Kulalu Camp has a quaint setting along the Galana River which is home to hippo, and crocodile families and is also teaming with fish life. Depending on the time of year, guests can normally expect to see herds of buffalo, elephant, as well as the comical warthogs and plains game come to the water’s edge to take a drink while you are enjoying lunch, relaxing in the mess, or sipping your first sundowner of the evening in the Cuddle Puddle. The cats of course are often sighted, especially the lion prides, and occasionally leopard and cheetah. We have return visitors to Kulalu, Bulldozer, the famous bull elephant, who just seems to love to be near camp, sometimes alongside his friends One Tusk and Buddy. Lone “resident” lioness Annie can sometimes be spotted in her favourite spots opposite Camp. She seems to prefer this area after her mother Maggie, tragically died prematurely, killed by a crocodile opposite Camp, even though she herself was later caught by a crocodile too, but thankfully survived. All this action viewed from Kulalu, the perfect spot not just for your bucket list but also to witness behaviour in the wild first hand. It might be the sound of hippos fighting, hyena whooping, or lion roaring in the night as you lie safely in your tent, listening to the therapeutic sound of the river rushing by. Not forgetting the “twitchers”, there are 193 (so far) species of birds to be found a mere 2 km around camp. From marshal eagles, to grey- headed kingfishers, it’s enough to keep the most ardent birders busy.

Some guests find all they need in camp, however we encourage game drives to both the Galana Wildlife Conservancy and Tsavo East National Park.

The Conservancy is found on the opposite side of the Galana River adjacent to camp and accessed by a causeway across the river 5 minutes downstream. Once there guests can drive around in this wild protected area, to get a closer view of the animals they may have already seen across the river from camp. Favourite sundowner spots include The Rock in the Lali Hills where guests can experience 360 degrees panoramic views of the whole area. Galana is famous for its nocturnal species and so extended evening drives at dusk up to to 2000hrs are a must before returning to camp for a hot shower and dinner. Shaddy our guide and an experienced tracker, can join you to enhance your safari, and increase your chances to spot something really special.

Tsavo East is 30 minutes away. This National Park under the protection of Kenya Wildlife Service has a rich history and is famously known for its man-eating lions in the late 1800s. No man-eaters today, just a beautiful experience of this “Theatre of the Wild”. The wildlife and most notably the elephant are a signature colour red, from the Tsavo deep red soil typical of the area. The River Road, Aruba dam, and Luggards Falls, are just some of the main features to help your immerse yourself in this Kenyan wilderness.

As Kulalu Camp is close to the Indian Ocean, a mere one and half hours away on the tarmac road; Watamu and Malindi are great destinations and easy to tag on to your bush experience. Watamu boasts some of the best sports fishing, dolphin and whale watching (in season), watersports, snorkelling and diving, or simply relaxing with a book after early morning game drives. All is possible staying at Kulalu Camp for the beach to bush experience.