Sweep the Savannah: Explore Kenya in 12 Days
Poe Travel and our trusted friends at Africa House Safaris have a 12-day itinerary exploring the best of the best in beautiful Kenya that will have you packing your khakis later this year…
Leopard relaxing in Kenya (photo credit: Africa House Safaris)
With a new year and the promise of a vaccine just around the corner, we are filled with hope and are setting our sights across the Atlantic at one of our favorite destinations: Kenya. For many, many years, the team at Poe Travel has partnered with David and Karen Sugden of Africa House Safaris to show our clients the very best of East Africa. No one knows Kenya’s breathtaking landscapes and fascinating tribal heritage better than Africa House, and they’re ready to welcome you once more to their beautiful homeland.
Discover Kenya in 12 Days
We have a stunning 12-day itinerary for you to check out, and we dare you to resist the call of Kenya’s quintessential sweeping acacia-studded savannah landscapes coupled with the very best safari experts in East Africa, which you will only find at Africa House Safaris.
Let’s hit the road—virtually for now, but hopefully in person for you later this year. The recommended window of travel for this itinerary is any time from July to October.
An iconic acacia tree (photo credit: Africa House Safaris)
Days 1 & 2
Welcome to Kenya! On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, after clearing customs and immigration and collecting your luggage, you will be warmly met by your safari guide and transferred to Giraffe Manor, your home for the next two nights.
The following morning, you will have the opportunity to either relax and acclimate to the difference in time zone (even the most seasoned travelers may have forgotten what jet lag feels like during the last year!), or perhaps you would like to engage in some local sightseeing in and around the Karen area.
Enjoy breakfast and afternoon tea with the giraffes, as they come up to the Manor looking for handouts from the guests, often sticking their heads through the window! You will also have the opportunity to visit Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage, which is currently closed to the public but open for your special private visit.
Hotel Spotlight: Giraffe Manor
Built in 1932, this magnificent manor house is the ultimate in exclusivity. It takes its name from the rare Rothschild giraffe that roams its beautiful grounds. The house itself has a comfortable lived-in feeling from its stunning entrance hall and grand staircase to the living room with its large fireplace and six pleasantly decorated bedrooms. The manor is unlike any other; it is part of a conservation and education project to draw attention to the endangered species of Rothschild giraffe, and the giraffes do their part, often surprising guests by poking their heads through the windows of the sunroom or upstairs bedrooms in search of a treat.
Days 3, 4, & 5
After breakfast on your final morning at Giraffe Manor, you will be transferred to Wilson Airport to check in for your scheduled flight to Lewa. On arrival, you will be welcome and driven to Sirikoi Game Lodge, where you will stay the next three nights.
Elephant in Kenya (photo credit: Africa House Safaris)
The itinerary over these days will be tailored to your wishes and interests. You will have your own private safari vehicle and guide at your disposal, so you can’t go wrong. There is a 20-foot hide by the swamp for more sedentary game viewing. A range of exciting activities is sure to make your stay diverse and adventurous; perhaps opt for a flight in a helicopter or bi-plane, or head out lion tracking, horse riding, fly-fishing, camel trekking, walking on the conservancy, or visit the local Masai in their homesteads to get a sense of the traditions of this area.
Lewa itself lies on the northern slopes of Mount Kenya, with the great wilderness of the Northern Frontier District just beyond its borders. This is Kenya’s most famous private wildlife conservancy, known for conserving endangered wildlife within its boundaries and supporting the neighboring communities. The conservancy is an area of rolling grassland and savannah, with permanent streams and swamps that attract wildlife. Expect stunning views, with the deserts and mountains to the north and snow-capped Mount Kenya to the south. This is one of the best game-viewing locations in Kenya, and the birdlife is extremely rich with over 350 species of bird recorded. Large herds of elephants move between the conservancy and Samburu to the north, and Lewa is one of Kenya’s first rhino sanctuaries. The conservancy also holds about 20% of the world’s population of the highly endangered Grevy’s zebra.
Hotel Spotlight: Sirikoi Game Lodge
Sirikoi House is the grandest of Sirikoi’s accommodation options. Its complex includes a master bedroom cottage, a separate bedroom cottage with two en-suite bedrooms, and a central living and dining cottage that has become renowned for its unique positioning and décor. Guests at the House also have access to a private wooden deck build overlooking the wetlands, perfect for private sundowners and meals. Each room in the house is sumptuously decorated with items from around the world. Each bathroom has a shower, freestanding tub, and double vanities. Sirikoi House is only sold on an exclusive-use basis, so you will have the complex to yourself, and it comes with a private safari vehicle and guide as well as a chef and a team of staff.
Days 6, 7, & 8
After breakfast on your final morning in Lewa, you will transfer to the airstrip in time to board your privately chartered flight to Ol Malo, which only takes about 20 minutes. On arrival, you will be greeted by your hosts and driven the short distance to Ol Malo Lodge, arriving in plenty of time for a swim before lunch.
Local Samburu people (photo credit: Africa House Safaris)
Situated on the northern edge of the Laikipia plateau, Ol Malo Lodge is nestled into a rugged escarpment looking out across the time-honored lands of Kenya’s Northern Frontier District. An ancient land inhabited by wildlife and peoples of a time long ago, it is undisturbed and living by the rhythm of nature.
