Isolation Escapism – Kenya

Whilst we cannot physically transport you to our destinations themselves at present, we would like to offer you a little virtual escapism. We do hope that they will be a welcome distraction as we sit out these extraordinary times, and act as an inspiration for your next adventure.

In our tenth Isolation Escape we invite you to take a journey through Exceptional Travel favourite, Kenya, widely regarded as the home of the safari. Within Kenya’s borders you will find savannahs rich with big game, timeless cultures unchanged by the modern world, soft white coral beaches lapped by the Indian Ocean, equatorial forests and mighty snow-capped mountains, searing deserts and cool highland retreats. All offer endless opportunities for adventure, discovery and relaxation…

Starting our adventure in Nairobi, we waste no time and immediately set off on Safari in Nairobi National Park. Curiously located on the edge of the city, the park boasts an abundance of plains game and a dazzling assortment of birds and other wildlife including four of the Big Five. While you may spend the remainder of your trip viewing nature from a distance, two very special spots in Nairobi allow you ethical close encounters with some of Africa’s greatest residents. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is the most unique elephant & rhino relocation program in the world, opening its doors to the public to spend time with the orphans each morning. Close by is Giraffe Manor, home to the endangered Rothschild’s Giraffe where you have a chance to get up close and personal with the gentle towering beasts.

A short hop from the country’s capital brings us to the infamous Masai Mara. Renowned for its abundance of lion, the Great Wildebeest Migration and the distinctive Maasai people, the Mara is in effect, an extension of the northern plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania (for the border dissects the two), open savannahs, rolling grasslands and undulating hills sets the scene for spectacular game viewing. Whilst the eyes feast on the spectacle of plains teeming with game, the air carries the smells, the dust and the sounds of hundreds of thousands of animals.

Contrasting beautifully with the Mara, the Laikipia Plateau lies on the edge of Northern Frontier, stretching from the slopes of snow-capped Mt Kenya to the rim of the Great Rift Valley. Laikipia boasts one of the largest elephant populations in East Africa (over 3,000) and is one of the last strongholds of the endangered Black Rhino. Despite its scattered mosaic of farms and cattle ranches, it is essentially still a wilderness, a wildlife refuge supporting huge numbers of game. Relatively unknown when compared to the likes of the Mara, it is the only part of Kenya in which wildlife numbers have actually increased over the past 20 years. With more mammals than anywhere else in East Africa, Laikipia is home to some of the biggest herds of elephant outside the Tsavo National Parks and is the only place to view the endangered Jackson’s Hartebeest and Kenya’s Black Rhino.

To conclude our journey through the home of safari, once your desire for wildlife has been satiated, the Kenyan coast calls, tempting its visitors with pristine white sand beaches fringed by the warm inviting waters of the Indian Ocean. Here the wilderness meets the sea, and the ocean itself holds a world of spectacular coral reefs teeming with life and colour, whilst Kenya’s deeper waters are internationally renowned for its Deep Sea Fishing with marlin and sailfish the big attractions. The length of the coast is dotted with Arab and Portuguese forts, old towns and the overgrown, deserted ruins of Swahili outposts, bearing witness to the neighbouring sea’s fascinating past as the traditional passage of the Arabian Spice Trade. Lay back and relax or indulge your inquisitive side, there is plenty to discover.

If you’d like to start planning a holiday to Kenya while waiting for this storm to pass, please drop us a line and we’ll be delighted to send you further information on this beautiful and welcoming country.

“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to.”

-Richard Mullin