- Tier
- Luxury
- Style
- Eco-luxury tented camp
- Size
- 6 tents
- Region
- Samburu
- Nearest airstrip
- Samburu (Buffalo Springs)
- Drive from strip
- 30–45 min
An intimate, conservation-led camp founded by the Douglas-Hamilton family, where Samburu guides trained with Save the Elephants know hundreds of individual elephants by name.
Tucked beneath towering acacia and kigelia trees on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro within Samburu National Reserve, Elephant Watch Camp was founded by Oria Douglas-Hamilton and is run by her daughter Saba. Its hand-built, eco-conscious tents and warrior guides offer an unusually close connection to the reserve's famous elephants, and stays support elephant research and conservation.
Flying in
The nearest airstrip is Samburu (Buffalo Springs), about 30–45 min by road from the lodge. See the real fly-in routes and how the rest of the region connects on the Getting Around map.
Open the fly-in mapEvery Wildtouch safari is quoted individually — rates depend on your dates, the camps you choose and how it all links together. Jacob prices the whole journey, not a per-night sticker.
Other places to stay nearby
Samburu Sopa Lodge
A solid, good-value Sopa property of spacious cottages on a hillside above Samburu, a dependable comfort-tier option for the northern circuit.
ComfortSentrim Samburu
A comfortable, well-priced tented camp with private river views, giving easy access to game drives in both Samburu and Buffalo Springs.
ComfortLion King Bush Camp
An informal, owner-hosted bush camp where wildlife including elephants regularly passes through, set near the bridge linking Samburu and Buffalo Springs.
ClassicSarova Shaba Game Lodge
Built around natural spring-fed streams that meander right through the lodge grounds, with a famous Born Free heritage — it sits in the reserve where Joy Adamson worked.
ClassicSamburu Serena Safari Lodge
Set under a verdant stand of riverine acacia forest right on the Ewaso Nyiro, with a celebrated riverbank viewing terrace where crocodiles and visiting leopards are baited at dusk.
ClassicAshnil Samburu Camp
Spacious en-suite tents fronting directly onto the Ewaso Nyiro, so wildlife — including elephant — frequently passes the verandas, with an outdoor swimming pool overlooking the river.
ClassicSamburu Intrepids
A well-established riverside tented camp on raised wooden platforms beneath thatched roofs, with game viewing across both Samburu and Buffalo Springs. A polished yet relaxed base on the northern frontier.
ClassicSaruni Rhino
The only lodge inside Sera Conservancy, offering East Africa's pioneering on-foot black rhino tracking in a community-owned sanctuary, where stays directly fund rhino protection.
LuxuryElephant Bedroom Camp
Each tent has its own plunge pool on a private deck, and elephants regularly wander right through the unfenced camp beneath the doum palms — hence the name.
LuxurySoroi Larsens Camp
A reimagined boutique tented camp set quietly along the Ewaso Nyiro, offering a refined riverside retreat that welcomes families and couples alike, with an emphasis on privacy and personal service.
Ultimate luxurySaruni Samburu
Perched high in the Kalama Conservancy with vast open-fronted villas and infinity pools framing sweeping views to Mount Kenya and the Samburu plains — an exclusive, community-owned wilderness with no other lodges nearby.
Ultimate luxurySasaab
Vast open-fronted rooms, most with private plunge pools and rooftop star beds, perched on a ridge above the Ewaso Nyiro in the community-owned Westgate Conservancy, with bush walks and camel rides alongside game drives.
Stay at Elephant Watch Camp
Build it into a Wildtouch safari and Jacob will confirm availability, the flights to reach it and a price for the whole journey.