Roar power

Our expert guide Julius warned us: “Tonight you will be sharing your bedroom. With elephants!” A delighted smile spread across his face as he swung down from the 4x4. We had reached our camp in the heart of Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve where among the doum palms a small cluster of pale canvas tents looked out over the cool waters of the Ewaso Nyiro River.

On the far side, elephants meandered slowly along its banks, occasionally extending their trunks to drink. A giraffe stood tall on the horizon while a troop of baboons moved through the dry grass. Sporadically one would stop to glance up, apparently taking stock.

Earlier, as we had bumped along a rocky track which appeared to wind away to nowhere, such a place seemed almost beyond the realms of possibility. The savannah, scrub country and grassy plains, dotted with the occasional outcrop of acacia, make for a hard and hostile environment. But it is astonishingly full of life and its native inhabitants are perfectly designed for survival.

Day and night, many are drawn to the Ewaso Nyiro where they wander, flutter or scamper at their will among the elevated tents of Elephant Bedroom Camp. And while it is not unheard of for a big cat to saunter through, it is the elephant that presides over this particular spot.

The aptly-named establishment comprises a string of twelve tents, each stylishly furnished in keeping with its African surroundings. And while a tented safari means forgoing air conditioning, life under canvas at the Elephant Bedroom is indulgent. When the sun goes down, the temperature drops rapidly, allowing weary guests to tuck up under warm blankets and listen to the sounds of the bush. Outside, elephants occasionally brush past, moving slowly through the shrubbery.

The game is best viewed in daylight, set against the spectacular Samburu backdrop of rugged hills and plains. Shortly before dawn, I was woken with a steaming mug of coffee. Piling into an open-sided vehicle a few minutes later, we drove out into the bush. The craggy landscape was dotted with gazelle.

A tiny dik-dik – a miniature antelope standing only about 30-40cm high at its shoulder – cropped at leaves, just yards from its mate. At each and every turn there was something new. But nothing prepared us for the sight of three cheetahs sitting together on parched open ground, just yards away. It was just us and them. We fell silent as they continued with what appeared to be a leisurely morning surveillance routine.

En route back for our own breakfast, we wound our way past a jagged promontory where a single leopard sat with her back to us. Just yards from her vantage point, a lioness tended to two tiny cubs in the sand. We didn’t stay for long. Julius was equally keen not to intrude.

Back at the camp, we sat by the river with cups of tea, fresh fruit and bread baked on site. The next couple of hours were our own – to read, watch the wildlife on the far banks or take a dip in the deliciously cold plunge pools outside our tents. At Elephant Bedroom Camp, the days are designed around the guests but there are a few “musts” and an afternoon game drive followed by sundowners by the river is one of them.

The wonderfully hospitable team met us the next evening with not only cocktails and champagne, but a barbeque on which they served up a fantastic array of “bitings” – pre-dinner morsels. After two nights it was hard to say goodbye, but it was time to move on. So far the rhino had eluded us.

Our quest took us through remarkably lush countryside to Meru National Park in a predominantly arid part of Kenya. Some 13 rivers flow into the reserve from the Nyambeni Hills, making it one of the country’s most geographically diverse areas. Dubbed Kenya’s “complete wilderness”, a combination of swamps, forests, wide-open savannah and thick bush make for a really varied landscape which is home to an abundance of wildlife. Many visitors are drawn to the park – which straddles the Equator – specifically to see its rhinos. An area of about 50km square is specifically devoted to the beasts. Our base was Rhino River Camp, eight tented cottages on raised platforms above the Kindani river.

It was shortly after dawn when we saw our first rhinos. Barely discernible at first, they were concealed in thick shrubbery. Keeping our distance, we dropped our voices to low whispers. The only sound to be heard was the distant crunching of branches as the heavy-footed animals moved slowly through the undergrowth.

Kenya has a lot more to offer such as the magnificent white sand beaches which fringe the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Recent troubles led the Foreign Office to advise against travel to the northern reaches, but further south life continues at a blissfully unhurried pace. A stunning drive up the coast takes you to the village of Watamu. A marine national park makes this an excellent spot for divers, while the birdlife is best viewed aboard one of Watamu’s dhows as it sails through the mangroves of Mida Creek.

As we tucked into bitings on deck – this time freshly-caught snapper – it was hard to imagine that just days ago I shared my bedroom with elephants.

Getting there

As a guest of the Kenya Tourist Board, Katie Hodge flew with Kenya Airways, which operates daily overnight and additional weekend daytime flights ex-Heathrow to Nairobi, with 12 daily connections to Mombasa. Economy returns to Nairobi from £525.98 and Mombasa from £585.97 incl tax.

Kenya Tourist Board: 0207 367 0931 or www.magicalkenya.com

Kenya Airways reservations: 0208 283 1818 and www.kenya-airways.com

Operators providing packages to Kenya safaris include Kuoni, which offers 10-night stays in Kenya – three nights’ full board at Samburu Intrepids, three nights’ full board at Mara Intrepids and four nights’ half board at Pinewood Beach Resort & Spa on the Mombasa coast in deluxe room – from £2,545 in June, based on two sharing. Flights from Manchester from £126 per person extra with BA.