Rider on horseback galloping across open grassland, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya
Giraffes at manor house entrance during golden hour sunset, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya
Illuminated safari lodge reflected in still waterhole at night, Sarara Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya
Illuminated safari tent at dusk with tall trees nearby, Kicheche Mara North, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Wooden deck with infinity pool overlooking savanna at dusk, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya
Thatched safari lodge deck overlooking vast savanna landscape, Lamai Serengeti, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Turquoise lap pool lined with loungers beneath stone archway, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya
Person standing by infinity pool overlooking mountain landscape, Sarara Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya
Lakeside dining pavilion overlooking water and savanna hills, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya
Luxury safari tent with guests dining at dusk overlooking savanna, Kicheche Mara North, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Wooden deck overlooking vast savanna landscape at sunset, Lamai Serengeti, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Colonial mansion with giraffe viewing areas and surrounding woodland, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya
Natural waterhole surrounded by savanna and distant mountains, Sarara Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya
Bedroom with open views across savanna at sunset, Borana Lodge, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya

inspiration

kenya & tanzania: riding the conservancies to the serengeti

Private Safari
From $21,375 pp
2 guests
13 nights

trip highlights

  • At Sarara Camp, guides almost entirely Samburu lead game drives, night drives and walks into montane forest across the 850,000-acre Namunyak Conservancy.
  • Rangers at Borana monitor over 200 black and white rhino daily across a landscape shared with the neighbouring Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and you can track them on foot.
  • Mara North works to a low-density model, with no more than five vehicles at any single sighting and strong predator numbers the year round.
  • Lamai Serengeti sits on Kogakuria Kopje, a few kilometres from the Mara River crossing points in the far north of the Serengeti.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Safari tent dining room with set table and landscape views, Kicheche Mara North, Maasai Mara, Kenya

From Nairobi's Forest to the Mara River

Thirteen nights link Nairobi with four wildlife regions. You begin on the city’s edge, then travel north to the Namunyak Conservancy on the slopes of the Mathews Range, Samburu-owned land where the waterhole sets the day. Next comes the Laikipia Highlands and Borana’s rhino country, then the low-density Mara North Conservancy on the northern Maasai Mara, and finally the far north of the Serengeti above the Mara River.

Days run beyond the standard game drive, into night drives, guided walks, horse riding and balloon flights, led in the conservancies by local teams. The five stays range from a 1930s manor house to hillside tents, stone cottages, a Mara camp in an olive grove and a lodge built into a Serengeti kopje, each with its own page and standard.

plan your safari

Daily Itinerary Breakdown

Nairobi and Breakfast With the Giraffes

Land in Nairobi and settle into the leafy suburbs of Karen and Langata, forty-five to sixty minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and less from Wilson. The estate's resident herd of endangered Rothschild's giraffes moves freely between forest and lawn, drifting up to the house at the morning and late-afternoon feeding times to take pellets from your hand. Giraffe Manor is a 1930s house on twelve acres within a larger stretch of indigenous forest, where the giraffes push their long necks through the dining-room windows at breakfast.

Namunyak, the Waterhole and the Singing Wells

In the Namunyak Conservancy, 850,000 acres owned outright by the Samburu community, the waterhole sets the rhythm of the day as elephants, kudu and warthog file down to drink. A day might run from a game drive into a night drive, lead off-road on foot into montane forest for colobus monkeys and cycads, or turn to horseback rides across the plains, guided by Samburu who have known the terrain since childhood. Nearby, warriors dig wells deep into dry riverbeds and pass water hand to hand up a human chain. Sarara Camp holds six tents spaced along a rocky hillside above the water, each with a private veranda and a solar-heated open-air shower facing the Mathews Range.

Borana's Rhino Country in Laikipia

In the Laikipia Highlands, Borana joins the neighbouring Lewa Wildlife Conservancy across a single continuous landscape of more than 92,000 acres, home to over 200 black and white rhino. Rangers monitor the animals daily, and you can join them on foot, tracking individuals and seeing how the anti-poaching patrols work. Days also hold horse-riding safaris among zebra and giraffe, guided walks, e-biking and night drives, with Mount Kenya rising to the south. Borana Lodge terraces eight cottages of local stone and cedar into a hillside above the Samangua Valley, over a dam that draws elephant, giraffe and baboon through the day.

Mara North and Uncrowded Predator Country

On the northern plains of the Maasai Mara, in Mara North Conservancy, game drives run morning and afternoon in customised 4x4s, with off-road driving allowed to reach a sighting and no more than five vehicles at any single one. The conservancy carries strong predator numbers the year round, and between roughly July and October wildebeest and zebra pour across the plains. Guided walks with an armed ranger and sunrise balloon flights fill out the days. Kicheche Mara Camp sits in Acacia Valley, tucked into a grove of wild olive and croton above the seasonal Olare Orok stream, where zebra and antelope graze within sight of the tents.

