aberdare National Park

The Aberdares is a varied region of Kenya where the landscape changes east to west from heathland and mossy waterfalls to bamboo forests, thick jungles and open moorlands. There are lots of campsites in the Aberdares, but the Bongo campsite is particularly special because of its location – right next to the elephant mud pools – a prime spot to see elephants as they cool off during the daytime. The camp is in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by trees and it has to be booked out exclusively, so you’ll have the whole place to yourself. The Aberdares are at altitude and the weather can change rapidly so be sure to bring rain gear and warm clothes. Don’t stray too far from your tent if you see storm clouds closing in.

8. El Karama, Laikipia

This is a beautiful family-run eco-camp site. It is located centrally within Laikipia County. El Karama stands out, not only because it has luxury camping facilities, but because this region has the most diverse fauna and flora than anywhere else in the entire country. The riverside campsite and the beautiful cottages will give you time to remember. The local restaurant available provides 90% organic food that’s grown in their organic garden and all the meat is locally sourced. El Karama Camp offers you walking safaris, driving safaris, fly camping safaris, a large swimming pool with refreshing water, interesting programs for kids, day trips to the heart of the Laikipia region, and photography, of course.

Contact: +254 702 996 902

E-mail: reservations@elkaramalodge.com

9. Kongoni Camp, Nanyuki

If you want to have a beautiful view of Mt. Kenya in the morning, or if you are planning to go up Kenya’s highest mountain, then spending a night or two at Kongoni luxury lodge and campsite is the ideal option for you. This is a beautiful hub for those trekking the Burguret and Sirimoni routes. Here, you will be able to enjoy the breathtaking views of Mount Kenya every morning. There are also different game parks both for children and adults. There is an opportunity to book a single room or double room to increase the comfort of your weekend even more. If you want to be private, there is an opportunity to book a whole cottage that is simple yet very stylishly decorated and equipped with everything that you might need.

There is a bar with refreshing drinks and a restaurant where a professional chef will cook local cuisine – from mind-blowing grills, vegetarian dishes, and homemade Italian-like pizzas, to homemade bread and cakes. Everything is prepared only from the fresh ingredients collected from the local farms.

Contacts: +254 62 20 31225, +254 702 868 888

E-mail: reservations@kongonicamp.com

10. Tumbili Cliff, Baringo

The campsite is on the banks of Lake Baringo. It has a magnificent view of the countryside. This camp provides a perfect opportunity to explore areas not regularly visited. At Tumbili Cliff you are treated to unique boat safaris where you see hippos and crocodiles. There are about 450 identified bird species. If you are lucky you might get to see a good number of them. It is also an opportune time to interact with the Njemps and Pokot communities. As you take walks on the cliffs overhanging the lake, you get a picturesque view of the flamingos who are daily visitors to the lake. There you have it. 10 of the most fascinating places to relax that isn’t your ordinary holiday. Therefore when planning your next holiday get out of your comfort zone. Be adventurous a little. Explore more of the outdoors. You can be guaranteed a holiday like no other.

Contacts: +254 721 489 630 (Maurice), +254 720 880 260 (Simon), +254 722 420 590 (Vickie)

11. Lake Paradise Special Campsite, Marsabit 

Lake Paradise Special Campsite is arguably one of the most beautiful camps in the world. And it is a true camping experience, as there are no extra camping facilities on this campsite, including toilets. However, the campsite deserves its name, as it is truly – a paradise on earth. The lake next to the campsite is a sight to behold and the photos don’t do it enough justice. The campsite located in Marsabit National Park is empty throughout the year, due to its remote location. So, it’s always peaceful and serene. You will always be alone with your group when camping here. Encounters with wild animals such as Lions and Elephants are commonplace at Lake Paradise. And viewing them from afar offers unique entertainment. However, rangers are always present to keep you safe from any attack.  We highly recommend Lake Paradise to everyone, including people who don’t do camping. The experience is worthwhile. Be sure to arrive before the gate closes at 5 pm.

12. Sabache Camp, Mount Ololokwe

Dominating the skyline on the drive up from Nairobi to Moyale and the Ethiopian border is Mount Ololokwe, an impressive 2000-metre flat-topped mountain with sheer cliffs, offering views for hundreds of miles across the Samburu region of Kenya. It’s a steep two to three-hour hike to the top, for the most part using trails carved out by elephants, but once you reach the plateau this is a truly mesmerising place to spend the night. Start your hike early or the heat will become overwhelming. Spend the night at Sabache Camp at the bottom of the mountain the night before you hike.

13. Central Island National Park, Lake Turkana

Camping on the rim of a dormant volcano in the middle of jade-blue Lake Turkana is as close to feeling like you’re camping on another planet as you can get. Volcanic rocks cover the ground in Central Island National Park, and life goes on as it has for centuries in this arid, windy, and breathtakingly beautiful part of Kenya. Nomadic Turkana tribesmen and women traipse across the Martian landscape, adorned in their traditional jewellery and brightly patterned fabrics, always looking for a place to graze their cattle.

14. Rowallan National Scouts Camp

Rowallan Camp is situated along Kibera Drive adjacent to the Ngong Road Forest Reserve about 9km from the city centre. The beauty of Rowallan camp is in the caves, beautiful grounds, hike routes, bird watching, friendly monkeys and baboons on-site, seasonal river and the Ngong sanctuary where we have the most indigenous flora in the country.

