Southern Kenya is home to many of Africa's most evocative natural landscapes. Wildebeest-covered Maasai Mara grasslands blur into Mount Kilimanjaro's slopes and then into Tsavo's evocative savanna, which then rolls towards white sandy beaches. A safari across the south connects the mystique of them all as you unravel East Africa's famous, yet untouched, destinations. Each stop brings a fresh safari experience as the different panoramas are a home for multifarious wildlife and all the charms of the wild.
Upon arrival you will be picked up by your safari guide and transferred to Emakoko. A small boutique lodge with only ten rooms and one private house, The Emakoko is uniquely positioned on the southern boundary of the Nairobi National Park. Home to, and hosted by Emma and Anthony Childs and their small family, it is the ideal place to start or end a safari within the wildlife environment that guests come on safari to experience. The drive time from both the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the domestic Wilson airport is only forty five minutes, the majority of which is spent game driving through Nairobi National Park. Within twenty minutes of clearing Customs and Immigration one can be game driving through Nairobi National Park to get to The Emakoko.
Kenya’s first and oldest National Park, Nairobi National Park is surprisingly deceptive. The Park is over 100 sq km in size and has one of East Africa’s most successful black rhino breeding population. A bird lovers paradise the Park has a spectacular abundance of fauna and flora and is home to four of the Big Five. The proximity of Nairobi, albeit on the other side of a National Park, gives The Emakoko’s guests an unrivaled flexibility in daily choices. Game drives in the Park are incredibly productive while excursions and forays into the Karen and Langata area to visit The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum and other local attractions are popular. The Emakoko can also take guests to nearby art galleries, local shops and cafes.
After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Wilson airport for your maiden flight to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. You will pass volcanic mountain domes, cruise over a rolling band of green hills, then watch the landscape open onto uninterrupted plains. The Maasai Mara comes into view as the expansive grasslands that are speckled black by large wildebeest and zebra herds. From the air, you will sense the enormity, and as soon as you land, you will savor the intimacy. Elephants and giraffe are seen from the airstrip, and there's a mythical rumbling of hooves, with tens of thousands of mammals on the move.
Your safari starts straight away as your transfer from the airstrip to Angama Mara, you will have immediate encounters with most of the Big Five. Big tuskers watch you pass, and bushy buffalo herds will stop and stare as a lion pride drapes itself across clumps of rock. After you check into camp, you can continue to watch the animals as your verandah provides a near mythical view over the Mara grasslands. A dedicated game drive will start in the middle of the afternoon, and you will be quickly acquainted with the iconic animals. As a first-day safari, it is hard to rival the Maasai Mara as the plains showcase both mammal diversity and big game abundance.
The Maasai Mara overflows with wildlife regardless of the month you visit. On all drives, you will find large clumps of wildebeest and zebra, even if it is not the great migration season of July to October. Lion pride is another constant as the landscape's kings prefer to lounge in the open. Leopards and cheetahs are more furtive than the lion, but their profusion makes sightings likely over these first three days. These days of game drives are partly about your adventure on a rough journey across these famous plains that teem with life yet they also bring serenity as the wilderness quickly wraps its blanket around you.
Situated in the heart of East Africa, Angama Mara, named after the Swahili word for ’suspended in mid-air’, is a five-star family owned luxury safari lodge providing you with a dreamlike experience of being caught somewhere between heaven and earth. With two totally separate camps, both with 15 tented suites, the rare beauty of Angama Mara will enchant you with its unrivalled exclusivity, breath-taking views and spectacular year round “Big 5” wildlife. Serviced by a private hardtop airfield, from the moment guests arrive at Angama Mara they are welcomed into spacious architecture that stresses expanses of open glass and decking from which to appreciate the spectacular views.
