Porini Amboseli Camp

I would absolutely recommend the Porini Camps to anyone!

The Porini Camp in Amboseli was excellent for individualized attention and amazing animal viewing.

In terms of recommendations, Amboseli is a yes for anyone who want to see Elephants. The camp is located in a very prolific conservancy and you see lots of wildlife around even your tent (i had a giraffe who loved to have dinner on the tree outside my tent!). However the high in Amboseli are by far the elephants, amazing experience! I would definitely go back to that camp if i decide to repeat the Kenya experience.

We loved the Porini Camps. The staff at each were wonderful and very accommodating. The food was excellent. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Our sleeping arrangements were very comfortable and my daughter got along fine without a blow dryer. At the Mara we forgot to zip the tent flaps before dinner and were welcomed back at our tent by a couple of vervet monkeys ransacking the inside looking for cookies.

Authentic tents with bucket showers, bush walks, night drives and a cultural Masai village visit – everything you need for a magical experience combining the National Park and Selenkay Conservancy.

As for the accomodation in the Porini camps, the tents were nice, spacious and clean, a lot better and comfortable than one would expect in the middle of the savannas. The food and wine was good and the staff was really nice, friendly and helpful in both camps. The Masai guides were very well prepared and they had a very good command of English which was a positive surprise for me.

Jim and I have to say our trip to the Porini camps was the most memorable we ever taken. As seniors who aren’t really travel-savvy, we were initially uncomfortable with the idea of exploring Africa on our own. However, Nic and Greg were quite adamant that the Porini Safari Camps would meet our every need and we would feel not only comfortable, but pampered. They were so right and we had the trip of a lifetime! Of course the animals of Africa were wonderful…but the people aligned with Porini Camps were even more so! We were met at the airport and escorted by exceptionally gracious people from the minute we landed until our departure (which occurred too soon).

The Porini Camps were marvelous – I wouldn’t want to go any other way. I saw everything I could think of including the wildebeasts migrating across a dry river bed (they had not moved for days, but they decided to cross literally on the last hour of the last game drive of the last day). The Porini food was excellent, and service excellent, and I love the concept of ecotourism and how they go about doing ecotourism.

We thought the Porini camps (Amboseli, Lion, and Rhino) were all just as described and we were so happy with our choice. We had all the comfort we could ask for and still knew we were not harming the land and were, hopefully, doing right by the people. The Maasai guides and drivers and truly, all the staff were warm, considerate, and they had an impressive knowledge of nature. They had our days all planned out with night drives, morning drives with a picnic breakfast fit for a king, guided nature walks, and all day drives with the best safari picnic lunch.

I’m back from Kenya and had a wonderful time at Amboseli Porini. The staff really made me feel at home and welcome. The accomnodation was wonderful, every detail was perfect. The food was delicious. I also really appreciated the efforts made in protecting the environment. My guide Harry was extremely knowledgeable. I definitely hope to visit another Porini camp in the future.

The safari at the Porini camp was excellent. We were so grateful that you recommended us to go to this genuine camp (and not to the larger lodges). It was a really fabulous experience, wonderful people and we were really well looked after. Safaris were super and we saw lots of animals…only,as expected, Lions were missing….so we already think of when we could do our next trip to maybe the Porini camp in Masai Mara 😉 …we will let you know!

I just wanted to let you know that we had an absolutely awesome safari! Everything went so smoothly. Gamewatchers did a wonderful job and we loved the experience at the Porini camps. It was a vacation that our family will never forget.

Tony, the manager of Amboseli Porini Camp, was excellent. The camp was well-run, with great staff and facilities. The atmosphere was very laid-back, but every amenity has been thought of ahead of time. Our tents were just what we had envisioned – not too luxurious, but also not too spartan. The mattresses were of a very high quality. The evening campfires were a great way to relax and talk about the day’s activities with other campers. We felt like the numbers of people at the camp was just right to make it a very personal experience. The chef was amazing; he was able to create a delicious menu for us at all meals. Tony also gave us a tour of the kitchen and cooking facilities that was very interesting. We all found the charcoal refrigerator fascinating!

