Samburu

Unrushed

Samburu Unrushed is a carefully paced photo safari centred on the remarkable wildlife of Samburu National Park. With time to work the light, behaviour, and conditions properly, it offers intimate elephant encounters, big cats, and Samburu’s unique species. Based in a superb camp with world-class dining and service, it combines total immersion in the wild with genuine comfort.

Dates & Prices

Dates: September 7th -16th 2026

Price: £7995 per person (full land only cost)

Availability: 2 / 6 Places available

Samburu Unrushed

The latest in our Unrushed series of adventures, this Samburu photo safari is about slowing down and doing wildlife photography properly. Rather than rushing between parks, we stay in one exceptional area for a full seven days, giving you sixteen game drives and the time to really understand the landscape, the light, and the animals that live here. That time on the ground gives you the best chance of meaningful encounters; from Samburu’s elephants, often at wonderfully close quarters, to big cats such as leopard and cheetah, and rarities like the elusive aardwolf.

For this safari you will be staying at Soroi Larsens; arguably the finest camp in the park. It is an outstanding lodge with world-class accommodation and cuisine, so there is no doubt that each day you will be returning to comfort, great food, and time to unwind. The lodge is unfenced and really at one with nature, with a chance to really relax (we are actually writing this from Samburu now and outside on our decking are a group of Vervet monkeys with their babies). It’s a real home from home. We support the Samburu community as well and a visit to the inspiring Retiti elephant orphanage is included too ( all our guests love this, click here for more details ).

Andy and Jamie will be your guides throughout, leading from the front and sharing decades of combined experience and an intimate knowledge of Samburu that allows them to anticipate behaviour, work the light, and be in the right place when moments unfold naturally. Whether you come primarily to photograph or simply to experience wildlife at its best, this is a journey built around time, understanding, and one that leaves you with lasting memories of one of Kenya’s most special places.

Samburu National Park

Samburu is one of the best places in Kenya to see huge breeding herds of elephants; in the late mornings and afternoons elephants travel down from from the cooler hills to the main river to wash and feed on the vegetation rich riverbanks. Travelling in large groups of various ages they are a pleasure to spend time with and we will spend a lot of time with them! This is largely because, unlike other populations, they witness very little human elephant conflict, which means that they are peaceful and relaxed around vehicles. Sometimes they come so close you can hear them breathing next to you! Of course whilst the elephants are the main attraction of Samburu they are backed up by frequent leopard and cheetah sightings, plus rarities like Aardwolf, African Wildcat, Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe and incredible bird life. It’s an awesome park to photograph in as it’s so beautiful, for us it’s our home park and we know it so well which of course gives our trips the edge.

A special place for elephants

Everyone loves elephants but Samburu is a very special place for them as they are much more chilled than in other locations in Africa. This uniqueness allows us to get incredibly close up encounters with the breeding herds, and yes that means the youngsters. Elephant calves are complete clowns and so much fun to watch, there is not a single encounter with them where we don’t laugh out loud.

You can never have too many encounters with Samburu elephants and this unique ecosystem allows us to observe so many amazing facets of their lives. The central part of the ecosystem is the Ewaso river, in so many ways it’s the lifeblood of Samburu. Each breeding herd will come down to the river to drink and chill, for the youngsters it’s definitely a fun time.

We are very experienced at photographing the elephants of Samburu and all our safari clients get amazing pictures of them. We approach and photograph them with total respect and love, we are guests in their home.

Having 7 full days at Samburu allows us to really get the best encounters possible, and create memories of the elephants that will last a life time.

Accommodation

We love staying at Soroi Larsens, it is very much our home camp in Kenya. We are welcomed as friends, and the standard of this traditional tented camp is absolutely exceptional. Each luxury tent has its own decking and river frontage, with hot showers and all the amenities you would expect (wifi in every room, charging sockets etc).

The food is world class with excellent vegetarian / vegan options with indoor and outdoor dining options, and we also have the chance to learn all about Samburu culture from our Samburu ambassador. Photographically it is ideally placed for our game driving and has a low level photographic hide by a waterhole which all our clients have exclusive access to (see below for details). There is a wonderful spa there so you can get a massage, or take a dip in the wonderful swimming pool and watch the dragonflies flit about. River watching is always a fun pastime and sometimes you see elephants crossing right in front of the camp. It truly is in a class of it’s own for African safaris and is such a magical place. Standard drinks are included in the package too!

Staying here for this extended safari will be the ultimate in relaxation combined with great safari photography.

The Photographic Hide

The Soroi lodges at Samburu share an exclusive photographic low level hide around a waterhole. The hide has non-reflective glass but the windows can be opened with care, experience and supervision. Inside the hide are bunk beds, power outlets, a/c and specialist lights outside provide great light for photography. The hide is accessed by a secure underground tunnel from Larsens Camp and clients are only permitted to use the hide with one of the photographic guides and may not exit without a guard. Common visitors to the hide include elephants, plains game and at night the striped hyena comes a few times per week. Like all hides there are peak times for activity, this hide is best in the dry season when the river is low (September-November) but wildlife can turn up at anytime. All our clients have exclusive access to the hide for the duration of our stay.

