Adventure ToursSleeping under the open sky sounds simple until you start asking what “star bed” actually means on the ground. At Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia, it means a wheeled bed on a stilted platform and a plumbed bathroom a few steps away. Staff quietly clear the dinner table while you climb in. BestCamp Safaris plans a lot of camping safaris through this part of Kenya for couples chasing a splurge night. This Loisaba star bed facilities comparison breaks down each suite, room by room, against what a mobile fly camp gives you for less money.
1. Room Types and Sleeping Capacity
Loisaba Star Beds sleeps a maximum of eight guests across four suites. Three are double rooms and one is a family suite with two separate star bed platforms. Each unit sits on a raised, thatched-roof stilt platform with a wheeled bed. It rolls outdoors for open-air stargazing or stays sheltered under cover if rain rolls in. For honeymooners, the double suites feel private, spaced apart along the ridge with their own decks facing the plains below.
2. En-Suite Bathrooms and Solar Showers
Every suite has a fully plumbed en-suite bathroom with a solar-heated shower, flush toilet, vanity, and filtered drinking water. That is a genuine fixed-lodge bathroom, not a bucket shower or a long-drop behind canvas. It is also the single biggest facilities gap against a mobile fly camp, where hot water usually comes from a bucket hoisted on a rope.
3. Dining, Bush Breakfasts, and Sundowners
Meals are served family-style at a shared table in the lounge, or privately on request. The kitchen handles dietary needs with advance notice and adds bush breakfasts, picnic lunches, and sundowners out on the plains. Meals, snacks, and most drinks are included in the nightly rate, so there is little to plan once you arrive.
4. Kiboko vs Koija: Clearing Up the Two Original Sites
Loisaba’s original star bed concept had two separate sites. Kiboko overlooked a waterhole with solar-heated showers. Koija sat on the Ewaso Ng’iro riverbank, run jointly with the local Maasai community. Today’s Elewana-operated Loisaba Star Beds lodge sits at the Kiboko site. Koija no longer runs as a standalone camp, which is where most of the online confusion over “kiboko vs koija star beds” comes from.
5. On-Site Amenities: Pool, Fire Pit, WiFi, Laundry
On-site amenities include a swimming pool, a fire pit with drinks service, and a lounge with a log fire. There’s also laundry service and WiFi that works best near the main areas. Horse riding, camel trekking, and mountain biking gear are available on request. An anti-poaching unit with tracker dogs is based on the conservancy, and guides will explain their work if you ask.
6. Included Activities: Game Drives, Walking, Horses, Camels
Included activities are day and night game drives in open Land Rovers, guided nature walks with Samburu trackers, horse riding, camel trekking, and mountain biking. Night drives matter here more than most places. They’re the main way to spot the leopards and lions that pass beneath the star bed platforms while you sleep.
7. Pricing: What’s Included at Loisaba Star Beds
Rates run roughly $694 to $901 per person sharing at lower-demand dates and climb to $1,200 to $2,500 per person in peak season, full board. That includes meals, most drinks, and laundry, with game drives and standard activities bundled in. Premium spirits and private dining setups cost extra.
| Option | Price per person/night | Bathroom | Pool | Camp moves nightly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loisaba Star Beds, low season | $694-$901 | Plumbed, solar shower | Yes | No, fixed site |
| Loisaba Star Beds, peak season | $1,200-$2,500 | Plumbed, solar shower | Yes | No, fixed site |
| Laikipia mobile fly camp | roughly $650-$950/day, indicative range | Bucket shower, long-drop | No | Yes |
8. Loisaba Star Bed Facilities Comparison: Star Beds vs a Mobile Fly Camp
Against a mobile fly camp, Loisaba Star Beds wins on fixed plumbing, a pool, and hotel-level service. A Laikipia fly camp wins on price, at roughly $650 to $950 a day against Loisaba’s $694 to $2,500 per person. It also lets you relocate camp to fresh bush sites night to night. If you want to run the real numbers before deciding, our Laikipia fly camping rates breakdown lays out what that daily figure actually covers.
For couples still weighing Loisaba against Samburu, our guide to Samburu versus Laikipia walking safaris covers the terrain difference in more detail. Before you commit to sleeping outdoors either way, it’s worth reading about how cold nights get under canvas in this part of Kenya. Laikipia nights drop further than most first-timers expect.
BestCamp Safaris books both routes for honeymoon couples. That might mean a fixed splurge night at Loisaba, or a full mobile camping safari with the tent moved for you each morning. The honest trade-off is plumbing and a pool against a lower bill and a camp that follows the wildlife instead of waiting for it.
Plan Your Star Bed Night
A night at Loisaba, or a run of nights under a moving fly camp, might be the honeymoon you’re after. BestCamp Safaris can build the itinerary around it. Reach out through our contact page and we’ll work out dates, budget, and which star bed setup actually fits what you want from the trip.
