CONTACT
telephone: + 44 (0)1604 628979e-mail: enquiries@safari.co.uk
Interested in a safari?
Click here to send us your details and we'll call you.
Depart at 1900 from London's Heathrow Airport on Kenya Airways flight KQ101 to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya.
Arrive at 0630 and connect with flight KQ490 departing at 0945 to Zanzibar. On arrival at 1115 you will be met and taken approximately one hour by road to Breezes Beach Club where you stay for four nights (half board).
Zanzibar is a fantastic location to start your African beach and safari adventure. You will collate hundreds of wonderful and special memories of both the beach stay and the old stone town of Zanzibar.
Breezes Beach Club is situated along a pristine white sandy beach, edged with palm trees. The rooms are spacious and fully air-conditioned, with en suite bathrooms, and are all tastefully furnished in authentic Zanzibari style. There are three bars, one by the pool, and three restaurants, which serve exceptional cuisine, featuring local spices, tropical fruits and delicacies from the Indian Ocean. The Breakers Lunch Restaurant serves barbecues on the beachfront under the shade of palm trees.
You can enjoy a great variety of recreational facilities; the marine activities include windsurfing and pedal boats, and there is also a swimming pool, a floodlit tennis court, and a fitness and aerobics centre. The Bazaar shop sells a variety of beautiful African arts and crafts to remind you of your unforgettable beach and safari holiday in Zanzibar and Kenya.
In this beautiful and luxurious setting, reflecting a sophisticated Swahili style enhanced with candlelight and spice scented aromas, you can enjoy a variety of treatments and therapies, all aimed at relieving the negative impacts of a modern lifestyle such as stress and exhaustion. The international team of professional therapists at the Frangipani Spa offers a wide variety of facial, body and hand and foot treatments, as well as specialised massage techniques. The Frangipani Spa also offers 'The Kili Foot Treatment' and 'Apres Safari Treatment' which are specially designed packages to soothe and rejuvenate after the dust and bumpy roads of the African Bush. An excellent option for those who are looking to recover after an adventure filled safari.
During the morning you will be transferred by road into the old Stone Town where you stay for three nights at the Serena Inn (bed and breakfast). In the evening of Day 8 you will be taken to the rooftop restaurant at Emerson and Green for dinner.
Located on the seafront of Zanzibar's historic Stone Town, the Zanzibar Serena Inn has been created by renovating two romantic and historic buildings. It provides fifty-two luxury ocean facing, air-conditioned rooms, most with private balcony. The Inn offers a sea-front restaurant, bar and spacious and secluded swimming pool where you can soak up the luxury and comfort of your surroundings.
For the discerning traveller the Zanzibar Serena Inn constitutes an ideal base for exploring the natural and historic wonders of this famous Spice Island. The hotel will provide a full local excursion service for Stone Town tours, island tours, diving and snorkelling trips and day boat excursions to Zanzibar's famous beaches and islands.
A good way to explore the old quarter of Zanzibar is to hire a guide who will take you through the maze of narrow streets, bringing alive the island's long and colourful history. Places of interest include the town market, the Slave Market, the National Museum, Africa House, Tip Tip House, the Old Fort, the House of Wonders and the Sultan Place.
A spice tour will introduce you to the fascinating world of Zanzibar's spice-growing areas and usually combines with a mobile history lesson. You will catch glimpses of life among the Zanzibar villages, with their little mud-and-wattle houses roofed with palm thatch or corrugated iron, and you will be able to sample some of the many fruits grown, plantains, bananas, mangoes, breadfruit, jackfruit, avocados, guavas, and many more. You will see growing nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, chilli, vanilla, peppermint, the sharply citrus-fragrant lemon grass and of course the clove, as well as other rare species such as the henna bush, the perfume tree and the lipstick tree.
You may wish to take a half-day tour to Jozani Forest in the south of the island. This is a wildlife sanctuary of thick forest with sub-canopies of smaller trees and shrubs. Here you will have the opportunity to see the endemic and endangered Zanzibar red colobus monkey.