The best guides of our trip: Harry and Jonah did a great job pointing out the wildlife and explaining their unique characteristics. We saw many elephants, a pair of lions mating, several lesser kudu and many other animals. The visit to the Masai village was a real highlight. It is a bit difficult to grasp how extremely different their lifestyles are to ours.

The Masai dance for us was very special and everyone at the porini camps were super! We saw the wildebeest crossing twice, saw hunts, and everything you can imagine on a safari. It was truly incredible!!!!! you planned everything so perfectly that I almost think you put all the animals right in front of our land rovers so we could see so much. I could go on forever, but you probably hear this all the time!

I have told all my friends and family if they are ever able to do this, they HAVE to go through you! Tony at Amboseli Porini Camp is the best! That was my favorite place. He and his staff made us feel like we have known them our entire lives and they are so knowledgeable.

Highlights were seeing the leopard in Masai Mara after a turn around in the jeep and a ‘Starsky and Hutch’ like ride to see it in time – thank goodness for mobile phones!! Another was the Masai themselves both at Ambeselli and the Mara – what lovely people – hope they never change!!

Thanks go to all the guys – especially to Jimmy and Danial and Tippa and Ben who shared their knowledge so eagerly!! to Harry at Ambeselli who kept us spellbound with his telescope and knowledge of the stars – to David and Simon the cook at Mara who were such fun and kept us well fed after the long adventures during the days!!

The Amboseli Porini camp experience was the perfect way to ease our family into the African desert and the way of viewing the animals. The scenery was spectacular (despite the lack of rain and Mt. Kilimanjaro being shy most of the time we were there), the sunsets and sundowners were something we all looked forward to, and the animals were both amazing and entertaining. The meals at Amboseli were, frankly, a very pleasant surprise. The staff overall were generous and helpful. As a Professor, I tend to think in terms of grades and I would give Amboseli Porini an A++.

The Maasai Mara continues to be “the place” to experience wildlife in Kenya. Although we were somewhat early for the migration and occasional rain held the great herds dispersed, the Mara provided us with some of the most spectacular sightings of our two week safari. A grand “finale” to fill our memory bank until the next trip!
The logistics (pick-ups, transfers, etc) went very smoothly – except for a long wait and massive busload transfer at the Ark – definitely not worth the stop! The Ark is overcrowded, overrated, somewhat dirty and there were hardly any animals to be seen.

Palacina Suites is very comfortable (though not really “African”) and the associated restaurant is excellent.

The Porini camps are mostly well run (Amboseli less so) and offer a standard rather than luxury experience. They all have excellent driver-guides and good vehicles. The Samburu Intrepids Lodge continues to enjoy a privileged location and quality service in a beautifully designed main building.

The single negative observation is in regard to pre-safari information, which if we had obtained it, would probably have changed our itinerary. Specifically:

The almost three year long drought in Kenya has caused Amboseli to become a “death camp”; we saw more animal carcasses strewn in the parched and poisoned plain than live animals. The stench of dead and dying animals was at times overwhelming! The long and dusty drive to the Porini reserve did not improve the experience – and, in spite of the excellent guide (Dominic) there was little game to be found. This impact of the drought should have been forewarned and alternatives sought.

Part of the charm in Samburu lies in being on the banks of the Uaso Nyro river. This river has been totally dry for at least six months, and much of the wildlife that can usually be found near it has disappeared. Again, we should have been informed. Another item on Samburu: the road north from Nanyuki is under construction and in terrible condition, making for a long and most uncomfortable drive. Had we known this, we would have been far better off flying in.

Ol Pejeta didn’t have a “seasonal river”, but the conservancy is held in pristine condition and provided us with a very enjoyable stay.

Each camp had its own feel and culture. Amboseli Porini was very dry and dusty, but the staff made up for any shortcomings. Jonah and Emmanuel were extremely knowledgeable and willing to share their thoughts on Masai culture with us. They took David under their wing and made his experience especially memorable.

Lion Porini was amazing. Actually more comfortable than Amboseli. But I think this was because light coloured tents were used. And lighting was better. We had a lovely time there. Staff were excellent. I would go back there in a minute (even with only 20 litres of water for showering – we learned how to get two of us washed with only 20 litres). Our guides were wonderful and again so knowledgeable.

