11 Days Bush & Seaside Escapes

Touching down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi will mark the beginning of your exclusive African adventure. After meeting your guide in the arrivals hall, you will drive into Nairobi’s leafy suburbs of Langata, arriving at the Macushla House. Founded by an Irish family, this property offers the amenities of a hotel in a personal and warm home environment. With two cozy lounges, a large covered verandah and a swimming pool nestled within a lush garden, this will be the perfect place to unwind after a long day of travel.

Depending on your arrival time and energy level, it may be of interest to explore the neighborhood before joining the lodge for dinner. The hotel is located within walking distance of Giraffe Manor, a conservation site for the Rothschild Giraffe. Here, you can visit an iconic colonial house – currently operating as a lodge – in addition to visiting the AFEW Giraffe Center.

Alternatively, the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is only a short drive away, and gives visitors the opportunity to watch the adorable orphaned baby elephants interact with their caregivers and each other twice daily. For those interested in absorbing some Kenyan history and culture, the Karen Blixen and Nairobi Museums are only a short drive away, as are a number of craft centers. You will return to the lodge in time for a fresh and local evening meal, served within an intimate dining room, before returning to your private suite for the evening.

After breakfast, you will transfer to the Wilson Airport for your schedule flight to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Upon landing you will be assisted to transfer to Ol Pejeta Bush Camp. Found on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, Asilia's Ol Pejeta Bush Camp presents a true African safari experience with incredible Big 5 game viewing and expert guiding. Owned and managed by Alex and Diana Hunter, they make their home your own, with excellent service and cosy bush camp character pervading throughout the property. The 90,000 acre Ol Pejeta Conservancy in which the camp is set is synonymous with strong conservation work, housing the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa.

Overlooked by the dramatic snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya, Ol Pejeta Conservancy is in central Kenya’s Laikipia County. It’s home to the two remaining northern white rhinos on the planet and many other endangered animals, all protected around the clock by dedicated rangers.

Ol Pejeta offers a classic Big Five safari experience. The conservancy is private, and visitor access is restricted, so despite being compact, it will not feel crowded. Rhinos are always a highlight here because they are so rare elsewhere. Elephants and buffalos are the norm throughout every Kenyan safari, and lions are usually the easiest of the big cats to spot because they bask and bathe out in the open. Cheetahs and leopards are solitary and spend most of their day hiding away, so they are always more difficult to find. Still, your expert guides have spent years studying these hiding places and can usually get you very close, especially because Ol Pejeta allows off-road driving.

Early morning breakfast, you will transfer to the local airstrip for your flight to Lake Nakuru. Upon landing at the Naishi Airstrip inside lake Nakuru National park, you will be assisted and transferred to the luxurious Cliff Kenya lodge for a late lunch as you grace the bird haven that is Lake Nakuru National park.

The Cliff Kenya is a stunning tented camp surrounded by nature and offers 10 beautifully appointed tented suites. A fusion of the elegance of Europe and the wild of Africa, each suite features a king size bed, a viewing deck to gaze at sensational 180 degree views of Lake Nakuru, a private lounge, and free standing bath tub and shower.

Vivid colors welcome you to Lake Nakuru, the deep blue lake encircled by a bright pink blanket of flamingos. Millions of these birds wade in the shallows, a stunning spectacle when admired from a distance. Another 400 resident bird species surround the lake, ranging from cormorants and pelicans to tiny avocets and grebes. Lake Nakuru is one of Africa's most beautiful parks, the vibrant colors merging to form a picturesque landscape of water, savannah, and misty mountains.

After breakfast, you will transfer to a local airstrip, where you will catch a flight to Maasai mara Game Reserve. You will be met and transferred to &Beyond Bateleur Camp. - Set amongst the forest at the foot of the scenic Oloololo escarpment (the rim of the Great Rift Valley) in Kenya’s iconic Masai Mara National Reserve, is the classic and elegant Bateleur Camp. Comprised of just two intimate camps of nine tented suites each and a family tent; each elegant tent, with its own private butler and housekeeper reflects the ambiance and glamour of Kenyan explorers of old. Slip into a world of hardwood floors, polished silver and copper bathtubs juxtaposed against the romance of the open Mara plains, with their abundant herds of wildlife. Beautifully handcrafted artefacts, fine antiques, leather buttoned Chesterfield sofas, books, and crystal and candlelight adorn the comfortable sitting and dining areas.

The Masai Mara National Reserve is arguably Kenya’s premier wildlife sanctuary, a staggering untouched natural park comprising sprawling emerald pastures, rugged rocky outcrops, and dense viridian forests. Furthermore, Masai Mara is home to the world’s ultimate wildlife spectacle, the Great Migration. Should you travel to Masai Mara during the appropriate time of year, you will have the fortune of witnessing this impressive natural display in which millions of wildebeest, gazelle, zebra, and other creatures sprint across the Serengeti towards the greener plains of Kenya while many predators seek kills during the chaos.

Maasai Mara is the place to explore nature by foot on guided walking safaris, following an expert game ranger with an incredible ability to track creatures within the untouched bush. Guided by animal tracks imprinted on the forest floor, you will stroll to enchanting viewpoints shrouded by trees and lush greenery and learn more about the indigenous creatures, birds, and plant life composing this estuary of unspoiled natural beauty. Experiencing the thriving ecosystems up close is bound to give you a new perspective of the African wilderness, captured by your camera along the way.

5am coffee, early morning game drive, breakfast, thereafter you transfer to your local airstrip for your flight back to the Wilson airport in Nairobi for your inter-connecting flight to Zanzibar Island in Tanzania. You wil be assisted with all airside procedures and upon landing at Zanzibar, you will be whisked away to Baraza Beach Resort & Spa.

Baraza is a beautiful boutique resort built in a distinctive Swahili design. Blending Arabic and Indian influences with Swahili arches, beautiful antiques, handmade furniture and intricate brass lanterns it offers a very high standard of accommodation on Zanzibar. The resort's villas nestle among the gardens or along the beach which is fringed by palm trees and scattered with perfectly placed beach sunbeds meaning that everyone can enjoy their own little patch of paradise. Although this is a resort style property it is relatively small with only 30 villas in total, which creates a lovely laid back, and intimate feel.

The Tanzanian island of Zanzibar offers guests unbridled access to its mesmerizing underwater topography, which you will admire today during water sports and activities from the pearl-white shores on your doorstep. You may swim across the Indian Ocean, paddling over the shallow crystal clear waters to the vivid coral reef sheltering the bay. Here, you will dive below the surface to witness the colorful marine life that swims amongst the coral. Your snorkeling need not end here, with Zanzibar’s many beaches boasting their own unique coral systems and marine encounters.

Zanzibar’s beaches will beckon you to their soft sands, where you may wallow in the island’s private charm while you absorb the phenomenal scenery. Exploring more of the island and its rugged coastline, you will come to appreciate every inch of this paradise retreat. From many more majestic marine sightings to moments of refuge beneath the shady coconut palms, Zanzibar will be yours to discover during your slow galavant across the island. In the evening, you will catch the sunset from a traditional wooden dhow boat while you sip on a glass of wine.

Barefoot luxury is yours to enjoy during your final morning in Zanzibar. The sparkling sea will call your name, and you may spend an hour or two wading in the temperate waters while gazing at the jaw-dropping island backdrop. You will return to your resort after indulging in the beach bliss and relish a sumptuous breakfast before packing your things. Your private transfer will meet you in the lobby, and you will enjoy a leisurely drive across the island to the airport, where you will bid your farewells to Zanzibar.