Kenya 12-Day Luxury Private Tour

Welcome to Kenya. Your driver meets you at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and takes you to your hotel, where the rest of the day is yours to recover from the flight. Nairobi traffic can be slow, so nothing else is planned. If you land early and feel like going out, the Giraffe Centre in Langata is close by and easy to add, or enjoy a garden lunch in leafy Karen. Your local team will check in with you and go over the days ahead, including the soft-bag luggage limit for the two light-aircraft flights. Tonight’s welcome dinner is included, timed around your arrival.

After breakfast you meet your driver-guide and the Land Cruiser that is yours for the safari. The road runs south-east out of Nairobi across the Athi Plains, then turns south at Emali toward the Tanzanian border, about four to four and a half hours in all, with a coffee stop on the way. On clear days Kilimanjaro appears ahead long before you reach the park. Lift the roof as you enter Amboseli, because the drive to your lodge or camp is already a game drive. Have a late lunch and a rest, then head out across the plains as the light softens.

The mountain is usually clearest at dawn, so set out early with a hot drink as the snows of Kilimanjaro catch the first light. Amboseli is known for its large elephant families, which walk each day from the woodland to the green swamps fed by the mountain’s snowmelt, and your guide knows where to wait for them. Buffalo, zebras, hippos and many water birds share the swamps. Return to camp for a late breakfast and a quiet midday, then head out again in the late afternoon, perhaps up Observation Hill for a wide view.

Enjoy a last early drive under Kilimanjaro or a slow breakfast before the short drive to the Amboseli airstrip. By road the Mara is a full day away, so this crossing is made by light aircraft, either on a direct scheduled flight of about an hour or with a short connection at Wilson Airport in Nairobi. We confirm the exact flights before you book. A Land Cruiser and guide meet you on the Mara airstrip for the drive to camp. After lunch and a rest, head out in the late afternoon onto the open grasslands, and return for dinner.

The best wildlife viewing comes early, so set out with a coffee as the sun rises over the plains. Your guide reads the land and follows the animals, from elephant families and giraffes to lions resting in the shade of a lone tree. You can stay out with a picnic breakfast or come back to camp for a late brunch and a quiet midday on your veranda. In the late afternoon, go out again until sunset. Wildlife is never guaranteed, which is part of what makes every sighting feel special.

Early risers can book a hot-air balloon flight at dawn, drifting over the plains as the herds wake below, followed by breakfast in the bush. It is an optional extra and depends on weather and availability. Otherwise, take another morning drive toward the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles gather. Between about July and October the great migration is often in the Mara, though its timing changes every year and river crossings are never certain. Rest at camp through the heat of the day and enjoy a last afternoon drive.

Enjoy a last early drive or a slow breakfast at camp, then set off east with your driver-guide. The road leaves the reserve across open Maasai grassland and reaches Narok, a busy market town and a good place for coffee. Beyond it you drop onto the floor of the Great Rift Valley, with Mount Longonot ahead, and reach Lake Naivasha in about four and a half to five hours. Settle into your lakeside lodge with a late lunch on the lawn. The rest of the day is free, with fish eagles calling over the water and hippos coming ashore at dusk.

In the cool of the morning, take a boat out on Lake Naivasha with your guide. Hippos rest in the shallows, and African fish eagles call from the acacia trees along the shore. The boat lands on Crescent Island, a private sanctuary with no large predators, where you walk among giraffes, zebras, waterbuck and wildebeest. The afternoon is free for the pool, a massage or a nap. If you prefer something active, nearby Hell’s Gate National Park is known for cycling past its red cliffs, an optional extra.

After a slow breakfast by the lake, your driver-guide takes you up the escarpment and back to Nairobi, about two to two and a half hours, with a last look over the Rift Valley on the way. At Wilson Airport you say goodbye before the light-aircraft flight to Ukunda, the small airstrip at Diani, about an hour and a quarter over the plains and the coastal hills. Your driver meets you at Ukunda for the 15-minute transfer to your beach resort. The afternoon is yours, with a swim, a walk on the sand and a long dinner by the sea.

Wake up to the light over the Indian Ocean and let the day unfold on its own. Diani’s beach runs for miles of fine white sand, sheltered by a coral reef that keeps the water calm at low tide. Walk along the shore in the cool of the morning, swim, read in the shade of the palms or book a massage at your resort spa. In the forest patches around Diani, look out for the rare Angolan colobus monkeys. Dinner can be as simple or as special as you like.

If you would like a day on the water, we can arrange an optional dhow trip from Shimoni to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park, about an hour south of Diani. Dolphins are often seen in these waters, though never promised, and the coral gardens are good for snorkeling. Lunch is usually on Wasini Island, a quiet place with no cars. Outings run with licensed operators and depend on tides and sea conditions. If you prefer to stay put, the beach and pool are only a few steps away. Your farewell dinner tonight is included.

Enjoy a final breakfast and a last walk on the beach if your flight allows. If your flight home leaves from Nairobi, your driver takes you to Ukunda for the included domestic flight, timed with plenty of room before your international connection. If you fly out of Mombasa International Airport instead, it is about 1.5 to 2 hours away by road. Your local team stays in touch until you leave. Extra nights on the coast can easily be added if you would like a little longer by the sea.