Kenya’s Best-Value Mara & Diani Beach

The tour opens after you have been met at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and transferred to nearby Wilson Airport, the domestic hub. Here you board a flight to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve and Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, a long-time favourite of safari travellers. Complete with sweeping savannah views and offering elegant canvas-and-timber suites, Kichwa Tembo enjoys a private concession setting which means you have the advantage of exclusive game sightings as well as activities not permitted in the main reserve such as spot-lit night drives. There is also the option of going hot-air ballooning and viewing the Masai Mara from a bird-eye perspective.

You have two full days here, exploring a game-rich environment by 4X4 and also on foot if you would like, the best way to discover the smaller details with your expert guide. Located on the seasonal Migration path, Kichwa Tembo is especially rewarding between August and November when the great wildebeest herds are in the area. Top sightings include the river crossings when the wildebeest have to navigate their way past giant crocodiles lying in wait in the water. Such is the abundance of wildlife here that visitors can expect great game viewing at any time of year.

A scheduled flight whisks you from Kichwa Tembo to Ukunda Airport, south of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean coast. Here you are met and transferred to Waterlovers Beach Retreat where you can kick back after the drama and early morning starts of your Masai Mara safari. This family-owned and -run resort has everything you need for complete relaxation: it sits on the dazzling white sands of world-famous Diani Beach and its rooms are air conditioned and come with complimentary Wi-Fi. There is an in-house spa offering massages, beauty and wellness treatments and reflexology. Enjoy little touches such as seats shaped like whale tails and relaxed atmosphere that is very child friendly.

You also have the chance to be as active as you like: there is a popular beginner’s coral reef nearby, an 18-hole golf course and bikes to rent. Imaginative meals are enjoyed with sand between your toes and the menu changes daily: dishes include roasted pumpkin ravioli in crab and fish ragout, and passion fruit mousse with white chocolate flakes.

A final night in Nairobi means there is no rushed end to this tour. You sit back on a flight from Diani to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport and a transfer to Ololo Safari Lodge, one of the Kenyan capital’s most original accommodations. Ololo is set overlooking Nairobi National Park, the only big game reserve on the outskirts of a major city and home to plenty of heavyweights including lion, giraffe and buffalo. There are opportunities to see Nairobi’s sights such as the Karen Blixen Museum, the Giraffe Centre and Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage or perhaps you would like to do some last-minute shopping (buy sculptures and jewellery at Matbronze, glassware at Kitingela, handmade beads at Kazuri and décor made from reclaimed ocean plastic at Ocean Sole). You may also prefer to take things easy by sitting and watching wildlife as it moves around in front of camp.

After breakfast at Ololo Safari Lodge you are transferred to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your onward travel arrangements and the end of this tour.