The Cliff

A SANCTUARY
ON WATER

A View From Above

The Cliff sits a hundred metres above Lake Nakuru on a volcanic rock face inside Lake Nakuru National Park. Ten tents are spread along the edge of the cliff, each looking 180 degrees out across the Great Rift Valley and the lake below. What makes this camp unique is the vantage point itself, where the view is as much a part of the experience as the wildlife. A swimming pool, spa, gym, and gift shop sit at the heart of camp. The interiors carry the comfort of a boutique hotel inside a traditional canvas frame, with wide windows that keep the lake and the valley in sight from almost every angle.

First Light

The ten suites at The Cliff are lined along the cliff face, each with its own private viewing deck looking out over the lake. Inside, every suite has king or twin bed configurations, an ensuite bathroom with a bathtub set toward the view, a lounge and dressing area, and a tea and coffee station. Floor-to-ceiling windows open the room to the landscape. The design is contemporary and warm, with wooden floors and soft, lived-in furnishings that pull the eye outward to the water and the Rift Valley beyond. In the mornings, guests can opt for a sunrise wake-up, where a team member gently opens the tent flaps just before first light, so the day arrives over the lake while you are still in bed.

A Remnant of the Great Rift

Around ten thousand years ago, Lake Nakuru was part of a single, deep freshwater lake that stretched across this part of the Great Rift Valley. Over millennia the water receded and the lake broke apart, leaving Nakuru, Elementaita, and Bogoria as the three remnants that survive today. Each is alkaline now, fed by springs rather than rivers, the chemistry of the old lake concentrated in the water that remains. In 2011, UNESCO inscribed all three as the Kenya Lake System of the Great Rift Valley, recognising the geological story they share. The pink of the flamingos comes from the algae that thrives in the warm, alkaline water. The shallow shoreline draws the giraffes, the rhinos, and the four hundred bird species that move through the park each year. Standing at the edge of the lake, it is worth knowing that the ground underfoot is part of a fault system running from the Middle East down through East Africa, and that the water in front of you is what is left of something far larger.

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MEET THE TEAM

Experiences

Luxury Adventures

Cliff Boat Safaris

Cliff boat safaris on Lake Nakuru, offered exclusively by Wilder's The Cliff camp inside Lake Nakuru National Park. Sunrise and mid-morning departures across one of Kenya's premier birdwatching destinations, with breakfast served onboard among the flamingos and pelicans.

Game Drive

Game drives are the heart of a Wilder safari, taking guests out at sunrise and again before sunset across Kenya's most remarkable ecosystems. Open-sided game viewers, expert guides, and the variety of wildlife found across the Masai Mara, Ol Pejeta, and Lake Nakuru make every drive different from the last.

Available at all Wilder camps.

Hot Air Balloon

Rise with the sun on a hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara. Drift across the open plains as the herds wake and the light changes, followed by a champagne breakfast on the savannah. Available at Wilder's Masai Mara properties.