Visible from Stone Town, the historic Prison Island was formerly owned by an Arab and used for the confinement of refractory slaves. It was bought by General Lloyd Mathews who built the prison there in 1893. The prison was never actually used, and the ruins still stand. Despite its name it is an attractive place with fine beaches, pleasant woodland walks and a small restaurant. The woodland is inhabited by tiny suni antelopes, as well as a variety of birds and you will also be able to see giant tortoise, of which there are around fifty.
Also possible are boat excursions on a traditional dhow - perhaps taking a dolphin safari or a full day game fishing.
In the afternoon you will be transferred to Zanzibar Airport where you board flight KQ495 departing at 1630 to Nairobi. On arrival at 1800 you will be met and taken to the House of Waine where you stay for one night (bed and breakfast).
The House of Waine is a unique luxurious boutique hotel located the peaceful suburb of Karen. There are just eleven lavishly designed en-suite rooms, each elegantly furnished to reflect their individual themes.
The History of Karen begins in 1911 when the Swedo African Company purchased 6,000-acres of land to farm coffee at the foot of the Ngong Hills. It was on this estate that Karen Blixen, the Danish Baroness who lends her name to this peaceful suburb of Nairobi made her home from 1917 to 1931. After several failed attempts to profitably farm coffee, Karen Blixrn returned to Denmark where she wrote several works under different pseudonyms, including that of Isak Dinesen. Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote and Carson McCullers among others have critically acclaimed her works. Her life in Kenya was depicted in the film "Out of Africa" directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. The estate was purchased by Remy Martin who broke it up for developing resulting in one of Nairobi's most serene and wooded suburbs, Karen. It is here that we find the unique boutique hotel, House of Waine less than 2km away from Blixen House, which is now a museum.
In the morning you will be transferred to Wilson Airport where you board a scheduled flight to Amboseli National Park, Kenya. On arrival you will be met and taken by 4x4 to Tortilis Camp where you stay for two nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Tortilis Camp is located in a private and beautiful safari location on the edge of the Kenya's Amboseli National Reserve and has seventeen comfortable and luxurious tents under thatched canopies, each with beds, rugs and tables and, of course, en suite shower and w.c. The standard of management and cuisine is excellent, and between safari game viewing you can relax in the pool and watch elephant and other animals wandering close to the camp. You can enjoy safaris among the big cats, elephants, hippos, birds and plains game in the company of highly expert guides both by open vehicle and on foot.
Overshadowed by Mount Kilimanjaro, the Amboseli National Reserve is a beautiful area for viewing an abundance of wildlife. Elephants abound in the lower forest and swamp areas, hippos in the pools and lion lurk in the reeds and papyrus around the swamps awaiting their prey. Cheetah can be found on the salt flats, giraffe wander through the doum palms and bird life is prolific.
In the morning you will be transferred to the airstrip where you board a scheduled flight departing at 0830 to Nairobi's Wilson Airport, Kenya. Arrive and connect with a further scheduled flight departing at 0915 to Nanyuki. On arrival you will be met and assisted on to a private charter flight and will be transferred to Loisaba where you stay for three nights at Loisaba Lodge, including one night at the 'starbeds' (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Loisaba, a remote safari location, bestrides the border of Laikipia and Kenya's rugged Northern Frontier District. Only a few miles from the equator, this private game ranch is in country of transcendent beauty where the farm management and the local Laikipiak Maasai and Samburu community work together to preserve the environment and the wildlife that abounds here.
The breath-taking view from Loisaba extends for hundreds of miles - to Mount Kenya, the Lolldaiga Hills and the Mathews Range. They rise from plains where big game ranges free and undisturbed by the incursions of the 21st century. Through Loisaba roam elephant, lion and leopard alongside the rare northern species that thrive here - gerenuk, Grevy's zebra and reticulated giraffe. It is a setting little changed since the Great Rift Valley split Africa in two, creating the escarpment on which the lodge is built.
