KENYA
Kenya is the original. The word "safari" is Swahili and the concept as we know it was essentially invented here, and Kenya is still where the form is practiced at its highest level. The Maasai Mara at the height of the migration is a wildlife spectacle that genuinely cannot be described, you simply have to be there and experience the awe of sunrise for yourself. The private conservancies of Laikipia and the Chyulu Hills offer the kind of access and intimacy the national parks cannot match. Elephant herds at the foot of Kilimanjaro in Amboseli. Lamu Island's Swahili heritage on the Indian Ocean coast. Kenya is for travelers who want safari with depth, and who understand that the best version of this experience involves walking, tracking, and time spent with the Maasai and Samburu people whose land you have the privilege of passing through.
A Taste of What's Possible
Walk with the Maasai into the Loita Hills
Visit a world-renowned elephant rescue
Go lion tracking in Nanyuki with conservationists
Where You'll Stay
We spend a lot of time obsessing over the perfect accommodations. Our favorites tend to be smaller, boutique properties with a unique sense of style and fantastic service.
Here are just a few of our favorites...
Three of Our Favorite Spots
MASAI
MARA
01
Africa's most famous wildlife reserve is legendary for a reason. At peak migration, nearly two million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle cross the Mara River in one of the largest land mammal movements on Earth, a spectacle so outsized it requires recalibrating your sense of what nature is capable of. The Maasai have lived alongside this wildlife for centuries, and there is nothing quite like the honor of being personally welcomed onto their sacred land.
NAKURU
02
A snow-capped Kilimanjaro rises dramatically over the plains of Kenya's second-most-visited park. Black rhino, dense herds of plains game, resident lion and cheetah, and one of the best-documented elephant populations on Earth. Amboseli remains one of the last strongholds for "super tuskers," bulls with tusks weighing over 100 lbs each. Go for the elephants, but don’t miss the mountain at dawn.
SAMBURU
03
North of the equator, the landscape turns dry and otherworldly, and the wildlife follows suit. The so-called Samburu Five — reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, Beisa oryx, and Somali ostrich — exist nowhere else on Earth, which makes Samburu not just a safari destination but a genuinely irreplaceable one.
"“Laura and I had a magical time in Kenya! I don't think we realized how beautiful the land, people and wildlife was until experiencing in person. We both agree that it was a life changing experience and will forever hold our trip to Kenya close to our hearts!"
- Laura and Kara // New York City
Sample Itinerary
The Mara, the Mountain, and the Rift Valley: Classic Kenya
Day 1: Arrive in Nairobi where your driver-guide will meet you at the airport and whisk you south to Amboseli National Park, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Rest at your lodge or perhaps head out on an afternoon game drive in search of your first elephant.
Day 2: Enjoy morning and afternoon game viewing drives and with luck, the snow-capped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro will be visible, creating a spectacular backdrop to the peacefully grazing animals. Enjoy lunch and R&R between your safari adventures.
Day 3: Head north through the central highlands toward Mount Kenya — a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site held sacred by the Kikuyu people. Settle into your remarkable tree lodge perched above a floodlit salt lick and watering hole, where a procession of animals arrives as the day cools.
Day 4: Today you will journey onward into one of Kenya's most otherworldly landscapes — the dry, sun-bleached plains of Samburu. A late afternoon game drive introduces you to the famous "Samburu Special Five": unique species found only north of the equator: reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, Beisa oryx, and Somali ostrich. You will also be privileged to see Samburu tribesmen bringing their cattle down to the river to drink.
Day 5: Enjoy an early morning game drive when animals are at their most active. Seek relief from the hot African sun back at your luxurious camp before one last drive in Samburu National Reserve.
Day 6: Leave the unique species and landscapes of Samburu behind you as you set out to one of the great Rift Valley Lakes. Arrive in time for a late afternoon in Lake Nakuru National Park, which teems with wildlife ranging from lions to buffalos to rhinos to the elusive leopard. Settle into your beautiful lodge with spectacular views over Lake Nakuru.
Day 7: Spend another exciting day in the park with morning and afternoon game viewing drives. Lake Nakuru National Park is particularly renowned for its amazing birdlife, with over 450 bird species. The waters of the lake also draw a great variety of game to its shores.
Day 8: Today you are off to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Spend the afternoon relaxing at your new luxurious camp before your first exciting evening game drive in Maasai Mara Reserve, one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves. The Mara is an incredible place to witness one of nature’s awe-inspiring wonders, the Great Migration of wildebeests.
Days 9-10: Spend two full days in the extraordinary Masai Mara on game drives in search of the Big Five and other game along the expansive acacia-dotted plains and tree-lined rivers. You may encounter a pride of lions stalking their prey, a herd of elephants and their fascinating social structure, or see pods of hippo wallowing in the rivers. One morning, take an unforgettable hot-air balloon flight over the plains.
Day 11: On the car journey back to the Nairobi airport, stop at the dramatic Rift Valley for one last photo opportunity before flying home.
