Severine Safari Camp – an oasis in paradise

If you think a paradise is an imaginary lush green meadow with a bed of flowers to one side and a stream of water with colorful birds flying over the sky above it on the other, think again. There is an oasis in paradise – a different kind of paradise – that pleasingly blows your predetermined imagination of what a true paradise looks like. It is called Severine Safari Camp.

Its creators humbly refer to it as “a paradise amidst the wilderness.” They are right.

One of the most beautiful Safari Camps probably in the whole of Kenya, Severin Safari Camp is located in the heart of the vast wilderness of Tsavo West National Park. The Park is located on south eastern Kenya, 240km from Nairobi along the western side of Mombasa-Nairobi highway. The 11, 000 Km2 wide Park is rich in the savannah ecosystem that comprises of open grasslands, scrublands, and Acacia woodlands, belts of riverine vegetation and rocky ridges.

 
Major wildlife attractions include elephants, rhinos, Hippos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, Buffalos as well as diverse plants and bird species including the threatened corncrake and near threatened Basra Reed Warbler.

It is in the hurt of this magnificent place that Severine Safari Camp is located. It’s accessible either by regular scheduled flights from Mombasa and Nairobi Wilson airport or by short private charter flights. The nearest airstrips are Finch Hattons and Kilanguni, both about 30 minute drive from the Camp, or a whole one hour and half if you would like to already begin your safari game drive on the way. Both landing strips are serviced by the daily schedule flights from Nairobi Wilson Airport operated by Safari Link and from Mombasa by Mombasa Air Safari. Flights in the luxurious Cessna Caravan of Severin Air Safaris are also available on request.
The Camp can also be reached by local busses from Mombasa or Nairobi. You will drive to Mtito Andei and be collected there when reserved in advance. The Camp is also accessible by road and is located respectively 250 kilometers away from Mombasa and Nairobi.

Severin’s Sundowner at the poachers lookout

 
While these are technical details that come in handy for a visitor, the most humbling of all is the camp’s friendly and warm reception that make your stay in the Camp unique and unforgettable.

 
You know when you receive a personal welcome from Guest Relations Manager Manja Seifert that you are in good hands and that you are in for an extraordinary experience of a lifetime. She is warm and gifted, which explains why the local staff – the tall and handsome Massai men and the smiling sunshine women– are gentler than they could otherwise be, professional and incredibly knowledgeable of their environs.

 
Severine Safari Camp has activities you would like to experience one by one for the rest of your life too. From the mesmerizing sundowner at Poacher’s Lookout to the Severin Tsavo Road Safari, Out of Africa Air Safari, to Severin Dream Air Safari all designed to make your stay a treasured one.

Take, for example, its package for a sundowner at Poacher’s Lookout. There are a few things in life that make it to the deepest part of your heart and refuse to walkout. Experiencing a sun setting over the hills of the mighty Kilimanjaro while having a glass of sparkling wine and canapés, with the music “Out of Africa” in the background, is one of them.

Severin’s swimming pool

Now that you are in the middle of this beautiful wilderness, which is more like a paradise of a different kind in itself, returning from a dawn to dusk adventurous safari drive in Tsavo West your tired and excited self will be met by an uplifting smile and spoiling treatment at Severine. This oasis in paradise is where you will find the Kenbali Spa, fully equipped with luxurious spa accessories from a spoiling massage to treatment rooms. Or you could just jump into its beautiful swimming pool. Why not try it?

Photos: Addis Standard