The Great Migration: A Luxury Safari

Originally build in the 1930s, Giraffe Manor is ideally located in south west Nairobi, just 20 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Situated in one of Nairobi’s most beautiful suburbs, this beautiful Manor House is located on 140 acres of pristine sanctuary land. Perfect for a quick stopover in the capital city, with an extra quirkiness to add to the convenience. This lovely Manor is home to eight endangered Rothschild giraffes that make daily visits to the house and politely ask guests for snacks! This up-close experience is remarkably enchanting and a great way to begin or finish your safari in Kenya. The opportunity to visit a handful of local attractions such as the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Nyumbani Children’s Orphanage and the Karen Blixen museum (among others) are also available and a great way to explore Nairobi in more detail. The style of this boutique hotel is modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge with a modern touch. The main Manor house has just six en-suite luxury bedrooms, each with its own character and very tastefully decorated. Four brand new luxury bedrooms have just opened in the garden manor and allow for a different view of these pretty grounds. Each room is very comfortable, with subtle warm colours that give a very homely feel. Grand, four poster beds and large windows give an airy quality that allows you to simply relax and enjoy your time in Nairobi without the hustle and bustle of city life. Giraffe Manor is well known for the excellent cuisine offered, with meals taken in the wood panelled dining room overlooking the gardens. Breakfast is the most important part of your experience here, as this is when the Giraffe are their most inquisitive!

Location is everything at Sala’s Camp. Nestled in the Maasai Mara National Park, but in a very remote southern-central corner of it on the tranquil banks of the Sand River, Sala’s boasts the most private of safari experiences within the reserve’s borders. The camp features 11 tents including two family tents and two honeymoon tents. All feature private plunge pools and en-suite bathrooms with hot showers, running water and flushing loos. Sala’s enjoys wonderful views across the northern Tanzanian corridor and Serengeti National Park, and it is one of the first camps in the Mara to witness the Great Migration. Your daily game drives are personalised to guests, depending on what you would most like to see, and the Mara River for the famed river crossings is only a 25-minute drive away. The food is impossibly sophisticated for your surrounds, all in all holding true to the camp’s philosophy of combining tradition with elegance. Sala’s is also a wonderful camp for families. All children receive a welcome pack with games, paint sets and quizzes about the wildlife and the camp and kids can play in the shallow Sand River under the watchful eye of a Maasai askari.

Sitting on the banks of the Sand River, this colonial Masai Mara camp echoes the decadent days of 1920’s safari in a sublime and secluded game-rich location. Accommodation comes in the form of 16 luxury tents, each with their own sun deck for your own personal river view. While the camp provides communal dining and lounging areas, if complete seclusion is what you’re after, indulge in the private dining options of luncheons and dinners served out in the bush among the flourishing wildlife. With a setting boasting the big five, the annual migration plus the world’s largest concentration of big cats, you can expect spectacular game viewing here alongside expert, friendly guiding.

One of our favourite camps in Africa. Alex Walker’s Serian in the North Mara Conservancy is beautifully perched on the Mara River. Ngare Camp is made up of just four traditional style but luxurious tents set on wooden decks. What makes Serian stand out is that you will have a private guide and vehicle for the duration of your stay, this coupled with the quality of the local Masaai guides means that you are set for a truly exclusive experience in the Mara North Conservancy. Guests are able to take bush walks and night drives in the private area near the camp, allowing for a more ‘involved’ and exciting trip to the Mara. Alex has been guiding and organising expert safaris throughout East Africa for over 25 years and his keen enthusiasm for this wonderful land is reflected in his camps. Serian Mara’s tents have a comforting colonial feel to them, with furniture that depict that historical time. Spacious and airy with verandas to enjoy the passing wildlife drawn to the river, you have a really lovely area to simply relax in a stunning setting. Ideally situated in a high density game area, this camp is a luxurious way to spend your time in the Mara. With over 450 bird species that flock here year round, it will be difficult for you to ever be without some sort of wildlife in your immediate sights. Lion, leopard and cheetah are resident even when the migration have moved on, and provide some awesome photographic opportunities. Guests at Serian will receive exclusive use of a private safari vehicle and guide at no extra cost.

Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp is located within a beautiful community owned concession close to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and the Kenyan border, a timeless setting with incredible views over the game covered plains that surround it. The camp itself, unashamedly colonial in style with dark woods, swathes of canvas and antique pieces, is made up of ten tents, spaced out to ensure privacy. Of the ten, four are family suites with their own living rooms and fireplaces and there also a unique honeymoon suite. All have en suite showers and safari baths and showers can be set up in the savannah for unforgettable ablutions. Two main mess tents sit at the heart of Cottar’s with areas for fine dining, drinking, reading and relaxing. There’s also a swimming pool and spa. The Cottar family have decades of experience here and they count the highest number of Gold (the highest professional level) Safari Guides within one camp in Kenya, each chosen for their unique skill set and personalities, meaning a safari here, whether on foot or game drives, is always a fantastic. Cultural interaction with the local Maasai community, with whom the Cottars have worked in partnership with for years, is authentic and not at all touristy. The award-winning camp also has some of the highest ecotourism ratings going.

