Tailor Made Kenya: Family Safari

Arrive in Nairobi and transfer to your hotel, a charming hideaway secluded just steps from downtown.

This morning, visit the Giraffe Center, where you may hand-feed endangered Rothschild’s giraffe from a platform that puts you at eye level with these majestic giants, who gently snatch food with their long blue tongues. Then, at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, watch young elephants at play with attentive keepers, who explain the process of reintroducing the elephant into the wild. Proceed to Oloolua Forest for an Hidaya Africa Tours & Travel-exclusive folklore experience, listening to a traditional storyteller weave folk tales handed down for generations.

Drive to your secluded bush camp in the private concession of Ol Pejeta Conservancy. This afternoon, set out on a game drive to view the diversity of wildlife roaming the area. In the evening, sit on your verandah and observe the wildlife moving in and out of the shadows as they come to drink at the waterhole.

Set out on morning and evening game drives in Sweetwaters Game Reserve, tracking the Big Five (lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhino) through savannah grasslands and riverine forests. Also visit the conservancy's K9 unit for an interactive visit with the dog of the anti-poaching unit, and opt to take part in a fun hide-and-seek exercise that demonstrates the skills of the canines. Between game drives, relax in camp, perhaps taking a family swim in the pool. You can also explore the reserve by camel back.

Drive to your boutique safari camp in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Nestled in the national heartland with soaring Mount Kenya as its backdrop, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a private, 65,000-acre game reserve of rolling plains, acacia forests, swamps and rivers. The conservancy is home to roughly 10 percent of Kenya's black rhino population and the single largest population of Grevy's zebra in the world. As the sun draws low, enjoy dinner prepared with fresh ingredients harvested from the camp's organic garden and served al fresco under the open African sky.

Take to the bush on game drives tracking big cat, elephant and endangered black rhino. Watch closely for indigenous northern species, such as the beisa oryx; Somali ostrich; reticulated giraffe; Grevy’s zebra; and the unusual long-necked gerenuk, which stands on its hind legs to feed. Look, too, for Grant’s gazelle, dik-dik, eland and impala as they, along with majestic leopard and lion, roam the vast landscape. You may also enjoy game viewing by horseback or camelback, or search for nocturnal species on a night game drive.

Fly to the Masai Mara Game Reserve and transfer to your tented safari camp with sweeping views of the plains. Settle in, and then set out on an afternoon game drive, followed by dinner under the stars back at the camp.

Explore the open savanna, woodlands and tree-fringed rivers of the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. Patient tracking may reveal leopard retrieving kills from acacia branches, or elephant protecting their young from opportunistic lion. With 583 square miles supporting huge numbers of bird and mammal species, game viewing is never dull in the Mara.

Delve deeper into the Mara with a final day of game drives. Today affords a final chance to sight the crafty species that may have eluded you on this epic journey. Later, pay a private visit to a Maasai village to learn about local customs and daily life, or enjoy a guided nature walk with the camp’s resident naturalist.

Fly to Nairobi and relax in your reserved dayroom. Later, you are transferred to the airport for your homebound departure.