Northern Serengeti Above the Mara River

In the far north of the Serengeti, only a few kilometres from the Mara River crossing points, the game drives track the wildebeest migration as the columns build toward the water between July and October. Resident lion, elephant and plains game work the Lamai Wedge long after the herds move south, so the viewing holds up outside the crossing months, and vehicle numbers stay lower than on the busier southern plains. Lamai Serengeti stands high on Kogakuria Kopje, twelve open-fronted rooms of canvas, natural poles and stone stepping up through granite boulders, with a pool carved into the rock and long sightlines north toward the Kenyan border.

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?

Group gathered around fire under acacia tree at dusk, Emboo Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Illuminated safari lodge with curved architecture at dusk under acacia trees, Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya Beach pavilions illuminated at dusk with palm trees, The Majlis Resort, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Cottage with wooden veranda surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and vines, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya Riverside dining deck with table settings at sunset, Emboo Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Silhouetted guests watching sunset over river valley from hillside camp, Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya Infinity pool overlooking river with loungers and shade umbrella, Emboo Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Coastal bay with sandy beaches and moored boats, The Majlis Resort, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Luxury lodge with swimming pool and covered terrace among trees, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya Luxury lodge courtyard with acacia trees and outdoor fire pit at dusk, Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp, Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya Silhouetted acacia tree against starry night sky, Emboo Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Beach lodge with thatched structures and waterfront at sunset, The Majlis Resort, Lamu Archipelago, Kenya Wooden bridge over stream with tropical bungalows nestled in lush forest garden, Karen Blixen Cottages, Nairobi, Kenya

kenya

the rift, the reserve & the reef

Ten nights across Kenya, from the Rift Valley lakes to the Maasai Mara, the Lamu coast and Nairobi's rhino country.

  • Private Safari
  • From $6,930 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 10 nights
View Safari
Two rhinos touching horns in natural habitat Giraffes at manor house entrance during golden hour sunset, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Canvas safari tents with wooden walkway at sunset, Mara Nyika Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Guest relaxes on wooden deck overlooking savanna landscape, Lewa Wilderness, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Helicopter flying over desert dunes and rock formations, Sasaab, Samburu Reserve, Kenya Turquoise lap pool lined with loungers beneath stone archway, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Illuminated safari tent with dining setup at dusk, Mara Nyika Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Guests relaxing on wooden deck overlooking hillside landscape, Lewa Wilderness, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Riverside pool deck with lounge chairs and thatched lodge, Sasaab, Samburu Reserve, Kenya Colonial mansion with giraffe viewing areas and surrounding woodland, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya Safari vehicle with guests observing elephants in savanna landscape, Mara Nyika Camp, Maasai Mara, Kenya Wooden deck overlooking valley at dusk with warm lighting, Lewa Wilderness, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Helicopter flying over rocky outcrop in arid landscape, Sasaab, Samburu Reserve, Kenya

kenya

rhino tracking safari

Eleven nights linking Nairobi, the private Naboisho Conservancy, rhino-rich Lewa and Samburu's Ewaso Nyiro River.

  • Private Safari
  • From $23,955 pp
  • 2 guests
  • 11 nights
View Safari
Male gorilla sitting in forest vegetation looking at camera Thatched-roof lodge building surrounded by tall acacia trees, Sirikoi, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Thatched-roof lodge structure with mountain backdrop and trees, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya Illuminated lodge buildings at dusk beside water pool, Apoka Safari Lodge, Kidepo Valley, Uganda Illuminated lodge structures reflected in still water at dusk, Nile Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls NP, Uganda Thatched-roof lodge bungalows overlooking calm lake and hills, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Thatched-roof lodge nestled among trees with mountains beyond, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Guest relaxing on deck overlooking grazing cattle herd, Sirikoi, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya Dirt path through acacia trees with mountain lake backdrop, Koros Camp, Northern Kenya, Kenya Infinity pool overlooking savanna with volcanic mountains, Apoka Safari Lodge, Kidepo Valley, Uganda Waterfront deck with canopy bed overlooking river at sunset, Nile Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls NP, Uganda Misty forested valleys and rolling hills at dawn, Ndali Lodge, Kibale Forest, Uganda Spacious bedroom with four-poster bed and fireplace, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Mgahinga National Park, Uganda Illuminated safari tent in woodland setting at dusk, Sirikoi, Laikipia Highlands, Kenya

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

rated five stars by our clients

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.

get in touch
destinations ideas & inspiration our process about us contact us