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?

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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
Herd of elephants walking across dusty savanna plain Cottage with wooden veranda surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and vines, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya Modern stone lodge with wooden deck and outdoor hot tub overlooking plains, Elephant Gorge Camp, Amboseli and Chyulu Hills, Kenya Thatched lodge with wooden deck overlooking savanna grassland, Severin Safari Camp, Tsavo, Kenya Beachfront bungalow at sunset with palm tree and ocean, Manda Bay, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Luxury lodge with swimming pool and covered terrace among trees, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya Infinity pool with blue lighting at dusk overlooking waterhole and bushland, Elephant Gorge Camp, Amboseli and Chyulu Hills, Kenya Guests on wooden deck overlooking acacia trees and savanna landscape at dusk, Severin Safari Camp, Tsavo, Kenya Aerial view of beachfront lodge surrounded by turquoise waters, Manda Bay, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Wooden bridge over stream with tropical bungalows nestled in lush forest garden, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya Luxury lodge with pool overlooking savanna landscape and snow-capped volcano, Elephant Gorge Camp, Amboseli and Chyulu Hills, Kenya Luxury safari lodge bedroom with canopy bed and golden ochre walls, Severin Safari Camp, Tsavo, Kenya Beachfront lodge with pool overlooking turquoise water and boats, Manda Bay, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Woman on foot observing elephant in natural habitat

kenya

the elephant corridor to lamu

Ten nights from Nairobi through Amboseli's elephant corridor and Tsavo to a remote beach lodge on Manda Island.

  • Private Safari
  • From $5,485 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 10 nights
View Safari
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kenya & uganda

helicopter safari

Eleven nights by helicopter from Kenya's northern frontier into Uganda's remote parks, ending with gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes.

  • Private Safari
  • From $23,740 pp
  • 4 guests
  • 11 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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