This is a ten-night line across Kenya, from the highland capital to the Lamu Archipelago. It opens in Nairobi, where black rhino and lion hold savannah on the city’s southern edge. It then crosses to the Amboseli ecosystem, on the elephant corridor running to Tsavo, before dropping into Tsavo’s volcanic country of red-dusted elephants and spring-fed pools. It ends on the coast, on a remote peninsula of Manda Island.
You move by road and light aircraft, settling longest by the water at the end. The days hold game drives, walks with a guide and time at floodlit waterholes, closing with several days of fishing, dhow channels and coral gardens. The accommodation runs from garden cottages on Blixen’s old coffee land to unfenced conservancy suites, a family-run tented camp and a barefoot beach lodge.
Karen Blixen Cottages occupies a five-acre garden estate in the Karen suburb, on land that once formed part of Blixen's own coffee farm. Thirteen en-suite rooms sit across seven cottages under century-old jacaranda, croton and bottle brush trees, with a museum in her former farmhouse a short walk away and the Langata Gate into Nairobi National Park around ten minutes' drive. At 1,795 metres the air stays cool and dry, which makes this a soft landing before hotter, lower country.
Elephant Gorge Camp sits on the private Kimana Group Ranch conservancy, twenty to thirty minutes from Kimana Gate, on the route herds have always used between the Amboseli basin and Tsavo. Large-tusked elephants pass directly through the camp, and the suites open to that movement with no barrier between rooms and animals. To leave a suite after dark you ring a beaded cowbell and a Maasai guide walks you across. Because this is conservancy land, guests can walk out with a guide, drive after dark and take meals in the bush.
Severin Safari Camp is a family-run tented camp in the Kitani area of Tsavo West, where elephants stained red by the volcanic soil drink at a waterhole floodlit after dark, close enough to watch from the dining terrace, and lions arrive to the water. The Shetani lava flow spills black across the red earth an easy drive away, with Chaimu crater nearby, and Mzima Springs pushes clear water up through the lava. Morning and afternoon drives run in open 4x4s, with night drives worked in coordination with KWS and walks on foot with a resident Maasai warrior.
Manda Bay is a family-run beach lodge on a secluded peninsula of Manda Island, reached by boat from the airstrip, with a long protected beach, coastal bush behind and coral gardens in the calm water in front. Fishing sits at the centre here, with a 33-foot sportfisher, the Cheza, running the deep water from September to May, and sheltered creek and bay for bottom fishing, trolling and fly-fishing. Lamu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Shela village lie a boat ride away as occasional outings. The island carries a resident buffalo herd and, after dark, nightjars and bushbabies.
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
kenya
Seven nights linking Nairobi National Park, Lake Naivasha and the northern Maasai Mara conservancies, then Karen.
01 of 14
kenya
Nine nights in Kenya linking Giraffe Manor, Lake Naivasha's Loldia House and Governors' Camp on the Mara River.
01 of 15
rwanda, uganda & kenya
Twelve nights from Kigali to gorilla country, the Mara North Conservancy, Samburu's Mathews Range and Nairobi.
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.
