This route links four parts of Kenya and Tanzania across twelve nights. It opens in Nairobi, a highland capital with savannah and black rhino on its southern edge, then moves north to the Namunyak Conservancy on the slopes of the Mathews Range, Samburu-owned land. From there it crosses to the Maasai Mara, one ecosystem under two sets of rules, and ends at Ndutu in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
You stay in a Cape Dutch guesthouse in Karen, a Samburu-owned camp above a waterhole, a small canvas camp on the Olare Orok River, and a stone lodge in acacia woodland above Lake Ndutu. Days run from game drives to night drives, guided walks and, at Namunyak, horseback rides. The camps are small and owner-shaped rather than large hotels.
Karen Gables is a privately owned Cape Dutch guesthouse in Nairobi's Karen suburb, set back in gardens that fall to a quiet stream, with seven individually styled rooms. The Giraffe Centre and the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage lie roughly fifteen minutes away, and the Karen Blixen Museum is a few minutes' drive. Nairobi National Park sits close enough for a morning game drive, where lion, black rhino and resident zebra and giraffe move across savannah on the city's southern edge. Breakfast is usually taken on the terrace, and meals are cooked to order.
Sarara Camp is Samburu-owned, on the southern slopes of the Mathews Range inside the Namunyak Conservancy, 850,000 acres owned outright by the Samburu community. Through the day, elephants, kudu and warthog file down to the waterhole below the six hillside tents, close enough to watch from a veranda. Because this is community land rather than a national park, guiding runs past the standard game drive: night drives, walks into montane forest for colobus monkeys and cycads, and horseback rides with fly camping in a dry riverbed. In the dry riverbeds, Samburu warriors dig wells deep into the sand at the singing wells.
Eight canvas tents stand under riverine trees along the Olare Orok River, ten minutes by game drive from the Maasai Mara National Reserve boundary. The booking comes with its own vehicle, guide and Maasai spotter, so drives run to guest time, and full days out with a picnic lunch under an acacia are ordinary. Game drives head into Musiara Swamp, Rhino Ridge and Paradise Plains, and the Talek River deeper in is leopard country. Sitting between Mara North and Olare Orok conservancies, the camp can also run night drives and guided walks on community land. Between July and October the wildebeest herds pour through the northern Reserve.
Ndutu Safari Lodge stands in acacia woodland above Lake Ndutu, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, roughly two hours' drive from the Ngorongoro Crater. From December to April the wildebeest settle on the short-grass plains outside the lodge to calve, and the predators follow. Because the lodge lies inside the Conservation Area rather than the national park next door, guides can drive off-road and walking is permitted with an armed ranger. The stone cottages have thatched roofs and verandas facing the lake, and at dinner resident genets appear along the beams overhead.
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.
01 of 15
rwanda, uganda & kenya
Twelve nights from Kigali to gorilla country, the Mara North Conservancy, Samburu's Mathews Range and Nairobi.
01 of 51
kenya
Ride horseback at Borana, hike the Matthews Ranges with Samburu trackers and trek the Loita Hills on foot with Maasai guides.
01 of 15
kenya
Seven nights linking Nairobi National Park, Lake Naivasha and the northern Maasai Mara conservancies, then Karen.
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
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.
