Naturally, in Kenyan cities there are hotels of any kind, but if you travel in an organised safari you will probably stay at one of the large international hotels, all of them with high quality standards. Fortunately, the typical concrete, metal and glass blocks of the western world, those huge massive buildings with one thousand rooms, are rare in Kenya. The hotels, surrounded by lush gardens, are usually decorated with natural materials and ethnic motifs. The Norfolk, in Nairobi, is part of Kenya's history; though the reform works have partially diluted its original personality, it still preserves its colonial charm. The main hotel groups are Block, Lonrho, Serena, Sarova, Intercontinental and Hilton.

The coastal resorts are normally located right at the beach, with a large swimming pool and private grounds for sunbathing. Some of them, like the Serena Beach near Mombasa, reproduce the Swahili towns' style, with small and white two-storey buildings surrounded by tropical shaded gardens.

Lodges and clubs:

Lodges are the most frequent places for accommodation in parks and reserves. They usually comprise one or several common buildings that host the front desk, restaurant, shop, etc., and a series of huts or bungalows that correspond to the guests' rooms. Most of them have a swimming pool and wide gardens. The style varies from the English cottage to the Maasai enkang. Normally they are located at magnificent spots, inside or next to the parks, or near places of interest, and many of them are close to a waterhole that attracts wildlife. Of course, lodges offer full hotel service, including laundry.

Some lodges in Kenya have a special type of board: they are the mountain lodges, like Treetops and The Ark, both at the Aberdare national park. Originally conceived as wildlife lookouts beside a waterhole, they offer the possibility to spend the night watching the animals attracted by the water, the mud and the salt the employees spread on the ground. In case you prefer sleeping, the small cabins are equipped with a buzzer that the employees will ring if some unusual animal shows up, mainly big cats and rhinos. Don't worry, you can turn the buzzer off if you still prefer sleeping. Due to the small size of the cabins and facilities, luggage is restricted to one hand bag per person. The rest of the luggage remains overnight at the base hotel outside the park.

The clubs are halfway between hotels and lodges. They are former private clubs from the Colony days, that are now open to the public. They are usually located in large estates and offer golf course, putting green, tennis courts, swimming pools, horse riding and vast gardens. Some of them have private wildlife reserves. Two examples are the Mount Kenya Safari Club, which was co-founded by the actor William Holden and hosts an animal orphanage, and the Aberdare Country Club, the base hotel for The Ark.

More settlers' estates are gradually opening to the public. They are private wildlife reserves in which the owners have built lodging facilities. There is a range of prices, but they are normally very expensive and offering world quality services. Amongst the top ones is Nderit Estate, at the shores of Lake Naivasha, a unique place offering luxury galore at some 600 USD daily rate per person.

Tented camps:

Tented camps and tented lodges are closer to the lodge concept than to what their "camp" name suggests. Actually they are lodges, with full hotel services. The difference is that the walls are made of canvas instead of wood or concrete. They are big fixed tents over wooden poles stuck into the basement. Tents are divided in bedroom and bathroom. These places try to recreate the charming atmosphere of the old safaris in the days of the great hunters, when tents were portable chalets.

Camp sites:

Camp sites in Kenya are normally located inside or near the parks and reserves. In general, services offered range from few to none, reason why you should better seek some information to know what you should bring. Basically there are two types of camp sites. The public camp sites work in a similar way to the European camps, the space is shared with other campers, but fortunately so far you will hardly find a motorhome or caravan (my excuses to motorhomers and caravaners). Conversely, the so-called special camp sites must be booked in an exclusive basis, the whole site for your party. For this you have to pay a reservation rate of 5,000 Kshs plus the daily camping rate. You can book a special camp site writing to the park Warden and enclosing a cheque in the envelope, or either making the reservation at the office of Special Campsite Reservations, Kenya Wildlife Service, Langata Rd, PO Box 40241 Nairobi (02/501081). The office is located right by Nairobi national park's main gate. Fortunately, it is also possible to book camp sites by e-mail through the Kenya Wildlife Service's website.

There are organised camping safaris, in which all the material is usually included in the price, except the sleeping bag. The agency provides the tents and the camping gear. The groups normally travel in military type vehicles. A cook travels with the expedition, but the whole group cooperates in food preparation and dish washing.

Of course, outside the parks it is possible to camp freely, but in populated areas you should better ask for permission and warn the locals about your presence, besides enquiring about the security situation in the area.