Into the Wild: 3 Kenya Safaris

Your safari begins at El Karama Lodge in Laikipia, a family-run lodge set along the picturesque banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, with game drives and walking safaris, alongside helicopter safaris and fly-fishing in high-altitude lakes. In the Maasai Mara, House in the Wild offers a private safari experience, with cottages complete with outdoor baths and a wide veranda overlooking the Enonkishu Conservancy. There are varied wildlife encounters here, following the migration routes of wildebeest and zebra, and conservation and community remain deeply connected to the experience.

A final stop at Kinondo Kwetu on Kenya’s southern coast takes you beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean for snorkelling and deep-sea diving. 360’s Travel Designers specifically suggest the Mama Taa Villa for its array of connecting rooms for families, and direct access to a serene sweep of sandy white coastline.

At the heart of this safari is the sense of exclusivity and mobility presented by the camps. In Meru and the Maasai Mara, Cheli & Peacock’s beautifully appointed exclusive-use camps place you directly within the land, combining the old-world romance of traditional mobile safaris with a lavish level of comfort. Alongside traditional game drives, supported by some of Kenya’s finest guides, spotting elephants and leopards, there’ll be hot air ballooning, atmospheric bush dinners and sundowners with exquisite wilderness vistas.

In Kenya’s remote Kalepo Camp, you’ll indulge in a deeply secluded experience, sleeping in silence in solar-powered tents by night and journeying by day with Samburu guides through breathtaking ancient landscapes topped by cloud-forest-covered mountains. Activities are bespoke but can include helicopter safaris, mountain biking and fascinating cultural encounters with Samburu villagers.

Your journey starts at Tumaren Camp, a tented camp positioned beneath the dramatic slopes of Mount Kenya in a 10,500-acre private conservation area. You’ll experience guided walks led by Maasai and Samburu, climbing kopjes and picnics in the open wilds, or sit back to watch the wildlife gather around the busy waterhole next to camp. Next, we track wildlife on foot, walking each day between 5 and 10 miles (8 – 16KM) with a Maasai tracker, alongside Samburu camel caravans past striking sand rivers or ‘luggas’ and lush montane forests in search of elephants, kudu and giraffe.

In the forested highlands of the Mathews Range, you join Kitich Forest Camp for a greener Kenya, lush with hundreds of bird and butterfly species and an ideal base to explore the Ndoto Mountains and Lake Turkana. The final nights are spent at Loisaba Tented Camp, set on a picturesque escarpment with spectacular views across the Laikipia plateau and the endless starry skies. Accommodation here is contemporary and polished, with airy tents benefiting from floor-to-ceiling windows that perfectly frame the landscape. Expect helicopter flights, horseback safaris and frequent sightings of Laikipia elephants, Grevy’s Zebra and Beisa Oryx.