Explore Kenya with free regional flights

Nairobi hides many an interesting pastime under it’s not-so-shiny reputation and, if you find yourself in the city, you may even wish you had a few more nights to spare.

Most of the action happens in the luxurious garden suburb of Karen. A typical day might include a morning with the orphaned elephants at the David Sheldrick Trust, time at the Karen Blixen museum (and a coffee and a slice of cake), and end with a giraffe ‘kiss’ at the centre at Giraffe Manor. We recommend hiring a driver to take you around the sights, and perhaps adding a dinner stop at one of the up-and-coming restaurants.

If you’re missing your daily wildlife fix - or desperate to get started – Nairobi is one of the only cities in the world to have a national park on the doorstep. It’s home to four of the Big Five (no elephant), game viewing is good, and there’s even a short walk at the entrance. A half- or full-day trip from the city is easy to arrange and your driver will stay with you for the duration.

Located in the heart of the Masai Mara's premier game viewing area, the property provides guests with two to three daily game drives in custom-built 4-wheel drive Landcruisers. Leveraging superb locations within the reserve, these vehicles, designed for optimal wildlife observation and photography, are paired with guides whose expertise is unmatched in the region.

With over 40 years of experience, the driver-guides boast a deep understanding of the reserve, ensuring a profound respect for the wilderness and its inhabitants.

Additionally, they offer specially modified Landrovers, configured for photography enthusiasts. These vehicles feature same-level seating, cut-out side panels for low-angle shots, high roofs, and fully folding windscreens, making them ideal for capturing stunning wildlife images. These photographic safari vehicles are available exclusively upon request at the time of booking and can be found at all the property’s camps in the Masai Mara.

Governors’ Balloon Safaris offers the best flight path in the Masai Mara, following the natural winding course of the Mara River.

The adventure begins just before dawn. Departure is from a perfect natural launch site behind Little Governors’ Camp, and flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crews inflate their craft. The first pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies as the hot air balloon fills, then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-coloured canopy, you’re off for a wildlife viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective. What amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness: the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara.

Even if you’ve flown elsewhere, this is a unique experience. The flight lasts an hour or so, drifting wherever the air currents take you, and with ample opportunities for photography and video filming.

After about an hour or so, your balloon safari finishes with a flourish; in the time honoured tradition of balloon flights the world over, you toast your return to earth with a delicious breakfast (complete with sparkling wine), cooked wherever you land. The experience ends with a game drive back to your camp (we fly passengers staying at other Mara camps too).

The private farms and reserves of Laikipia offer a blockbuster of activities, each as unique as they are, and here more than anywhere, your experience will be determined by where you stay. Laikipa is renowned for its fantastic wildlife viewing – rhino, big cats, elephant, buffalo and wild dog are all present in sizeable numbers – but it’s up to you how you choose to find them…

Across the board, morning, afternoon and (usually) night game drives are on offer. We recommend using the drives as your base and adding on extras as you fancy. These can include walking safaris (around 3-4 hours) and hardier foot and fly-camping expeditions that involve walking through the bush by day and sleeping in a simple camp under the stars by night. Horse riding safaris are very common, and it’s not unusual to be offered a safari by camel! Also on the agenda are cycling and mountain biking trips, fixed-wing flights for game viewing by air, and a chance to spend time with the iconic Maasai and Samburu warriors who are very often landowners in the conservancies.