Safari Camping, bush camping or wild camping feel like lacklustre terms to describe pitching your tent in the African wilderness. There nothing in the world like spending a night in the African bush, listening to the roar or a lion, the harumph of an elephant, feeling the adrenaline course through you as something huge brushes past your tent and there is nothing between you and them but canvas.
In Kenya it is entirely possible to load your car with camping equipment and drive until you find a good spot and pitch your tent. We have wild camped next to rivers and in fields and in deserts and had the most incredible wildlife experiences. But on this trip we decided to safari camp in Ol Pejeta safari reserve in the hope (and slight fear) of some proper night time animal action.
Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy
Ol Pejeta is one of the best-kept game conservancies in Kenya. Sandwiched between Mount Kenya and the Aberdares the 90,000 sq. km conservancy is home to all of the Big Five, the last of the Norther White Rhinos and an impressive population of over 100 black rhino. It is also the only place in Kenya where you can see great apes thanks to its conservation work within its Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Statistics aside, this is my second visit to Ol Pejeta and both times I’ve seen more wildlife in 24 hours than in any other park.
Safari Camping in the African Bush
Ol Pejeta has a range of accommodation, from luxury guest cottages to palatial mansions and little shepherds huts, but we wanted to spend the night in the company of lions so we decided to camp. I booked the campsite with the happy assumption that we would camp within a fenced area, but the safari campsites at Ol Pejeta are truly wild. There is no fence and no guards, simply a cleared place in the bush, a long drop loo and access to (non drinking water). I’ve wild camped a few times before but Ol Pejeta has a huge number of predatory animals, putting up a tent with 3 small kids (also known as supper to a leopard) was a new and slightly terrifying experience for me.
Our safari camping trip to Ol Pejeta was full moments of fear and moments of exhilaration There is something wonderful about the complete disregard for safety that you encounter in Africa. After a lifetime of European safety regulations and cities dominated by warning signs, landing in Africa is a heart thumping, exhilarating and terrifying breath of fresh air. This I feel is the joy of wild camping, a chance to get closer than every before to a wild animal, to actually sleep on their turf, to acqueise to hteir territory and to feel both afraid and alive.
Safari camping in the wild
BLOG: WILD CAMPING IN BOTSWANA
Ol Lerai safari campsite
Information, I hear you cry. Ok, so it’s best to book online in advance. The cost of camping isn’t cheap but given the amazing experience of being out there in the animal’s natural habitat, it’s worth it. You book a campsite, which is reserved, only for you. This time we were in Ol Lerai. It was a wonderful spot, high up on a bluff overlooking the River Ewaso. At this point, the river meandered and across the water, the ground sloped down to a sandy beach. A perfect spot for perching in safety as the many animals came to drink. Back on our side of the river, there is a makeshift bush toilet, a pile of firewood and a container with water (for washing not drinking). No one comes to meet you or guide you, so you get there, pitch your tent and hope for the best.
Sounds of the bush
The camping experience was incredibly memorable. We sat by our campfire and were mesmerised by the nighttime sounds of the bush. The sounds of lions mating, a hyena chuckling, the raucous call of the hyrax. We gazed at the star littered sky and drank far too many bottles of wine for bravery.
There were moments of fear. Something enormous smashed into the tent in the middle of the night and I woke with my heart pounding, incapacitated by terror. Judging by the fresh elephant poo outside our camp I’d say it was an elephant. But there were moments of absolute pleasure. A sundowner game drive spent watching a family of hyena cubs playing in the yellowing sun. Waking up to an eerily mist filled river and a family of gazelle taking an early morning drink. Sitting outside our tent as baby elephants and their mothers came to frolic in the water only metres away from us.
WHAT TO BRING SAFARI CAMPING?
READ THE ULTIMATE PACKING GUIDE FOR A CAMPING SAFARI
Campsite stories
Would I go again? Yes, yes, yes. I’m already planning the next one. Was it terrifying? Absolutely but these are the experiences that you’ll recall when you’re old. The memories my children will carry with them from Africa. An opportunity so few people have… and how lucky we are to have all this right on our doorstep.
Safety tips for wild camping in the bush
- Animals like to eat kids, keep them close and don’t let them wander off
- Don’t leave food in your tent, keep it in the car or away from camp
- Don’t leave your tent at night. I kept a bucket handy!!
- Set up your tent as part of a group but leave space between them so that elephants /rhinos have enough space to pass between
- We stacked up our fire before bed. I have no idea if that helped but it made me feels better – I have since read that you are supposed to extinguish it though!
- If you hear an animal outside your tent – keep calm, quiet and don’t move
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