You arrive at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and are met by our local guide, Nicholas who says Jambo! (“Hello!” in the local Kiswahili language) and transfers you to your boutique hotel in the leafy upmarket suburb of Karen. Should you wish and depending on your arrival time, Nicholas will happily commence your exploration of Nairobi this afternoon.  

Regarded as the major economic and transport hub of East Africa, Kenya’s sprawling capital of Nairobi is an unavoidable stopover on many travellers’ itineraries. While most wouldn’t choose to spend longer in the city than necessary, its temperate climate makes it a wise location to acclimatise and recuperate when first arriving in East Africa, which can take a day or two due to the long journey most travellers endure to get here. 

Your time in Nairobi can be totally customised to your wishes.  Nicholas accompanies you for the entire day and you don’t have to decide on what you want to do/see until you arrive. Suggested sights and experiences include visits to the city’s renowned Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage as well as the Giraffe Centre, along with Karen Blixen Museum and a number of crafts shops and workshops. There is also Nairobi National Park, which offers a surprisingly authentic if slightly surreal safari experience almost within earshot of downtown Nairobi’s traffic.

A popular inclusion is lunch or dinner at the famed Carnivore Restaurant, where meats – including game such as impala and wildebeest - are grilled over charcoal and continuously brought to your table until you lower the flag in surrender.

Nicholas transfers you to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport for the short flight to the Kalama Conservancy wilderness area in Northern Kenya’s Samburu region. You are greeted by your camp guide and immediately embark on a game drive on the way to your camp. Over this afternoon and the following two days, enjoy your choice of bush walks and day and evening game drives as well as village visits (additional cost) and bush picnics. Families are also welcome to request a day at the Saruni Warriors Academy, which is an interactive learning experience that combines learning and fun as well as wildlife and culture for children and their parents. 

Samburu is the traditional homeland of the Samburu people and one of Kenya’s most dramatic landscapes. This semi-arid region is home to dry-country specialists like the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, Beisa oryx, and gerenuk — collectively known as the “Samburu Special Five.” Elephants are ever-present, and sightings of lion, leopard and even wild dog are possible.

You are now met by our driver (usually Fred or Gideon) and enjoy a morning’s drive south to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, arriving in time for lunch. Your time here includes game drives and bush walks that can be accompanied by bush meals and sundowner drinks. One of your game drives will include a visit to view the world’s last two remaining northern white rhinos along with a guided back-of-house tour of Jane Goodall’s Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary.  

To the north-west of Mount Kenya, Laikipia has become one of Kenya’s leading safari regions. A mix of private conservancies and former ranchland, it supports conservation while involving local Samburu and Masai communities. Ol Pejeta combines rhino protection, sustainable cattle grazing, and pioneering conservation work. Sweetwaters is a refuge for over 40 chimpanzees, while the critically endangered northern white rhinos are protected in a closely guarded 30km² sanctuary.

You are reunited with Gideon who transfers you to Lake Naivasha, in the heart of Kenya’s Rift Valley. This afternoon you enjoy a boat safari on this scenic freshwater lake while after dinner, you embark on a night game drive in the surrounding lakeshore forest. Subject to your arrival time from Ol Pejeta, we can also include a visit (and a scrumptious colonial High Tea complete with scones, jam and fresh cream) to the nearby ‘Elsamere’ homestead of Born Free author and conservationist, Joy Adamson. 

Lake Naivasha lies in the heart of the Rift Valley at 2,000m, offering a cool and pleasant climate. Its western shore remains beautiful despite pressures from human settlement and flower farms. Boat trips glide past papyrus swamps with sightings of hippo and fish eagles. Night drives reveal giraffe, zebra and sometimes leopard and aardvark.

NOTE: For a more wildlife-focused itinerary. it’s possible to replace Lake Naivasha with an overnight stop in the nearby Lake Nakuru National Park.

This morning you fly to one of Kenya’s premier wildlife destination, the Masai Mara. The flight travels over the tribal homelands of the Masai before arriving at an airstrip on the fringe of the reserve, where you meet your camp guide and enjoy a game drive transfer to the camp. You stay here for three nights and your safari experiences include walking safaris and day and evening game drives – on one of your days you may wish to embark on a full day’s drive with a picnic lunch provided. Cultural visits to the nearby Masai village can also be arranged, as can a sunrise balloon safari (both at additional cost). 

The Masai Mara is Kenya’s most famous wildlife area, part of the Greater Serengeti ecosystem and home to the Great Migration of wildebeest. From predators like lion and cheetah to abundant grazers and dramatic river crossings, the Mara offers excellent year-round wildlife viewing.

Your camp guide now returns you to the airstrip for your day’s journey to the equatorial forests of East Africa—home to the mountain gorilla. You first fly to the Ugandan hub of Entebbe for immigration into Uganda. From there, you fly onwards to Kihihi and transfer by 4×4 to Buhoma, the village overlooking the “gorilla forest.”

Bwindi is one of Africa’s oldest and most biologically diverse forests, home to more than half the world’s population of mountain gorillas. It also shelters a number of other primate species along with forest elephants and many endemic bird species. The village of Buhoma offers meaningful cultural engagement and the opportunity to support community-led initiatives.

One of your days here will include a gorilla trek while the other can include (at additional cost) another gorilla trek (to a different family) or a guided nature/birding walk into the forest, which is also a worthy alternative for those not participating in the gorilla trek. We will also arrange a guided walk in the village to view some of the cultural/environmental projects being coordinated by Mahogany Springs Lodge. There’ll also be time to simply enjoy the ambience of being in the unique environment of Equatorial East Africa. 

We now say Kwaheri (“Goodbye” in the local Kiswahili language) as you are returned to Kihihi airstrip for your flight to Entebbe and onward travels home. For late evening/early morning flight departures, we can include an afternoon and evening at a boutique guesthouse in Entebbe as well as a sunset cruise on nearby Lake Victoria.