Naro Moru River Lodge

Gorgeous property!!! Right by the river, quiet, serene and beautifully landscaped. The room was a little dated, the shower took a while to figure out and the beds were quite firm. The service was very friendly but a little slow. But overall we had a great stay.

We broke our way from Amboseli to Samburu here. Probably a nicest non camping accomodation we had in Kenya. We do not do luxury lodges and hotels, though. I hoped to see the Jackson's chameleons, but the staff looked at me like they had never seen one (and also said that :D ). Birdwatching is decent on the site, guerezas are common and so are tree hyraxes, which I was glad to see. Restaurant, on the other hand, is bad. Service is very slow and it took over an hour to get the meal - my lamb was very tough and alltogether not too tasty, chicken was ok (but just ok). We ordered breakfast at 7 am the day before. They brought the breakfast after eight and did not even bring half the stuff (no fruits, no bacon and more). Better self cater here. We booked directly for 6200 KES.

We arrived after lunch and were shown to our room, one of the cottages and quite far from reception along an uneven path. The room itself was a good size, with an open fireplace where a fire was lit for us in the evenings. The bathroom was ok although the water took a while to get warm. The bed was comfortable and once the fire was lit was very cosy, though it did get a bit smoky. We had a good size balcony which was great for birdwatching and seeing the Colobus monkeys. Food was excellent and I can't say enough about the wonderful Carrot and Ginger soup! We visited the Met Station the next day and took a packed lunch with us which again was very good. The biggest downside for me was the first night when there was a disco happening. Not very environmentally friendly for the local wildlife or me as it went on till 2 am and even though we were one of the furthest rooms we could still hear the thump thump of the bass! Something that needs to be considered. Goodness only knows what it does to the hearing of those in the disco or the closest, and more expensive, rooms! Good spot of you want to visit Mount Kenya and probably more aimed at the younger end of the age range than us!

When it was recommended to me by a friend, the words ‘understated’ were used. True to those words, it truly is. The lodge has a very calming effect away from noise and hustle of the city life. They have this wild garden that’s well kept with a modern twist to it. There’s a river that runs through the lodge all the way from Mount Kenya (I forget the name). I sat there on the first day and all I could hear were the sounds of the river, whistling of trees and chirping of birds. The rooms are very clean with clean toilets thanks to Moses the housekeeper. The hotel staff are amazing. I give shout out to Stephen & SyIvia (from the reception, George (in charge of mountain operations), Rebecca (the lodge manager), James (barman), two lovely lady waiters (my apologies I forget their names. I took a 5 hour walk along the Naru-Moru trail to the mountain. It is quite treacherous and very fulfilling. There’s tranquility that takes over you when you start the climb. I am told it takes 6 hours to get to Mackinders Lodge. That is now in my bucket list all the way to the top. Did I mention the food? They serve freshly cut fruit (to my shock - not from the fridge) and they serve you a lot of food to feed two people. I definitely would recommend Narumoru River Lodge any day it will now become my local when around Nanyuki. A place full of a love, is a place I call home. I must add, it’s worth every cent spent.

Comfortable chalet style rooms and cottages set in lovely shady garden by the river. Working fireplaces make for cosy evenings along with deep hot baths. There is a 15 km nature trail and shorter walks around the lodge as well as a big swimming pool. Great place to start or end a climb up Mount Kenya (around 20 mins drive to the gate) or just take a morning walk with a guide - we went with Africa Outdoors for a 4 hour walk. There is a good choice of food though rather bland and large breakfast. Can also drive to nanyuki with many good restaurants in 20 mins. Overall lovely visit and good value.

Is an excellent place. From the time of booking till departure the experience was great. Jane is excellent who did the booking. Susan, the manager is very good and extended great hospitality. Anthony in charge of restaurant is a very friendly person with a great motive to serve. George who has taken us to Mount Kenya is an excellent guide and motivated us to climb up to the tree line. We hope to get to the summit in June this year.