Security in lodge tents during a safari in Kenya

Hi there, I’m looking into a future safari in Kenya, and I see a lot of accommodations in lodges or tents.

I’ve seen photos of different places, and it seems like there’s no... door to lock the room 😅

Would anyone know how to secure your belongings in this case? (Suitcases)

The question might seem silly to some, but I’ve never been on a safari before, and I’ve never seen a lodge or tent (other than the basic Decathlon tent).

Thanks everyone

Hi,

The tents are only closed with a zipper, and I’ve never had any security issues—you’re basically in a lodge.

Of course, don’t tempt fate by leaving money lying around, for example.

Thanks for the reply—so in a lodge, there are doors, right?

No, the lodge is the hotel where the rooms are tents.

But it’s not sketchy—aside from the lodge staff, no strangers wander around in the middle

In all the tents we’ve stayed in across about fifteen safaris, there’s a trunk or large lockable chest where you store money, passports, and any valuables (though you usually don’t bring too many diamonds or jewelry on safari), along with medications. You don’t need to worry much about theft by humans—it’s mostly monkeys pilfering things. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep food (candy, cookies) that might interest animals in the chest too.

During our second-to-last safari stay (in Tanzania), I noticed that the cable of my phone charger had been chewed, and I spotted a small hole at the bottom of the tent under the nightstand. To prevent the little rodent from getting an electric shock, the camp staff quickly patched the hole with a coin. That’s the only mishap we’ve had to deal with over the years.

Thanks for the reply, so in lodges there are doors, right?

Hi,

Under the name Lodge, there are different types of structures:

- Some lodges are a single solid building, where the rooms and common areas are permanent (with doors).

- Some lodges have common areas (restaurant, lounge, reception) in a solid building, and the "rooms" are small solid bungalows scattered around the main structure (also with doors).

- Some lodges have a solid common structure, but the rooms are canvas tents scattered around the main building. Usually, these tents have a canvas "door" with a zipper. I’ve seen some with wooden doors and even keypads to open them...

- Finally, there are tented camps where both the common areas and individual tents are made of canvas. So, zippers everywhere. (And as mentioned before, a lockable box or chest in each tent.)

Generally, on this kind of trip, you don’t bring anything valuable and keep your passport, cash, and bank card with you even during safaris—nothing unnecessary.

Cheers.