Kenya's Tented Amboseli & Mara (Private Overland)

On arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, your guide will meet you and whisk you to your vehicle for the drive to Amboseli National Park.

As you drive through the changing landscape of villages and farms, your surroundings gradually become more open and rugged, and the bulk of Mount Kilimanjaro looms into view. Drawing closer, you enter the Selenkay Conservancy bordering Amboseli, and shortly thereafter arrive at Porini Amboseli Camp. Enjoy a delicious lunch in the shade of a spreading Tortilis tree, and then settle into your spacious canvas suite. As the afternoon begins to cool down, you wander over to the mess tent for high tea before departing on your game drive.

Heading into the Selenkay Conservancy, you seek out a multitude of big game in the enigmatic light of an equatorial afternoon. Red dust billows around a herd of buffalo on the move, the sunlight creating an intriguing interplay of shadow and colour.
As the sun dips on to the horizon, your guide selects a scenic spot alongside a waterhole where you can stretch your legs, and produces a hamper crammed with ice cold drinks and snacks. As the sky changes colour and the landscape before takes on shadowy hues of purples and golds, you raise your glass in a salute to the glorious African sunset.

As the stars begin to appear in the great arching dome of sky above, you make your way back to camp while your guide deftly wields a spotlight to look for nocturnal animals as they emerge into the darkness. A hyena looks at the vehicle curiously, eyes glowing in the light, before silently melting back into the night. Genets leap acrobatically through the trees, bush babies peer at you with enormous eyes, and porcupines shuffle through the undergrowth.

Back at the camp, you share stories of your adventures in the warm glow of the fire before sitting at the table bathed in candle light for a sumptuous meal below the stars.

A freshly brewed hot drink delivered to your door awakes you from your slumber, and you quickly find yourself enjoying the breakfast buffet in the cool dawn air. Setting off in the safari vehicle with your guide, you drive into Amboseli National Park.

Famed for its population of enormously tusked elephants, this is the place to capture iconic images of Africa’s largest land mammal, with Kilimanjaro, Africa’s largest free-standing mountain as a compelling backdrop.

Stopping in the shade of a tree at midday, you enjoy a delicious picnic lunch prepared by the lodge kitchen. Sipping on a chilled drink and nibbling on assorted delicacies, you find yourself lost in thought, gazing out the tremendous view of open plains dominated by the huge bulk of Kilimanjaro.

Continuing your game drive into the afternoon, you come across a herd of elephants lumbering out of the woodland towards the marsh. Marvelling at the soundless way in which they move, you watch as they march in single file along a path worn smooth by centuries of use. As they reach the water, you almost feel the sense of joy and relief as they wade in, splashing and rumbling quietly. The younger members of the herd cannot contain their excitement and rush in headlong, playfully shoving and splashing each other like exuberant children. After a few spellbinding minutes, at some unheard signal, the herd turns and moves back into the nearby forest, silent as ghosts.

Returning to the lodge in the dusky glow of sunset, you find a comfortable chair at the fireside to enjoy a chilled drink and mull over the experiences of the day before a sumptuous dinner is served in the dining room.

After breakfast, your guide takes you for a walk. Walking through the wilds of Africa is a wonderful experience, enhanced by your guide sharing his vast knowledge of the animals, pathways and plants that you encounter along the way. He will show you which herbs are medicinal, which roots are edible, the footprints of a variety of game, and tell you the secrets of a termite mound. The exhilaration of being on foot in the wilderness is a unique experience, where your senses become sharper and clearer, the air takes on a new aroma, and every step leads to new discoveries. Arriving at a Maasai village, or Manyatta, you visit the inhabitants and learn of their culture and pastoral way of life that has co-existed with the wilderness for centuries.

Returning to the lodge, you have lunch before departing on the drive to Nairobi Tented Camp in Nairobi National Park. This unique park has the distinction of being a stones throw from a bustling metropolis, yet populated by a great variety of big game. On your way to the camp, you have the opportunity to spot giraffes, buffalo and lions lurking in the shade.
Arriving at the camp, you enjoy a delicious cold drink below the spreading branches of a shady tree before settling into your canvas suite.

In the late afternoon, you venture out into the park for a game drive, where the chance of spotting a rare rhinoceros is a very real possibility, as well as having the unique opportunity to photograph African plains game with the skyscrapers of Nairobi in the background!

Returning to camp in the early evening, enjoy a scrumptious dinner by candle light before slipping off to bed, serenaded by the sounds of the African night outside.

Depart Nairobi Tented Camp after breakfast and drive to the airport, where a plane waits to wing you to the fabled Masai Mara. Your guide meets you and takes you for a game drive through the Ol Kinyei Conservancy, a private concession bordering the Mara, and soon you arrive at Porini Mara Camp. This stylish tented camp is perched on the bank of the Laetoli River, where thirsty animals often come to drink. Enjoy a delicious lunch on the terrace, then discover your suite to settle in.

In the late afternoon, you set off for your game drive into the conservancy. During the Great Migration between July and September, in excess of a million wildebeest, zebra and gazelles pass through this area, driven by an instinct as old as time to seek out water and fresh pastures.

Outside of the migration period, however, plenty remains to be seen. Resident animals include the Big 5, and wildlife encounters of a first-class nature abound.

Driving through this wondrous landscape of grassy plains dotted with flat-topped acacia trees that stand like lone sentinels, you feel the immensity of the space that surrounds you.

Under the spell of the endless plains, you watch the herds on the move, find the lurking predators, wonder at the silent passage of a multitude of elephants. As the sun dips toward the horizon, your guide selects a scenic spot to stretch your legs, and a sundowner hamper appears. You stand gazing at an unending vista, cocktail in hand while the sun paints the sky in otherworldly colours, marvelling at the wildness and beauty of the moment.

An early start sees you heading into the Masai Mara Reserve itself. As the rising sun brings the world into sharp relief, you roll across the undulating plains dotted everywhere with grazing antelope.

Your guide unlocks the secrets of this fascinating world for you, how the interconnecting web of life fits together, who depends on whom, and where the animals are to be found. Selecting a tree on the horizon as a destination, he drives you to where you discover a picnic table set in its shade, a mouth-watering selection of dishes laid out for your enjoyment. As you take in this spectacular scene, sip on a chilled drink and indulge the appetite you have worked up in the morning’s excitement. Afterwards, relax in the shade as you daydream in the gentle breeze. Feeling refreshed, you then continue the adventure, letting nature dictate your pace as the afternoon wears on.

Exiting the reserve, you drive into the Ol Kinyei Conservancy for a sundowner stop followed by a night drive. As your guide deftly wields his spotlight, you watch the beam intently, looking for the tell-tale reflection from the eyes of nocturnal creatures as they emerge into the night.

After you final morning game drive, you bid Porini Mara farewell and depart for the airstrip. As you fly back to Nairobi, you gaze out the window at the endless and primal landscape below. Reminiscing on the adventures of the previous days, you recall the magical moments you have had- the sight of Kilimanjaro framing a herd of elephants, the warm hearts of the people you have met, the sunset over the Masai Mara’s plains. All of these will remain with you forever, and compel you to return to Africa again.