Your light aircraft will skirt the Kenya/Tanzania border, and you will cruise past the unmistakable summit of Kilimanjaro, the world's highest freestanding mountain. Touch down and you will quickly notice that Kilimanjaro isn't the only one of nature's giants here. Elephants march across the Amboseli savanna and swing their trunks beneath the mystical mountain summit. Giraffe provides another iconic panorama with long necks juxtaposed with steep slopes. In Amboseli, you will always have two perspectives: zoom in on the big game that occupies the national park, like lion pride and a wide assortment of antelopes. Or, refocus to watch these animals beneath Kilimanjaro's resplendent frame. Even from your luxury camp, there are always these two focal points that compete for your memories.
Over these two days, you will follow the classic game drive itinerary and explore morning and afternoon with rest through the middle of the day. Amboseli is one of Kenya's most scenic destinations, and while the wildlife isn't as plentiful as the Masai Mara (virtually nowhere in Africa is), the charming mountain backdrop more than compensates. Often the slopes are photogenically green to enhance further the impression that Amboseli comes straight from the African safari postcards. Like in the Masai Mara, game drives bring thrill and adventure, yet they also imbue a sense of serenity in Southern Kenya; the wilder the landscape is, the more you feel the connection with it.
Angama Amboseli is an intimate lodge in the heart of Kimana Sanctuary, Kenya’s first community-owned conservancy, renowned for its lush landscape and remarkable density of wildlife — along with its famed backdrop, Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Set within a Fever Tree forest where some of Africa’s last Super Tuskers roam — elephants with tusks so large they drag along the ground as they walk — Angama Amboseli is a gentle start or finish to any East African safari. The camp comprises 10 luxurious tent each with an immaculate view of Mt Kilimanjaro with a contemplary African design from the canvas, concrete and earthy neutral colours. The suites have a butlers lobby the lead to super king size extra length bed and the bedroom is fashioned with personalised drinks. The camp also has two sets of a family rooms that can accommodate two adults and four children with a game room and array of child friendly activities with the staff always ready to assist with the young ones.
After breakfast, you will transfer to Chyulu Hills - a virtually continuous band of preserved land stretches across Southern Kenya from Amboseli to the Indian Ocean, divided into a variety of parks. The boundaries are dictated by the natural changes in the landscape. Chyulu Hills is a volcanic sweep of hills and mounds with nothing flat or monotone as it tumbles away from Kilimanjaro. After the early safari starts, a day in this park helps you to reenergize as a variety of antelope skip around, and many of them surround your lodge accommodation. Rather than focus on the wildlife drama, the short day of driving is filled with nature's enchantment. You can also leave the vehicle and walk to follow trails over a park that always appears as fresh and green. It's the sort of place you want to photograph and then frame on your wall, so it's calming effect can continue through future decades. You will check in at the luxurious Ol Donyo Lodge.
The captivating ol Donyo Lodge is tucked away in the cool shadow of the Chyulu Hills neighbouring Amboseli, one of Kenya’s most prized safari destinations. The lodge boasts spacious guest suites, no two of which are the same. Each features their own exclusive plunge pool, as well as a rooftop terrace where an elegant star bed can be set up to sleep beneath the glittering night sky.
Guests can dine on tantalising meals, accompanied by an extensive wine list, and served in the elegant dining area. After a rewarding morning of wildlife viewing, guests can choose to cool off in the inviting infinity pool or indulge in a relaxing massage. Flexibility is key at ol Donyo and guests are encouraged to curate their own time, well suited to their interests, while on safari. Activities include game drives (and night drives), guided bush walks, exhilarating horseback safaris (for intermediate to experienced riders), Maasai village visits, day trips to the Amboseli National Park (at an extra cost) and mountain biking. ol Donyo’s famous underground hide is a true highlight, allowing guests to witness super tusker elephants drinking at a nearby waterhole, amongst many other bird and wildlife interactions, with Mt Kilimanjaro as the backdrop.
