Two snorkellers in wetsuits and masks just under the surface in clear turquoise water

Kenya · 12 days

Beach & Bush with The Safari Collection

Twelve days across The Safari Collection's Kenya. Sasaab in Samburu, Solio's rhino country, Sala's Camp on the Mara's Sand River, the Diani sand at Kinondo Kwetu, and a last breakfast with the giraffes at Giraffe Manor.

Duration: 12 days, 11 nights · 5 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Road Safaris Camel Safaris Horseback Safaris Flying Safaris
Board: Full board
Price: FromUSD 13,550per person sharing

At a glance

Where the nights go

22331

11 nights across 5 places · 5 flights · Full board. Drawn from the draft day-by-day below.

Overview

The shape of the journey

Kenya's best parks and its best beaches are nowhere near each other, which is why this itinerary flies. Twelve days take you from the dry north at Sasaab to Solio's rhinos, down to the Mara for the cats, out to Diani for the reef, and back to Nairobi for the giraffes.

NairobiSamburuSolioMaasai MaraDiani Beach

Five properties, five different countries in one country. The Safari Collection runs four of them and knows the fifth well enough to put its guests there, so the standard holds from Samburu to the sand.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Sasaab

A luxury tented camp above the Ewaso Nyiro in Samburu, with camel rides, quad bikes, a spa and the option of a night fly-camping under the stars.

Solio Lodge

The only lodge on Solio Ranch, between the Aberdares and Mount Kenya, in a reserve holding some of the largest black and white rhino numbers anywhere. Explore it on horseback, by bicycle or on foot.

Sala's Camp

A tented camp in the remote southern Mara, where the Sand River meets the Keekorok. Every tent has a private deck and plunge pool looking across the riverbank.

Kinondo Kwetu

A barefoot beach house on Kenya's south coast, with kitesurfing, deep-sea fishing, diving, horse riding on the sand, two pools and a tennis court.

Giraffe Manor

The ivy-clad manor house whose resident herd of wild Nubian giraffe come to the windows at breakfast and to the lawn at afternoon tea.

The Retreat at Giraffe Manor

The wellness house next door to the Manor, used here as a day room, with pool, spa, gym, homegrown food and an airport transfer timed to your flight.

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
North to Samburu
Met at Jomo Kenyatta, transferred to Wilson and flown an hour north. You reach Sasaab in time for lunch, and the afternoon drive follows the Ewaso Nyiro.
SasaabAll meals
Day 2
The Samburu Special Five
Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and Beisa oryx, five species you will not find in the Mara. Camels, quad bikes and the spa fill whatever the game drives leave.
SasaabAll meals
Day 3Flight
Fly to Solio
A twenty-minute charter from Sasaab's airstrip drops you at Solio, in the valley between the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. The climate changes completely: cool nights, warm days.
Solio LodgeAll meals
Day 4
Rhino country
Solio holds black and white rhino in numbers that take a moment to believe. Game drives cover the open plains, and the ranch is also yours on horseback, by bicycle or on foot.
Solio LodgeAll meals
Day 5Flight
Fly to the Maasai Mara
Driven to Nanyuki for the scheduled flight south, then a game drive from the airstrip to Sala's Camp in the reserve's quiet southern corner.
Sala's CampAll meals
Day 6
A full day in the Mara
Out at first light and again as the heat breaks: the two windows when the animals work. Bush breakfast in between, and the riverbank does the entertaining back at camp.
Sala's CampAll meals
Day 7
Deeper into the reserve
A longer drive with lunch packed, into parts of the Mara most vehicles never reach. Sundowners on the way back, then the fire.
Sala's CampAll meals
Day 8Flight
Fly to the coast
Keekorok airstrip to Diani via Wilson, then a twenty-five-minute drive to Kinondo Kwetu. You arrive to heat, sea air and a different language on the street.
Kinondo KwetuAll meals
Day 9
Diani, in the water
The snorkelling and diving here are good, and the kitesurfing is better when the wind is up. Deep-sea fishing if that is your thing, a sunbed if it is not.
Kinondo KwetuAll meals
Day 10
Diani, at your own pace
Game drives up to the Shimba Hills, horse riding along the beach, yoga, tennis, a sauna, two pools. Or nothing at all, which is a legitimate plan.
Kinondo KwetuAll meals
Day 11Flight
Back to Nairobi
A last breakfast by the sea, then Diani Airport to Wilson and out to Giraffe Manor. Afternoon tea on the lawn is when the giraffes come, and they are wild, so they come when they choose.
Giraffe ManorAll meals
Day 12
Breakfast with giraffes, then home
Breakfast with long necks at the window, then a short walk across the lawn to The Retreat for a day room, with pool, spa, gym and lunch, before the transfer to Jomo Kenyatta.
Breakfast and lunch

What's covered

Inclusions and exclusions

In line with the itinerary above. Your written quote is the version that counts.

Included

Full-board accommodation with meals, house wines and spirits, soft drinks, beers, laundry and selected activities
Internal scheduled and charter flights
Park and conservation fees
Game drives, sundowners and bush picnics
Horse riding and cycling at Solio, camel riding and walking at Sasaab
Road transfers between airports, airstrips and camps and to and from activities, in 4x4 vehicles
Meet and assist at the airport
Medical evacuation cover

Price & terms

What it costs

FromUSD 13,550per person sharing

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.
Packing list for the Kenyan coastDiani, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu need less than you might think, plus a few things you would not guess: reef shoes for low tide, a rash vest for the reef, and clothes that cover your shoulders for the old towns.
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.