Satao Camp

Wow! I was a bit nervous way outside my comfort zone, I saw the tent and thought why didn’t I book one of those fenced places with a pool, but I’m sooo glad I didn’t. The view of the watering hole was amazing, standing on the verandah watching the giraffe go to the watering hole, breath taking. Watching the impala run around camp and settle down on the grass at night surrounding the tents was so beautiful to see. Do it yourself BBQ on your table, surreal , but go with it! It’s fun! Flashing your torch at night to be escorted to your tent safely, surreal, but again it’s part of the experience! Listening to lions and elephants and birds at night and hearing the park wake up at first light Magical!!! I cried when I left! What an absolutely magical experience! I will surely be back! Yep wasn’t all perfect we didn’t get the room we booked first night, but they apologised and threw in a bottle of wine so can’t complain! Do I recommend this place? Absolutely!!! Thankyou for the best experience ever x

There are some very strong pluses for a visitor at Satao. It is unfenced, is in a great location and has a rustic charm in its design style. It is not one of the high end lux camps, but is priced at a very affordable level. I enjoyed my stay. The staff are friendly and helpful and the game viewing is reliably good. It being unfenced means small antelope are in the camp all the time and elephants and other animals come to the water hole many times a day. Definitely a good quality experience and good value.

After reading the reviews on Tripadvisor about Satao Camp, we decided to book our stay. It’s easy to say that the camp didn’t disappoint. It was absolutely wonderful. From the helpful booking office who helped us book our train tickets and arranged our pick up from Voi, to the wonderful staff at the camp. Everything was delightful. Our guide, Kyalo, was amazing and made our trip memorable. He was very friendly, talented, and made sure we had a great time. If you’re interested in staying in Satao Camp, I can definitely recommend it and would like to give the suggestion to request for Kyalo as your driver!

We absolutely LOVED our time at Satao! It was spectacular! |The staff were the best and the entire experience really exceeded our expectations. Our guides were Kyalo and Tom and were both EXCELLENT! Tom has so much knowledge and is so passionate about the animals. Kyalo was wonderful as well! ||We had Felix in the restaurant and he provided 5 star service! He was so kind and professional and he even brought our coffees and snacks to the tent before our early morning game drive. |James and Wilson were so welcoming in reception and ensured we had the most wonderful time at Satao. |We will be back and we will highly recommend this amazing place to family and friends! 10/10!

We had been to Satao before and because it was such a wonderful tented camp were compelled to return for several nights in March 2025, we were not disappointed. To us Satao's biggest asset is that it it is not surrounded by a fence, subsequently impala, guinea fowl, mongooses and other creatures wander around the tents and at night you are always safely escorted by their experienced watchmen. The photos on this site accurately portray the space and comfort that their tents provide and on every occasion that we have stayed at Satao the food has been outstanding, far exceeding that of other camps and lodges in the area. Satao is in the "middle" of Tsavo East nestled under several Tamarind trees, has its own water hole with resident hippos and is surrounded by unique wildlife with some of the biggest elephants in Africa. We have travelled extensively in Africa and Satao is without doubt one of the best tented camps that you can find in Africa, it is certainly one of the very best for value for money. Joe & Doris

Our two day stay at Satao was amazing! Let’s start with the camp. Satao is an unfenced camp with luxury ensuites tents and private verandas in the East Tsavo National Park. The nearby waterhole can be seen from each veranda, and in our two days we watched elephants, buffalo and impala all come for a drink. There is an elevated viewing platform of the waterhole with comfy lounges, an outdoor eating area as well as the bar and restaurant. The food was delicious and we were there on bbq night - where you get to cook your own meal at your table. A fun and unexpected experience! The staff are very helpful and accommodating although as this was our first time in East Kenya it took us a little while to get the hang of the differences in how things are done 😊). We very quickly worked it out with everyone happy to help you learn. Monkeys and baboons frolic around your tents and you need to remember to use the carabina to lock your zip so the monkeys don’t surprise you on your return! Each night you wave your torch from your tent to one of the staff who collect you and escort you to and from dinner (a must after dark). We went on a game drive each morning and afternoon and our guide/driver Michael from Southern Cross safaris organised an early morning drive and a picnic breakfast. On one of our drives, we went across to Lugard Falls and saw a very different landscape. As far as wildlife, this is THE PLACE to see elephants. Within 15 minutes of entering the National Park, we saw our first elephant and they just keep coming. We were also fortunate to see giraffes, zebras, buffalo, gazelle, impala, monkeys, baboons, warthogs, hippos, squirrels, hyenas, crocodiles, ostrich, so many different species of birds and some lions from a distance feeding on a giraffe they had killed the day before. We did have the power go out on one occasion for a very short time and some surging which did result in killing both our power adaptors but we made do with power packs and the safari vehicle for charging our phones. The drive from Voi train station is interesting and we were able to see the town and wave at the locals. If you need cash, there is a safe and secure ATM at the bank in Voi which will give you Kenyan Shillings (handy for tipping). Your driver could take you there. Overall this was a brilliant experience and the best introduction to Kenya! 🇰🇪

Great site, good quality, although one or two issues could elevate it to the great. First the negatives a) internet only in certain very specific locations and none in the rooms, b) the tents have mesh frontages (good) which zip up, but the zips have to be joined by a lock right at the bottom which if you have mobility issues is difficult. There needs to be a rethink on that one. c) hot water took quite a long time to come through in the mornings. But the plus points outweigh all that and the camp has great staff, good food and good guides. Tsavo is huge, and I mean huge. Tsavo East alone is 13k sq kms. About 30 times the size of the Isle of White! Don't forget to lock your tent as this camp has a water hole close by and baboons have a habit of trying to get in. The game drives are good and there is plenty of game, Tsavo being particularly known for the quality and quantity of its elephants. Travel there by train to Voi if you can, a relaxed way to arrive

We just spent 3 beautiful nights at Satao Camp. Our tent looked out on the very busy waterhole. James was our guide and he was amazing. We really enjoyed our time with him. We saw so many elephants! We spent one afternoon in the observation tower and watched 3 different family groups of elephants come to the waterhole. For our last night, they planned a very special sundowner for us, thank you Richard for taking such good care of us. I will never forget your Dawa, it was absolutely delicious. Thank you to everyone!