Extraordinary Africa> Kenya> Laikipia> Sirikoi
Sirikoi, home of Sue and Willy Roberts, is one of Kenya’s most beautiful luxury safari camps. With a glorious location on Laikipia’s Lewa Conservancy, excellent game viewing, and a great lodge to come home to at night, it’d be hard not to adore a stay here.
What’s Sirikoi really like?
Guests at Sirikoi can stay in the luxury tents, looking out towards the waterhole, the cottage or Sirikoi House. First off- the tents. These are large and so comfortable you’d barely recognise them as tents- especially with the crackling fireplace that’s lit on chilly highland evenings. There’s also an ensuite bathroom with a glorious tub, wi-fi, and a deck to enjoy a gentle morning cuppa as the mist rises from the grasses. Beyond the tents is the main area of the lodge, where the pool and drinks are cool, but the food, the company and (especially) the welcome are most definitely warm! Beyond here is the two bedroomed cottage- like the tents it’s very comfortable, but very much keeps in touch with the natural surroundings. The cottage has its own small living area, so is a fantastic option for families travelling together.
Lastly, there’s Sirikoi House. This is in fact so much more than just a single house- there’s the master bedroom in one cottage, a second cottage with two bedrooms and a third cottage with the living and dining areas. This is taken on a totally exclusive basis and comes with private staff and a private safari vehicle.
Family safaris at Sirikoi:
We’re going to mention this in particular, because Sirikoi has always struck us as being the most enormous fun for a family safari. Any of the safari activities we mention can be adapted to work for children, but the things that children love at Sirikoi might not be what you expect: picking their own veggies or collecting eggs is often as appealing as making a bow and arrow or learning how to tell footprints apart.
What can I do at Sirikoi?
Sirikoi is located on the magnificent Lewa Conservancy, a stronghold for rhino in Kenya and generally excellent for game viewing, so game drives tend to be very rewarding. You can also do walking safaris here- we’d recommend these for anyone who feels as if they’ve spent enough time in a vehicle, or just wants a more in-depth experience of the bush. Being on Lewa, there’s also a fantastic opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes insight into the tough realities of running a modern-day conservancy, and Sirikoi can also arrange a visit to one of the local schools. As an optional extra, there is also a stables on Lewa for riding safaris, a visit to a nearby Maasai community, bi-plane and helicopter trips, and fly camping. This is not for the faint-hearted, but is madly romantic if you’re in search of an adventure.
Giving back at Sirikoi:
It’s virtually impossible to mention Lewa without mentioning its social and ecological achievements in the same breath-Lewa is a stronghold for endangered rhino and Grevy’s zebra, and was a pioneer for community tourism. Sirikoi fits right into this ethos and is one of a tiny number of organisations rated Gold by eco-tourism Kenya. To mention just a few steps the lodge takes: it’s run on solar energy, sponsors several local children through school, and helps staff develop their own micro businesses. Should you wish to be part of the incredibly impressive story at Sirikoi, the lodge works closely with Pack For A Purpose who can help you fill empty spaces in your luggage with much-needed contributions to the local community..
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