A Family Lion King Safari (Luxury; All Ages)

Your safari begins shortly after you arrive at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where you are met and transferred to The Giraffe Manor. A quirky boutique hotel, the manor is well-named as its grounds are the home to several dozen giraffes who have earned an endearing reputation for joining guests at mealtime – or at least seeing whether there is anything to eat at the breakfast table. If there is time, fit in a visit to the nearby Elephant Sanctuary, or just enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of this famous hotel as you relax after your journey. There is Wi-Fi and baby-sitting service plus a massage therapist if you’d like to book a post-flight treatment.

Flying from Nairobi’s local Wilson Airport takes you to the wild Laikipia Plateau and Borana Lodge, set at the heart of a giant conservation area deeply dedicated to conservation and a haven for rhinos. Here you mix game drives with walks, horse riding and mountain biking adventures in a land ringing with the sound of banana-beaked hornbills and cackling spotted hyenas – familiar characters from the movie. You can also visit – and indeed have a sundowner drink on – another familiar image: Pride Rock, from which the lions surveyed their kingdom. For the ultimate thrill, head out with armed rangers and conservationists to track rhinos on foot. The accommodation here is well designed to the needs of different sized families with children of different ages.

A flight takes you from Laikipia to the Samburu National Reserve and a luxurious lodge that looks out over rolling plains towards Mount Kenya. A drier, harsher landscape than Laikipia, Samburu is nevertheless excellent for wildlife and offers a unique mix of classic savannah animals and those of the northern deserts such as unique long-necked gerenuk antelopes. You enjoy game drives before spending time with local conservationists and learning how to track creatures like lions and elephants. A family highlight is the camel safari that takes you for sundowner drinks – and quad biking is available as an optional extra. Your accommodation is the wonderful Sasaab Camp, an especially well-appointed camp with private plunge pools in each suite and comforts such as Wi-Fi, a health and beauty spa, gym, a babysitting service and free laundry. There’s also the chance to spend a night in the wilderness: ask us about the Sasaab fly-camping experience and sleeping out under the stars.

A morning flight gets you to the Masai Mara and your accommodation – Sala Camp – in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive. This is where the ‘Circle of Life’ plays out on the open savannah, a struggle for life and death – and most obviously during the annual Wildebeest Migration when over a million animals pass through the area. But such is the nature of the Mara that the area teems with animals all year round and presents excellent game viewing regardless of whether the Migration is happening. It’s an especially good area for lions – there is a resident local pride – and the general plains game like zebra, giraffe, elephant, antelope and primates. Game drives are the focus here but there are children’s activities lined up too, including nature walks and games such as volleyball. Child minders are available at camp and each suite has its own pool.

There is time for an early morning drive on the Masai Mara savannah before your late-morning flight back to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. Here you are met and transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your onward flight. Note that you may like to book a day room at a hotel or go on an excursion in Nairobi depending on what time your international flight departs – ask us for more information.