kenya & tanzania
the mara to the crater
Ten nights from Nairobi through the Mara's Naboisho Conservancy and the eastern Serengeti to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.
- Private Safari
- From $12,580 pp
- 2 guests
- 10 nights
trip highlights
- Horse riding at Borana carries you quietly among zebra and giraffe, with mounts kept for every level from beginners to experienced riders.
- An Airbus H125 flies north over the Suguta Valley, a trough of soda flats and dead volcanoes with no road into it, to the desert plains of the South Horr Valley.
- Segera pairs game drives across a 50,000-acre conservancy with a contemporary African art collection running through its villas and gardens.
- At Sirai Beach the reef off Kilifi holds tropical fish reached straight from the house, with the 25-metre infinity pool set above the ocean.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Across Kenya's Conservancies to the Sea
The route begins in Nairobi, where black rhino and lion range on the city’s southern edge, then climbs to the Borana Conservancy, a private rhino sanctuary above the Samangua Valley in the Laikipia Highlands. From there it reaches north into the South Horr Valley, desert country near Lake Turkana, before returning to Laikipia and the Segera conservancy, then finishing on the Kilifi Coast where the Goshi River meets the Indian Ocean.
The helicopter is the transfer through the highlands and the north: an Airbus H125 flies the leg from Borana over the Suguta Valley to South Horr and back south to Segera, reaching country the roads take days to cross. A fixed-wing charter then links the bush to the coast in a little over an hour. Days hold horse riding among plains game, rhino tracking on foot, desert walks, boat trips on Lake Turkana, art tours and game drives, then reef snorkelling and time on the water. The places you stay are family homes, owner-run camps and private houses, each a base rather than a hotel.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Nairobi Below the Ngong Hills
You arrive in Nairobi, on a highland plateau at around 1,795 metres, where daytime temperatures sit between 18 and 26 degrees and the nights stay cool. The Giraffe Centre, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Nairobi National Park all lie close by, a savannah edge where black rhino and lion hold territory near the city. Manzili House is a Lamu-inspired family home in the Karen suburb, built with artisans brought up from Lamu Island, its white living spaces opening onto a central courtyard and pool. Breakfast is included, and an in-house chef cooks to order.
- Accommodation at Manzili House
Borana and the Rhino Sanctuary
These four days sit in the Laikipia Highlands above the Samangua Valley, with Mount Kenya rising to the south and a dam below drawing elephant, giraffe and baboon through the day. You can track black and white rhino on foot with the rangers who monitor them daily, ride among zebra and giraffe, and head out on night drives and off-road approaches that a national park would not allow. Twenty-one black rhino were reintroduced here in 2013, and the conservancy now joins the neighbouring Lewa across more than 92,000 acres. Borana Lodge holds eight cottages of local stone and cedar terraced into the hillside, and exists to fund the conservation work beneath it.
- Accommodation at Borana Lodge
By Helicopter to the South Horr Valley
A day in the South Horr Valley of Northern Kenya, red earth country of extinct volcanoes, sandy riverbeds and desert plains roughly 60 kilometres from Lake Turkana. The flight up from Borana is what makes a night this far north work at all: an Airbus H125 runs north over the Suguta Valley, a trough of soda flats, hot springs and dead volcanoes with no road into it, and sets down at the camp. This is not classic game-drive country; the pull is space and silence, explored on foot along dry riverbeds, by quad bike, or by boat on the lake for Nile perch and the crocodiles and birdlife along the shore. Cultural visits reach Samburu and Rendille homesteads, often at the golden end of the day. Koros Camp is an owner-run, off-grid base of six thatched rooms, a pool and an open-air mess, with a dense field of stars above the campfire once the night cools.
- Accommodation at Koros Camp
Segera, Art and Conservancy
Back in the Laikipia Highlands, three days across a 50,000-acre conservancy facing Mount Kenya on the clear days, restored from degraded cattle ranch into wooded savannah, grassland and riverine forest along the Suguroi River. The helicopter carries you back south in a little over an hour. Game drives run by day and by night, guided walks cross the conservancy on foot, and community visits reach local schools and conservation projects. Between them, art tours of the Zeitz Collection sit alongside the saltwater pool and spa treatments. Segera holds ten villas, several of timber and thatch raised on stilts with private decks, swing beds and sunken Jacuzzis, and dining drawn largely from its organic gardens.
- Accommodation at Segera
The Kilifi Coast
The trip finishes on a clifftop above Kilifi Creek, where the Goshi River runs into the Indian Ocean. A charter flight lands at Kilifi airstrip, five minutes from the door. The days belong to the water: reef snorkelling straight from the house, paddleboards and kayaks out on the creek at first light, and the estate's 38-foot boat, Sirai Sea, heading out after billfish. Sirai Beach is a six-suite private house taken on exclusive use, built in coral stone and Lamu plaster, with a 25-metre infinity pool above rock pools cut into the coral rock, and a private chef leaning Mediterranean and Swahili around line-caught fish.
- Accommodation at Sirai Beach
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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- Private Safari
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- 4 guests
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- Private Safari
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rated five stars by our clients
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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.