Private Mobile Safaris & African Expeditions

Description

Seasonal time frame

Massai Mara – late June-October. Laikipia – June-March
(It is best to avoid the long rains in April-May)

PRIVATE MOBILE TENTED SAFARIS

The very first and original wildlife safaris were adventures that used mobile-tented camps. Your guides include partners in the oldest safari company in Africa and make the best mobile tented camp operator in the world, if we say so ourselves. Royalty and heads of state have all made a traditional tented camp their home while on safari, as have the stars of movies from Mogambo and Out of Africa to Gorillas in the Mist and The Constant Gardner. The individual attention and the seclusion make staying in a private camp the very essence of going on safari. These mobile camps give a taste of what it was like to go on safari in the days of the early explorers and there is no better way to be this close to the rhythms of the bush, the sounds of the night or the stillness of the wilderness while still being able to enjoy personal comforts. Most importantly it enables immediate access to the areas you have come to visit, unhindered by any schedule or crowds of other people.

KENYAN RESERVES

Safari is the Swahili word for a journey and Kenya evokes nostalgia for the earliest origins of the African Safari. Romance and adventure are plentiful in the classic stories told in Out of Africa and Born Free, illustrating Kenyas scenery, wildlife and people, which have enduring appeal.

Located on the east coast of Africa, the equator bisects the country, resulting in a tropical climate, although diverse geography provokes wide variations in temperature, rainfall and humidity. In relation to size, the assorted landscape is unparalleled and the multitude of national parks and reserves all have their own unique attractions. Marine reserves boast coral reef gardens; palm-fringed beaches and turquoise oceans, while the savannah grasslands exhibit quintessential depictions of imagined Africa, harsh trackless expanses, solitary flat-topped acacia and incredible concentrations of plain game. Kenya remains one of the best places in Africa to see great wildlife – lions, elephants, leopards, and of course the annual wildebeest migration streaming into the Masai Mara from Tanzania. The East Africa Rift runs through the country from top to bottom and provides stunning landscapes of giant volcanoes, hot springs and flamingo-sprinkled lakes. Dominated by Lake Turkana, the ancient source of the Nile, the Rift Valley lakes are some of the most picturesque in Africa. The formation of the Rift created Mt. Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa, some three million years ago.

This remarkable destination offers adventure and activity: unrivalled game viewing in the Mara; camel riding through the NFD; hiking in the central highlands; fly fishing on high altitude lakes, and snorkeling, diving, and deep sea fishing on the coast – an awe-inspiring travel choice.

GIRAFFE MANOR

Giraffe Manor is set in 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of an indigenous forest and just outside Nairobi city centre. Using 1930s grandeur, Giraffe Manor is an exclusive boutique hotel reminiscent of the early days of Europeans in East Africa. Six en-suite bedrooms with contemporary touches as well as attention to detail offer a remarkable stay.

The sanctuary surrounding the manor is home to Rothschild Giraffes who frequently visit the hotel. The large veranda and terrace allow guests the opportunity to get very close to these animals. The giraffes are completely wild, making this an experience unlike any other in the world. Giraffe Manor offers you an unparalleled experience of the giraffes, with them vying for your attention at the breakfast table, the front door and even your bedroom window. Giraffe Manor is also home to many characters including warthogs, bushbuck, dik dik and more than 180 species of birds, and has a striking view of the Ngong hills.

Enjoy a walk in the sanctuary and visit the Giraffe Centre located within the manor grounds. Another highlight is the Karen Blixen Museum. The museum was the home of the Danish author Karen Blixen, who is well known for her book Out of Africa, between 1917 and 1931. The Museum lies in a beautiful landscaped garden with wonderful views that encompass the Ngong Hills. The Museum holds a number of books and African portrait paintings in its library

MARA & SURROUNDS

In the northern-most sector of the 20,000 square kilometre Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, is the unfettered, sprawling wilderness of the Masai Mara National Reserve. It is named after the tall red-robed Masai people and their description of the area: Mara means spotted, relating to either the individual flat-top acacias, the sporadic cloud formations, or the speckled inundation of wildlife on endless horizons.

The wildlife roams freely within the reserve and adjacent dispersal areas where the Masai communities dwell, illustrating a rare, modern-day symbiosis in which wild animals and people live in peace. The topography in the Mara is three-fold from the Ngama Hills in the east to the magnificent Oloololo Escarpment and Plateau in the west, via the central rolling grassland plains that form the largest part of the reserve. This diverse landscape displays a profusion of avian fauna amounting to over 450 species, of which an incredible 57 are birds of prey. The wildlife scene opens with herds of elephants, buffalo, zebra, topi and gazelle with an occasional sighting of rhino; dominant predators include large prides of lion, hyena, cheetah and leopard. Although the Mara offers unparalleled wildlife viewing all year round it is the fabled wildebeest migration between August and October that stages one of the true wonders of the animal world. Herds of thousands of hooves trek to Kenya having exhausted their Tanzanian grazing, in search of new pastures. To be in the midst of these great herds is an unimaginable experience, especially when trailed by hordes of predators. The Mara River poses an additional obstacle in the journey, as crocodiles seize the laggards in its muddy waters. The true spirit of the Mara is experienced at the end of a dramatic day as a journey of Masai giraffes cross the horizon, silhouetted against the falling red orb of the Kenyan sun – this is the Africa of our dreams.

