Shompole Wilderness

Shompole Wilderness is an intimate and luxurious private tented camp set in the Shompole Conservancy, land prime with wildlife deep inside Maasai land.

Nestled under the giant fig trees on the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River, this small, homely family run and managed tented camp is one of the few places in Africa that combines wildlife sightings in the Great Rift Valley with the stunning pink, red, and green and yellow colours of Lake Magadi and Lake Natron, both Lesser and Greater flamingos and a welcoming Maasai community.

The landscape is varied, with mountains, soda lakes, rivers and the open savanna all in one place. The soda lakes are home to the endangered Greater and Lesser flamingos.

Activities and Wildlife at Shompole Wilderness

Wildlife is abundant in this relatively unknown corner of Kenya, with only Rhino missing from the diverse ecosystem. A typical drive, or walk, could yield plenty of plains game including zebra, wildebeest, Grant’s gazelle and giraffe. Elephants are back in the area after many years of absence and can often be seen if you are out early in the morning making their way down to the river to drink.

Shompole Wilderness is located on Maasai Community Land, as it does not have the restrictions of being in a National Park, and we recommend that you spend lots of time out of the vehicle. 

Walking and running can be done right from camp on the open plains behind the camp with a Maasai guide. The flamingoes are a great spectacle. A scenic helicopter flight over the flamingoes is highly recommended at an extra cost.

Accommodation at Shompole

The camp has just six luxurious and spacious double-bedroom tents set on raised wooden decks with large verandas, all set out amidst bush and spreading fig trees on the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro (‘brown river’), the main source of water for the region, which flows from Kenya’s Mau escarpment into Tanzania’s Lake Natron around 25 kilometres south of the camp.

The tents are all private and well-spaced – each has an ensuite bathroom with a shower and flushing lavatory, as well as solar-powered lights and fans. New for 2021 is a lovely swimming pool with a shady bar and lounge area, plus a riverside lounge and bar and a separate airy dining room. Guests always comment on the delicious meals conjured up from the camp kitchen.