Siruai Tented Camp Hotel

You have to go some to create a tented safari experience that feels both luxurious and raw – but Siruai doesn’t do things by halves. Part of the Safari Collection stable – of Sala’s Camp and Giraffe Manor fame – this mobile camp moves to the rhythm of the terroir. The team can be reactive to sightings and the weather to ensure you get the best out of your adventure. Currently, you’ll find it in Laikipia amid the 17,500ha Suyian ranch. Here, seven double-bed tents and a mess are set on a granite bluff with views of Mount Kenya and the Ewaso Narok River beyond. It’s a rugged scene, but proper loos and showers, porcelain sinks, gorgeous rugs, not to mention a daily laundry service, ensure you feel right at home.

Expect exemplary meals, tall tales and tables decorated with natural objects – local flora, a spray of porcupine spikes, an ostrich egg. When it comes to exploring, your wish is the team’s command.

A walk to the river for breakfast near kudu and elephants? Done – and you’ll learn plenty about spotting tracks and botanicals along the way. Wild swims in secret waterfall spots? No problem. Hiking the boulders that daub the ridge lines? Even the least outdoorsy are inspired to get close to nature here. Add in game drives and expect jaws to drop. The region is home to the Big Five – and a huge number of Kenya’s endangered species. We spotted an incredibly rare black leopard – something some of our guides had never seen before.

Siruai is a perfect add-on to tours of other lodges in the collection, leaving you with a true sense of Kenya’s diversity. Those with deep pockets can request owners Mikey and Tanya Carr-Hartley as guides – their love of the region and hospitality play out on drives, at dinner, by the fire and in the scene they have created. It’s impossible not to be moved by Kenya, and Siruai is the perfect conduit for that.

Words by Blossom Green. Photography by Scott Ramsay (lovewildafrica.com); William Jess Laird.

Three-night all-inclusive private safari from £9,932. journeysbydesign.com