A hot-air balloon standing fully inflated on the grass at dawn while the crew hold the basket

Kenya · 8 days

Multi-Generational Celebration

Eight days for a family spanning three generations, with four nights at Hemingways River Camp in the Mara North Conservancy, then three at Watamu for the reef, the creek and the turtles.

Duration: 8 days, 7 nights · 2 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Road Safaris Balloon Safaris
Board: Board varies by stay
Price: On request

At a glance

Where the nights go

7 nights across 2 places · 2 flights · Board varies by stay. Drawn from the draft day-by-day below.

Overview

The shape of the journey

Booking for grandparents, parents and children at once usually means somebody compromises. This one gets around it by staying put: four nights in one camp, three in one hotel, and enough on offer at each that the group can split up during the day and come back together for dinner.

Mara North ConservancyWatamu

Hemingways River Camp sits on the river in Mara North, and Watamu is the collection's beach house. Between them they cover everyone from the person who wants a balloon at dawn to the person who wants a chair.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Hemingways River Camp Mara

A riverside tented camp in the Mara North Conservancy, big enough to take a family group without splitting it up.

Hemingways Watamu

A beach hotel on the north coast beside Watamu Marine National Park, with kayaking on Mida Creek and turtle work nearby.

Day by day

How the days run

A proposal, not a timetable. The routing, timings and inclusions are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.

Day 1Flight
Into the Mara North Conservancy
Fly in and settle. River Camp is on the riverbank, and the first afternoon is a gentle game drive to get everybody's eye in.
Hemingways River Camp Mara
Day 2
Game drives, and the river
Out early while it is cool, back to the river for the middle of the day, out again in the afternoon. The pattern of the next three days, and it suits every age in the group.
Hemingways River Camp Mara
Day 3
A balloon, or a walk
An optional hot-air balloon at first light for whoever is up for it. A guided walk later for whoever would rather have their feet on the ground.
Hemingways River Camp Mara
Day 4
Dinner in the bush
A full day out, then dinner set up away from camp with lanterns and a fire. This is usually the night the celebration actually happens.
Hemingways River Camp Mara
Day 5Flight
Fly to the coast
The airstrip, then a flight to the coast and Watamu. Lunch by the sea and an afternoon of doing nothing much.
Hemingways Watamu
Day 6
Reef and creek
Swimming and snorkelling in the marine park in the morning. Kayaks through Mida Creek's mangroves later, which is the one activity that reliably gets the whole group into the same photograph.
Hemingways Watamu
Day 7
Turtles
Time with the turtle conservation work that runs on this stretch of coast. The rest of the day is the pool, the sand, or the boat, depending on who you ask.
Hemingways Watamu
Day 8
Depart
A last breakfast on the terrace, then the transfer to the airstrip and home.

Price & terms

What it costs

Priced on request. This itinerary is quoted for your dates, your party and the grade of camp you choose, which is why there is no single number on this page.

What this price covers

Rates are per person sharing unless the line above says otherwise.
Prices move with the season and with availability, and are held only once your quote is confirmed in writing.
The day-by-day above is a draft. Final routing, timings, inclusions and any park or permit fees are confirmed with your quote.

Before you go

Worth reading before this trip

The best time to visit Kenya, month by monthJanuary and February, then July to October, are the months we send most people.
Safari packing list for KenyaA working checklist for a week on safari in Kenya: the bag, the layers for a cold six o'clock start, optics, health and documents, with quantities for seven nights and what changes by season.
Kenya safari cost: where the money goesWhat you pay for on a Kenya safari, why two similar weeks can differ threefold, who sets the park fees, and how to get more from the same budget.
Practical facts by countryPlugs, currency, time zone, driving side, SIM, tipping and tap water.