I
Maasai Mara
The great plains
Kenya's most famous reserve: big cats, open savannah and, in season, the river crossings of the Great Migration.
DXB → NBO · Maasai MaraCMB → NBO · Maasai MaraHEL → NBO · Maasai Mara
Kenya
The plains wake before you do, and the whole horizon moves.
- From Dubai
- About 5 h direct
- Time
- 1 h behind Dubai
- From Sri Lanka
- About 10–13 h, one stop
- Time
- 2½ h behind Sri Lanka
- From Finland
- About 11–14 h, one stop
- Time
- 0–1 h ahead of Finland
- Migration
- July to October
- Currency
- Kenyan shilling
The feeling
The wild, up close.
Kenya is the safari everyone imagines: lions in the long grass, elephants below Kilimanjaro, and a million wildebeest crossing the Mara River. Mornings start in the dark with coffee by the fire. Evenings end with the sounds of the bush outside a canvas wall.
Every safari is private: your own vehicle, your own guide, and light aircraft between camps, so you can stay with a sighting as long as you wish. Then rest in a private house by the Indian Ocean.
When to go
Follow the herds
The Great Migration reaches the Mara from about July to October, which lines up with the UAE summer holidays. January and February are dry and good for game too.
- JanDry, warm
- FebDry, warm
- MarRains begin
- AprLong rains
- MayLong rains
- JunDry season starts
- JulMigration arrives
- AugRiver crossings
- SepRiver crossings
- OctMigration
- NovShort rains
- DecFestive season
BestGoodQuiet
Places
From the plains to the ocean
II
Amboseli
Elephants below Kilimanjaro
Big-tusked elephant families walk the plains with Africa's highest mountain behind them.
III
Nairobi
The safari capital
A national park on the edge of the city, a giraffe centre and an elephant orphanage. A gentle first day, ideal with children.
IV
Lamu
The Swahili coast
A UNESCO-listed old town of carved doors and dhows, shaped by centuries of trade with Arabia. The perfect place to end a safari.
Children who see their first lion never describe it the same way twice.
Experiences
Moments to collect
Save the ones you love to My Journey. We build your itinerary around them.
01
Private game drives
Your own vehicle and guide, at your own pace.
02
Balloon at sunrise
Drift over the Mara at dawn, then breakfast in the bush.
03
A Maasai village
A respectful visit to a Maasai community, led by its elders.
04
Big-cat tracking
Lions, leopards and cheetahs with an expert tracker.
05
Elephant families
A morning with Amboseli's great herds.
06
Sundowners
Fresh juice and snacks as the sun drops behind the acacias.
Taste & culture
Fire, spice and the Swahili coast
Safari cooking is honest and generous: nyama choma grilled over open coals, fresh chapati and Kenyan tea brewed strong with milk. On the coast, Swahili kitchens cook pilau and biryani with spices that came by dhow from Oman and India.
✦ Halal meals prepared by every camp on request.
Where you'll stay
Canvas walls, open skies
We don't publish rates or names. Every stay is chosen for you and confirmed when we design your journey.
Private Luxury Tented Camps
Proper beds, en-suite bathrooms and the bush at the door.
Lodges with Kilimanjaro Views
Views of Kilimanjaro from breakfast.
Private Garden Villas
Calm, green hotels for your first night.
Private Swahili Houses
Private houses with pools and rooftop terraces.
Moments we can arrange
Your Kenya, your way
No fixed days. Choose what you love and we shape the pace, the order and every detail around you.
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Private game drives
Your own vehicle and guide, with no time limit at a sighting.
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Balloon at dawn
Float over the Mara at sunrise, then breakfast in the bush.
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The river crossing
Wait in private for the Great Migration at the Mara River, in season.
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Light aircraft between camps
Skip the roads and arrive by air.
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A private bush dinner
Lanterns, a fire and a table under the stars.
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Elephants and giraffes in Nairobi
A private visit to the orphanage and giraffe centre.
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A sunset dhow in Lamu
A traditional sail along the old Swahili coast.
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A private beach house
Rest by the Indian Ocean after the safari.
Gallery
Kenya in pictures
Antelope on the plains
An elephant at close range
A giraffe in the dry grass
Zebras below the mountain
A lion resting in a tree
Sunset over the Lamu channel
Flamingos in the shallows
Two elephants on the move
Balloons over the Mara
A tented camp on the grass
A coast fruit market
A lion in the long grass
- Families
- Honeymoons
- Photographers
- Corporate incentives
- School trips: wildlife & conservation
