A giraffe against a clear blue sky, ears out and tongue extended

Kenya · 7 days

Photographic Safari

Seven days shooting with National Geographic photographer Robin Moore across three of The Safari Collection's properties. The giraffes at Giraffe Manor, Samburu culture and light at Sasaab, and Solio's rhinos.

Duration: 7 days, 6 nights · 3 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Road Safaris Camel Safaris Horseback Safaris Flying Safaris
Board: Full board
Price: FromUSD 8,970per person sharing

At a glance

Where the nights go

132

6 nights across 3 places · 3 flights · Full board. Drawn from the draft day-by-day below.

Overview

The shape of the journey

Three subjects, three completely different problems: giraffes at arm's length in Nairobi, Samburu colour and dust in the north, and rhino in numbers at Solio. Robin Moore travels with the group the whole way. He is represented by National Geographic, is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and has won work from Nature's Best, American Photo and Outdoor Photographer.

NairobiSamburuSolio

The Safari Collection sets guide prices on a minimum of four travelling. A two-night extension to Sala's Camp in the southern Mara can be added at the end if you want the big cats as well.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Giraffe Manor

Wild Nubian giraffe at the windows and on the lawn, at close enough range that the problem becomes choosing a lens. The resident warthogs are the easier subject.

Sasaab

A lodge above the Ewaso Nyiro in Samburu, with the Special Five on the drives, elephant herds at the river, and, with your guide alongside, the chance to photograph people rather than only wildlife.

Solio Lodge

The only lodge on Solio, with over two hundred white rhino and a hundred black. Sightings can run to forty or fifty animals at once, in the shadow of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares.

The Retreat at Giraffe Manor

A complimentary day pass at the wellness house beside the Manor before your flight, with spa, gym and pool.

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
Giraffes, at close range
Met at Jomo Kenyatta by The Safari Collection and taken to Giraffe Manor. The giraffes roam the sanctuary around the house and come to it, which makes for portraits nothing else gives you. The Giraffe Centre and The Retreat are both a short walk.
Giraffe ManorAll meals
Day 2Flight
Fly north to Samburu
Breakfast with the giraffes, then an hour from Wilson to Samburu and out to Sasaab for lunch. The afternoon is for getting your eye in on the landscape.
SasaabAll meals
Day 3
Samburu light
The north is hilly, dry and reads completely differently from the rest of Kenya. Sundowner rock at the point the sky turns is the shot everyone comes for. Game drives fill the rest, with the Special Five on the list.
SasaabAll meals
Day 4
Portraits and elephants
A day with the Samburu community, where a guide alongside you makes photographing people possible rather than intrusive: beading, headdresses, and the quieter frames in between. Elephant herds come to the river below camp.
SasaabAll meals
Day 5Flight
Charter to Solio
Twenty minutes from Sasaab airstrip to Solio, and a complete change of ground: green highland between Mount Kenya and the Aberdares, and the only lodge on the conservancy.
Solio LodgeAll meals
Day 6
Rhinos, in numbers
Solio is one of the best places anywhere to photograph rhino, and the sightings are large enough to change how you frame them. Big cats, plains game and birds fill everything else, and there are horses and bikes for a different angle.
Solio LodgeAll meals
Day 7Flight
Fly back, and edit
A leisurely breakfast, a short flight to Nairobi, and a day pass at The Retreat before your international flight, with pool, sauna and enough quiet to start going through what you shot.
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
Robin Moore as your photographic guide throughout
Internal scheduled and charter flights
Park and conservation fees
Game drives, sundowners and bush picnics
Horse riding and mountain biking at Solio Lodge
Camel riding and walking at Sasaab
Cultural experiences at Sasaab
A complimentary day pass at The Retreat at Giraffe Manor
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 8,970per 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.
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.