Saruni Rhino Camp

The communal area is housed in an open-fronted thatch and stone building. A wooden dining room table and rust-coloured lounge suite are the main features with kilims, a coffee table and travellers trunk finishing off the laid-back safari decor. Dining also happens out in the open, in front of the mess area, with the breakfast buffet served on beautiful reclaimed logs and there’s a view down the dry river bed complete with a waterhole, which enjoys daily visits from elephants and other wildlife.

The three stone bandas are some of the finest we’ve seen in the bushcamp game. Sure, you won’t find every luxury but that’s not what it’s about. Architecturally, they’re a marvel. We love that they’re open-fronted (with canvas roll-downs for nighttime) and the river sand has been incorporated in the design of the viewing deck area. The quilted bedspreads on the king-size beds are a nice touch, so is the sofa in a boat that’s alongside the sun loungers on the dry river bank.

Just under a third of the 350 000-hectare conservancy has been fenced off especially for the relocated rhino. Using traditional Samburu tracking methods, you will navigate the area in a game-drive vehicle and once you come across any indicators of the hook-lipped rhinoceros, you’ll alight and travel on foot. General game drives are also to be had as well as a special trip to 50 Wells and the Singing Wells where pastoralists woo their livestock to natural springs through song.