The Masai Mara's private conservancies, rhino country in Laikipia and a Swahili coast, a single overnight flight from London.
Kenya is still the easiest place to start a safari. You fly overnight direct to Nairobi, hop to the Masai Mara in about an hour and are on a game drive by lunchtime. The Mara has high numbers of lion, leopard and cheetah, and from July to October the Great Migration arrives from the Serengeti.
What matters most is where you stay. The private conservancies bordering the reserve, such as Mara North, Olare Motorogi and Naboisho, limit vehicles and allow walking and night drives. We pair them with Laikipia, where rhinos, Grevy's zebra and wide views under Mount Kenya make a good contrast, then finish on the coast.
The honest caveat: the main reserve can be crowded at river crossings in August, and roads in and out are rough, so we fly between areas.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
From about July to October, wildebeest and zebra mass on the banks of the Mara River and plunge across past waiting crocodiles. Crossings are unpredictable, so give yourself at least four nights and a guide who will wait patiently. Camps in the north of the reserve or in Mara North are well placed.
The conservancies are leased from Maasai landowners, so your stay supports local families directly. Vehicle numbers are capped, and guides can go off-road to follow lions, leopards and cheetahs. Walking with Maasai guides and night drives are included in many camps. They are good all year, not just in migration season.
Laikipia is a high plateau of private ranches and conservancies north of Mount Kenya. Lewa and Ol Pejeta protect black and white rhinos, and Ol Pejeta is home to the last two northern white rhinos on Earth. Horse riding, camel walks and fly camping are all possible, which makes it a good choice for families.
Amboseli is famous for big-tusked elephants against the snows of Kilimanjaro across the Tanzanian border. The mountain is clearest at dawn and just before sunset, so plan your drives around those hours. The private land around the park offers quieter viewing and guided walks.
Hot, dry Samburu, along the Ewaso Ng'iro River, has animals you will not see in the Mara: reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx and Somali ostrich. Samburu warriors in beaded collars guide walks from some camps. It combines neatly with Laikipia by road or air.
Lamu Old Town is a UNESCO-listed Swahili town with no cars, just donkeys, narrow lanes and carved wooden doors. Stay in Shela or on Manda Island, sail on a dhow at sunset and eat grilled fish on the beach. It is a slower, more characterful finish than Diani, south of Mombasa.
Choose a Mara conservancy over the main reserve unless you are set on river crossings, in which case a camp near the Mara River is worth it. In Laikipia, stay on a private conservancy for walking and riding. Tented camps are the norm; for families, look for private houses with a vehicle and guide.
Glass-fronted tents on the lip of the Rift Valley, 300 metres above the Mara Triangle, with a private road down into the reserve.
Camel-supported walking safaris through northern Laikipia, moving camp each day on foot, with Tumaren Camp as a comfortable base.
Seven canvas suites on a bend of the Ntiakitiak River, with game viewing in both a private conservancy and the Maasai Mara reserve.
A hillside lodge in the Chyulu Hills facing Kilimanjaro, with horseback safaris, rooftop star beds and a sunken hide at the waterhole.
Eleven Swahili and Moroccan-style tented suites above the Ewaso Nyiro River, each with a plunge pool and a view to Mount Kenya.
Ten villas and houses on 50,000 private acres in Laikipia, with a private vehicle for every booking and an outdoor gallery of contemporary African art.
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
Five nights in a private conservancy on the edge of the Maasai Mara, then a short hop to the Indian Ocean for five nights on Zanzibar's quieter north-east coast. A night in Nairobi on arrival breaks the long flight.
A safari for people who would rather walk than sit in a vehicle. Three nights on a camel-supported walking safari in Laikipia, three in Samburu country for the northern species, and two on the Laikipia Plateau to finish.
Kenya sits on the equator, but altitude keeps the safari areas warm by day and cool at night. The long rains fall from about late March to May, and the short rains in November. The rest of the year is broadly dry, with January, February and June to October the prime safari months.
The migration dominates the calendar, but the Mara's resident lions, leopards and cheetahs are there all year. January and February are our favourite alternative: dry, green and far quieter. The coast is best from December to March.
Rhinos and riding in Laikipia, big cats in a Mara conservancy and a slow finish on the Lamu archipelago, all linked by light aircraft. 10 nights.
Land in Nairobi in the morning. Visit the Giraffe Centre or an elephant orphanage, then rest at a garden hotel in Karen.
Fly north to Lewa for rhino tracking, horse riding and walks, with Mount Kenya on the skyline.
Fly to the Masai Mara for three nights in a conservancy, with day and night drives, walking and a morning by the Mara River in season.
Fly to Manda Island for three nights of dhow sailing, beach walks and Lamu Old Town, then fly back via Nairobi for the overnight flight on day 11.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Kenya (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
British Airways and Kenya Airways fly direct from Heathrow to Nairobi overnight in under nine hours. Light aircraft from Nairobi's Wilson Airport serve the Mara, Laikipia and the coast, with soft-bag weight limits.
UK passport holders currently need an electronic travel authorisation before travelling to Kenya. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you book and again before you fly.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Kenya (opens in a new tab)
Much of Kenya is a malaria area, though the risk is very low in Nairobi and the highest highlands. Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) well before you go. Pack a fleece for early drives: mornings on the plains are cold.
The currency is the Kenyan shilling. Camps are prepaid, so cash is mainly for tips and craft markets. Mobile money is everywhere in Kenya, and cards work in hotels and larger shops.
Safaricom has the widest mobile network, and SIM cards and eSIMs are easy to set up on arrival. Most camps have wifi in the main area, though signal in remote areas is patchy.
Tipping is not expected in everyday Kenyan life, but on safari it is customary to tip your guide and the camp staff. We include current guidance with your documents.
The herds usually reach the Masai Mara in July and stay until around October, with river crossings most often seen in August and September. Timing shifts with the rains each year, so no date is guaranteed. Staying four nights near the Mara River gives you the best chance. Outside these months, the Mara's resident predators still make for strong game viewing.
Kenya has direct flights, shorter transfers and the private Mara conservancies, and it works well for a first safari of a week or so. Tanzania is bigger, with the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar, and suits a longer trip. For the migration, Kenya is strongest from July to October, Tanzania from December to June.
Yes. The short time difference, direct flights and private houses in Laikipia and the Mara make it one of the easiest family safaris. Many camps welcome children of all ages, run junior ranger programmes and offer private vehicles so you can set your own pace. Combine with a few days on the coast.
We strongly recommend it. The roads from Nairobi to the Mara and Laikipia are long and rough, and flying saves most of a day each way. Light aircraft land at airstrips close to camp, and your guide meets you on the runway. Luggage limits are strict, so pack in soft bags.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: July to September.
The Serengeti migration in every season, the Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro, then an easy hop to the beaches of Zanzibar.
An hour with mountain gorillas in the Virungas, then chimpanzees, rainforest and a big five savannah, all within a day's drive.
Swahili Stone Town, spice farms and white-sand beaches on the Indian Ocean: the natural finish to an East African safari.
Small camps, private concessions and a flood that arrives in the dry season: the Okavango is safari at its quietest.
The herds do not recognise the border, so the real question is not which country but which month. Here is where the migration usually is through the year, what the river crossings are really like, and how to avoid the crowds.
