WHERE TO STAY IN THE NORTHERN FRONTIER

For guests who require varied quality rooms, services, amenities, facilities and guides, our AfricanMecca Safaris Tier System helps to simplify your travel planning in the Northern Frontier wilderness including Sibilio’s Lake Turkana – Koobi Fora, Mount Nyiru wilderness, Matthews Mountain and Namunyak Conservancy. Our system is unique amongst other rating systems because we conduct our own on-site evaluation and use a guest perspective when determining the rating for an individual accommodation.

We assign a tier ranging from Tier 1 luxury, Tier 2 deluxe and Tier 3 value. For the most basic accommodations at Sibilio National Park and Lake Turkana, there are simple, modest lodging options that are well-suited for archaeological researchers, independent outback explorers, specifically KWS self-catering at Allia Bay Guesthouse and Turkana Campsites. Oasis Lodge is another option at Loyanagalani, on the far southern end of Lake Turkana.



The only decent option available in Lake Turkana is Lobolo Camp, a Tier 3 accommodation, located near the beach shores of the lake. It has eight modest, non-frill tents with en-suite facilities of a shower, flush toilet and wash basin. Tier 1 & 2 lodgings do not exist at Lake Turkana.

When visiting Matthews Mountain Range and Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, we recommend the only Tier 1 accommodation – Sarara Camp. This upmarket lodging offers you superb services, location, food quality, guides, activities and much more. Additionally, even though the Northern Frontier is a naturally exclusive location due to the terrain access, the limited number of guests at these accommodations enhances your sense of being isolated in some of Kenya’s most remote bush country.



Sarara is set within an 850,000-acre community conservancy that is managed and operated by the Samburu people. Choose from six impeccable tents with breathtaking views of the Matthews Mountain Range and a watering hole that is frequented by resident wildlife. The AfricanMecca Tier 2 deluxe option is Kitich Camp. This accommodation also features six tents and offers guests an intimate view of the ecosystem found within the dense forests of the mountains north of Samburu. All tents feature en-suite bathrooms and outdoor shower, and families find an incredible comfortable bush escape in the two guest tents that are situated close together.

Unless you are traveling as friends who require separate beds, we recommend that you choose the double bed tents that are larger. The smaller twin-bed tents may not provide you with the adequate space you would expect from a deluxe accommodation. No game driving activities are available at Kitich; therefore, all activities are offered by walking in the path of early explorers.



For guests who would like to access Lake Turkana by road with mid-way stopover, we recommend the mid-range Tier 2 accommodation of Desert Rose. The main lodge features a lounge and pool area beautifully crafted from local materials.

Five guest cottages are perfectly designed for privacy and comfort with en-suite bathroom and private patio. Two cottages are available with double beds and two with twin beds, and Desert Rose also has a larger house for your family holiday in the Northern Frontier. Outside you are surrounded by the cedar forests of Mount Nyiru with the vast and beautiful Elbarta plains below you. We do advise our guests that Desert Rose is a place to “unplug” from the outside world since cell phone service is not available. Satellite phone is the only reliable means of communication from the lodge.