DAY 1
Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya’s capital and the tech hub of Africa, with a national park spread beneath its skyscrapers, Nairobi is unique. You will be whisked away from the hubbub to Hemingways, a sumptuous haven of calm, built on an old coffee plantation at the foot of the Ngong Hills. It’s ideally placed for exploring – perhaps to feed the inmates at the Giraffe Centre, meet orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or visit the Karen Blixen Museum. Or you might simply feel like relaxing on site, where you can wander the bird-filled gardens, dip in the pool, take afternoon tea on the terrace or sip cocktails in the Hemingways bar.
DAY 2
Meru National Park
A vast wilderness, Meru National Park features jungle, coursing rivers, swampland, khaki grasslands and gaunt termite cathedrals, all intertwined under a seemingly endless African sky. Little visited and utterly unspoilt, few places are comparable. Elsa’s Kopje is in the heart of the park, perched around the rocky Mughwango hill and offering 360 degree views that stretch from the 17,000 foot peak of Mt Kenya to the east, to virtually infinity to the west. Below the hill is the site of George Adamson’s camp, and the hill was the playground of Elsa the lion. There is a fertile spring to the east of the hill and you can watch vast herds of elephant, buffalo and giraffe make their way across the plains below. Elsa’s Kopje is one of only two lodges in the National Park, and so you will have this vast wilderness practically to yourself.
DAY 3
Meru National Park
Your best chance of spotting game is early in the morning or late afternoon, so rise early and head off into the wilderness. After a morning filled with excitement return to the lodge to relax and to enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Explore more of Meru National Park on a game drive with sundowner drinks served overlooking the park, before returning to the lodge in time for dinner. Meru has enormous diversity of habitat and wildlife, from cool forests at 3400 ft to the west, dropping down to 1000 ft semi-desert plains with giant baobab and commiphora trees. It has thirteen clear spring fed rivers lined with palms and riverine forest, and home to basking hippo. This is lion and elephant country, but you’ll also discover rare species including caracal, the beautiful Lesser Kudu, aardwolf, and over 400 species of birds. The park also has an 84 sq km rhino sanctuary housing over 60 black and white rhino.
DAY 4
Loisaba Conservancy
Great game, good looks, high adventure, an exclusive feel and a groundbreaking attitude to conservation make the Loisaba Conservancy one of the most exciting destinations in Kenya. Sitting within Northern Laikipia, it’s a ravishing landscape of rolling river valleys, rich forests and open plains, home to the Big Five, endangered rarities like wild dog and more than 260 species of birds. As the wildlife is varied here, so are your options for getting out among it. The contemporary-luxe Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp – perched on an escarpment, with unhindered views to Mt Kenya – offers excellent game drives, of course.
DAY 5
Loisaba Conservancy
The day is full of activities you can choose from, ride through the bush on horse-back – a thrilling way to get unusually close to wild animals. Or you could bound down the ridges by mountain bike, raft through canyons and take a sunset trek by camel. Or witness Loisaba’s cutting-edge conservation first- hand. Visit the conservancy headquarters to see the extraordinary work being done here and meet the sniffer dogs – Warrior, Machine, Memusi and Nanyokie – and the anti-poaching team to find out how they safeguard the wilderness.
DAY 6
Masai Mara
Nowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant than the magnificent Masai Mara. Creatures galore roam these sweeping, acacia-dotted plains. And while the seasonal migration of two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle crossing from the Serengeti is one of Mother Nature’s greatest spectacles, the profusion of wildlife here – from 450 species of bird to the Big Five makes it one of the best safari spots year round. Elewana Sand River Masai Mara, it goes above and beyond. You’ll feel a little bit movie star at this opulent 1920s-style camp, with its dark wood, draped four-posters and antique furnishings adding bygone glamour to the bush. Even better is the camp’s location, on the banks of the serene Sand River: you might spot herds of ungulates crossing from the comfort of your own verandah.
DAY 7
Masai Mara
The Mara will never disappoint. The animal encounters – often so close you hardly dare breathe are just too good. Todays activities are game drives and/or a Masai Village visit.
DAY 8
Travelling
DAY 9
Nairobi, Kenya
Relax over breakfast before jetting back to Nairobi, where cocktails at Hemingways await – whether you’re about to fly home or continue your journey, you’ll want to toast this sublime Kenyan adventure.