The Guide Team

Lots of people run safaris, what separates our expeditions is the experienced guide team that we have, plus the Travel Trust Association bonding that protects your holiday money from supplier failure. Your guides for this trip will be leading wildlife photographers Andy Rouse and Jamie Peters, who have visited the areas before and are experts at getting you in the right place at the right time.

Andy Rouse

Perhaps a little about Andy for those that have never worked with him before. Andy has won over 28 major international awards, been a pro for nearly 25 years and has led photographic expeditions all over the world. He prides himself in only offering the very best destinations, and has built a reputation as one of the best photographic safari guides in the world. Put simply, if you book a WildBunch safari, you can rest assured that you will be guided by one of the best in the business. Andy’s safari’s are always packed with fantastic opportunities, expert guidance and a drive to get the very best for his clients, as well as being a lot of fun - you are on holiday after all!

Andy shoots with the Sony A1 Mark II, but rest assured no matter what system you use, Andy will be able to help you get the most from your system and yourself.

Away from work he is a proud husband, Dad and West Ham fan!

Jamie Peters

Andy has known professional macro and wildlife photographer Jamie Peters for over 10 years. In his previous life Jamie was an Army Photographer for 11 years. During that time he went to many places photographing the army including Afghanistan, Kenya, Nepal, Ukraine and Sierra Leone. He was also an instructor at the Defence School of Photography, so Jamie has exactly what it takes to help you achieve the very best from your safari.

As well as an excellent teacher Jamie has won awards for his stills and videos including the prestigious and fiercely competitive Army Photographer of the Year. His real passion though is nature photography and he spends his spare time photographing tough species near his home. An expert at leading tours in Africa and India his experience not only covers fieldcraft but all genres of photography and videography.

Essential Information

This is going to be a brilliant trip, Samburu never fails to deliver and the standard of the camp is extraordinary, this is truly a luxury safari. The wildlife in Samburu is incredibly varied; whilst we cannot guarantee any particular species we can guarantee that you will see a huge number of animals and get some tremendous photographic opportunities.

So if you are interested in coming then click the button to email us.

Email us here

  • We manage everything for you every step of the way from arrival to departure with our professional team:

    7th September - Arrive Nairobi, met and transferred to hotel overnight

    8th September - morning drive to Samburu, lunch, drive 1 of 16

    9th - 15th - Samburu

    16th September - Early morning game drive, quick breakfast, drive back to Nairobi, depending on traffic we may well have a packed lunch or visit a local restaurant en route. Transfer to hotel for dinner and day room. Hotel transfer to airport for flight home.

  • We are out just before dawn; this is to maximise the possibilities with the early morning light. Once it starts to heat up then our attention will turn to the elephant herds that make their way down to the river each day. We will have breakfast outside in the bush then return to the camp mid morning time although this is very flexible. There will be some free time then for a massage, maybe a swim, and of course a delicious lunch. We will head out again mid afternoon, and stay out until the light is gone.

  • All over the world the weather is tough to predict! Typically at this time in Samburu it should be warm with temperatures typically between 25-30 degrees. It should be dry but we may experience some rain showers which can be heavy.

  • The price for this trip is a very reasonable £7995 per person with an £800 single supplement. Considering the standard of lodge, reputation of the local company and our experience this is a very decent price for such a safari. We will never compete with cheap safaris as they are cheap for a reason, we just offer an all round quality experience.

  • The price includes all accommodation from arrival in Nairobi to departure, all meals (except arrival and departure days), standard non premium drinks at Larsens, all transfers and all guiding services.

  • The price excludes your international flights to Nairobi, alcoholic drinks, insurance, tips and items of a personal nature.

  • The payment will be £1500 now and the remainder 3 months before travel.

  • Our cancellation policies are strict and come from experience. We operate a non refundable policy to protect the other clients on the tour. This applies to both deposit and balance. Therefore it is a requirement of booking that you take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover all eventualities. By booking this safari you agree to these conditions and no discussion will be entered into. If we postpone then your payment will be held over for a replacement safari at a later date or you will of course be entitled to a full refund. If you have to cancel then we will provide you will all the necessary documents for an insurance claim. In some instances it may be possible to fill your place at short notice, at which point you will receive a partial refund of monies paid, but this very much depends on the time of the cancellation and not guarantees can be made. 

  • We will provide full guidance for international flights and tell you when to be there and when you can leave. No matter where you are from in the world we will help you.

  • We will provide extensive pre departure info 3 months before the trip with everything you need to know including visas, clothing and camera kit.