The green of Chyulu Hills will not last forever, and as you wind and weave over them, the dry savanna will appear; this is Tsavo West, a huge national park dotted with nomadic mammals. You will keep driving and cut across the savanna into Tsavo East, where signs of water are even more scarce. Just like the animals, you will drive in search of water and follow the clues to inspect the tense battle for survival. Tsavo East isn't a bountiful utopia for animals like the Maasai Mara or Amboseli, as these local mammals must use ingenuity to survive, which creates a blanket of surprise over these two days of game drives. You will check in at Satao Camp.
Elephants dig furiously on a dried riverbed and suddenly bring up a spurting fountain. Hyenas wait in the high grass beside a remote waterhole as they know the antelopes must eventually come and drink. One waterhole is more like a puddle that's fought over by the baboons and kudu until the lions arrive and everything runs away as the baboons vociferously shout their disapproval. Just like everything in Tsavo, the views of wildlife are unpredictable, which only makes it more magical. Turn a corner, and a tense struggle between elephant bulls will be playing out. Cross the savanna, and a wildebeest herd will gallop away from a desperate cheetah. Among the thick trees, you will find a baboon troop, with mothers wrapped with hairless babies around their stomachs. On these full-day game drives, the scale is wonderful, and there will hardly be another vehicle in sight, which helps to deliver your final memories of the wild Kenyan savanna.
Enjoying a unique setting overlooking a watering hole in the heart of Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park, Satao Camp delivers the ultimate safari experience: thrilling adventure and impeccable service. The Camp is a true oasis which attracts thousands of animals for their daily drink and bathing. Tsavo East is Kenya’s largest protected area and the sheer abundance of wildlife is breathtaking. So whether enjoying game viewing from one of our open game viewing vehicles or watching herds of elephant bathe from the privacy of your verandah, your time at Satao will create memories to last a lifetime. Satao is owned by Southern Cross Safaris (Mombasa) one of Kenya’s most established and trusted tour operators offering the most incredible safari experience in Kenya.
The savanna becomes a beach, and the rustic yellows are replaced by tropical white sand. Your journey across Southern Kenya is complete with your final destination a long beach that sees very few tourists. Wildlife continues to occupy the experience as the black and white colobus monkeys that inhabit the trees in your private villa's garden. And sometimes when you are sunbathing a troop of vervet monkeys will come past, ground dwellers that roam past your verandah. This will be your home - The Southern Palms Beach Resort
These three days are all about the beach and the Indian Ocean, along with the wild touches that only Kenya can bring. A private guide can arrange any excursions, both in the water and on land, as well as organize a private barbecue dinner for your verandah. While the beach is white and expressive, the indigenous forest gives the villa lots of shade and exclusivity. It's easy to go a day without seeing anyone but the monkeys but wander onto the beach, and a series of restaurants and cocktail bars are well spaced. Like so much of Southern Kenya, it's landscape from the postcards to provide the final inspiring vistas on your two-week journey.
Southern Palms Beach Resort sits at the edge of the Indian Ocean on the gorgeous, renowned Diani Beach - an oasis of calm just 35km south of Mombasa. Modern amenities complement the warm Swahili and Arabic décor throughout the property. The ideal getaway for friends and families who want to enjoy the white expanse of Diani Beach, savor a cocktail by the pool in the warmth of the African sun or be the envy of everyone at home with the perfect photo op of your camel ride on the beach, we offer it all. This resort is truly unique among the many Diani beach hotels because of the networks of swimming pools that spread throughout the entire property. You can swim at your leisure, relax in the shade, or see what the surrounding area has in store. The southern Palms beach resort all-inclusive meal plan is loved by many with the option of being on half board if you would like to go easy on the wining and dining.
The small Ukunda Airport offers you a quick getaway from Diani Beach and an early-morning micro-flight will get you back across Kenya to the capital city, Nairobi. You will be assisted in transferring to the international terminal of Jomo Kenyatta Airport and your departure flight for your journey home.
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