Constructed from stone, local timber and thatch, the lodge is perched high on the edge of the plateau looking south towards Mount Kenya. Each room has large French windows that open onto a private deck cantilevered off the escarpment. The views are legendary, and a waterhole a few hundred feet below draws continuous wildlife.
All the furniture in the lodge is handmade at Loisaba. The lodge has a swimming pool, tennis court, bocce court and croquet lawn. The spa offers massage and beauty treatment and a romantic open-air bubble bath, all with a tranquil view of the unspoilt Karissia Hills.
Loisaba is made for adventure: guests enjoy complete freedom to choose how they spend their time so the only barrier is your own imagination. Trek through the bush with camels, mountain bike down the escarpment, raft, horseback-ride or drive through the wild canyons of the two great rivers that span the vast property. Loisaba is immense: bigger than ten of the world's fully-fledged nations. You could take months exploring this land and never encounter the same view twice.
The first and original set are located among a kopje of rocks in one of the eastern valleys overlooking the 'Kiboko' waterhole. The second and newer set is located about 8 kilometres further south on the banks of the Ewaso N'giro River. These are cantilevered over the flowing river below and are reached by footbridge from the opposite bank.
These are named 'Koija' Star Beds and are part of an exciting new joint venture project that Loisaba has undertaken in partnership with the Laikipiak Maasai people from the Koija community. Each Star Bed dramatically designed, handcrafted wooden raised platform, and partially covered with a thatched roof. Homemade 'Mukokoteni' (uniquely designed bed on wheels'), can either be wheeled onto the open deck area for a night under the stars, or left under the shelter of the roof. Guests are guided and hosted by a team of traditional Samburu and Laikipiak Maasai warriors. Food is prepared in traditional camp kitchen, Barbeque style. This is a unique experience that will be a once in a lifetime memory.
All the comfortable beds have complete 'four-poster' insect netting. The Star Beds are normally reached by one of many options; on foot, horse, camel or vehicle and with two sets now in place create a unique opportunity to travel between them both and the lodge as part of a Star Bed Expedition.
Both the Kiboko and Koija Star Beds comprise of 2 double sleeping platforms and one large family platform. Each double platform is designed for 1 or 2 people. The family platform accommodates 4 people (sharing bathroom facilities.) Each platform is en-suite and has a large camp-style shower. The platforms are sited to ensure complete privacy.
In the morning you will be transferred to the airstrip to board a scheduled flight departing at 0930 to the Mara National Reserve, in Kenya. On arrival you will be met and taken for your safari at the Saruni Safari Camp where you stay for three nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
The Masai Mara is one of the world's most famous safari region with some of the most luxurious and romantic settings and camps in Africa. Vast expanses of undulating grassy plains roll from horizon to horizon dotted with acacia trees and isolated rocky outcrops covering an area of 1800km_.
The rich grasslands and watering places in the Masai Mara in Kenya sustain very large numbers of plains game including thousands of elephant, graceful-looking giraffe and big herds of buffalo. There are also zebra, wildebeest and a host of smaller creatures such as baboon, warthog and jackal. There are great herds of antelope, which range from the diminutive topi to majestic-looking kudu. The Masai Mara is also a particularly good place to see predators and big prides of lion compete with leopard and cheetah for food and territory. From July to September the annual migration of over a million wildebeest and zebra passes through the Masai Mara creating one of the world's greatest wildlife spectaculars with seemingly endless lines of wildebeest strung out as far as the eye can see across the plains.
Saruni Safari Camp is the new, deluxe and intimate tented safari game lodge set in a private conservation area outside the Masai Mara National Reserve, the most famous safari game park in Africa. With accommodation for only 12 guests in six spectacular luxury tented cottages, it is set in a remote valley location at the heart of the most exciting wilderness of Kenya. Saruni offers a new concept of African safari: a real African adventure lived in harmony with the Maasai warriors coupled with high standards of style and comfort.
