inspiration

kenya: a week of rhino, naivasha and the mara

Private Safari
From $16,835 pp
6 guests
7 nights

trip highlights

  • Game drives run in Land Cruisers into Nairobi National Park, which holds four of the Big Five and a population of black and white rhino.
  • Night drives on the private land around Loldia House can turn up leopards along the fever-tree margins, with bat-eared foxes and aardvarks in the spotlight.
  • Wild Hill is an exclusive-use home built into Kileleoni Hill, with a private guide and vehicle and conservancies where vehicle numbers at sightings are capped.
  • A rhino sanctuary sits at the foot of the hill below Wild Hill, close enough to visit on foot.
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Zebra standing alert in grassland with blurred vegetation background, Loldia House, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya

Kenya From City Edge to Conservancy

Seven nights across three parts of Kenya, in order. It opens on the southern edge of Nairobi National Park, a working savannah ecosystem on the doorstep of the capital, where black and white rhino are a particular strength. It then drops into the Rift Valley on the shore of Lake Naivasha, farmhouse country with more than 400 recorded bird species, before rising into the northern Maasai Mara and the conservancies above it. A final night sits in the Karen suburb, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.

You travel by game-drive vehicle and boat, with the transfer into Nairobi National Park run as a drive through the park itself. Days hold game drives, lake boat safaris and night drives on private land, and conservancy driving where vehicle numbers are capped. The stays are family-built and family-run homes, taken as suites or on an exclusive-use basis, standing in for the character of each region rather than a hotel.

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Daily Itinerary Breakdown

Nairobi National Park at The Emakoko

One night on the southern edge of Nairobi National Park, straight off the flight. The drive in runs through the park itself, so the transfer is already a game drive, and the park holds four of the Big Five with a healthy population of black and white rhino, watched with the city skyline standing behind the herds. You arrive on foot over a wooden footbridge above the Mbagathi River, crocodiles in the water below. The Emakoko is built into the steep valley above it, on the park boundary.

Lake Naivasha at Loldia House

Three nights on the north-western shore of Lake Naivasha, a light aircraft hop up the Rift. The 6,500 acres here are private, so the drives carry on after dark, when leopard move along the fever-tree margins and bat-eared fox and aardvark turn up in the spotlight, and you can walk among impala and grazing cattle rather than stay in the vehicle. Mornings go out by boat through the papyrus and the pelicans, on a lake with over 400 recorded bird species. Loldia House is a 1940s stone farmhouse on the Hopcraft family's cattle ranch above the water, and the days keep farmhouse hours, down to high tea on the lawn.

Northern Mara Conservancies at Wild Hill

Three nights in the northern Mara conservancies, flown down from the Rift. You have a private guide and vehicle, so the days run to your hours rather than a camp's, traversing Enonkishu, Ol Chorro and Lemek. Vehicle numbers at sightings are capped across all three, which is why a leopard or a pack of wild dogs is often watched by a single car. A rhino sanctuary sits at the foot of the hill, close enough to visit on foot. Wild Hill is a five-suite house built into Kileleoni Hill at 2,100 metres, taken by one group at a time, so the whole place is yours.

Ed Charles photographing wildlife

Ed Charles, BBC Producer

Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.

Ed Charles

Bafta & Emmy award winning film producer of BBC’s Planet Earth 2 and A Perfect Planet

looking for inspiration?

Guests dining with giraffes visible through large window, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Luxury lodge nestled among trees with manicured tropical gardens at dusk, Loldia House, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya Illuminated safari camp tents at dusk with wooden decking and stretched canvas, Governors’ Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Canopy bed with cream drapes in spacious bedroom, Sheba’s Secret Garden, Nairobi, Kenya Giraffes at manor house entrance during golden hour sunset, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Turquoise lap pool lined with loungers beneath stone archway, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Wine being poured into glass with vineyard landscape at sunset, Loldia House, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya Luxury safari tent with guests on riverside deck overlooking waterhole, Governors’ Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Bartender smiling behind wooden counter with ornate window, Sheba’s Secret Garden, Nairobi, Kenya Colonial mansion with giraffe viewing areas and surrounding woodland, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Woman bathing in turquoise lagoon beneath overhanging mangrove tree, Loldia House, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya Riverside dinner table set with lanterns at dusk overlooking waterway, Governors’ Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Outdoor dining table set in manicured garden lawn, Sheba’s Secret Garden, Nairobi, Kenya

kenya

giraffes, naivasha and the mara

Nine nights in Kenya linking Giraffe Manor, Lake Naivasha's Loldia House and Governors' Camp on the Mara River.

  • Private Safari
  • From $7,900 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 9 nights
View Safari
Aerial view of two helicopters hovering above desert sand dune with shadow, Northern Kenya, Kenya Swimming pool with white building and shade trees, Manzili House, Nairobi, Kenya Wooden deck with infinity pool overlooking savanna at dusk, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Thatched-roof lodge structure with mountain backdrop and trees, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya Yellow biplane flying over safari lodge and acacia trees, Segera, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Rectangular reflecting pool with colonial mansion and mature trees, Sirai Beach, Kilifi, Kenya Swimming pool with white modern house and large trees, Manzili House, Nairobi, Kenya Lakeside dining pavilion overlooking water and savanna hills, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Dirt path through acacia trees with mountain lake backdrop, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya Infinity pool overlooking landscaped grounds with palm trees, Segera, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Beachfront dining setup under ancient baobab tree at sunset, Sirai Beach, Kilifi, Kenya Guest relaxing on lounge chairs on sunlit terrace, Manzili House, Nairobi, Kenya Bedroom with open views across savanna at sunset, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Central firepit with thatched-roof structures and camp chairs, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya

kenya

helicopter safari

Twelve nights across Kenya by helicopter, from the Borana rhino conservancy over the Suguta Valley to Turkana, then Laikipia and the Kilifi coast.

  • Private Safari
  • From $37,100 pp
  • 4 guests
  • 12 nights
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Close-up portrait of mountain gorilla with green foliage, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda Canopy bed with cream drapes in spacious bedroom, Sheba’s Secret Garden, Nairobi, Kenya Canvas safari tents with wooden walkway at sunset, Mara Nyika Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Illuminated treehouse lodge reflected in water at night, Sarara Treehouses, Northern Kenya, Kenya Thatched-roof lodge structure with mountain backdrop and trees, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya Thatched-roof lodge illuminated at dusk with savanna landscape, Lewa House, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Swimming pool with loungers and stone terrace surrounded by hedges, Villa Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda Modern lodge building with volcanic mountain backdrop and green fields, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda Bartender smiling behind wooden counter with ornate window, Sheba’s Secret Garden, Nairobi, Kenya Illuminated safari tent with dining setup at dusk, Mara Nyika Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Guest relaxing in infinity pool overlooking forested valley, Sarara Treehouses, Northern Kenya, Kenya Dirt path through acacia trees with mountain lake backdrop, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya Outdoor lounge area overlooking savanna landscape at dusk, Lewa House, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Swimming pool with loungers and manicured gardens, Villa Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda

kenya & rwanda

turkana, lewa and the gorillas

Twenty nights from Nairobi through Kenya's northern conservancies to Rwanda's mountain gorillas.

  • Private Safari
  • From $44,185 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 20 nights
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Planning a journey together

our approach

remote, exclusive
& personal

Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.

Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.

Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.

Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.

Get in touch to start planning yours.

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