Budget level:
Top-End
Country
Kenya
When to Go
All year
Duration
6 Nights
Safari Type
Lodge and Canvas
Location
Laikipia, The Masai Mara
Safari Rating
This 7-day safari will take you to two of our favourite places in Kenya, the Olare Motorogi Conservancy bordering the Masai Mara and Lewa Conservancy in the Laikipia highlands!
Itinerary in Brief
3-Nights Kicheche Bush Camp
3-Nights Lewa House
Kicheche Bush Camp in the Mara is part of a portfolio of 4 lodges owned by Greg Monson and photographer Paul Goldstein. This is a great team with a real focus on conservation and photography. The Camp is located in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy and consists of only 6 tents making it a very intimate camp. The guiding is also top notch and with a real understanding and focus on photography.
The Camp is located in the Conservancy, but close to the border of the National Reserve which is our view the best location in the Mara. The density of large predators is arguably the highest in Africa. Darren and Emma the managers at the Camp are fantastic hosts and will make your stay so much fun that you would just like to return time and time again! Small intimate camp with great hosts Darren and Emma… best food too!
Lewa House in Laikipia is run by Sophie and Calum who live here with their family of two small children. Sophie is Kenyan and grew up at Lewa House, with family connections to Lewa going back over five generations. It was Sophie’s Great Grandfather who first started conserving wildlife alongside farming.
Lewa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and have some of the best game viewing in the whole of East Africa. It’s home to 350 bird species and 70 mammal species so you’ll have a great chance to see all of the ‘BIG 5’ — lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos, as well as the specialised northern species only found here.
Whilst exploring The Best of Kenya safari you will embark on morning and afternoon game drives with exceptional guides and the opportunity to head out on walking safaris in search of the smaller creatures and sometimes the bigger ones to!
There is good reason why this safari is called “The Best of Kenya”!
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 to 3: Kicheche Bush Camp, Masai Mara
Today your safari adventure begins as you board a chartered flight from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to the Masai Mara landing at Olare Orok Airstrip.
You will be warmly greeted by your guide, hop onto the open game viewer and head to camp, game viewing along the way and arriving at our favourite camp in the Mara, Kicheche Bush Camp. We love this place due to the unique combination of exclusivity, great camp managers/hosts, awesome food and sheer animal and predator numbers, is just irresistible!
With only 6 large stylish furnished tents set far apart to ensure privacy. Each tent has a small lounge area, a spacious en-suite bathroom with a traditional bucket shower. There is also the simple luxury of an elegant common area for relaxing, having tea or dining. Lunch is often served outside under the trees.
You will enjoy morning and afternoon game drives with mostly 4 guests per vehicle and superb guides with a real understanding of photography. Being in a conservancy off-road driving and night drives are possible, ensuring a real close up and personal experience with the iconic large animals.
We highly recommend some bush walks and in addition there is a walking safari option to the other Kicheche camps in the Mara, with a one-night sleep-out in a fly camp on the way. For guests staying 3 or more days a full day trip to the National Reserve is also included. The option to do a hot air balloon flight over the plains is there and this is an unforgettable experience!
Day 4 to 7: Lewa House, Laikipia
After your final game drive and a delicious breakfast at Kicheche, head back to the airstrip and board a chartered flight bound for Lewa Airstrip in the northern highlands of Laikipia.
It will be another warm welcome at the airstrip after which you will head to Lewa House, which is set on top of a hill with engaging panoramic view of the rolling landscape of the Lewa Conservancy. It overlooks the valleys and hills, with the horizon rising to the eye-catching views of the Mathews range and the sacred mountain of the Samburu, Ol Lolokwe, a very special setting indeed!
You will stay in charming cottages which are part of the original house. Cottages consist of a double and twin room, each with an en-suite bathroom. Adjoining the two bedrooms is a large veranda where you and your family can sit and enjoy early-morning biscuits and coffees before heading out into the Conservancy.
The heart of Lewa House is a large elegant building with an open fireplace at one end where you can relax during the day and mingle with a drink before dinner, and at the other is a large family dining table where the evening meals are served, hosted by Calum and Sophie. There is a large shaded veranda extending away from the main house with a comfortable seating area from which you can enjoy a cool afternoon drink and soak in the very special atmosphere of Lewa House. Beautiful shaded gardens surround the house and breakfast or lunch is often served on the lawn. The house also has a large swimming pool which overlooks a waterhole providing some of the best game viewing on Lewa!
The outstanding guiding team at Lewa will be keen to get you out on safari and show you the magic of the conservancy. Being on safari is all about being out in the bush watching game, appreciating how conservation of rare species works, understanding the challenges for communities living nearby and savouring this ancient and diverse environment.
The specially adapted open vehicles allow for excellent viewing, but it is the richness of the game that all guests talk about. All the main African predators, the rare Grevy zebra and of course the threatened black rhino can be viewed in abundance. A particular favourite and well recognised aspect of the area near the lodge are the good elephant numbers and at least weekly sightings of the illusive wild dogs.
The game drives are on your terms using the guide’s experience and are not limited to daylight hours. Guests can also explore the conservancy by night using spotlights and the full moon when it obliges. Spend a morning or afternoon walking with Calum, a FGASA qualified trails guide, which will open up the landscape and let you appreciate the smaller (or sometimes very large!) animals as well as the tracks, trails, signs, sights, sounds and smells of the wilderness – something you often miss from the car!
Lewa House offers a myriad of activities for young and old alike, ensuring that there will never be a dull moment!
After breakfast on the last morning board a light aircraft and head back to Wilson Airport for your onwards connection to the next adventure.
When To Go
| jan | feb | mar | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sep | oct | nov | dec | |
| Laikipia |  | | |  | | |  | | | | | |
| The Masai Mara | | | | | | | | | | | | |
= Best
= Good
= MixedThe Accommodation
Ready for an adventure? Lets Talk!
Contact SAFARI FRANK to get started on your safari of a lifetime!
