Loisaba Star Beds

Our experience at the Loisaba starbeds was fantastic from start to finish - a perfect way to start our honeymoon in Kenya. Firstly, the Elewana team were great in co-ordinating all our internal flights before our trip - would absolutely recommend their company more widely. Once we arrived at the camp, we were greeted by our driver John Merinya. He was brilliant at getting us some really great sightings, especially for me as an amateur photographer. At one particular leopard sighting, John maneuvered us excellently to get some great shots of the mother and her cub, showing his experience and knowledge of the animals. The Loisaba reserve is a private conservancy, which allows the guides to drive off-road where necessary. We did some other safaris in national parks, but really liked the conservancy experience, and would highly recommend this as a selling point of Loisaba. Loisaba is also a fair bit quieter than some of the other safari areas, allowing a more natural experience, and the hilly and ro ky landscape makes for a picturesque backdrop to the wonders of the animals. At the camp itself, there are only four lodges, so everything feels small and intimate which was ideal for our honeymoon. The staff (particularly our waiter Lebeneiyo and our room attendant Lucas) went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and were so friendly throughout our stay, really making us feel at home. The meals were all excellent - my wife is quite a fussy eater, but the Janwaries and the kitchen team catered for us brilliantly with so many delicious treats - the chocolate orange lava cake was a highlight! Finally, the unique element of this lodge is the starbeds experience, which was unforgettable. The skies are noticeably clearer than the Mara, for example, and the starbeds rolling out under the skies take perfect advantage of this. During our trip we visited three safari camps in Loisaba, the Mara, and Amboseli, but if I had to choose one to return to in the future, it would absolutely be Loisaba. Thank you to all the team for making our honeymoon so memorable!

Loisaba is a private conservancy and Elewana is the only lodge operator in the park with three different lodges spread across the conservancy. We have stayed at all three and this was our second stay at Star Beds, the smallest, most intimate camp with only four "rooms". But don't let the small size of the camp fool you - the experience here is big! Star Beds is Samburu themed and Elewana hires folks from the local Samburu community. We enjoyed seeing John again (whom we met last year during our stay) and meeting Lebanayo - both live just outside of the Loisaba Conservancy. We were also thrilled to see Philip the manager again. Philip runs a great team but also fosters a relaxed sense of fun at Star Beds. The small team works long hours but are generous with their time. Chef Januaries creates incredible meals that integrate traditional Kenyan food, and eating under a sky full of stars is magical. Especially when the little genets stand up next to you! The "rooms" are open sided thatched roof shelters, but with luxurious rain showers, flush toilets, canvas wardrobes and outlets to charge your electronics! The fully netted beds are wheeled onto the deck at night, kitted with hot water bottles and so comfy that you'll doze off even if you're trying to stay awake to see the Milky Way sweep overhead. The high-end shampoo, conditioner, soap and lotion are infused with herbs that smell great and naturally repel insects. Salad, our room steward, kept everything picture perfect for us. The great thing about Loisaba is that you can stay at all three lodges if you want but keep the same guide - that way they know what you've seen and what you haven't. It's a seamless transition and each lodge has a different feel - but they are all great. We requested Benson Gitau to be our guide as we had become friends the year prior when we stayed 7 nights at Loisaba. Benson is a terrific guide, knowledgeable, friendly and fun. During this stay, there was a leopard who took an impala within sight of our room. It was incredible to listen to the drama in the morning when hyena's sadly stole the impala from the leopard - all while we were safe and snug in our star bed. We had incredible game drives and saw the big five easily within the first couple of days. I know that it's a place were we will return.

Staying in a star bed was a bucket list item for my husband while we were on our 13 day safari in Kenya. And, wow! Elewana Star Beds checked that box for sure. This is an intimate property with only 4 star beds & a main house. Our room overlooked the reservoir, with sounds of hippos & other safari friends serenading us all night. And the food was sensational! 10 out of 10 recommend!