White sand running along a low coral cliff, a thatched banda above it and the reef beyond

Kenya · 11 days

The Rhythm of Kenya

Eleven days at Kenya's own pace with Hemingways, two nights in Karen, five in the Naboisho Conservancy so the Mara has time to unfold, then three at Watamu for the reef and the sailing.

Duration: 11 days, 10 nights · 2 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Road Safaris Flying Safaris
Board: Board varies by stay
Price: On request

At a glance

Where the nights go

253

10 nights across 3 places · 2 flights · Board varies by stay. Drawn from the draft day-by-day below.

Overview

The shape of the journey

Five nights in one camp is unusual, and it is the whole idea here. A three-night Mara is a highlights reel; five lets you go back to the same pride, watch the same river, and stop counting species.

NairobiMaasai MaraWatamu

The rest is Hemingways' standard shape, Karen at the start and Watamu at the end, but the middle is where this one is different from every other bush-and-beach week we sell.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Hemingways Nairobi

A boutique hotel in Karen with a terrace off every suite, and the city's food and galleries a short drive away.

Hemingways Eden Residence

A small art-filled house in Karen with its own gallery, gardens and pool. The alternative Nairobi base on this itinerary.

Hemingways Ol Seki Mara

A tented camp on private conservancy land in Naboisho, with five nights here so the Mara stops being a checklist.

Hemingways Watamu

A beach hotel on the north coast beside Watamu Marine National Park, with sailing and the reef on the doorstep.

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 1
Arrive in Nairobi
Out to Karen after the airport, and nothing on the schedule. A terrace and an early night.
Hemingways Nairobi or Hemingways Eden Residence
Day 2
Nairobi, unstructured
The gallery at the house, or the city's food, or neither. Karen is the green edge of Nairobi and it is a good place to reset a body clock.
Hemingways Nairobi or Hemingways Eden Residence
Day 3Flight
Fly to the Maasai Mara
A light aircraft to Naboisho. Camp is on a rise with the plains in front of it, and the first drive goes out when the afternoon light turns.
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara
Day 4
First light
Out before dawn, which is when the conservancy is busiest with things that hunt. Back through the heat, out again at four.
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara
Day 5
On foot
A walking morning with a Maasai guide. What a vehicle drives past in ten seconds takes an hour on foot and is worth every minute of it.
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara
Day 6
The middle of the week
No plan beyond the drives. By now you know the ground, and the guiding stops explaining and starts anticipating.
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara
Day 7
Back to the same ground
The advantage of a long stay: you can go and see whether yesterday's leopard is still in the same tree. Often it is.
Hemingways Ol Seki Mara
Day 8Flight
Fly to the coast
Last morning drive, then the airstrip and a flight east to Watamu. A different climate, a different language on the street, and lunch by the sea.
Hemingways Watamu
Day 9
The marine park
Out to the reef while the water is at its clearest. Back on a sunbed by lunch, if that is how you want the day to go.
Hemingways Watamu
Day 10
Sailing
Out on the water under sail, and a last long evening on the coast.
Hemingways Watamu
Day 11
Depart
Breakfast by the sea, then a transfer timed to your flight 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.