No other country on earth can offer the visitor as much to see and do. Within the borders of a single country, you will find savannahs rich with big game, timeless cultures unchanged by the modern world, pristine beaches and coral reef, equatorial forests and mighty snow-capped mountains, searing deserts and cool highland retreats and endless opportunities for adventure, discovery, relaxation; more than you would ever expect.

Location and topography
Kenya lies astride the equator on the eastern coast of Africa. It is a medium-sized country by continental standards, covering an area of about 586,600km sq. Inland water bodies cover some 10,700km sq, the bulk of this in Lakes Victoria and Turkana.

Kenya has tremendous topographical diversity, including glaciated mountains with snow-capped peaks, the Rift Valley with its scarps and volcanoes, ancient granitic hills, flat desert landscapes and coral reefs and islets.

Amboseli is a land of giants. This is a place of wide dry plains, where the horizons stretch into the furthest distance and become one with the sky.

Amboseli is renowned for its elephant populations and large herds, including some impressively tusked bulls are drawn to a series of large, lush swamplands. But the most impressive giant of all is Mt Kilimanjaro. Africa’s largest mountain lies just over the border in Tanzania, but the most impressive views of its snow-capped peak are to be found in Amboseli. The early light of dawn turns the mountain a dark hue of purple, and its snows into an ethereal pink. The sight of Kilimanjaro high above herds of elephant crossing the plains of Amboseli is a timeless African image.

This area is home to many Maasai communities, centred around the Amboseli National Park. The park is 400 sq kms, with its southern boundary along the Tanzanian border. The park is home to more than just Elephants, and herds of wildebeest, zebra and impala graze on the open plains.. There are areas of acacia forest that make for good birding, and are home to many small mammals. Cheetah are also often sighted here.

Tortilis Camp

This spectacular region is considered the gateway to Kenya’s wild Northern frontier country. Wild and sparsely populated, much of Laikipia is covered by large privately owned ranches. On most ranches cattle share the land with free ranging wildlife. In recent years this wildlife has become a valuable asset, with many ranches now establishing guest houses, homestays and private camps within their boundaries. This has proven a great success, and many ranches now rely on a thriving tourist trade.

Importantly, community ranches have also formed. These are sanctuaries created by local communities, who have combined small scale farms and grazing land into large group ranches. Once again, the tourist trade has proved infinitely more profitable than agriculture or herding, and this allows them to use their traditional lands in a way that is sustainable and productive.

Significantly, they are conserving more than just wildlife, but also a way of life.

These ranches have bolstered a sense of local identity and strengthened community ties. These community ranches are the best place in Kenya to learn more about traditional cultures and their role in modern world.

The result is an area of beautiful wilderness, where protected game roams freely and safely. Centred around the original Laikipia National Reserve, this area has become a sanctuary for Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, and a wealth of plains game, including many endemic Northern species.

Laikipia has become a focus for many conservation efforts, and some ranches have become breeding sanctuaries for Rhinoceros. On Ol Pejeta, a refuge for Chimpanzees rescued from the pet and bush meat trade has been established. Visiting a private ranch in this region is an ideal way of exploring the Kenyan wilderness while getting off the well beaten paths of the National Parks.

Loisaba

Ol Pejeta Bush Camp

Sabuk

Lake Naivasha is a beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus. The lake is almost 13kms across, but its waters are shallow with an average depth of five metres. 

Lake area varies greatly according to rainfall, with an average range between 114 and 991 sq kms. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Naivasha completely dried up and effectively disappeared. The resulting open land was farmed, until heavy rains a few years later caused the lake to return to existence, swallowing up the newly established estates. Afternoon wind and storms can cause the Lake to become suddenly rough and produce high waves. For this reason, the local Maasai christened the lake Nai’posha meaning ''rough water'', which the British later misspelt as Naivasha..

The lake and its surrounds are rich in natural bounty, and the fertile soils and water supply have made this one of Kenya’s prime agricultural regions. Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow barked Acacia Xanthophlea, known as the yellow fever tree. These forests abound with bird life, and Naivasha is known as a world class birding destination.

Loldia House

At Kenya’s Western frontier lies the great expanse of Lake Victoria. This massive lake, commonly known as Nyanza, is twice the size of Wales, and forms a natural boundary between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. 

The lake is the heart of the African continent, the source of its mightiest river, the Nile. In the 19th century the riddle of the Nile was one of the great enigmas of African exploration. After many expeditions failed, John Hanning Speke finally reached these shores in 1858. The Nile flows northwards, carrying the waters of Nyanza to Egypt and beyond into the Mediterranean.

