Luxury Kenya Safari Itineraries
Luxury & Private Kenya Safaris
When the mind’s eye dreams of an African safari, chances are, it’s a portrait of Kenya. It’s where the modern safari was born and to this day, remains the ultimate destination for wildlife viewing.
From tropical forests that hug the Indian Ocean and open savannah to arid shrubland and Rift Valley lakes, Kenya’s appeal is as diverse as its kaleidoscope of landscapes. Layered upon its dramatic scenery are wonderful opportunities to connect with Indigenous peoples, a pleasing climate well suited to year-round travel, streams of wildlife moving with the Great Migration, and sumptuous safari lodges and tented camps.
Sharing a border with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, the iconic Maasai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s most famous safari destination—and it’s got the wildlife to back up its legendary reputation. Casting an eye further north, exciting safari adventures await on the Laikipia Plateau and in Samburu County—each meriting a visit. South of the Mara, venture into the heart of Maasailand in Amboseli and the Chyulu Hills, where elephant herds gather in the shadow of formidable Mount Kilimanjaro.
Across the country, Kenya’s collection of private conservancies are writing biodiversity comeback stories. For travelers staying in a conservancy, the upside is three-fold: exclusivity away from mass market crowds, knowing tourism dollars cycle directly into conservation and local communities, and a wider diversity of activities not possible in Kenya (or Tanzania’s) national parks and reserves. When you’ve raised your last sundowner on safari, make an easy transfer to a Lamu Island beach or relax into the serene, forested foothills of the Matthews Range.
What to Expect on a Luxury Safari in Kenya
For the most part, luxury safaris in Kenya focus on game drives as the primary mode of wildlife viewing. Days are typically scheduled around an early morning and an afternoon drive. Sunset is observed with sundowners in-hand—a gin and tonic is the tradition, but you might pick a tipple from a tailgate mini bar—served in a scenic spot. Depending on your camp or lodge, a gourmet, multi-course dinner can be taken convivially with other guests, privately in your room or al fresco in the bush. After dark, you might gather round an outdoor fire, stargaze, enjoy a night game drive (depending where you are), lay out on a star bed, or simply retreat to your room to rest for the next glorious day on safari.
Activities like hot air ballooning (in the Mara), guided bush walks, community or conservation project visits, horseback riding, camel safaris, mountain biking, fishing, scenic flights (and so much more) add diversity to the day. Kenya has no shortage of luxurious tented safari camps and lodges spanning a diversity of landscapes ranging from open savannah to acacia woodlands, grassland and coastal beaches, and broadleaf forest.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Great Migrationis often presented as a map emblazoned with a clockwise circuit where wildlife cycles between Tanzania’sSerengetiin the south and Kenya’s Maasai Mara in the north, taking place between May and December, reaching the Mara in July and staying through late September. (If only!) In reality, this illustration is an oversimplification of a complex phenomenon. As with anything that moves with the rhythms of nature, the Great Migration should be interpreted as a pattern rather than gospel. Still, there are some general guidelines for when and where to visit. We explain it all in ourComplete Guide to The Great Migration in Africa—have a read!
The Mara is one of Africa’s premier wildlife viewing areas. In our humble opinion, it’s the best. At minimum, you should spend three nights but you can easily spend a week in the Mara, especially when combining two different areas likeMara North Conservancyand Naboisho Conservancy, for example. You don’t have to spend the entire time in the game vehicle, either. We can help select properties that offer walks, cultural activities and even horseback riding.
Kenya is a malaria endemic country and visitors are at risk of contracting the mosquito-transmitted disease when traveling in areas below 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) above sea level, especially during the short and long rains (March to May and November to December.) TheCDCrecommends that travelers going to certain areas of Kenya take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Consult your doctor to assess which antimalarial is the best option for you.
Kenya is a very family-friendly safari destination. In fact, it’s one of our favorite places to send parents traveling with their kids. Many properties offer adjoining rooms or exclusive-use villas for a home-away-from home experience. Kenya’s conservancies offer the best flexibility, boasting a wide array of activities and amenities. (Think: pools, kid-friendly programming, childminding, “bumbles,” scavenger hunts, etc.) Set on exclusive tracts of protected land, choosing a private vehicle and guide means your day can revolve around your children’s needs, rather than scheduled game drives. Plus, unlike strictly regulated national parks, the littles will be able to stretch their legs beyond the vehicle with a bit more freedom.If you’d like a firsthand account of what it’s like to go on safari with young children, connect with our family specialists who have done it themselves.
Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is not only well connected to international gateways in Europe (through which many American travelers transit), it’s also a major hub for East Africa. You can land, catch a night’s rest in a chic hotel and then promptly fly onward to your safari destination or beach escape via a local carrier.
Traveling overland by road is possible in Kenya, thanks to a robust highway network. You’ll often see this option normalized on mass market Kenya safari tours. However, road conditions and the obstacles along them can stretch a journey to an uncomfortable duration. Travelers who have recently spent a full day flying to Kenya won’t likely want to spend much more time in transit. Plus, you’re going to be spending many more hours seated, rumbling down corrugated roads while enjoying game drives!Most parks, reserves and conservancies have one or more airstrips serviced by scheduled or charter light aircraft. These six-to-12 seaters are practical, scenic and more affordable than you might think. The difference in time is appreciable. From Nairobi to the Mara by road can take five-and-a-half hours on a good day; by air, it’s just one hour and 15 minutes. Simply put, flying is a far more luxurious and refined way to get around.As a collective, the EJ team doesn’t recommend a driving safari in Kenya. Don’t get us wrong, we love the charm of a good road trip that unfurls through pretty landscapes; Kenya’s highways are not that experience.
Kenya and Tanzania are equally wonderful places to experience a classic, East African safari. Both offer incredible wildlife viewing and share the Great Migration.Kenya’s wild spaces are a collection of national parks, national reserves and private conservancies. A conservancy is land managed by an individual owner, group or community for the purpose of wildlife conservation. They operate in close cooperation with local communities and generate revenue through small scale tented safari camps or lodges. Conversely, much of Tanzania’s protected lands are designated as national parks. (By some estimates, 38 per cent of Tanzania is protected land—one of the highest proportions in the world.) Just as we experience in the United States, national parks in East Africa are subject to permitting, rules, and regulations. From a visitor perspective this means abiding by park hours, possible crowding, and the inability to get out of the safari vehicle to really stretch your legs or enjoy a night game drive. There’s nothing wrong with staying in a national park or reserve, but we love to recommend Kenya’s private conservancies to our travelers. Since they’re not subject to the same stringent standards, you’re able to better direct your schedule, pursue your interests, wander off the beaten track, enjoy guided bush walks or walking safaris, shirk the crowds and enjoy a wider array of activities.Otherwise, Kenya scores points for accessibility, thanks to better road infrastructure, great international connections to Nairobi, and a longer history of tourism. Its Maasai and Samburu cultural interactions are also a visitor highlight. In EJ’s opinion, the Maasai Mara is second-to-none for game viewing in East Africa.Alternatively, for some travelers, the appeal of Tanzania’s Northern Circuit (icons include Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater) are a siren’s call they can not resist. Safari-goers who want to end their trip at the beach might prefer to do so in Zanzibar. Tanzania also offers chimp trekking, which is not possible in Kenya. However, regions of Tanzania can be more difficult to reach, meaning getting around can take longer. It’s also slightly more expensive to go on safari in Tanzania.Joyfully, those who have the time, can easily combine Kenya and Tanzania on a single itinerary via direct flights connecting the Maasai Mara with the Serengeti.
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