People often think of the words Safari and Kenya in one phrase, simply because Kenya epitomises the perfect safari. Think of infinite savannah plains, filled with animals – and you have the Masai Mara. Then perhaps north of the equator and one has amazing herds of elephant. In the Laikipia plateau one has views second to none, with the very best walking – whether it is with your private guide for a couple of hours or even on a camel assisted walking safari with the local Samburu tribe, learning about their culture! Perhaps you might even like to sleep out in a treehouse or go horse riding amongst wildlife along the plains?

Safari Kenya with AfricanExplorations.com

The point is that Kenya still offers some of the most phenomenal game viewing in Africa, especially with the wildebeest migration – and coupled with wonderful lakes and the Rift valley – this country literally offers it all! Whether you want to have a traditional safari, ending off at the coast where we have some lovely villas or Robinson Crusoe type establishments – or perhaps you want to go walking in the Loita Hills with a private guide for around three or four nights, or you want to trek around Mount Kenya – one of the most beautiful and challenging mountains, or you want to go out with lion or elephant researchers, getting a more indepth feel for the species you are looking at – we can easily arrange this for you!

Luxury Safari Kenya with AfricanExplorations.com

With staff who come from Kenya and having 22 years experience of arranging the very best safaris to kenya, if you are looking for something different, why dont you give us a call?

There are lots of wonderful ways to experience Kenya, but none quite so wonderful as a Kenya Luxury Safari. For me, the best way of exploring an area is to have the most amazing guide to bring the region to life for you – the guide is in fact the most crucial aspect of any safari! Then – one of my favourites is a  private camp in the Mara which is set in a truly game rich area – and one of the best for the migration. Here you have wrought iron candelabra in the bathroom to add a sense of occasion and the sitting area which overlooks the bush and is open on all sides with a huge candelabra to give a warm light in the evenings. Having no electricity creates a wonderful atmosphere. The days are spent viewing some of the finest and most concentrated wildlife in Africa, whilst the evenings are spent laughing and chatting about what you have seen during the day. Perhaps even go out on a sundowner flight across the Mara, arriving as the sun begins to set. This truly is spectacular!

Kenya Luxury Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Then perhaps travel to Meru or Samburu National Parks, north of the equator and stay in a beautiful lodge or tented camp – whichever takes your fancy! Perhaps go and visit an elephant research station or take a walk with a Samburu warrior, learning all about their culture as well as seeing superb elephant and other wildlife in the park. In the evening, at sundowners, watch the Samburu guides dance and become mesmerised with their simulanteous chanting and the finery of their clothing. This truly is Africa – and the continent delivers a pulsation that no other can equal!

Kenya Luxury Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

There are few places in Africa where one can obtain a truly luxurious safari – but a Luxury Safari in Kenya must rate one of the highest, alongside South Africa, Botswana and even Tanzania these days. The Kenyans really understand an informal style alongside the most fantastic, concentrated wildlife viewing in Africa. There are some wonderful lodges in the Masai Mara, where fabulous wildlife can be seen in close proximity, especially during the phenomenal wildebeest migration. Samburu, which lies north of the equator,  boasts two of the most luxurious lodges in Kenya.

Shompole with AfricanExplorations.com

Further south in Magadi, sits the most gorgeous lodge which also has a private house and a two bedroomed house with the most superb views and astounding wildlife. It is a community based project which is fantastic to see how proactive many of the Kenyan lodges are in working hand in hand with the local communities who greatly benefit from their existence.

Cottars Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

Laikipia also has its fair share of drop dead gorgeous lodges and houses  set in the dramatic landscape of the Laikipia escarpment. Many of these lodges are informal and homely but with the most tasteful of touches everywhere. This area is particularly good for horse riding. All in all, Kenya remains one of my favourite countries in Africa and a very obvious first choice for most people who want to go on safari!

Luxury Safari in Kenya with AfricanExplorations.com

Luxury Safari Kenya- It is so easy these days to have a luxury safari in Kenya. What the Kenyans have is style, and bucketloads of it! Nothing over the top, just simple and tasteful, ensuring that whatever is done merely complements the amazing scenery and views.

Shompole Lodge with AfricanExplorations.com

Luxury also comes in many guises. For some, it is taking a family or a group of friends getting together and hiring a private vehicle in the most beautiful, pristine wildlife abundant region in Laikipia or Meru. For others, it is having a helicopter on standby to fly them to Mount Kenya where they can fit in a day’s fly fishing or perhaps doing a low level flight in the Masai Mara during the wildebeest migration.  Again, for some, it will be having Frette linen, the finest of freshly prepared food and good wine, whilst for others, to have an unending supply of hot water for their bucket shower whilst they are on a luxury camping trip will do the trick!

