The route links four regions in order. It opens in the Rift Valley on the Soysambu Conservancy beside Lake Elmenteita, then crosses to the Maasai Mara and its wildebeest plains. From there it runs to the Lamu Archipelago on the Indian Ocean coast, and closes in Nairobi, where a national park of black rhino and lion meets the city’s southern suburbs.
You travel by a mix of light aircraft and vehicle, with game drives on the conservancy and in the Mara, boat trips off Manda Island, and slower days by the water and in the garden estates. The four stays run from tented camps to beachfront villas and garden cottages, each chosen for its ground and what the days there hold, over ten nights.
You start in the Rift Valley on the Soysambu Conservancy, private land where the rules allow what public parks do not: walking the lakeshore with a naturalist, driving after dark, and riding out on horseback. Lesser and greater flamingos crowd the shallows of Lake Elmenteita, and the grassland carries a breeding population of the endangered Rothschild's giraffe, along with eland, dik-dik, buffalo and zebra. Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp lines the lakefront with twenty-four tents and a single suite, each veranda facing the water, and a waterhole draws game in front of the main lounge.
Next the Maasai Mara, the red oat grass plains of southwest Kenya that carry vast herds of wildebeest and zebra. Here every safari vehicle runs on solar power, so game drives move in silence and the animals behave differently, lions staying settled and elephants grazing close. A well-known wildebeest crossing point on the Talek River lies a short drive away, busy through the July to October migration, though the timing shifts each year with the rains. Emboo Camp sets its tents on timber decks along a forested bend of the Talek, each porch looking onto water where hippos surface through the day.
On the coast now, on Manda Island in the Lamu Archipelago, where days run to the water: crossing by the resort's own boat to Shela village for its cafes and boutiques, or drinks at Peponi Hotel, then back to a base quieter than the village. Waves and the distant call to prayer carry across the channel, and dhows cross all day. The Majlis Resort holds three beachfront villas above white sand on Ras Kitau Bay, built in lime-washed coral stone with high beamed ceilings and carved wooden doors. Three swimming pools lie among the gardens, alongside a spa, a gym and an activity centre.
You end in Nairobi, on the southern edge where Nairobi National Park runs up against the suburbs and holds one of Kenya's key black rhino populations, with lion, zebra and giraffe on savannah grassland. The Langata Gate is about ten minutes' drive and the Karen Blixen Museum a short walk. Karen Blixen Cottages occupies a five-acre garden estate on Blixen's old coffee land, thirteen rooms across seven cottages under century-old jacaranda and croton trees. Guests check in at Swedo House, a wooden colonial residence built between 1906 and 1908.
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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kenya
Ten nights from Nairobi through Amboseli's elephant corridor and Tsavo to a remote beach lodge on Manda Island.
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kenya, rwanda & tanzania
Eleven nights linking Rwanda's mountain gorillas, the Maasai Mara conservancies and the diving reefs of Pemba Island.
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kenya
Nine nights in Kenya linking Giraffe Manor, Lake Naivasha's Loldia House and Governors' Camp on the Mara River.
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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.
