7-Nights Kenya: The Maasai Mara and Beyond - Tailormade Journeys — CALL

1 Arrive Nairobi, Kenya

Few cities can claim to be home to endangered black rhinos, lions, giraffes and zebras, but Nairobi National Park is just half an hour from the center of this fun, fast-growing capital.

Framed by views of Mount Kenya and the dramatic surrounds of the Laikipia Plateau, the 57,000-acre Loisaba Conservancy is a working cattle ranch and wildlife refuge defined by its remarkable diversity. As well as being home to four of Africa’s Big Five — the lion, leopard, elephant and Cape buffalo — there are plenty of opportunities to spot many of East Africa’s most iconic species. Plus, with lower visitor numbers than Kenya’s larger parks, Loisaba Conservancy offers an excellent alternative for in-the-know travellers.

Get up close to the variety of wildlife that calls the Loisaba Conservancy home with an early morning or late afternoon game drive. Led by your expert guide, set out in an open vehicle across the open plains, deep into the bush or along the riverbank to spot the Big Five and much more.

A safari through Northern Kenya’s Loisaba Conservancy will always be magical — but on horseback it is a unique thrill. Getting unusually close to the wildlife, you ride alongside zebras and giraffes, and gently past herds of elephants.

Bordering Tanzania in Kenya’s southwest, the Maasai Mara is named after its ancestral inhabitants and the dotted appearance of its acacia-studded plains. Its golden savannas, riverine forests, low-lying mountains and sheer cliff are best known for hosting one of the most extraordinary events on the globe: the Great Migration, in which over two million wildebeest and zebra arrive from the southern Serengeti between June and November. Year-round, though, the reserve supports a range of wildlife from hippos, crocs, lions and hyena to elephants and eagles.

Head out to spot the reserve’s world-famous wildlife. Patient tracking may lead you to leopards dozing from acacia branches or elephants guarding their calves from prowling lions.

After your final morning game drive, spend the afternoon on your veranda, watching hippos and zebras gather at the camp’s private stretch of the Mara River.