Private Kenya Highlights Experience

On arrival at Nairobi Airport, we’ll meet you and transfer you to the Sarova Stanley Hotel or similar. This landmark dates from 1902 and is often regarded as Kenya’s first luxury hotel – Ernest Hemingway stayed here, and the Thorn Tree Café takes its name from the acacia where travellers once pinned messages. The hotel has been modernised while retaining a strong sense of history.Overnight in Nairobi.

We leave Nairobi early after breakfast and travel north towards Samburu via Thika, skirting the slopes of Mount Kenya – Kenya’s highest peak and Africa’s second tallest. The route passes mountain streams and tea and coffee plantations before we continue through Nanyuki to Isiolo, the last major town before the northern frontier. From here it’s a short drive to Shaba National Reserve, known as a filming location for Born Free in the 1960s.We arrive at Sarova Shaba Lodge in time for lunch, then head out on an afternoon game drive, returning to the lodge at sunset. Set among trees on a rocky bend of the Ewaso Ngiro River, the lodge has 80 chalet rooms, four junior suites and one honeymoon suite – with spring-fed waterways running through the grounds that attract abundant birdlife. Crocodile feeding demonstrations and evening entertainment are provided by local Samburu villagers.Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Shaba.

We set out before dawn for a game drive in Shaba National Reserve – also a location for the multiple Oscar‑winning film ‘Out of Africa’ – then return to the lodge for breakfast. Wildlife here includes a large pride of lions, elephants, leopards, gerenuks and elands, with rarities such as the reticulated giraffe. The rest of the morning is at leisure – you can unwind by the pool, which has an island reached by a bridge from the bar, or relax on the terrace overlooking the river. After lunch, we head back out on an afternoon game drive and return to the lodge at sunset. Overnight in Shaba.

After breakfast we leave Shaba, driving south via Isiolo and the northern foothills of Mount Kenya, past Nanyuki to Nyahururu – still widely known as Thomson’s Falls, named for its 75 metres high cascade visible in the distance. We continue to Lake Nakuru for a game drive en route to Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, where the lake often shimmers pink with flamingos. After lunch we head back out for an afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park – a fully fenced 188 square kilometre sanctuary protecting both black and white rhinos, with a growing population of more than 50. Rothschild’s giraffe also thrive here, alongside buffalo, leopard, zebra, eland, waterbuck and lion. The lodge sits within this internationally protected Ramsar wetland and enjoys sweeping views of the lake and its prolific birdlife. Lush gardens surround 65 modern en suite rooms, and meals are served in the lodge, by the pool or beneath tall acacia trees. The Rift Valley bar overlooks the lake, and there is a varied programme of activities and evening entertainment. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in the Lake Nakuru area.

After breakfast, we leave Lake Nakuru for the Maasai Mara National Reserve, driving via Njoro and climbing over the Mau Escarpment. Heading south, we cross Kenya’s ‘breadbasket’ – wide fields of wheat and barley – towards Narok, the gateway to the Maasai Mara. We arrive at Sarova Mara Game Camp to check in and have lunch, then head out on an afternoon game drive, returning to camp as the sun sets.The camp sits inside the reserve’s eastern section in a sheltered, forested valley. During the Great Migration, herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra pass through the area. Accommodation is in 75 tents with permanent roofs and floors, zip-up fronts, attached bathrooms, running hot water and electricity. Wooden walkways over lily ponds link the tents with the main dining and bar areas. Birdlife is plentiful – kingfishers are often seen – and there is a swimming pool with sun loungers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Maasai Mara Reserve.

We enjoy an early breakfast before setting out on a morning game drive in the Maasai Mara National Reserve – home to an exceptional concentration of wildlife, including the Big Five, as well as antelope, gazelles and wildebeest. We return to the lodge for lunch, and you can relax during the heat of the day if you wish. Later, we head out again for an afternoon game drive and visit a Maasai village before returning to camp as the sun sets. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in Maasai Mara Reserve.

We depart the Maasai Mara this morning and drive via Narok, passing rolling wheat and barley fields. We cross the vast plains of the Great Rift Valley – with chances to spot giraffe and gazelle en route – before ascending the escarpment to reach Nairobi around midday. We then provide a drop off in the city centre or at the airport so you can continue with your onward travel arrangements.