9th September: Fly to Laikipia

This morning, you will need to check-in at Wilson Airport for your Safarilink scheduled flight an hour prior to departure at 10h20. On arrival at 11h20 you will be met by a guide from Tumaren and transferred approximately 1.5 hours, mostly game driving, to Camp in time to settle in to your tent and enjoy a delicious lunch.

9th & 10th September: Tumaren Camp, Laikipia

Set on the edge of a wide plain this beautiful camp looks west towards granitic inselbergs that define the local landscape. Each tent is furnished uniquely and all the tents offer sweeping verandas from which most of our plains game can be spotted. The grasslands are rich with wildlife and you can spend hours watching animals wander by or photographing the huge variety of birds coming to the bird bath.

Tumaren is rich in wildlife and our Samburu and Masai guides provide a great perspective on not only the game but also the local cultures of Northern Kenya. Our guides will plan your stay according to your desires, wildlife and the local calendar. Each day can include guided walks, swimming in the 20m pool looking out at the wildlife coming to drink at the waterhole, camel rides, visits to the camel creche, game drives, birdwatching, picnics, tracking, visiting a local manyatta/market (if the day is right), visiting a school and rock climbing.

11th to 15th September: ‘Air, Bed and Camel’ Walking Safari, Laikipia

Karisia specialises in walking safaris supported by camels. Our trips offer a unique perspective on not just the wildlife but the land they live in. On foot, we fine tune our senses and experience the country in vivid and exciting detail.

Over the next four days, you will wake up each morning to a hot shower and cup of coffee, and set off on foot to your next campsite, which is carried on a more direct route by the train of camels. Accompanied by a lead local Samburu guide with fantastic English and amazing knowledge of the area, wildlife and culture, as well as the rest of the team and a couple of riding camels, you will traverse beautiful landscapes that tell the story of a turbulent geologic past alongside the Rift Valley. Archeological artifacts like flints, shards, graves and pottery litter the ground, evidence of an equally rich cultural history. The wildlife in our part of Laikipia distinguishes the area for its diversity of large mammals, the greatest in Kenya. Elephants, the big cats, and other large predators thrive along side endangered species like the Grevy's Zebra, Wilddogs and Highland Hartebeest. Arriving at the next campsite in time for a delicious lunch and to relax during the heat of the day. Each afternoon you will go on another adventure - rock climbing, or perhaps a sundowner excursion on top of rock kopje with views that go on forever.

15th September - Laikipia to Masai Mara

This morning you will leave your last campsite by vehicle transfer to Loisaba Airstrip to meet a Safarilink scheduled flight at 09h05, arriving at Mara North airstrip by 11h00. On arrival you will be met by a guide from Offbeat and game drive into Camp.

15th to 18th September: Offbeat Mara

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Mara North Conservancy, Offbeat Mara Camp offers an exclusive Masai Mara experience. With exceptional game viewing and a highly friendly team, this is exactly what a safari camp should encompass. Offbeat Mara is a boutique safari camp, situated within the 74,000 acre private Mara North Conservancy. The Conservancy is full of wildlife, and is only open to member camps, having a strict policy on game viewing etiquette. For these reasons, our guests get a wholly exclusive experience that is otherwise becoming hard to find.

Offbeat Mara Camp preserves its intimate and cozy ambiance by having just seven tents (Five double/twin tents and two family tents). All the accommodation tents have Wifi and charging facilities and are ensuite with flushing toilets and traditional hot safari showers. Each tent has its own veranda and is carefully positioned to offer wonderful views as well as privacy.

The wildlife is quite extraordinary – amongst the best on the continent. All the big cats are found close to camp making this a photographer's paradise. The local lions, known as the Offbeat Pride, are almost part of the family! The guides know every lion and all the history that goes with them over the past 20 years. Experience this incredible wildlife with unlimited day and evening game drives, or head out for a guided bush walk to get a different perspective. You can also learn more about the local culture with a visit to the village or market nearby, enjoy sundowners, bush meals, hot air balloon safaris, and even keeping up with your daily exercise regime by running through the plains with the Masai.

18th & 19th September: Roca River Camp

On the morning of the 18th, a guide from Offbeat will drive you over to the Musiara Gate to meet another guide from Roca River Camp who will take you the rest of the way. Roca River Camp is located on the edge of Paradise Plains in the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, in a quiet corner on the banks of the Mara River which offers the tranquility of both the riverine forest and the great Mara plains. It is strategically located with access to both the Mara Triangle and the Greater Maasai Mara National Reserve, allowing some of the best game viewing Kenya has on offer. This beautiful private tented camp is designed and hosted by Ross and Caro Withey and gives you the true essence of the romantic classic safari under canvas, that can’t be felt in a regular lodge. The camp offers a highly personalised, eco-conscious and intimate wilderness experience. 

The camp has ten spacious ensuite tents with flush loos, and hot showers on request, 24 hour solar power, fans and hairdryers available and beautiful decor. It perfectly combines comfort and charm, and is furnished with all the ‘necessary luxuries’ such as white linen, woven carpets and hand-made furniture. The footprint is minimum, with a very low impact on the environment. 

ACTIVITIES

• Game drives within the Greater Masai Mara National Reserve and the Mara Triangle

• Bush Meals and sundowners

• Cultural visits or visits to meet the Maasai beading ladies

• Birdwatching

• Walks outside of the reserve can be arranged

20th September: Nairobi, Depart
This morning you will be transferred across to the Musiara airstrip to connect with your Safarilink flight departing at 11h00. On arrival at Wilson Airport, Nairobi at 12h20 you will be met by a driver from ‘Airports & Beyond’ who will be at your disposal until your evening departure from Jomo Kenyatta Airport.

CONTACT NUMBERS:

Kerry +254 721 836792

Amy +27 61 038 4583

Safarilink +254 20 6690 100

Airports & Beyond: +254 724679995