Ol Donyo with AfricanExplorations.com

There are truly beautiful houses from Lake Naivasha, t0 Meru, Laikipia and Magadi. There are architectural places of beauty in Samburu and Magadi. It all depends upon your style!

The game is simply wonderful in Kenya, one simply needs to know when the best times are to be there and to maximise it. The mobile or luxury camping is fantastic as one has complete flexibility for the entire day, doing exactly as one wishes and establishing a wonderful rapport with one’s guide. The tents are furnished with oriental carpets, have cupboards to hang clothes and proper en suite bathrooms with tremendous showers and porcelain loos.

On the coast, we have such delights as Kiwayu which is Robinson Crusoe in style, but serving lobster and crab and delicious fish and fine wine! Why not take a dhow for three days between Kiwayu and Lamu? Stay at a new luxury boutique hotel called Red Pepper. Perhaps take a villa?

Kenya Safari Lodges are made up of a myriad of different styles – there is literally something for everyone!

From gorgeous villas on Lamu, to Robinson Crusoe retreats on Kiwayu, as one spends one’s day relaxing in a hammock, metres away from the lapping waves on the shores of the Indian Ocean, to authentic, tented camps erected just for you, in the Loita Hills or in the Masai Mara, Tsavo or Samburu. Here you go on safari with your own private guide and vehicle. Your guide brings the bush alive, regaling you with information and stories and is your friend and mentor throughout your safari.

Kenya Safari Lodges with AfricanExplorations.com

Then there are lightweight fly camps which we use for walking and camel safaris, through the Matthews Mountains or Laikipia as well as tree houses where one can sleep elevated on a platform, safe in the knowledge that one is away from any harm!

Finally,  there are the beautiful, design inspired lodges in Laikipia and Magadi, where the game viewing is superb and each villa has its own ‘cool pool’ where one can cool off – all with the most amazing views across the plains and Tanzania in the distance.

Ol Donyo Wuas with African Explorations.com

There is even the possibility to take an Arab Dhow and go sailing along the coastline!

A luxury Kenya safari is something that many people dream of! The world is divided by those who love wildlife and really want to get up close and personal. This means to sleep in a tented camp, listening to the amazing night calls of the whooping hyaena or a lion calling to its mate in the distance, or defending its territory. With the wind blowing gently through the gauze windows, one sleeps so soundly! For other people, this may be seen as a complete nightmare. They may not feel very comfortable sleeping at night, knowing that wildlife is walking around their tent. For them, they may love wildlife, but feel safer viewing it from a distance. They feel comforted by the fact that their lodge or tent is on a wooden deck, several feet from the ground!

shompole house with africanexplorations.com

I have covered this in a period article when I say that luxury means different things to different people. To some, it means space and not seeing another soul (or tourist!). To have thousands of hectares to simply spend time walking in and absorbing, to traverse through by open vehicle or on horseback.  Others feel it is flying everywhere by private aircraft, not having to wait for anyone or join any queues! Some feel it is having unlimited hot water whilst others, it is to have the champagne or wine of one’s choice at hand, together with superb food. A private guide who accompanies your safari and is at one’s beck and call  is, for some,  a necessity – and undoubtedly, this increases the enjoyment of one’s overall safari.

Sasaab with AfricanExplorations.com

There are still other people who simply insist upon opulence and decadence. A masseuse must be on hand, rooms or villas with the finest linen, lodges which have that inimitable designer touch.

luxury Kenya safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Whatever your idea of luxury is, Kenya can certainly deliver it!

Luxury safari Holidays are easily arranged in most  of Africa these days.

In Namibia, there are some idyllic lodges in the desert, where you have open sided rooms with magnificent vistas and windows in the ceilings where you can watch the stars. In Kenya, you have magnificent lodges which overlook Mount Kilimanjaro, where you can ride during the day, or simply relax and look out over these views. Perhaps you might like your own villa, set on three floors, with its very own ‘cool pool’.  Perhaps you would like your own farmhouse and private tented camp erected for you, flying in between with your own helicopter and aeroplanes at your disposal.

luxury safari Kenya from AfricanExplorations.com

In the Selous in southern Tanzania, take over your own house and spend the days walking, game viewing and boating on Lake Tagalala. In South Africa, take the children to a malaria free lodge in Madikwe, complete with its own private villa where you take the property in its entirety – purely for a couple of famillies or for those wanting space as well as their own butler and fantastic guide. Then, finish off at an exquisite villa in the Cape, overlooking the sea!

luxury safari Tanzania with AfricanExplorations.com

In the Serengeti, stay at a beautiful lodge or luxury tented camp with inspiring views of the wildebeest migration.

