A rock-set pool and canvas shade sail cut into a granite hillside, seen from directly above

Kenya · 7 days

Taste of Samburu and Naboisho

Three nights in Kalama, three in Naboisho, one flight in between. The short version of northern Kenya and the Mara, with Saruni Basecamp on both ends and no attempt to fit a third region in.

Duration: 7 days, 6 nights · 3 flights
Where: Kenya
Experiences: Road Safaris Flying Safaris
Board: All-inclusive
Price: FromUSD 4,795per adult sharing

At a glance

Where the nights go

6 nights across 2 places · 3 flights · All-inclusive. Drawn from the draft day-by-day below.

Overview

The shape of the journey

Two conservancies, one flight between them, and enough time in each to stop checking the clock. Kalama is arid, rocky and full of species you will not see further south. Naboisho is grass and cats. Neither is a national reserve, which is why the drives can go where the animals are rather than where the track goes.

NairobiKalama ConservancyMara Naboisho

Saruni Basecamp runs both ends of this, so the standard holds across the switch. Six nights is short for Kenya; splitting it two ways rather than three is what makes it feel unhurried.

Where you'll stay

The camps and hotels

Basecamp Samburu

An eco-built camp in the Kalama Conservancy with Mt Ololokwe in front of it. Private land, so drives can go off-track, and elevated star beds for the nights you would rather not be under canvas.

Saruni Eagle View

Tents on a rise above Naboisho with private decks, a plunge pool and tens of thousands of unfenced acres beyond. Big cat country, and quiet with it.

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 Kalama
Met at Jomo Kenyatta and transferred to Wilson for the flight north, an hour and a quarter to the Kalama airstrip. Your guide meets you there and the drive to camp is the first game drive. A full drive after lunch, then sundowners and a long look at the sky.
Basecamp SamburuAll meals
Day 2
Off the track in Kalama
Because this is conservancy land the vehicle can leave the road, which changes what a game drive is: closer, slower, better for photographs. Brunch is a picnic somewhere with a view. Out again once the heat drops, and stories round the fire after dinner.
Basecamp SamburuAll meals
Day 3
A third day, at your pace
A morning drive with breakfast carried out to wherever you end up. The rest of the day is yours: the camp, the shade, the birds. Dinner is back at camp.
Basecamp SamburuAll meals
Day 4Flight
Fly south to Naboisho
The morning flight to the Mara, about ninety minutes. Eagle View first for a proper rest, then an exclusive afternoon drive into the conservancy, sundowners, and a night drive back if the light has gone.
Saruni Eagle ViewAll meals
Day 5
A slow day in Naboisho
Yoga in the morning and a massage after it, which is more welcome on day five than it sounds on paper. The afternoon drive goes after whatever you have not seen yet. Bush dinner under the stars, lions somewhere in the middle distance.
Saruni Eagle ViewAll meals
Day 6
Cats, on foot or on wheels
An early drive or a walking safari. Naboisho allows both, and the reserve does not. Picnic breakfast out on the plains. The afternoon is open, and the evening ends round the fire with the Maasai guides.
Saruni Eagle ViewAll meals
Day 7Flight
Depart
Breakfast, then the flight back to Nairobi and the transfer to Jomo Kenyatta. If your connection is late we will fill the gap with lunch somewhere decent.
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, including meals and non-premium drinks
Internal flights, road transfers and airport assistance
Shared game drives and walking safaris with local guides
One 30-minute back and neck massage per room, per stay, at Saruni Eagle View
Conservation fees and levies, VAT and local taxes, and Flying Doctors cover

Not included

International flights, visas, and travel and medical insurance
Premium drinks and exclusive use of a vehicle
Further spa treatments, additional activities and entry fees
Childcare, gratuities and items of a personal nature

Price & terms

What it costs

FromUSD 4,795per 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.
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.