White sand and turquoise surf on the Diani shoreline, palms along the headland

Kenya · 10 days

Family Bush & Beach Adventure

Five nights in the Mara with Saruni Basecamp, then four in a private villa above Diani Beach on the south coast. One flight between them, a children's club at one end and a nanny at the other.

Duration: 10 days, 9 nights · 3 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Road Safaris Flying Safaris
Board: Full board
Price: FromUSD 4,480per adult sharing

At a glance

Where the nights go

234

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

Overview

The shape of the journey

Nine nights, and the second half undoes the first. Five in the Mara, two on the reserve edge and three on Naboisho where the children can get out and walk, then a two-hour flight to Ukunda and four nights in a villa above Diani. Twenty-eight degrees, a private pool, and nobody up at 05:30 for anything.

NairobiMaasai MaraMara NaboishoDiani Beach

The bush half is Saruni Basecamp's, built for families and staffed accordingly. Alfajiri is a private villa taken on exclusive use, with nannies on hand day and night, which is what makes this work for anyone travelling with small children.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Basecamp Masai Mara

Tents on the edge of the reserve, with the group's conservation work built into the camp itself, a tree nursery, an organic garden, a beadwork workshop and an awareness centre.

Basecamp Wilderness

Canvas further in, on Naboisho, where walking safaris are allowed, vehicle numbers are capped and the lion density is among the highest anywhere in the ecosystem.

Alfajiri Villas

A villa taken on exclusive use above the white sand of Diani, with a private pool, personal butler, nannies around the clock, and a kitchen that will cook to whatever the children will actually eat.

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
Nairobi, then the Mara
Met at Jomo Kenyatta and driven to Wilson for the morning flight, about an hour. Camp for lunch, the heat of the day looking out over the reserve, then an afternoon drive and dinner under the stars if the children are still upright.
Basecamp Masai MaraAll meals
Day 2
The reserve
Out with your Maasai guide after the Big Five and everything smaller. Lunch as a picnic or back at camp, then an afternoon drive into new country and dinner with the savannah loud outside.
Basecamp Masai MaraAll meals
Day 3
Projects, then into Naboisho
The morning is the camp's other side: the women's beadwork workshop, the reforestation project, and a tree of your own if you want one, for a small fee. The afternoon game drive doubles as the transfer to Basecamp Wilderness, deeper into Naboisho and its lions.
Basecamp WildernessAll meals
Day 4
On foot in the conservancy
A guided walking safari with a Maasai guide: tracking, plants, birds, the things a vehicle misses. The rest of the day is unstructured, with a massage if you want one and an afternoon drive where almost no other vehicles are permitted. Sundowners at a scenic spot are charged separately in the Mara; the night drive back is not.
Basecamp WildernessAll meals
Day 5
A full Mara day
Out early, back for breakfast. The afternoon drive goes after leopard and the resident prides. Dinner is in the bush, with Maasai singing, and the walk back to the tent is the part the children remember.
Basecamp WildernessAll meals
Day 6Flight
Fly to the coast
A morning drive to the airstrip, past the Mara River and the rhino sanctuary the group supports. The flight leaves at 14:00 and lands at Ukunda at 16:00; an Alfajiri vehicle meets it. Pool, sundowner on the verandah, seafood, and the sound of the sea instead of hyena.
Alfajiri VillasAll meals
Day 7
Out to sea
A morning of deep-sea fishing off Diani if you want it, where marlin and wahoo are the prizes, with lunch from the villa kitchen taken on the water. Back for a siesta, or the markets for whatever the children have decided they need.
Alfajiri VillasAll meals
Day 8
Funzi Island by dhow
A day out on a traditional dhow to Funzi for sailing, swimming, snorkelling over turtles, dolphins if they show, and lunch ashore. Back for a barefoot walk along the beach, shells collected, dinner when the light goes.
Alfajiri VillasAll meals
Day 9
Reef, wind and nothing
Kayaking and snorkelling in the morning, over coral close enough to swim to. Kitesurfing if the wind is up. The afternoon is the pool or a massage or both, and the day ends with a dhow at sunset and a Swahili seafood table.
Alfajiri VillasAll meals
Day 10Flight
Depart
Breakfast, a last walk on the sand, then the morning flight to Wilson. A half-day at your disposal in Nairobi if the international connection is late, and a Saruni Basecamp vehicle to Jomo Kenyatta after it.
Breakfast

What's covered

Inclusions and exclusions

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

Included

Full-board accommodation at all three properties
Soft drinks, beer, wines and spirits at Alfajiri Villas
Exclusive use of your villa and pool, with a butler and 24-hour nannies
Shared day game drives in open-sided vehicles, picnic excursions and bird walks
The Young Explorers Club in the Mara, bookable in advance
Snorkelling equipment, golf clubs, one daily massage and chauffeured transport within Diani
Return airstrip transfers, VAT and taxes

Not included

All drinks other than bottled mineral water at the two Mara camps
Bush meals and scenic-spot sundowners in the Mara, and lunch on the day of departure
Deep-sea fishing, scuba, kitesurfing, jet ski and dolphin excursions at the coast
The Kisite dhow excursion, golf green fees and Shimba Hills day trips
Exclusive use of a safari vehicle, private guides and late departure fees
Gratuities and anything of a personal nature

Price & terms

What it costs

FromUSD 4,480per adult 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 kidsWhat children need for a week on safari in Kenya, on top of your own list: their documents, clothes for cold mornings and hot middays, a health kit dosed for their age, and what keeps them watching in the vehicle.
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.