Just north of the Maasai Mara Reserve, in the 30,000 acre private Olare Motorogi Conservancy, this Relais & Châteaux camp offers you outstanding game experiences without the restrictions that the reserve itself imposes on other lodges. This conservancy adds a huge plus factor due to the privacy and minimal vehicle traffic within it. You can easily access the Maasai Mara Reserve, but the game in the conservation area is just as excellent. Leopard are regularly spotted passing through the camp and lions can often be heard in the distance. The camp only has 7 canvas tents, each raised up on decks to improve the views over the stretch of land before you. The canvas tents all open to three sides giving an airy feel to your bush experience and are luxuriously and tastefully decorated. Private verandas are ideal for that ice cold gin and tonic while you relax with beautiful views. Two of the tents are on a common raised deck, which is perfect for families. The game drive vehicles are all completely open which helps you get some phenomenal photographs. In addition to the game, you mustn’t forget that you also have a community nearby that you can visit and witness a genuine working village. A truly marvellous experience.

Richard’s Forest Camp is an excellent safari under canvas experience. Located in the Northern Area of the Greater Masai Mara, Richard’s Forest Camp started out as a family home for the Robert’s Family, and Richard himself was brought up in camp. Today, the comfortable tents offer a traditional safari experience with excellent guiding from the local Masai. Positioned on the edge of a forest overlooking the open plains of the Maasai Mara, Richard’s Forest Camp is a secluded and intimate tented camp. There are seven spacious tents furnished in a comfortable safari style in a pleasant wooded area. Tents have 24-hour solar lighting and en-suite bathrooms with flushing loos. After a day of game viewing with the camp’s exceptional guides, enjoy hot showers and cocktails around the open camp fire, followed by a delicious three course dinner under a canopy of stars. If the evening is a little chillier than normal, curl up in the cosy sitting room with a roaring log fire.

Olonana is located on a private section of the Mara River, offering you spectacular views of the animals as they wander down the banks each day. Fourteen canvas pavilions are dotted along the river, each one extremely spacious with parquet flooring and four poster beds. With a modern spin this lodge has a library that you can enjoy and it even has a pool for an afternoon dip. And, if you feel like you need some extra pampering, you could wander down to the mini spa for some traditional African treatments with the bush as your soundtrack. Besides the usual fantastic game drives where you can see the big five and more than 300 bird species, you will also have the chance to enjoy a nature work outside the reserve. These are hugely educational and your guides will point out the most remarkable things, from animal tracks and spoor to sights where lions have marked their territory. As the lands are not only home to game, you can also visit a Maasai village for some cultural insight into the traditional lives that these remarkable people lead. This is a fabulous camp for families as there is a kids club and a range of special activities. Expert guides will take children out on game drives and accompany them to the nearby Maasai village where they will learn how to make and shoot a traditional bow and arrow, make a fire, build a hut, herding cattle to name a few. Kids will also be able to interact with the local children while playing football together, learn Maasai songs and traditional dances. Other activities include going out on a nature trail where they will learn about animal footprint identification or enjoy a bush treasure hunt followed by planting their own tree.

This remarkably special lodge sits in the heart of the 275,000 acre Mbirikani Group Ranch on the slopes of Chyulu Hills National Park. No two rooms are the same, but each offers beautiful views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the waterhole. There are starbeds set up atop each suite for nights spent under the starry sky. Earthy tones characterise the interiors, with flashes of colour, wildlife photography and local craftwork adding style and personality. En-suite bathrooms feature with flush loos, indoor and outdoor showers, a deep stone tub and double basins. The main lodge features a lounge with a large stone fireplace, a small library, extensive verandah and dining room. There is also an infinity pool, perfect for sinking into at the end of the day or to cool off in the midday heat. The lodge has a strong and healthy relationship with the local Maasai population with whom they share the land. The ranch is owned by 4,000 Maasai and is leased from them, with the lease fee and the conservancy fee being fed back into the community. Due to its location, the possibilities to explore the land are endless. Guided bush walks are very popular and offer insight to the fine details of the African bush. It is also possible to venture farther afield on horseback or bike. An open-air hide enables guets to get close to the game in the area and game drives are available early morning and late afternoon.