PRIVATE TENTED MOBILE CAMP, MASAI MARA

The Mara is especially noted for its high predator population; large prides of lion are found, as well as hyena, cheetah and leopard. Elephant, Masai giraffe, buffalo, wildebeest and gazelle make for a rich abundance of plains game. Hippo and crocodile are found in secluded pools along the Mara River and its tributaries. This is a wildlife spectacle unmatched in all of Africa and is a must for any visitor to East Africa. From your base in a private mobile-tented camp you will have the complete flexibility to spend each day as you choose, moving from one adventure to the next. The enormous advantage of camping is the flexibility to move where the wildlife and action is at its best; essential when dealing with such a fluid and unpredictable event as the Serengeti migration. The tents are simple and comfortable yet equipped with everything you might need. Days end with a campfire, dinner and the stars. Camp is remote, peaceful and away from the crowds. If you only come to Africa once then it is truly worth spending part of it in a tented camp, you will never regret it.

LAIKIPIA

In the central highlands of Kenya, stretching from Mount Kenya in the east to the Rift Valley in the west, is a 10,000 square kilometre area of semi-arid grassland and bush savannah known as the Laikipia Plateau. This region serves as a portal to Kenyas remote and wild northern frontier, a patchwork of cattle ranches and tribal lands that have been amalgamated under the umbrella of eco-tourism. The Laikipia Wildlife Forum promotes this collaboration and is an incredible example of successful conservation whereby ranchers and pastoralists encourage the practical coexistence of people, livestock and wildlife. The desire to truly understand all the inhabitants of this natural environment is illustrated in the large number of research and community conservation projects within the area. Straddling the Equator at altitudes of between 5,000 and 8,000 feet, this secluded part of Africa is incredibly scenic, comprising of magnificent escarpments which descend into open grasslands, basalt hills, lonely kopjes and riverine forest, fed by rivers that find their source on the slopes of Mount Kenya. This diversity attracts considerable animal numbers and is home to the highest number of endangered species in East Africa, including half of Kenyas Black Rhino, Kenyas second largest elephant population, the fastest growing wild dog population on the continent and the globally threatened Grevys Zebra. This is a unique and fascinating wildlife experience when adding the animals that occur solely in central and northern Kenya, such as the Reticulated Giraffe, Lelwels Hartebeest, gerenuk and Somali Ostrich. With such an array of plains game come the predators and Laikipia is home to significant numbers of lion, cheetah and the ever-elusive leopard. Predominantly private land, Laikipia is largely devoid of restriction offering a variety of activities, second to none. Day and night game drives, walking safaris, riding safaris, camel treks all from our lightweight tipi camp, fishing and helicopter excursions are all possible. Laikipia provides a wonderful wildlife experience offering opportunity to witness true conservation in action.

PRIVATE TENTED MOBILE TIPI CAMP, Laikipia Ranch.

In the heart of the Laikipia plateau sits our 45,000 acre private ranch. Laikipia is a highland region in central Kenya that lies between 5,000 and 7,000 ft above sea level and straddles the equator. It was once the range of cattle ranches, many of which have now been turned over to wildlife utilization in terms of providing protected land for wildlife to live in.

Our sole use ranch is home to all of the northern species, those animals that occur in Northern Kenya only, such as the highly endangered Grevys Zebra (down to 2,500 in the wild), as well as the reticulated giraffe, Lelwels Hartebeest and the gerenuk – a desert-adapted antelope. There is a good chance of seeing elephant here and always the possibility of big cats and predators. Laikipia is already home to the largest population of elephant and rhino in Kenya, with significant numbers of big cats and the fastest growing population of wild dog in Africa. While in Laikipia it is also possible to go out with radio tracking equipped to locate both wild dogs and lions.

Activities on the ranch include day and evening game drives, walking safaris, camel trekking and visits to nearby rhino ranches. Laikipia is about space, wild Africa and an opportunity to witness true conservation in action.

Example Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive Nairobi, meet and greet and transfer to Giraffe Manor for 1 night.

Day 2

Private Charter Caravan 208 from Nairobi Wilson Airport to the Mara (50 minutes). Luxury Mobile Tented Camp in Masai Mara for three nights.

Day 5

Private charter bush flight (caravan) from the Mara to Laikipia (1 hour). Luxury Mobile Tented Camp on Private Ranch for four nights including a day visit to rhino ranch.

Day 9

Charter flight back to Nairobi, Wilson, including day rooms and a private viewing at Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. After an early evening farewell meal transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for departure home from Kenya.