Camping In Kenya

If you are on a budget and have flexible itinerary, there are enough camping sites in Kenya to make it worthwhile carrying a tent, and camping wild is sometimes a viable option, too. Bring the lightest tent you can afford and remember its main purpose is to keep insects out. You might consider making your own simple ridge tent: nylon netting with a sewn-in groundsheet is the basic tent. A rip-stop nylon flysheet adds privacy. Poles, back and front are tensioned using guys lines, tied to tress where possible.

Camping sites in the parks are usually basic, though a handful of privately owned sites have more in the way of facilities. Kenya wildlife service manages all the camping sites in the national parks, for which the current per person rate ranges from $15-25 per day. For that hefty price, you often get little more than a place to pitch your tent and park your vehicle: showers and toilets are often rudimentary and the other normal features of a camp site, such as a shop or café, non – existent.

The so called special camp sites, found in a number of parks, are in reality simply campsites which have to be reserved on an exclusive basis for private use. Some of them are especially attractive and they can cost up to $40 per person per night, depending on the park, but unlike standard camping sites they have no facilities whatsoever; you need to be entirely self- sufficient to use them. To reserve a special campsite, it cost around $80 per week, plus the daily per – person rates.

Camping sites in the wild depends on whether you can find a suitable, safe site. In more heavily populated and farmed highland districts, you should always ask someone before pitching in an empty spot, and never leave your tent unattended. Far out in the wilds, hard or thorny ground is likely to be the only obstacle. During the dry seasons, you will rarely have trouble finding dead wood for a fire, so a stove is optional, but don’t burn more fuels than you need. Camping gas cartridges and packaged, dried food is available in major towns, but the easiest camping food is Ugali, which is a local delicacy, flavored with curry powder or sauce mixes if you like.