Beachfront villa with illuminated interiors at sunset with palm trees, Alfajiri Cliff Villa, Diani Beach, Kenya
White colonial manor with swimming pool and manicured grounds, Karen Gables, Nairobi, Kenya
Luxury safari tent with illuminated interior at dusk surrounded by bush vegetation, Hemingways Ol Seki Mara, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Cottage with wooden veranda surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and vines, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya
Whitewashed colonial lodge exterior illuminated at dusk with courtyard approach, Karen Gables, Nairobi, Kenya
Pool deck with shade structure overlooking vast savanna landscape, Hemingways Ol Seki Mara, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Beachfront dining setup with ocean view and yellow roses, Alfajiri Cliff Villa, Diani Beach, Kenya
Luxury lodge with swimming pool and covered terrace among trees, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya
Swimming pool with lounge seating and illuminated house at dusk, Karen Gables, Nairobi, Kenya
Twilight view of luxury lodge terrace with pool and dining area overlooking savanna, Hemingways Ol Seki Mara, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Seaside terrace dining setup with ocean view at sunset, Alfajiri Cliff Villa, Diani Beach, Kenya
Wooden bridge over stream with tropical bungalows nestled in lush forest garden, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya

inspiration

kenya: flying safari to the diani reef

Private Safari
From $10,900 pp
2 guests
12 nights

trip highlights

  • The Mara Naboisho Conservancy caps vehicles at any sighting, with off-road driving and drives after dark permitted.
  • Giraffes, zebras and elephants use the waterhole in view of the deck at Ol Seki.
  • A fringing reef about five hundred metres offshore shelters a Diani lagoon calm enough for snorkelling and paddling off the sand.
  • The villa's own ngalawa, a traditional outrigger canoe, takes guests out to the reef at Diani.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Tourist group viewing giraffe on savanna grassland with Maasai guide, Hemingways Ol Seki Mara, Maasai Mara, Kenya

Kenya from Conservancy to Coral Coast

This is a twelve-night route through three parts of Kenya. It opens in Nairobi, a highland capital where savannah runs up to the suburbs, then moves to the Maasai Mara and the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, private land leased from Maasai owners where the rules allow off-road driving and drives after dark. It closes on the Diani coast, seventeen kilometres of coral sand on the southern Indian Ocean shore, before a final night back in Nairobi.

You travel by light aircraft and road between the regions. Days in the Mara run to game drives, walking and time at the waterhole; days on the coast go to the reef lagoon, the dhow and the sand. The accommodation ranges from a Cape Dutch guesthouse in Karen to a hilltop tented camp above the Isupukiai River Valley and a private villa on a coral cliff, each chosen for its setting and standard.

plan your safari

Daily Itinerary Breakdown

Nairobi at the City Edge

Two nights to settle in at 1,795 metres on Nairobi's highland plateau, the Ngong Hills to the south-west and the days cool and dry. These first two nights settle you in: the Giraffe Centre and its Rothschild's giraffe breeding programme, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's orphaned elephant calves and the Karen Blixen Museum all lie close by, with Nairobi National Park near enough for a morning game drive. Karen Gables is a privately owned Cape Dutch guesthouse in the Karen suburb, seven rooms in a family house whose gardens fall to a quiet stream, fifteen minutes from the Giraffe Centre and the elephant orphanage.

Naboisho Conservancy in the Maasai Mara

From Nairobi you move to the Maasai Mara and the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, private land where member camps can drive off-road and after dark, and where conservancy rules cap the vehicles at any sighting. Lion densities here are high, with resident prides and territorial leopards and cheetahs, so predator sightings hold through the year; wildebeest and zebra reach the Mara from the Serengeti between July and October. Giraffes, zebras and elephants come to the waterhole below the deck. Hemingways Ol Seki Mara is a hilltop camp above the Isupukiai River Valley with 270-degree views, ten tents rebuilt in 2022 with folding glass frontages that open the bedroom to the plains.

Diani Beach and the Reef Lagoon

From the Mara you travel to Diani Beach on Kenya's southern coast, seventeen kilometres of powder-fine white coral sand roughly thirty kilometres south of Mombasa. A fringing reef about five hundred metres offshore shelters a warm, shallow lagoon calm enough for swimming, snorkelling and paddling straight off the sand, while traditional dhows sail out to the reef. Kitesurfing, deep-sea fishing and diving can be arranged locally. Alfajiri Cliff Villa is a private four-bedroom villa on a coral clifftop above the Indian Ocean, rented to one party at a time, with an infinity pool set at the cliff edge and its own ngalawa outrigger canoe for the reef.

A Last Night on Blixen's Coffee Land

The final night returns you to Nairobi's Karen suburb, on land that once formed part of Karen Blixen's coffee farm. The museum in her former farmhouse is a short walk away, and the Langata Gate into Nairobi National Park is around ten minutes' drive for a last morning game drive. Karen Blixen Cottages occupies a five-acre garden estate, thirteen en-suite rooms across seven cottages under century-old jacaranda, croton and bottle brush trees, with gardens holding over two hundred recorded flower varieties.

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?

Thermal pool with guests bathing, lodge buildings and savanna landscape, Lengishu House, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Swimming pool with white building and shade trees, Manzili House, Nairobi, Kenya Modern lodge structure elevated above savanna woodland at dusk, Wild Hill, Maasai Mara, Kenya Guest at infinity pool overlooking savanna and mountains, Reteti House, Northern Kenya, Kenya Curved swimming pool with guests surrounded by savanna landscape, Lengishu House, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Guests dining on dhow deck at sunset over water, Tusitiri Dhow, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Swimming pool with white modern house and large trees, Manzili House, Nairobi, Kenya Curved seating area with central fire pit at dusk, Wild Hill, Maasai Mara, Kenya African elephant grazing in savanna with mountain backdrop, Lengishu House, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Aerial view of lodge nestled in hillside with pool, Reteti House, Northern Kenya, Kenya Sunset dining setup on traditional wooden dhow boat, Tusitiri Dhow, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Guest relaxing on lounge chairs on sunlit terrace, Manzili House, Nairobi, Kenya Infinity pool overlooking forested landscape at dusk, Wild Hill, Maasai Mara, Kenya Bedroom with exposed wooden beams and twin beds, Lengishu House, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya

kenya

private homes safari

Fifteen nights across Kenya, from the Maasai Mara and Laikipia to Samburu country and a dhow in the Lamu Archipelago.

  • Private Safari
  • From $39,095 pp
  • 6 guests
  • 15 nights
View Safari
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
View Safari
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

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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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