Colin and Rocky Francombe, both born in Kenya of settler families, designed and built Ol Malo with a deep understanding of how it should be. Rocky and Colin’s conservancy has excellent wildlife and your time here will allow you to explore the area by luxury safari vehicles, by day and night, and on foot. Alternatively, you may just want to relax by the stunning pool and while away a couple of very happy days with a good book. In other words, you can be as active or as inactive as the mood takes you.
The Francombes live amidst the Samburu tribe, the more traditional cousins of the more famous Maasai tribe. Over the years, they have struck long-lasting relationships with these proud pastoral people, and staying at Ol Malo gives you a very fine and rare opportunity to really see the Samburu in their element. Not only is the location exceptionally beautiful but also the food is excellent and much of it is organic and local produce.
Hotel Spotlight: Ol Malo Lodge
Ol Malo Lodge has four exclusive cottages with luxurious en-suite bathrooms and private verandas. To stay at Ol Malo is to live by a different rhythm: wake up to see the sunrise framing the peaks of Mount Kenya; celebrate the day with a dawn game drive into the wilderness, or take a camel ride across the plains; visit the colorful Samburu nomads of the north; or go mountain biking on the hilly terrain. At night, relax by the fire and tune into the magical sounds of wild Africa, or overnight in the Look Out by a water-hole which is visited by a variety of wildlife.
Day 9, 10, & 11
After breakfast at Ol Malo, you will be driven to Loisaba airstrip for your flight to the Masai Mara. On arrival, you will be welcomed by your driver/guide and drive to the Mara Plains Tented Camp, where you will spend the next three glorious nights.
The Mara Plains Tented Camp is one of five camps currently operating within the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, which boasts the region’s lowest vehicle density. Here, it is possible to avoid the high tourist density of the Masai Mara Game Reserve proper, if you wish. In total, guests of Mara Plains have access to over 100,000 acres of low-density vehicle tourism, while still having unfettered access to the Masai Mara’s additional 375,000 acres. You certainly won’t be pressured for space! Talk about social distancing.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is often described as the greatest natural wildlife theatre and grasslands in the world. It is an area of gently rolling hills, woodland, and Acacia trees, which are watered by the Mara and Talek Rivers, and it opens onto the Serengeti Plains. The Mara is home to large prides of lions and elephants. It is also centerstage each year for the Great Wildebeest Migration, the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth. All members of the “Big Five” are to be found in the Masai Mara.
Should you want to add a little something extra to your time in this incredible part of the world, optional activities include hot air ballooning or cultural visits to a Masai Manyatta.
Hotel Spotlight: Mara Plains Tented Camp
Imagine a camp set right in the heart of some of the greatest predator country of Africa; this is Mara Plains Tented Camp. Rarely a night passes without a lion roaring nearby, while leopards are regularly found wandering the camp and cheetah have established territories on the savannah nearby. The camp caters for only 14 guests in seven uniquely designed octagonal canvas rooms. Each is raised on decks and opens on three sides to the outside. Floor-to-ceiling net walls and the marquis ceiling make for very open-air and inviting environs. The rooms have a dressing area as well as private verandas with seating and exquisite views. The en-suite facilities consist of a double basin vanity, flush toilet, bathtub, and shower. Add to this cultural melting pot a nod to the colonial era, with rich leathers, copper, and brass used in expedition-style campaign furniture and you have a lavish, residential atmosphere which complements, rather than overwhelms, the surrounding wilderness.
Day 12
Dayroom at the Hemingways Hotel (photo credit: Africa House Safaris)
After breakfast on your final morning in the Masai Mara, you will transfer to the airstrip in time to board your Safarilink flight back to Wilson Airport in Nairobi. On arrival, you will be met and driving to Hemingways Nairobi, where dayrooms have been reserved for you.
The afternoon is yours to relax or perhaps head out for some shopping. After dinner, you will be transferred to the International Airport for your homeward bound flight, and we can promise you this: you will be changed.
COVID-19 Requirements in Kenya
Passengers from the United States are permitted entry into Kenya if the following conditions are met:
The passenger does not have a body temperature above 37.5°C (99.5°F)
The passenger does not have a persistent cough, difficulty breathing, or other flu-like symptoms
The passenger presents a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test conducted within 96 hours prior to their departure from the US
Please note that COVID-19 tests will be required to exit the country as well. The team at Poe Travel can assist with arranging the required testing on the ground in Kenya.
Great Wildebeest Migration in Kenya (photo credit: Africa House Safaris)
As for what has changed in the safari experience in order to ensure your safety and that of your guides, here is what you can expect during your safari experience:
Temperature checks throughout
Hand sanitisation
Mask/facial coverings required
Social distancing at all camps, lodges, and hotels which includes dining areas, safari vehicles, common areas, etc.
Each room/tent is fully sanitised before you arrive and after you depart
All camp/lodge staff undergo regular COVID testing and wear masks at all times
On arrival, guests have to have filled in a surveillance form online and are given a QR code
If you would like to get away to Kenya (or anywhere else in the world), simply contact us, and we will set you on your way.