Designed and built by Kenyan architect Mark Glen, Saruni Safari camp has six large, luxury tented cottages, where you can experience both the elegance and safety of a permanent accommodation and the thrill of sleeping in close contact with nature. The cottages are furnished with colonial antiques, Persian carpets and African art. The atmosphere at the safari camp is informal but elegant. Each luxury cottage has hot and cold running water, 220 volts electricity, elegant Italian bathroom fittings, polished wooden floors, large bathrooms where the canvas front can be totally open to offer you an amazing shower with a view. Decor is personalised for each cottage and from the large verandahs you can enjoy a unique view of the Mara plains or watch the many wild animals that come to our waterhole.
Your safari actually starts on your massive cedar beds, from where you can see in total privacy elephants, leopards, waterbucks, bushbacks and impalas traversing freely and peacefully on the grounds of the camp. The common dining area is called Kuro House and is a mix of old fashioned Africa and modern design. Its huge fireplace is the focal point of life at Saruni: here guests exchange memories of the day's safaris and start to savour the exceptional cuisine, where fresh and organic products are used in an inventive way. When not served in the bush among wild animals, meals are around a long table, with the noises of wildlife as entertainment. But separate arrangements, like candlelight dinner on your own veranda, are available.
A unique feature of Saruni is its collection of books and its library, the most beautiful in the African bush. With thousands of rare books and its very private location, Saruni's library is a place where to meditate, to rest, to think.
In the morning you will be transferred to the airstrip to board a scheduled flight departing at 1100 to Wilson Airport, Kenya. Connect on arrival with a further scheduled flight departing at 1315 to Lamu. On arrival you will be met and transferred to the Luxurious Peponi Hotel where you stay for four nights (bed and breakfast).
Lamu is a town, island, archipelago and a trip back in time, and the last remaining bastion of the Shirazi, the oldest of the cultures on the east African coast. A magical place, Lamu Town carries on just as it has for centuries past with its ancient architecture, intricate carved plasterwork, mosques and a very fine museum. It still retains an air of slumbering mystery and Shela Beach is a virtually endless stretch of rolling sand dunes where some of the island's hotels are clustered. Lamu offers a cultural feast and an uncorrupted traditional style where you will meet colourful and warm people that are predominately Muslim.
The Peponi is a delightful little hotel right at the water's edge in Shela Village, a few kilometres walk or a pleasant twenty minute dhow ride away from Lamu Town. This privately owned hotel has been in the hands of a Danish family - the Korschens - for over twenty five years and has established an enviable reputation. Reached from the airstrip by the hotel's large wooden dhow, you chug past Lamu Town then by beautiful gardens and villas and after landing walk along the sandy beach to reach the hotel. Dazzling white washed terraces, blazing bougainvillaea and tall waving palms provide a wonderful welcome to this delightful hotel which consists of twenty five rooms.
There is no sense of bustling mass tourism here and the atmosphere is intimate and low key with an interesting layout of rooms. On one side of the main building a row of rooms faces a lawn with tall palm trees and low stone seawall clothed with bougainvillaea. There is a more unusual arrangement on the other side of the hotel where rooms are at different levels and reached by meandering paths between flowering trees. Some rooms are up narrow flights of open air stairs, others are tucked below overlooking sand and water. All rooms have a private veranda with comfortable chairs and pleasant views and the dining room simple and elegant. There is also an outdoor grill restaurant and the hotel specialises in seafood and has both a Table d'hote and a la carte menu. A short walk around the rocks from Peponi leads to a long beach backed by dunes and through the hotel you can arrange to go snorkelling, water skiing or deep sea fishing. For a special treat they can even arrange a lobster feast on a dhow by day or moonlight.
In the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport to board a scheduled flight departing at 1530 to Wilson Airport, Kenya. On arrival at 1700 you will be met and transferred to a local restaurant where you may wish to take an early dinner (by own account) before your evening transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Depart at 2350 on flight KQ102 to London's Heathrow Airport, arriving the following morning at 0545 (local time).