In Zimbabwe, there is a gorgeous lodge called Pamushana in a fantastic, game rich area. In Zambia, there are stunning lodges dotted all across the country, from the waters of the lower Zambezi, to the south Luangwa with its concentrations of wildlife, especially leopard, to Kafue and Livingstone.

luxury safaris to Botswana with AfricanExplorations.com

Luxury Kenya – something which is easily achievable! There are some truly beautiful lodges that have been recently built in Kenya. Top marks go to Ol Donyo Wuas, which is truly beautiful in the most wonderful location, facing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Ol Lentille with AfricanExplorations.com

The other place is Ol Lentille located between Laikipia and the Matthews range on the Ol Lentille group ranch. The lodge sits high on a rock boulder filled kopje at 6000 feet. Therefore it is always cool in the mornings and late afternoons but the swimming pool lies in full sun and always a lovely warm area. All funds support educational bursaries for local children and students. The lodges décor is chic safari with a mix of elegant masks, teak, hordes of fireplaces, rare wooden furniture, soft sofas in neutral colours, grasses and hessian matting. The unique design and architecture makes use of the light and was designed with eco-responsible elements in mind as they gather rainwater for the reservoirs. All plants are indigenous. The lodge was built with the dignified purpose of making communities work for themselves. Certainly of all the Lodge projects started in Kenya, Ol Lentille is by far the most luxurious.

Shompole with AfricanExplorations.com

Shompole is another of our favourites. With the lodge, a two bedroomed villa and a private villa/house called 360 – situated in Magadi in the Great Rift valley. The game viewing is extraordinary here and the cool, white exteriors and interiors shield one from the harsh midday sun. Each room is built on three levels, starting with a cool pool at the bottom, with views over the plains, then an enormous bathroom with great views and then on top, is your bedroom, completely open fronted, with a large verandah and day bed, where you can flop onto and read, as well as a driftwood dining area on your deck. Romance doesn’t get better than this!

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.

Luxury Kenya safari with AfricanExplorations.com

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

A luxury safari in Kenya will encapsulate the essence of what a safari should be all about as the country is such a broad-ranging and capable African safari destination. Kenya has a reputation for being “busy” but a properly planned trip will eschew any mass market influences and remain true to tradition, thus being a genuine adventure whilst cocooning travellers within a very high quality experience.

Lion in the Mara, Luxury Safari Kenya by AfricanExplorations.com

Luxury safari Kenya accommodation will be lovely yet, again, down to earth and genuine as we usually choose camps and lodges which are owner-run for our clients. This ensures highly personable hosting with some of the best guiding in Africa. We have many favourites amongst the plethora of places available in the bush but Richards Camp and Serian in the Mara and Sosian up on the Laikipia Plateau are very special to us.

Interior of Richards Luxury Kenya Safari Camp, from Nicola Shepherd's AfricanExplorations.com

Activities available in the bush are legion: from gameviewing, including special interest such as elephant research or lion tracking, to horse riding, mountain biking, hiking/walking, fishing, rafting, photography, flycamping, camel riding, art classes, archery, swimming in mountain streams or just relaxing…….Kenya has enough to satisfy any aficionado of the bush.

Riding On The Plains on a Luxury Kenya Safari by AfricanExplorations.com

On the coast the same applies, every conceivable watersport is there but the offshore waters, including the Pemba Channel (which is actually mostly off Tanzania), are home to some of the world’s best sportfishing. Lamu is (still) an unspoiled example of ancient Arah-Swahili architecture and trading culture with the beaches north of this ancient trading town being superlative; Kiwayu is one of our favourites up here.

Kiwayu, Luxury Beach in Kenya by AfricanExplorations.com

Finally, Kenya’s culture is a very important part of the whole; the country’s peoples and tribes, which include the nilotic Masai and Samburu as well as many other tribes and immigrants from both the Indian subcontinent and Europe, are friendly yet proud and it is their personality that gives Kenya its immense character.

Call us now to talk about an utterly individual luxury safari in Kenya on 01993 822443 or email us at info@africanexploratons.com