Drive into Samburu Simba Lodge expecting to be inside Samburu National Reserve and you are actually sitting on a high ridge inside Buffalo Springs Game Reserve. Most online booking pages skip that detail entirely, and it changes how your game drives work.
When travellers ask for a candid samburu simba lodge review, we focus on the practical: how the villa blocks handle afternoon heat, which floor to choose for Mount Ololokwe views, and how daily drives run when you are crossing between two reserves.
Best for: Families with kids, group retreats, and travellers who want solid stone rooms, two swimming pools, illuminated salt lick dining, and reliable resort-style amenities.
Skip if: You want a six-tent wilderness camp with quiet canvas dining, or you would rather be on the central riverbank inside Samburu Reserve proper.
Written by Patrick Mulei. Reviewed by Anthony Mule.
These 2027 rates cover two adults travelling together. Every price includes Samburu Simba full board accommodation, private 4×4 Land Cruiser transit with guide and fuel, park entry permits, and AMREF emergency medical evacuation cover.
Package Setup | Transport & Route | Rate Per Person |
2N Overland 4×4 Safari — Samburu Simba Lodge | 3 days private Land Cruiser & guide • Full board stay and park permits | $1,280 — Get a quote |
2N Express Bush Fly-In — Samburu Simba Lodge | Return flights Wilson → Buffalo Springs • Stationed 4×4 Land Cruiser drives | $1,740 — Check dates |
Package Setup | Transport & Route | Rate Per Person |
3N Classic Northern Circuit — Samburu Simba (2N) + Sweetwaters Tented Camp (1N) | 4 days private Land Cruiser & guide • Buffalo Springs and Ol Pejeta entry | $1,820 — Price this trip |
3N Luxury Sky Circuit — Samburu Simba (2N) + Ol Pejeta Bush Camp (1N) | Internal bush flights included • Night drives and hide access | $2,580 — Build my itinerary |
Inclusions: Full board at the named lodges, private or stationed 4×4 Land Cruiser with guide and fuel, Buffalo Springs, Samburu and Ol Pejeta park fees, AMREF Flying Doctors evacuation cover, and scheduled regional bush flights on fly-in packages.
Exclusions: International flights, Kenya e-visas, personal travel insurance, alcoholic drinks, laundry, driver-guide tips, and Reteti Elephant Sanctuary entrance fees.
That Ol Pejeta pairing is one of the most popular routes we run — full timings and permit detail sit on our Samburu and Ol Pejeta combo page.
Samburu Simba sits on a high ridge inside Buffalo Springs Game Reserve overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro valley.
Driving from Nairobi takes about five hours (300 km) up the A2 through Nanyuki and Isiolo. Turning off at Ngare Mara Gate past Isiolo gives a smooth gravel approach that bypasses the queue at Archer’s Post. For fly-in guests, the lodge is a 15-minute drive from Buffalo Springs airstrip.
Starting the morning in Buffalo Springs is a genuine advantage. While vehicles coming from the outer gates queue at ticket posts, you are already tracking lions along the southern river tracks.
To reach Samburu National Reserve on the northern side, your guide crosses the concrete river bridge near reserve headquarters. We time those crossings so your permits sync rather than triggering a second daily entry fee.
The layout runs to seven solid stone villa blocks holding ten en-suite rooms each — six on the ground floor, four upstairs.
Inside, rooms have solid dark-wood beds, writing desks, screeded floors, reeded ceilings in classic Kenyan tones, and modern tiled bathrooms with hot showers.
Leave your balcony door unlatched during an afternoon nap and a vervet monkey will be through it checking the vanity table for snacks. Lock the doors when you step out.
Choosing the right safari base requires balancing amenities with the specific type of wilderness experience you envision. This property functions as a large resort rather than an intimate, isolated camp, and understanding that operational scale is key. This comparison provides clear performance indicators across categories like density, access, and atmosphere to help you determine if its design fits your group’s travel style.
Performance Indicator | Safari Guide Rating | Why This Rating Matters |
Operational Scale | High (70 Rooms) | Can feel busy; buffet dining may queue during peak season (Jul-Oct). |
Wilderness Immersion | Moderate | Significant stone/glass infrastructure provides safety, but reduces “bush” connection. |
Noise & Privacy | Low | Proximity of villa blocks and 10 rooms per block means sounds carry easily. |
Game Access | Excellent | Strategic Buffalo Springs location means zero queue at the main gate. |
Midday in Buffalo Springs regularly hits 38°C, so having somewhere to cool off changes the whole rhythm of the day.
