Itinerary Details
Day 1: VIP Welcome to Nairobi, Kenya
Upon disembarking your flight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, our VIP Welcome includes personal assistance through immigration and customs formalities. Once through, you will be chauffeured to your hotel.
Day 2: Safari Flight to Laikipia
After breakfast, transfer to Wilson Airport for your included safari flight north to the Laikipia Plateau. On arrival, you'll be warmly met and escorted to your choice of safari camp, each situated on a private conservancy. After lunch, you'll have a chance to settle into your spacious under-canvas suite.The Laikipia Plateau is one of Kenya's most remarkable and least-visited wildlife regions—a vast, semi-arid landscape of open plains, rocky escarpments, and acacia woodland stretching toward the distant silhouette of Mount Kenya. Unlike the more heavily trafficked reserves of southern Kenya, Laikipia is defined by its network of private conservancies, where low visitor numbers, exclusive access, and a deep commitment to community-led conservation create a genuinely intimate safari experience. The region supports one of the highest concentrations of wildlife outside the Maasai Mara, including healthy populations of elephant, lion, leopard, and both black and white rhino. In addition, you will encounter several species rarely seen farther south including the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, and Beisa oryx.This afternoon, join your expert safari guide and fellow lodge guests for your first thrilling game drive across the private conservancy, getting your bearings and keeping a sharp eye out for what wildlife might emerge in the golden afternoon light. Return to camp for a warm welcome and dinner. Meals B+L+D
Day 3: A Full Day on Safari
Rise early for a morning game drive as the plateau comes to life in the cool dawn air. Laikipia's conservancies are renowned for their predator sightings, and with patience your guide may locate lion on an early hunt, leopard retreating to a favored tree, or cheetah surveying the open plains. The region's elephant herds are among the largest in Kenya, and encounters here tend to be unhurried and up-close, a hallmark of the private conservancy experience. Back at camp, enjoy lunch and a midday break to relax, take a refreshing dip in the pool, or simply absorb the sights and sounds of the bush from your verandah.In addition to your daily game drives, your stay on the conservancy includes a guided walking safari. Available only outside the national parks and reserves, this exclusive activity affords one of the most rewarding ways to experience the African bush. On foot and at close quarters, even familiar surroundings reveal themselves differently: fresh tracks, birdsong, insects, and the smaller details of the ecosystem that pass unnoticed from a vehicle can come into sharp focus. The afternoon drive concludes with sundowner cocktails in the bush as the African sky turns gold, a fitting close to a day rich with discovery. Meals B+L+D
Day 4: Another Full Day in Laikipia
Today promises deeper exploration of the rich ecosystems and pioneering conservation efforts that define the Laikipia region, where wildlife protection goes hand-in-hand with sustainable land use and close partnerships with local communities.With several safari drives now under your belt, your eye for wildlife has sharpened, and your guide knows the terrain well enough to seek out any species still on your wish list. During your stay, you'll also enjoy a meal served deep in the African bush, either breakfast or lunch. It's a simple but magical experience that brings you into the heart of the wilderness you've been exploring. After a midday break, venture out for an afternoon game drive.One evening in Laikipia, you'll enjoy another experience available exclusively on private conservancies: an exciting night game drive! As darkness falls and your guide's spotlight sweeps the bush, a different cast of wildlife emerges: leopard and lion on the move, hyena clans gathering at waterholes, and the wide-eyed glimmer of bushbabies in the acacia canopy. With luck, you might even spot the elusive aardvark foraging for termites, or a genet slipping silently through the undergrowth. Meals B+L+D
Day 5: Fly to Maasai Mara
After breakfast, you'll be taken to the airstrip for your safari flight to the fabled Maasai Mara. On arrival, you'll be escorted to your safari camp and beautifully appointed tent with time to unwind before lunch. Later this afternoon, join your expert guide and fellow lodge guests to explore the vast expanse of the greater Maasai Mara ecosystem.Stretching across southwestern Kenya and continuing south into Tanzania's Serengeti, the Mara's game-filled expanse ranks among the most celebrated wildlife regions on the planet. The terrain is a sweeping patchwork of open grasslands, gentle hills, and acacia woodland, crossed by rivers that draw a remarkable abundance of wildlife throughout the year. The Mara is one of the rare corners of Africa where all five of the iconic Big Five—lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo, and rhino—inhabit the same landscape and can, given an experienced guide and some luck, all be encountered in a single drive. Even your first afternoon game drive in the Mara is likely to produce memories you'll be recounting long after the trip ends. Back at camp, a delightful dinner awaits. Meals B+L+D
Day 6: A Day on Safari
Set out early with your skilled safari guide as the plains stir to life in the cool morning air. Dawn is one of the best times to be out on the Mara: predators are frequently still on the move from their nighttime hunts, and the gentle early light offers ideal conditions for game viewing and photography. Home to one of the densest lion populations on the continent, the Mara also rewards patient observers with sightings of leopard resting in an acacia tree or cheetah surveying the grasslands for prey. In between your safari adventures, spending time at camp offers a chance to rest, catch up on reading, or simply take in the beauty of the bush.The late-afternoon outing reveals a different side of the Mara. Elephant herds move steadily across the open savanna and into the woodlands, while Cape buffalo congregate in groups on the plains. Immense herds of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, and other plains game add to the extraordinary spectacle. Rhino, perhaps the hardest of the Big Five to spot, require patience and a sharp-eyed guide, though sightings still happen with regularity. As the light begins to mellow toward dusk, watch for the quieter moments too: a band of mongoose darting through the grass, a lilac-breasted roller perched nearby, or a giraffe ambling along the horizon. Your drive concludes with sundowner cocktails in the bush—a classic safari tradition and a perfect way to toast your first full day in the Mara. Return to camp for dinner with your fellow guests. Meals B+L+D
Day 7: Another Day in the Mara
By now you've settled into the rhythm of the bush, and this morning you can seek out any species still on your wish list or spend unhurried time with a particularly good sighting. Some of the most memorable moments on safari come not from covering ground, but from sitting quietly with a pride of lions or watching a herd of elephants go about their morning routine, as your guide illuminates the behaviors and relationships unfolding before you.Following a restful midday break, your final afternoon drive offers one more opportunity to take it all in. The Mara has a way of always surprising visitors: with the shifting light and animals constantly on the move for food and water, the unexpected is always possible. The region's exceptional birdlife rewards a slower pace as well, with more than 450 species recorded across the greater ecosystem. Watch for a martial eagle circling overhead, the turkey-like southern ground hornbill stalking through the grass, or the kori bustard, the world's heaviest flying bird. As the sky deepens into evening colors, return to camp for a farewell dinner under the African sky. Meals B+L+D
Day 8: Fly Back to Nairobi
After breakfast, you'll be escorted to the airstrip for your included flight back to Nairobi's Wilson Airport. Upon arrival, you'll be warmly greeted by your local guide and escorted to your chauffeured vehicle, which is at your disposal for the rest of the afternoon. Your guide will be happy to offer suggestions for shopping or places where you can have lunch on your own. At the appropriate time, you will be taken to the international airport for your onward journey. Meals B