This mighty body of water is rich in fish life, with shimmering shoals of colourful cichlids and large Nile Perch. Nyanza province is the heartland of the Luo, a tribe known as formidable fisherman. Fishing brings many visitors to this lake, mainly in search of the Nile Perch, considered a world class game fish. There are three separate fishing lodges on islands within Victoria.

Mfangano Island Camp

Lewa Conservancy is a stunning location, with outstanding game viewing, and spectacular views to Mt. Kenya to the south and arid lowlands to the north. 

Lewa Conservancy is a 65,000 acre wildlife conservancy of the Lewa Wilderness Trust.  The conservancy is home to about 10 percent of Kenya's black rhino population, and the single largest population of Grevy's zebra in the world. Lewa re-invests all the profits generated from tourism into its core programmes. When you visit Lewa, you will help thousands of people from different backgrounds and cultures to improve their lives, and give their children a future, at the same time as ensuring Africa's wildlife has a stable home.

Lewa Safari Camp

South Western Kenya is the heartland of the Maasai. The Maasai are a strongly independent people who still value tradition and ritual as an integral part of their everyday lives. They regard themselves not just as residents of this area but that they are as much a part of the life of the land as the land is part of their lives.

Traditionally, the Maasai rarely hunt and living alongside wildlife in harmony is an important part of their beliefs.Lions and Wildebeest play as important a role in their cultural beliefs as their own herds of cattle. This unique co-existence of man and wildlife makes this Maasai land one of the world’s most unique wilderness regions.

At the heart of these lands is the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, widely considered to be Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve. The Mara comprises200 sq miles of open plains, woodlands and riverine forest. Contiguous with the plains of the Serengeti, the Mara is home to a breath taking array of life. The vast grassland plains are scattered with herds of Zebra, Giraffe, Gazelle, and Topi.

The Acacia forests abound with Bird life and Monkeys. Elephants and Buffalo wallow in the wide Musiara Swamp. The Mara and Talek rivers are brimming with Hippos and Crocodiles. Each year the Mara plays host to the world’s greatest natural spectacle, the Great Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti.

Camp Oloshaiki

Cottar's 1920s Safari Camp

Elephant Pepper Camp

Entim Camp

Governors' Camp

Governors' Il Moran Camp

Kichwa Tembo

Kilima Camp

Little Governors' Camp

Olarro

Sala's Camp

Sanctuary Olonana

Saruni

Meru is an explorer’s paradise. The least visited of Kenya’s larger parks and reserves, this remote region is a lush green Eden. From the parks southern boundary, seemingly endless series of streams branch out from the Tana River bringing life to the land.

Meru’s thick forests, tall grass and stands of Doum Palm are surrounded by rolling hills and stark Kopjes. This is the wild country where the world famous lioness Elsa, of Born Free fame, was returned to the wild in the 1950’s.

This isolated unspoilt wilderness lets the visitor have the freedom to explore the park at a relaxed pace without encountering other people. Game tracking can be challenging but very rewarding. Lion are often seen on high rocky outposts, and large herds of Buffalo and Elephant can also be found. Other species include Reticulated Giraffe, Oryx, Lesser Kudu and Eland.

Elsa's Kopje

The Ewaso Nyiro river flows through three great northern reserves, Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba. The waters of this great river draw wildlife in great numbers to its banks, creating an oasis of green. The verdant riverine forest is a stark contrast to the arid thorn studded plains. Samburu is visited by large herds of Elephants, drawn by the promise of water.

In the dry season, the elephants use their tusks to dig deep into the dry river beds, unearthing precious water. These waterholes then become a focal point for other game.

The Samburu region is the best place to find several endemic Northern species, including Gerenuk, the Reticulated Giraffe, and Grevy’s Zebra. The forests along the river banks are home to many birds, including local species such as the Palm Nut Vulture and the Vinaceous Dove. These forests are also home to many Leopards, often seen at dusk. The sight of one of these beautiful and elusive creatures is always a rare treat.

Lions are also frequently seen on the riverbanks, and Cheetah can be found on the open plains. On rare occasion, packs of African Hunting Dogs are sighted passing through the reserve. Shaba was where Joy Adamson, author of Born Free spent her final years, returning a leopard to the wild. This was the subject of her final book, Queen of Shaba.

Joy's Camp

Saruni Samburu

Sasaab

Kitich Camp (Matthew's Mountain Range)

info@thesafaricompany.net

reservation@thesafaricompany.net

BACK TO THE TOP