Situated in the dry north of Kenya, in a land of endless rugged beauty and untamed wilderness, Elephant Watch Camp perches on the sandy banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River beneath Kigeliaand Acacia trees in Samburu National Reserve. This ecosystem has one of the largest elephant populations in Kenya, each one individually identified and studied by researchers at Save the Elephants, an NGO founded by Oria's husband, world renowned zoologist, Iain Douglas-Hamilton. It is home to a number of species only found in arid zones, including the Somali ostrich, Beisa oryx, Grevy's zebra, gerenuk and reticulated giraffe. The reserve is also home to all three of the big cat species, wild dog, as well as 350 bird species. The nomadic Samburu people live among the animals as they have for centuries

Elephant Watch is the ultimate in eco-luxury and an unrivalled wildlife experience, thanks to our long links to pioneering elephant conservation in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve. Here, your dreams of an African adventure without compromise come true. Spend magical days among wild animals with our charming professional guides and meet leading conservationists in the field. Return to camp to immerse yourself in a luxury that is highly sensitive to the environment’s fragility. Let the commotions of modern life dissolve as your soul is soothed by its reconnection with nature.

Elephant Watch is an eco-bush camp. It has been cleverly made out of fallen trees and locally available materials. Green to the core, Oria’s guiding philosophy emphasises recycling, composting, solar energy and minimal pollution. The camp has six wide and breezy desert-style tents, draped in multi-coloured cottons, each covered with a high thatched roof. Using the unique shapes of dead trees stripped of their bark by elephants, each tent is individually decorated with unique pieces of handcrafted furniture, a king-size bed and crisp cotton sheets. Side tables with books and solar-powered bedside lamps add to the cosy atmosphere. The en-suite bathrooms are built around the gnarled trunks of acacia trees and are open to the African sky. Water from the camp well is heated in the sun and poured into hand-painted buckets for a reviving “bush” shower.

Our six en-suite tents are crafted from all-natural materials, including trees felled by elephants, and stand in woodland by the Ewaso Nyiro river. We live by our eco-principles, so our electricity comes from the sun, our food is locally sourced from the foothills of Mt. Kenya or grown on our organic farm in Naivasha, and we carefully manage and recycle our waste. We are deeply conscious of our duty as guardians of this wilderness, and nothing makes us happier than being able to share it with you.

Elephant Watch has become home to some of the largest elephant bulls in Samburu, and they regularly walk among the tents. During the sagaram season, they are with us almost everyday. Of the six tents, two can be fitted with extra beds for children under 16. Extra tents can be put up during Christmas to cater for increased need.

The intimate connection of watching elephants with the camp’s highly trained guides is completely different from any other experience in Africa. It is a deeply personal immersion into the world of an alien but parallel animal intelligence that is much like our own. Trained by Save the Elephants to recognise 900 individual elephants on sight, our guides know Samburu’s intricate elephant family structures intimately. They remember each elephant’s family history, stretching back 17 years, and can authoritatively interpret the complex relationships in herds that sometimes comprise of several hundred animals. In addition, recruited as local experts by Ewaso Lions to help gather information on predators, they can identify all lion, leopard and cheetah by name, and are equally enthusiastic about giraffe, oryx, monkeys or crocodiles. They are justifiably proud of their sharp eyes and detailed knowledge, and we are proud of our partnership with them to create an experience that is uniquely Samburu and that gives something back to this beautiful land.

• Game drives and elephant watching with a team of highly trained guides.
• Visit Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s Save the Elephants research centre.
• Bush breakfasts, picnics and sundowners.
• Bush walks with Samburu warriors.
• Join in Samburu dances as the sun sets
• Visit a Samburu village to learn about medicinal plants, or to be blessed.
• Hike up the sacred mountain - Ol Donyo Sapache - and picnic with eagles.
• Helicopter flight across wild north of Kenya
• Visit local “singing” wells where dozens of warriors chant as they work (seasonal).
• Take home exquisite, handmade jewellery from the nomads' community shop.