That reliable pool access is exactly why this lodge features so heavily in our family safari packages — the midday lull is a real problem with children, and this property solves it. The other strong family option is Samburu Intrepids, which adds a dedicated kids’ club on the Samburu side of the river.
Midday heat management is a critical consideration for comfort on safari in Buffalo Springs. This table contrasts how Samburu Simba Lodge utilizes its high-ridge location and unique canopy microclimate against the typical experience of open-plains camps. Understanding these differences clarifies how the lodge’s design impacts your comfort and logistics between game drives.
Climate & Location Metric | Samburu Simba | Standard “Other Camps” (Riverbank) |
Microclimate | Shaded Canopy. Genuinely cooler. Mature acacia/palms provide a crucial temperature break. | Open Plains. Mature trees rare. Can bake inside canvas or under tin roofs. |
Location/Views | High Ridge. Overlooks Ewaso Nyiro valley and Mt. Ololokwe. Great perspective. | Riverbank. Close to the action, but limited long views. |
Reserve Access | Buffalo Springs. Direct park access. Tracking starts immediately upon leaving camp. | Central Samburu. Often faces queues at entry gates, delaying morning drives. |
Dinner is served on an open-air terrace, and directly in front of the deck the lodge maintains an illuminated salt lick and waterhole.
As the sun drops and the heat goes with it, animals walk out of the acacia scrub. Elephants, reticulated giraffes, Beisa oryx, and waterbuck licking minerals forty feet from your dinner table is a normal evening here.
Late afternoon at the poolside bar, you will also see large Nile crocodiles hauling onto the river sandbars before dusk.
Unlike open plains camps that bake through the middle of the day, Samburu Simba was built around the existing trees. Mature acacias and tall Doum palms line the stone walkways between the villa blocks and the main lounge.
That canopy creates a genuinely cooler microclimate inside camp. Sitting on the lounge deck around 2:00 PM you get a breeze off the river valley and the smell of dry acacia resin in warm air.
Facilities here go well beyond a standard bush camp:
Moses’s field note: tracking big cats around Buffalo Springs means watching the shade thickets near the waterhole deck before the afternoon drives even start. Half the work is done before you get in the vehicle.
Samburu Simba Lodge offers infrastructure that exceeds standard bush camp expectations. This matrix synthesizes how specific amenities—from the illuminated salt lick to step-free pathways—align with different travel groups. It provides a quick-reference guide to help you confirm if the lodge’s facilities meet your specific needs.
Amenity Category | Key Feature | Best Suitability For: |
Midday Cooling | Two (2) separate pools; one is a quiet reading zone. | Families needing midday entertainment; adults seeking a quiet lull. |
Wildlife Viewing | Illuminated waterhole & salt lick viewable from dinner tables. | Wildlife Photographers (night shots) & those who prefer passive viewing. |
Infrastructure | Concrete path network; step-free access to ground floor. | Mobility-Challenged Travellers and senior group members. |
Special Use | 100+ seat AC Conference Center & health club/spa. | Corporate Groups seeking a mix of business and a high-amenity safari. |
Lodge scale versus intimate camp. With 70 rooms across seven blocks, this is a classic resort-style safari lodge. From July to October the buffet dining hall gets busy when tour groups come back from morning drives. If you want six tents and silence, look at the best tented camps instead, or the unfenced riverfront at Elephant Bedroom Camp. At similar scale, Sarova Shaba over in Shaba offers the same resort amenities in a greener, spring-fed setting.
Commute to central Samburu. Because the lodge sits in Buffalo Springs, reaching the deep northern loops inside Samburu Reserve means a 15-minute drive to the bridge each time.
Firm bedding. Solid wooden frames and firm mattresses are standard. If you prefer soft hotel beds, tell us at booking and we will request toppers.
For the full range of properties across every tier, see our roundup of the luxury lodges in Samburu, or the neighbouring Ashnil Samburu Camp if you want canvas on the same Buffalo Springs side of the river.
Browse the full range of routes across our Samburu safari packages, or start with the master Samburu safari guide if northern Kenya is new to you.
No. It sits inside Buffalo Springs Game Reserve, directly adjacent to Samburu National Reserve, on a ridge over the Ewaso Nyiro valley. Guides cross the river bridge daily to enter Samburu Reserve.
A 15-minute drive, which makes flight transfers fast and simple.
Yes, two separate outdoor pools on slate decks overlooking the river valley, including an infinity pool beside the poolside bar.
Room layouts and rates verified directly with lodge reservations. Last updated July 2026.
Message us directly for custom itineraries and the latest seasonal offers.
