It is very easy these days to have a luxury Safari in Kenya, as there are just so many lodges and beautifully appointed tented camps to choose from. As any African afficionado knows, tents have moved on a long way in the last twenty years! Forget about pup tents, (unless one is flycamping), and any negative thoughts on boy scout camping should be banished! No, we are talking about lovely, spacious, sexy tents (yes, they can be!), as large as most apartments, with 360 degree views should one wish, persian rugs scattered on the floor and big cushions. Fantastic views and some with their own plunge pool! The most gorgeous tent I recently stayed in was at Sasaab, in Kenya. Sadly I was on my own, but this was somewhere to be shared with your partner – it was romance and bliss personified!

Luxury Kenya Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

The tents are set in the bush and one watches pairs of dik diks pronking through the trees. During the day, the tent is open fronted and open to the side, where the plunge pool is situated, overlooking the river. The front has equal views over the river with a couple of sun loungers placed on the grass. In the bedroom is a large sitting area with lots of cushions and bird and mammal books for perusing. There is even a yoga mat and plenty of places to practice yoga! There is a large bathroom with sliding tented doors with an inside shower and twin basin unit.  You also have your dedicated room steward.  If you feel like having more of a workout in a proper swimming pool,  then one can walk up to a mezzanine area outside with lots of large chairs and cushions  for relaxing and having a glass of wine, overlooking the swimming pool. There is also a spa.  Apart from game viewing in Samburu National Park, which is superb and excellent for elephant specifically (as well as having five different species which only occur north of the equator), they also offer camel walking and riding,  as well as walks, visits to the local community and the school. There are so many other lovely properties – in Lake Naivasha, we have a folly, which one takes over – and one can go for walks, visit Lake Nakuru  and take a boat around the lake whilst birdwatching.

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There are umpteen gorgeous houses in Laikipia where one can stay – my favourite being a homestead which has been decorated by an Argentinian interior decorator – called the Italian cottage. Here one can ride, track wild dog, game view and walk and the wildlife is superb. Or perhaps take a private cottage in Laikipia with infinite views across the escarpment. On the coast, in Lamu, take a private villa – complete with your own skipper and boat for the day! Dine on lobster, crab and fresh fish each night! At the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, there is a gorgeous lodge called Ol Donyo Wuas. This is the perfect place to acclimatise to Africa – sleep outside in your sala for a night or two, beneath the stars! They have elephants with the largest tusks here.  Go for wonderful walks, horse ride, have lovely picnic lunches and breakfasts laid out for you on a walk – the opportunities are endless, as are the views, luxury safari Kenya at its best!

Luxury Safari Kenya with AfricanExplorations.com

Certainly, for the “first timer”, a visit to the Mara is a must and, for those taking children who might be nervous about the bush/child equation, staying somewhere which has a swimming pool (something to do which is “not animals”!) and also fenced might be a good option. A fenced off camp, meaning that precious totos can run around at will, in total safety in one of the most concentrated game regions in the world, is a good idea and one of the best is Mara Intrepids Camp. What is so unique is that they are the only company in East Africa to offer a ‘kids’ club’; Nirvana for most parents and almost unheard of in the safari world! The real hit was when our 7 year old daughter was taught to use a wooden bow and arrow made from combretum, this was put to good (harmless!) use as she became expert at fending off the vervet monkeys who visited the dining tables in an effort to claim leftover titbits. Hiring a private vehicle is an absolute must here as one can then dictate the length, and focus, of game drives and have full attention from one’s guide. Our guide was one of the finest I have ever come across in all my years of living in (and, sadly, now out of) Africa. Despite it being out of season we saw a plethora of game: elephant, cheetah (even trying to make a kill on several occasions), buffalo, giraffe, topi, impala, thompson’s gazelle, lion, hyaena, cookson’s hartebeest, buffalo, dik dik, warthog, guinea fowl, black shouldered kite, rufous nape lark, eagles – the list goes on and on. Our other Masai guide, who taught at the kids club in traditional dress, had impeccable English and was excellent at imparting fun information. Olivia learned to drive a Land Rover, too (steering, sitting on her guide’s lap)! At her insistence, she went on her own with our guide to the Masai village where she saw the manyattas and was surrounded by children who taught her how to make bangles, necklaces and belts with beadwork. They also taught one another singing and dancing from both sides of the globe. This was an educational and rewarding experience and a complete hit and success all round!