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kenya
private homes safari
Track black and white rhino in Borana, then sail the Lamu Archipelago aboard a traditional dhow for four nights.
- Private Safari
- From $28,975 pp
- 6 guests
- 15 days
trip highlights
- Rothschild's giraffes live year-round on the Giraffe Manor estate and take pellets from the terrace and windows at morning and late-afternoon feeding times.
- Loldia House sits on a 6,500-acre cattle ranch on Lake Naivasha, where private land allows drives to continue after dark.
- Lake Naivasha holds over 400 recorded bird species, reached by motorboat through papyrus among hippos, pelicans and fish eagles.
- Governors' Camp stands on a bend of the Mara River in the Musiara sector, on the Marsh Pride's home ground.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Kenya From Karen to the Musiara Marsh
This nine-night route links four places in order. It opens on the edge of Nairobi at Giraffe Manor, where a resident herd of Rothschild’s giraffes crosses the lawns. It moves to Loldia House on Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley, a working cattle ranch above the shore, then to Governors’ Camp on the Mara River in the Musiara sector of the Maasai Mara. It closes back in Karen at Sheba’s Secret Garden.
We arrange the drives, the flights and the hosting throughout. Days hold breakfasts at the giraffe window, boat safaris and night drives on private ranch land, and open-sided 4x4s in the Mara reserve. The properties range from a 1930s manor house to a permanent tented camp and a Cape Dutch farmhouse, each taken for what it does best.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Giraffe Manor and the Karen Forest Edge
Begin at Giraffe Manor, a 1930s house on the edge of Nairobi's indigenous forest, built by Sir David Duncan in 1932 and modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge. A resident herd of endangered Rothschild's giraffes wanders the lawns and pushes its necks through the dining-room windows at breakfast. The twelve acres sit within a larger stretch of forest, screened from the city, forty-five to sixty minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The manor forms a natural base for the wildlife and cultural sites around Karen.
- Accommodation at Giraffe Manor
Loldia House and the Rift Valley Lakes
Drive to Loldia House, a 1940s stone farmhouse on the north-western shore of Lake Naivasha, its walls of dark volcanic stone quarried on the ranch. Hippos climb out of the lake at night to graze the lawns, and Mount Longonot rises across the water. Days move at farmhouse hours: boat safaris through papyrus and pelicans, walks among impalas and cattle, tilapia fishing and horses along the shoreline. Because the 6,500 acres are private land, drives continue after dark, and full days out follow the Rift Valley lakes to Lake Nakuru National Park.
- Accommodation at Loldia House
Governors' Camp on the Mara River
Fly to Governors' Camp, a permanent tented camp on a bend of the Mara River in the Musiara sector, set deep in riverine forest and opened by Aris and Romi Grammaticas in 1972. The marsh and river never dry, so Musiara holds resident game the year round. Drives run in open-sided 4x4s inside the reserve, working leopard in the forest, cheetah on the plains and the Marsh Pride at the wetland edge. From July to October the wildebeest arrive. Balloons lift off from the camp at first light, ending with breakfast on the grass.
- Accommodation at Governors' Camp
Sheba's Secret Garden in Karen
Close at Sheba's Secret Garden, a hosted Cape Dutch farmhouse in Karen taken as an exclusive-use home, about thirty minutes from Wilson Airport. Its Shagalabagala distillery makes an African Dry Gin on site, and a tour and tasting form part of the stay. A small resident team hosts guests much as they would in a family home. Karen puts the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery, the AFEW Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum within easy reach, all arranged with a vehicle on hand.
- Accommodation at Sheba's Secret Garden
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.
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01 of 14
kenya
the rift, the reserve & the reef
Ten nights across Kenya, from the flamingo shore of Lake Elmenteita to the Maasai Mara and the Lamu coast.
- Private Safari
- From $11,700 pp
- 2 guests
- 10 nights
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kenya
flying safari to the diani reef
Twelve nights in Kenya linking Nairobi, the Mara Naboisho Conservancy and the coral sand of Diani Beach.
- Private Safari
- From $10,900 pp
- 2 guests
- 12 nights
rated five stars by our clients
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.