The campsite occupies 30 acres with the remaining 60 acres of land being occupied by the Ngong forest. The campsites have good running water taps, good toilets and bathrooms, a modern swimming pool with excellent facilities, a friendship corner where campers can have informal meetings in a good atmosphere, campsite kitchens and a large arena for all outdoor activities. The camp also has two conference halls, dormitories and Bandas (Small cubicles) for accommodating both large and small groups.

Contacts: +254 020 202 0819, +254 733 919 333

Email: info@kenyascouts.org

15. Kiboko Campsite, Chyulu Hills National Park

The Kiboko campsite, about 1km from the Chyulu Hills gate, is a grassy-shaded spot set among the intensely green and picturesque Chyulu Hills. This is a popular destination for nature lovers, as the area is home to large wild animals such as antelope, elephants, and giraffes, as well as bush pigs, buffalo, and other animals. It’s also a great place to see Mount Kilimanjaro and explore the Kisula Caves, which are a network of lava tubes. Visitors can also camp halfway up the hills, near the cave’s entrance, or at the top of the hills, with breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. You’ll need a decent 4×4 with good ground clearance as the road to the top of the hills is very bad in places.

16. Wildebeest Eco Camp, Langata

This camp is located in Langata, Nairobi. They provide beautifully-appointed deluxe safari tents and other comfortable accommodations. It is an ideal environment for families with acres of space for children to safely explore, and a dedicated playground where they can burn some energy.

Contacts: 0728 565 010, 0734 770 733

17. Elsa’s Kopje Meru

This camp is located in Meru National Park, Northern Kenya. It provides private family cottages, day and night game drives, bush walks, bush meals and sundowners, cultural visits, day excursions to the Tana River, line fishing, swimming and massages.

Contact: 0730 127000

Email: reservations@elewana.com

18. Thomson Falls Camp, Nyahururu

Thompson falls in Nyahururu is not only an incredibly beautiful place, but the campsite owned by Thompson Falls Lodge is an equally gorgeous place. It is serene, lush and very quiet. You can see the stars and listen to the rumble of the massive falls while staying here.

Contact: 0716 108 833

Email: reservations@thomsonsfallslodge.co.ke

19. Jangwani Camp Sagana

Jangwani Camp is a good option for adventure seekers looking for camping sites in Sagana. Jangwani Camp is an eco-friendly camp located in front of four raging waterfalls that connect to the Sagana River. The views are breathtaking, and you can go water rafting here. Aside from camping in nature and admiring the scenery, you can also enjoy the following fun activities: nature walks, rafting, kayaking, ziplining, and archery. Aside from the well-known white water rafting, certified guides in Jangwani take adventurers on an exciting journey. Natural slides, a plunge into the river, cave exploration (depending on the season), and level 4 rapids await you.

Contact: +254 712 749 330

Email: info@jangwani.co.ke

20. Camp Malta, Thika 

For those looking for a wholesomely Christian camping experience, Camp Malta in Thika town presents the best choice for you. Located less than an hour from Nairobi, this is a simple tented campsite that provides the best opportunity for Christian folk to interact and enjoy themselves in a serene and peaceful atmosphere. Camp Malta is popular for these activities: Bushcraft, Camping skills. Community spirit. Good Cuisine. The camp is nestled between three rivers, with rugged terrain that is peaceful and tranquil. It provides an ideal environment for adventure and discovery and is one of the best places to visit in Sagana.

21. Mamba Village, Karen 

This is another luxurious place where you can spend your weekends. It is situated in Nairobi’s leafy Karen suburb, about fifteen kilometres away from the noisy Kenyan capital city. The camp is accommodated with comfortable tents with breathtaking views of the beautiful gardens, standard rooms, and suites. You are welcome to eat at the camp’s restaurant as well as refresh in the tented bar. Camp Mamba Village offers you the following activities: Fishing, Camping, Cycling, Swimming, Bird watching, Animal viewing and Camping facilities

22. Robert’s Camp, Lake Baringo

Lake Baringo lies in the heart of the Great Rift Valley and on the threshold of Kenya’s northern deserts. Robert’s Camp is a lovely lakeside campsite, home to over 450 species of birds, and hippos wallowing in the waters. There’s a whole range of accommodation here, from round thatched bandas to safari tents and spots to pitch your tent. Boat rides, walking tours and local village visits are all available to book on-site. Plus, there’s a decent restaurant and bar onsite serving pizzas, cold beers and even full English breakfasts.

Contact: +254 (0) 717 176 656

Email: info@robertscamp.com

23. Nairobi Tented Camp, Nairobi National Park 

Situated at the Nairobi National Park, the camp has 8 tents for accommodations which offer en-suite bathrooms, gas and kerosene stoves and sheepskin rugs. You would get an amazing view of the Kisembe Valley and other nearby forests and you could join the guided walk to the valley. Another thrilling aspect is the daily and nightly safari excursions organized at this camp.

24. Camp Ya Kanzi

Located deep in the Maasai territory, Camp Ya Kanzi is an award-winning camping site that is at the foot of the legendary Chyulu Hills. Here, you will experience first-class wilderness accommodation, and amazingly exotic wildlife and get a taste of authentic Maasai culture.

25. Kembu Farm, Nakuru

Now, this is the country! Even the name gives it away. Kembu farm just outside of Nakuru town is the place to go when all you need is a little fresh air, lush gardens, comfortable accommodation and no noisy neighbours. The campsite is set in a very peaceful part of the farm. Should you request it, the owner provides self-catering facilities. This ensures you are not bothered at all.