A camel ride.
A short lodge ride, or a longer trek with a guide.
LODGE RIDE · HOURSCAMEL SAFARIS IN NORTHERN KENYA
THE EXPERIENCE / CAMEL SAFARIS IN NORTHERN KENYA
A camp that
walks with you.
Dawn starts, long strides, a string of camels carrying the camp behind a guide and a tracker. You walk, and sometimes ride.
Begin your journeyYOUR AFRICA, BEAUTIFULLY TOLD.Discover the experience ↓
THE CAMEL CHAPTER
Kenya at
camel pace.
Camels carry the tents, water and food, so you walk light.
A mobile day starts around 6 or 7 am, with several hours on foot behind a guide and a Laikipia Maasai tracker. A local Maasai and Samburu crew handles the camels across private and community conservancy land, on one operator's trips of three nights to two weeks.
Camel safaris are walking safaris first. Camels carry the camp; riding camels are for tired legs.
ON FOOT
Four to five hours, one operator says
CAMEL-CARRIED
Tents, water, food
LOCAL CREWS
Laikipia Maasai and Samburu
A CAMEL MORNING
Early start,
camp by lunch.
A mobile day follows the sun: walk early, rest in the heat.
- FIRST LIGHT
Loading the train.
The crew loads the camels while you pack a day bag.
- ON THE TRAIL
Walk at camel pace.
Stops for wildlife and refreshments set the pace, and you reach camp before lunch.
- AT CAMP
Rest, then a sundowner.
Rest in the heat, or by a river, then an evening walk.
THREE WAYS WITH CAMELS
From a ride
to a fortnight.
From a short lodge ride to two weeks on the move.
A fixed camp.
Two or more nights at one camp, walking out from it.
ONE BASE · 2 NIGHTS OR MOREA mobile safari.
The whole camp travels by camel; one operator runs three nights to two weeks.
ON THE MOVE · 3 NIGHTS OR MOREFIND YOUR SETTING
Where the camels
walk best.
Roughly June to September and January to February are drier; March to May and mid-October to December are wet.
A GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN
Ideas to make
your own.
Three Kenya journeys with a Laikipia chapter where camels fit.
THE DETAILS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
A little thought.
A better journey.
Practical points before you walk.
Last checked: October 2026
Where and when
Laikipia, roughly June to September and January to February. Avoid March to May and the short rains from mid-October, forecast into January 2027.
How long, how fit
With one operator: two or three nights to two weeks, 8 to 15 km a day in four to five hours, paced to your group; days reach 28 to 30 °C.
Who it suits
Keen walkers who value the journey over sightings; children from age 4 with one operator. Want a lodge bed nightly? Choose a lodge ride or a walking safari. Cost is premium: a fully crewed expedition.
Rules and ethics
Walk single file behind your guide and ask before photographing the crew. Kenya's cruelty law bans overloading animals but sets no load limit, so ask how loads and rest are managed.
BEFORE YOU GO
Good questions.
Straight answers.
Can you ride the camels?
Yes, though mostly you walk. With one operator, a family of six gets at least three riding camels.
Is there a travel warning for Laikipia or Samburu?
The UK does not advise against travel to Laikipia, Samburu or Isiolo, but says security operations continue in parts of them (13 October 2026). The US rates Kenya Level 2, exercise increased caution (28 July 2026); its Do Not Travel list names none of those three counties.
Is there a security operation in Laikipia now?
Parts of Laikipia, Meru and Isiolo, declared security-disturbed on 26 March 2026, remain under operations, the Interior Ministry said on 7 October. Parts of Samburu were added on 27 March. After a 16 September ambush at Gotu, Isiolo, killed five, an operation began in Samburu East.
Are there camel safaris in Samburu?
Yes: Sasaab lodge (Westgate Conservancy) offers guided camel rides, and agents list longer treks. Parts of Samburu are under security operations; read current UK and US advice first.
EXPERIENCES
Your kind
of extraordinary.
The way you like to travel is a good place to begin. Connect the places after that.
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Ride out with expert guides across open country no vehicle reaches, in Kenya’s Maasai Mara and the Laikipia conservancies.
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Track rhino on foot with Borana's scouts in Laikipia, at Saruni Rhino in Samburu (18+) or at Uganda's Ziwa. How it works, best months and cost.
Ways to travelExpedition experiences
Expeditions on foot, on horseback and by camel through Kenya’s private conservancies and the northern frontier, where this kind of travel is allowed.