As for the Porini Camps, we really liked the fact that they are locally owned and that the community shares in the income generated. Giving the staff this kind of a stake in the operation really made a difference. They were not just interested in our tourist money but truly gave us the feeling that they wanted to share their way of life with us. To help us understand. It didn’t feel like a show.

We absolutely loved Porini Amboseli – the actual camp itself was superb and perfect for what we wanted – a completely understated luxury camp with utterly superb staff. In fact the genuine approach from Tony, the camp manager was probably one of the highlights – and also the surprise bbq’s and sundowners at the end of afternoon game drives took us completely surprise. Amazingly some other guests did not like it as it did not have a swimming pool, not sure really what they were there for.

We saw all of the big 5 plus so much more. We even came across a fresh cheetah kill with Jonah’s expert spotting skills. I have so many great pictures.
I will say that the Amboslei Porini camp had the most amazing staff I have ever met. My husband and I cannot stop talking about how awesome our guides, Jonah and Dominic, were the entire time we were there. And they even gave us a special celebration at dinner for our anniversary – it was incredible. We felt as if we had made new friends. And Harry, the camp manager, was incredible as well. All were extremely personable and very knowledgeable on nature and even astronomy. We would go back there in a heartbeat!

Amboseli really needs rain but it was a good place to start the safari. The staff there was the best of any of the camps though they were all good.

This was a wonderful camp with awesome staff. This was our favourite place of all of them b/c of the great Amboseli park, camp atomosphere, food, the Masai men (esp Jonah) and Tony the manager. I felt so comfortable there and so welcomed. We hated to leave. We loved the visit to the Masai village!

While we really loved the Masai Mara and the Lion Porini camp, we were not too fond of Amboseli or the accomodations there. Perhaps it was bad luck due to the lack of rain, but the park was very arid and dusty, and every day we had to drive an hour along a very dusty road back to the camp; the days were long, with few breaks for food and/or bathroom. If you recommend Amboseli in the future, I would recommend that people stay at one of the lodges in the park itself, which looked quite nice. The other thing we didn’t really like about Amboseli was that it was almost too easy to see the animals; it felt like we were at a zoo, rather than in the wild.
We took a hot air balloon ride over the Mara, which we booked through the Fig Tree Camp. It was quite a ride and well worth the extra expense.

The safari was a blast. Far exceeded our collective expectations. So, no point in belaboring the minor hitches. These things happen & just add on to the adventure.
We had some great shots, the big 5 & lots more. Great thing about our this package is that it was so well balanced. We had a bit of the dusty & arid climate (Amboselli) , the cool & lush mountain terrain (Lake Nakuru)….
& of course the Masai Mara for the piece de resistance. The Mombasa was also perfect for winding down & cooling off.

Staying at the conservancies was also a great idea. We loved the idea that we were somewhat helping out the village/community & minimizing the environmental “footprint” we were making as wide-eyed tourists in such a unique landscape.

We all agreed that the length of our tour was just perfect.
Many thanks for the great job, Lauren.

While there was a lot of game in the Amboseli it seemed like it was staged as most of the viewing was in a relatively small area, around lake/marsh, and there were a lot of vehicles around any of the major sighting. The only drawback about Porini Amboseli was that it was 1.5 hours from the Park. This was the only place we made night drives which we really enjoyed.

We tried to get the Torillis camp but ended up with the Porini camp. It sounded fine in the description and we looked forward to it.
The Manager (Oscar) said that people chose the camp to be alone in the rough nature. Not like the big camps with lots of people. Interesting as we had to sit around the campfire and wait for all the guests before we could go to the tables. Two tables like in a boarding school. Notice that there were 9 tents and not 6 tents as said in the description!
The itinery we had was not exactly planned accordingly to the manager, as it had to be arranged on a day to day basis. Not exactly what we expected.
To sum it up we have tried this way of camping before. We have done overland safaris and made our own food in the jungle so to speak. Nothing new here, except the price. I would estimate the price in the Porini camp to be 20 times higher than the prices we have paid for the same accomodations in e.g. Botswana, Malawi, Zambia etc.
It is a find gesture to preserve the nature and help the people living there, but since the Porini camp was extremely high priced, we felt it was like the “The emperors new clothes”.
This is a place we will not be seeing again.