Kenya’s Meru, Laikipia and Mara

After arriving at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be transferred to Hemingways Nairobi, a luxurious and sprawling hotel overlooking the Ngong Hills in the tranquil enclave of Karen. Depending on your arrival schedule, there might be time to visit the Karen Blixen Museum, the Giraffe Centre or the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. Alternatively, you can unwind in the hotel’s sauna, steam room, spa or swimming pool.

After breakfast at Hemingways, you will transfer to Wilson Airport for a short-haul flight into Meru National Park. Your accommodation for the next two nights is Elsa’s Kopje, an award-winning private lodge named after the famous lioness of Born Free fame. Set out on daily game drives to explore the diverse landscape and variety of wildlife in Meru.

Although one of Kenya’s more famous national parks, Meru is slightly off the beaten path. This means that you are likely to enjoy its wilderness with few other visitors in sight. Look out for African icons like elephant, hippo, rhino, leopard, cheetah and lion. Enjoy refreshing sundowner drinks in a beautiful location, followed by a special candlelit dinner served in the bush.

Your flight out of Meru is not until after lunch, so there is plenty of time to relax or even go on an early morning nature walk. After lunch, a short flight awaits you to the Loisaba Conservancy, a private wildlife reserve located on the Laikipia Plateau. Your spacious and tastefully decorated suite at Loisaba Tented Camp offers panoramic views. Loisaba is home to a flourishing elephant population, all the big cats, and rare animals like wild dog, Grevy’s zebra and Beisa oryx. Go on daily game drives or join local Samburu guides and head into the Loisaba wilderness on foot, gaining expert insight of the natural environment and the Samburu way of life.

Spend your last morning at Loisaba on a game drive or explore the reserve in a different way: by camelback, horseback or mountain bike. After lunch, you will board another short-haul flight into a remote part of the Masai Mara. Your accommodation for the next couple of nights is Sand River Masai Mara, nestled beneath a grove of shady trees in a gorgeous riverside setting. The Mara, Kenya’s flagship reserve, is most famous for the annual Wildebeest Migration and Sand River is perfectly located to witness this natural phenomenon between July and November. The herds naturally attract all the big cats, hyenas and wild dog, which makes for thrilling predator action. Nonetheless, the Mara offers excellent year-round game viewing, especially if you want to see the Big 5. A fascinating visit to a local Maasai village is also an activity not to be missed.

After one last morning game drive and a breakfast picnic in the bush, you will catch a flight back to Wilson Airport, then transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your onward connection.