Shompole Wilderness

Shompole Wilderness is family owned and managed. The tented camp runs on a totally EXCLUSIVE and PRIVATE basis and only takes one booking at a time. The luxury tents are large, ensuite, have huge windows and are on wooden decks giving a kind of tree house feel to the spacious tent. They all look over the river and have a large wooden verandah.

There are plenty of activities to do. Kayaking, tubing, walking on the open plains behind camp, night game drives, incredible birdlife with 450 species, and of course an authentic Maasai culture. The Loodaklani Maasai have not changed their way of living since they arrived in the area. Cattle is their most prized possession.

The cuisine is normally western, but can be adapted to suit everyone. Children are welcome, the managers have two of their own and they are currently living in the bush and being bush schooled. Shompole Wilderness Camp is situated on the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River, on Shompole Community Land in Southern Kenya.

Luxury tents on decks
(6 ROOMS)
At Shompole Wilderness Camp we have six ‘rooms’ which are actually spacious tents set up on wooden decks. Each tent can be set up as a double or a twin room, and has a flushing toilet and shower. In addition, we can set up a children’s tent on the veranda of two of the tents should this be necessary. Each tent is located so that they are totally private, and you can’t see one tent from another tent. All the tents are off the ground and are on a wooden deck. Being elevated gives a lovely tree house feel to the tents.

The Shompole Hide

Spend an evening, early morning, or even the whole night in our Hide watching any birds and wildlife which may come to drink at the waterhole. This is located 5 km from camp, across the river and requires prior planning.

Baboon Walks Around the Lale’enok Resource Centre

If you would like the chance to walk with a habituated troop of baboons with a local guide who knows the troop well then do tell us and we can arrange for this unique opportunity. A warning though that this does require an early start to get to the troop as dawn is breaking.

Game Drives (Day or Night)

At your preferred time of day or night, we can have one of our experienced guides accompany you on a game drive through the Shompole ecosystem.

River Swimming, Tubing, Kayaking

The availability of these activities are largely in Mother Nature’s hands, so will depend on the water levels of the river, but all are available when the river levels allow.

Animal Tracking / Bird Walks

The dusty paths and roads in and around camp make for great tracking. Do arrange any time if you would like to go for a walk to learn about tracks and signs,and also birds if that is what takes your fancy. Nixon (our head guide) and the other camp staff are always excited to share their local knowledge with you.

Run Wild

If you feel like stretching your legs a little more than a walk then we are happy to accompany you on a run out on the open plains behind camp. Running here needs to be done early morning or late evening in order to avoid overheating and we will make sure a car comes with you to keep you safe from wildlife and exhaustion.

Understanding Local Conservation Work

The camp works closely with and support the local community, and a local conservation organization SORALO, in their efforts to conserve the local environment, wildlife and way of life. If you would like to know more, please do let Samantha know and she will be happy to talk about her work in the area with SORALO.

Cultural Home Visits

If you would like to spend some time in a local Maasai home learning about their daily life we can certainly arrange this for you. The Shompole Maasai people are very welcoming and are happy to invite you into their homes for an afternoon or a morning.
As you approach the village your guide will explain what to expect, and what will be expected of you.

Photography is welcome, however please try not to take pictures of children’s faces (it is illegal under the Child Protection Act of Kenya) and ensure you do not share such images on social media. We do not encourage the purchasing of items at the home (as this then becomes a commercial affair rather than a genuine visit), and we can arrange for this separately should you wish. If the family we are visiting own cattle, there might be an opportunity to help to walk the cattle home in the evening too.