This safari combines two wonderfully contrasting national parks and camps and a blissful barefoot Zanzibar Island beach retreat. You'll experience the remote and rugged Meru National Park and the wildlife rich plains of the Masai Mara, the unashamedly romantic Elsa's Kopje in Meru amd the traditional intimate bush camp atmosphere at Kicheche Mara.
Tailor-made Luxury 11 days
'From Price' is the average price per person for ground arrangements for two people sharing.
Flights are typically an additional $958 per person economy class from London
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This safari combines two wonderfully contrasting national parks, the remote and rugged Meru National Park in the North of Kenya and the wildlife rich plains of the Masai Mara.
Meru is a real gem of a park, little visited, rugged, beautiful and remote with a vast diversity of wildlife. In pride of place in the heart of the park, Elsa's Kopje is widely renowned as one of the most elegant and romantic lodges in Africa, serving up luxurious solitude with expansive views of the open plains of Meru and an incredible infinity swimming pool.
The Masai Mara is famous for its big cat populations and open savannah grasslands that offer exceptional game viewing year round. Around July - September, the great wildebeest migration passes through with incredible herds of wildebeest and dramatic river crossings, but wildlife populations are healthy year round. Kicheche Mara is a small atmospheric bush camp in a beautiful spot in the Mara North Conservancy. In addition to game drives, bush walks are available at both camps.
Some low key relaxed time on an Indian Ocean Beach is the perfect compliment to a safari. After a short flight from Nairobi to Zanzibar, you can enjoy barefoot beach bliss, diving, snorkelling and the rich Swahili Culture of Stone Town.
This is a tailor-made itinerary, and we would be delighted to customise it for you. For example, for those looking for more adventure (walking safaris, fly camping) there are some superb options in the Laikipia area of Northern Kenya. For the beach, we can also suggest the Kenyan Coast and Mozambique depending on the style of beach resort you prefer.
ITINERARY IN BRIEF:
DAY 1: Travel to Meru National Park
DAY 2: Meru National Park
DAY 3: Meru National Park
DAY 4: Fly to Masai Mara
DAY 5: Masai Mara
DAY 6: Masai Mara
DAY 7: Journey to Zanzibar
DAY 8: Zanzibar
DAY 9: Zanzibar
DAY 10: Zanzibar
DAY 11: Depart
FULL ITINERARY:
DAY 1: TRAVEL TO MERU NATIONAL PARK
Depart from Nairobi on scheduled light aircraft flight to Meru National Park. You should arrive for the afternoon activity and dinner in camp
Accommodation: Elsa's Kopje
Meals Included: Dinner
DAY 2: MERU NATIONAL PARK
Meru National Park is a charming little known reserve which has some unusual species such as Ethiopia Ostrich, Lesser Kudu and huge array of bird species. There is the option of day and night guided game drives, bush walks, visits to rhino sanctuary, river fishing, cultural visits and swimming pool with spectacular view.
Accommodation: Elsa's Kopje
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 3: MERU NATIONAL PARK
Exploring the Meru National Park
Accommodation: Elsa's Kopje
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 4: FLY TO MASAI MARA
Transfer to airstrip for scheduled light aircraft flight to the Masai Mara. Arrive in time for lunch and afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Kicheche Mara Camp
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 5: MASAI MARA
Game drives into the game rich Masai Mara Reserve home of the big cats and endless plains to explore in search of the big five.
Accommodation: Kicheche Mara Camp
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 6: MASAI MARA
On safari in the Masai Mara
Accommodation: Kicheche Mara Camp
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 7: JOURNEY TO ZANZIBAR
After your morning activity and breakfast in camp, you will be transferred by road back to Nairobi for your onward scheduled flight to Zanzibar.
On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your lodge
Accommodation: Anna of Zanzibar
Meals Included: Breakfast and dinner
DAY 8: ZANZIBAR
This intimate lodge only has 5 rooms, lovely central pool and stretch of sandy Zanzibar beach. You can enjoy snorkelling at high tide from the lodge or take a bike ride. Diving is high on the agenda in Zanzibar and this can be arranged with a local 5* Padi Dive Centre.
Accommodation: Anna of Zanzibar
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 9: ZANZIBAR
At leisure
Accommodation: Anna of Zanzibar
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 10: ZANZIBAR
At leisure
Accommodation: Anna of Zanzibar
Meals Included: All meals and local drinks
DAY 11: DEPART
Road transfer to the Zanzibar Airport
Accommodation: n/a
Meals Included: Breakfast
Guide price is based on recommended accommodations. Alternative accommodations and upgrades are available. Please get in touch for alternatives and upgrade options.
International flights from the UK to Zanzibar typically cost £650 - £1250 return per person (see below for more detail) depending on the airline and when you are travelling. Please get in touch for a flight inclusive quote.
Direct Flights from the UK (London Heathrow only): £550 - £1250 return
British Airways and Kenya Airways fly direct from London Heathrow to Nairobi. Prices start from £750 return but direct flights at this price are usually only available if booking very early or for visits out of the school holidays. During school holiday periods, prices are usually over £1000 return.
All accommodation, meals, local drinks, scheduled shared safari activities, and transfers quoted in the itinerary.
Excludes: international flights from London to Zanzibar via Nairobi, drinks, visa fees, travel insurance and items of a personal nature
It is best to avoid the long rains that run April, May and into early June. During this period it tends to rain through the night and into the morning. It is usually possible to get a dry spell between 10am and 2pm for getting out on safari.
The short rains bring some rain during September and October, but this is less of an impediment
December, January, July and August are peak season, expect flight costs to be substantially higher.
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
Our customers agree - a conversation with an expert makes for a better trip. Call us now or request a call back out of hours.
Call 855 686 7694 9am and 6pm GMT Monday to Friday
Or request call back weekday evenings or Saturdays
I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.
Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.
El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.
Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.
So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last
Juhae C reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 01 March 2024
Dear Lisa, We are now back home and had a fantastic time. All the arrangements went seamlessly, transport and hotels were great. Laikipia was amazing, a very personal experience and they did all they could to accommodate everything we wanted to do. The river location was fantastic and ideal for the children as they got to swim in it. It is somewhere we would all like to return to. There might not have been the numbers that you get on the Masai Mara however we got to see lions with cubs, two black leopards, a golden leopard and the wild dogs as well as a huge number of other animals and birds. Thank you for suggesting to stay for 4 nights, it was just the right amount of time. The tamarin Hotel was a good choice as we were able to eat at the Carnivore restaurant which was an experience. Mauritius was lovely and relaxing, just what we needed after a very active time in Laikipia. Accommodation and service was great. Weather was good for most of the time, a few showers over the last couple of days. Thank you once again for organising it all. Sally
Sally M reviewing Laikipia Wilderness and Plains on 11 August 2023
Hi Lisa
It was a fantastic experience, thanks very much. All the arrangements were seamless and our guiding/support team were excellent, if there is a way for you to formally commend the team to your ground operators then I would be grateful if you could do that, they really were brilliant.
Many thanks for your help in arranging the trip, and for your patience during the multiple re-arrangements over the past couple of years.
Kind regards, John
John B reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 14 November 2022
Our itineraries are carefully designed by our experienced travel designers based on years of experience and customer feedback. For a custom itinerary tailored to you, please enquire giving as much detail as possible on your brief.