kenya
helicopter safari
Twelve nights across Kenya by helicopter, from the Borana rhino conservancy over the Suguta Valley to Turkana, then Laikipia and the Kilifi coast.
- Private Safari
- From $37,100 pp
- 4 guests
- 12 nights
trip highlights
- In Mgahinga you track the Nyakagezi gorilla family and the golden monkeys that move through the bamboo, in a park that receives far fewer trackers than Bwindi.
- Serian sits on private conservancy land in Mara North, so each booking comes with its own 4WD, a dedicated guide and a spotter, with drives that carry on after dark.
- The Mara North Conservancy holds big cats in high density year-round, and from July to October the great migration moves through the wider Mara.
- At Kitich Camp in the Mathews Range you explore on foot, through forest holding more than 350 recorded bird species and over 150 kinds of butterfly.
Scroll for the full itinerary
From the Virungas to the Mathews Range
The route begins in Kigali, Rwanda’s ordered capital, before crossing to Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, where a single habituated gorilla family lives beneath three Virunga volcanoes. From there it moves to Kenya’s Mara North Conservancy, private land beside the wider Mara, then north to the forested Mathews Range, a walking country of rivers, fig trees and cycads. It ends on the edge of Nairobi.
You travel by road and air transfer between the regions, with guided gorilla and golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga, private 4WD game drives in the Mara and forest walks in the Mathews Range. The stays run from a five-star city hotel to hand-built stone bandas, marquee tents above a river and a forest camp, closing at a 1930s manor house with resident giraffes.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Kigali, Rwanda's Ordered Capital
You arrive in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, spread across ridges and valleys and widely regarded as the cleanest city in Africa. There is time to settle after the flight, and the city rewards a walk through the textile stalls of Kimironko Market or a quiet few hours at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Set on Boulevard de la Révolution, the Kigali Serena is the city's established five-star address, built around a polished granite atrium that displays Rwandese art, roughly twenty minutes from the airport.
- Accommodation at Kigali Serena Hotel
Mgahinga, Gorillas Beneath the Volcanoes
On the edge of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park you track the Nyakagezi family, the single habituated gorilla group here, along with the golden monkeys that move through the bamboo. Because the park holds just one gorilla family and receives far fewer trackers than Bwindi, the forest feels unhurried. A short walk from the park gate, the lodge has eight circular bandas hand-built from local volcanic stone under thatch, each with a fireplace and a private veranda angled toward Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura. Praveen Moman opened it in 2002, the first lodge he built.
- Accommodation at Mount Gahinga Lodge
Mara North Conservancy, Big Cats and Plains
On private conservancy land away from the crowded reserve, the days run on your own schedule rather than a fixed departure time, each booking coming with its own 4WD, a dedicated guide and a spotter. The conservancy holds big cats in high density year-round, and from July to October the great migration moves through the wider Mara; away from the national reserve, drives carry on after dark and guides walk you through the bush on foot. Alex Walker's first camp, Serian sets vast marquee tents under big riverine trees above the Mara River, with an open-sided mess and a wide deck for sundowners above the water.
- Accommodation at Serian "The Original"
The Mathews Range, Forest on Foot
In a forested river glade in the Mathews Range of Northern Kenya, the game drive gives way to walking. You move on foot through indigenous montane forest and along the seasonal Ngeng River with Samburu and Ndorobo guides, tracking elephant sign and following birdsong among more than 350 recorded bird species and over 150 kinds of butterfly. Between walks you swim in natural rock pools, picnic in forest clearings and gather at the firepit. Kitich Camp strings canvas tents along the glade beneath the forest canopy, each with a private veranda facing the Ngeng valley, and offers overnight fly-camping deeper into the mountains for those who want it.
- Accommodation at Kitich Camp
Nairobi, Giraffes at the Breakfast Window
The final night is on the edge of Nairobi, where a resident herd of endangered Rothschild's giraffes lives year-round on the estate and the adjoining sanctuary shared with the AFEW Giraffe Centre. At the morning and late-afternoon feeding times they drift up to the house, pushing their long necks through the windows to take pellets from the table and terrace. Built in 1932 and modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge, Giraffe Manor sits on twelve acres within a much larger stretch of forest in the Karen and Langata suburbs, screened from the traffic and the noise.
- Accommodation at Giraffe Manor
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
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
kenya & rwanda
turkana, lewa and the gorillas
Twenty nights from Nairobi through Kenya's northern conservancies to Rwanda's mountain gorillas.
- Private Safari
- From $44,185 pp
- 2 guests
- 20 nights
rated five stars by our clients
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.