Snowbird Private Kenya Safari! Ooh, Who doesn’t Love a Safari?

Last minute offerings… We have prepared a ‘Snowbird Kenya Safari’ itinerary, to tempt you into taking a short safari. It is a short and quite affordable safari, but if you would like to see something longer that encompasses a variety of experiences, do please get in touch, nothing is TOO Much!

Please do consider this time of year for a safari, as it is a very special time to visit. The highlights of this period are: Fewer tourists around so more privacy and an enhanced experience in the Parks and Reserves. A great time to enjoy the incredible East African Coast and the Indian Ocean. Warm weather. Calving season for the wildebeests in the Southern Serengeti where 300,000 calves are born in a three-week period! This is an amazing spectacle. (February). It is a drier time of year, so the wildlife tends to concentrate around waterholes and are thus much more visible and impressive.

And…It’s generally a great time of year to get away from Winter at home!

Our revered Kenyan Team draw upon four generations of African Safari heritage to give our clients the best access to the very best that Africa has to offer in safety and comfort. We carefully plan, outfit and operate private African safari adventures throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, taking our guests to some of the most breath-taking locations on the continent. Each and every one of our safaris is customized to suit the guest’s tastes and budget, based on years of hands-on field experience combined with relationships built-up over decades of personally guiding our safaris. This is the Ultimate Private Safari!

Background on my VIP Team. The family journeyed from England to Africa in the 1820’s. Arriving first into South Africa they spent a short time in Port Elizabeth, before making their way north to Kenya. Upon arrival at the port of Mombasa, they laden up their ox cart and so began their journey and consequently, first ever safari through Africa.

The family is one of the oldest settler families in Kenya arriving in the late 1800’s, have a unique and special part in the history of the country. They trekked through the rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals, along the way meeting the many diverse and different people of Kenya, who would later become their people too.

The Family journeyed some 700kms on their very first safari, without any roads to follow yet arriving to their destination in Nanyuki, Laikipia in Northern Kenya.

This maiden journey for the family sparked the beginning of a lifelong generational love for Africa. They are respected and revered in the African community. They were home.

Snowbird  4 guests, 8 guests or 12 guests. Safari Overview January- March, 2025 Dates TBC

Day 1 – 4 On arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by your private guide and transferred onto your private air charter to the magical Meru National Park

My VIP team Private Mobile Camp – Meru – Exclusive Use 3 Nights

Day 4 – 7 Fly by private air charter to the beautiful Laikipia Plateau and enjoy your very own game conservancy, staying at Enasoit – Exclusive Use 3 Nights

Day 7 – 10 Fly by private air charter to the VIP Team private tented camp, situated on the shady banks of the Sand River, Maasai Mara National Reserve. My VIP Team Private Mobile Camp-Exclusive use. 3 Nights

Day 10 Fly by private air charter to Nairobi. You will have a chance to enjoy sightseeing and any last-minute shopping as you will have a vehicle at your disposal today. You will have day rooms where you can freshen up before your international flight home

Key Dates

1) Day 1 – 4: My Kenyan VIP Private Mobile Camp – Meru ,Meru National Park

2) Day 4 – 7: Enasoit, Laikipia

3) Day 7 – 10: My Kenyan VIP Private Mobile Camp, Maasai Mara

Meru National Park Area Overview It has diverse scenery from woodlands at 3,000 feet on the slopes of the Nyambene hills, northeast of Mount Kenya, to wide-open plains with wandering riverbanks dotted with doum palms. The rivers are teaming with hippo and crocodile. If you want to you can fish for barbus and catfish at camp and along the Tana River. The area abounds with breathtaking views of swamps, meandering rivers inventively lined with palms, thick woodlands and a spectacular view of Mt. Kenya.

This is where the conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie Born Free. Elsa the Lioness is buried in this park and part of Joy’s ashes were scattered on her gravesite. Joy Adamson also released Pippa the cheetah in this park.

Enjoy the days exploring the Meru National Park looking for a wide range of animals including elephants, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Rhino, Grévy’s zebra, and hippopotamus. The wildlife here is vast and you will have no trouble finding game. Meru also offers a diverse number of birdlife there have been over400 species of birds recorded in this park and you will be able to see an array of them from camp.

VIP Team Private Mobile Camp – Meru Property Overview

The advantage of a Mobile Tented Camp over a lodge or a permanent tented camp is its flexibility and ability to be where the action is at any time of the year, since they are completely mobile. For, in Africa, no two seasons are exactly alike: no two years exactly the same. Since the movement of the vast array of herbivores and their attendant predators is triggered by rainfall, lush new growth and surface water, flexibility is a luxury that a mobile camp can offer a traveler.

Couple that with not having to share your home away from home with other humans, and you have a safari win-win! Mobile camping is all and more than the words imply.

The tents are huge and comfortable, insect proofed, each with its own veranda in front, with en-suite shower, toilet and separate changing area. Your tent will be furnished with either two single or one king size beds, firm yet comfortable mattresses, the finest bed linen, duvets and your bed will be warmed for comfort by hot water bottles in chilly conditions.

You will have a canvas wardrobe for your clothing, bedside tables, solar powered electric lights, and, in fact, everything anyone would expect in a luxury fixed lodge, including scented candles and fresh flowers.

The Dining Area – aka The Mess –incorporates a lounge and Bar area is spacious and insect proofed when necessary. In here, delicious multi-course gourmet meals are served, all cooked by skilled chefs on the camp stove and oven.

Menus include a variety of dishes to suit every taste and diet – vegan, vegetarian, meats, fish and fowl, pastas, pizzas and fresh salads, plus plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables brought in whenever needed, with bread baked daily. A refrigerator and deep freeze ensure that food is kept fresh, and that ice is ever plentiful.

The Safari crew play a vital role in making each safari memorable. Besides the wildlife ‘spotters’ and ‘trackers’, and the polished kitchen and dining staff, your unobtrusive tent butler will clean your tent during your absence & return your freshly laundered clothes.

Accommodations

Luxury Tent Our tents are luxurious with every effort made to ensure that our guests are comfortable. Each tent is equipped with electric lights, ensuite bathrooms with hot showers and flush toilets. We do not compromise on comfort!

Laikipia Area Overview The Laikipia plateau is fast becoming a region to rival the Maasai Mara. Rolling savannahs interspersed with riverine woodlands and granite inselbergs dot the landscape, with multiple rivers and streams eventually running off into the Ewaso Nyiro, northern Kenya’s largest river.

Home to all the Big Five, this idyllic region affords a huge variety of experiences and activities without the larger numbers of visitors that are sometimes found in national parks. Guests have the possibility of seeing northern species of giraffe, ostrich, and zebra amongst others. Horseback, camel, and walking safaris are very popular.

Laikipia encompasses an area the size of Wales and is located east of the Great Rift Valley and north of the snow-capped peaks of Mt Kenya, on the edge of Kenya’s fabled Northern Frontier District.

A patchwork of huge ranches, many of which are still working cattle ranches, have assumed the role of custodians of Kenya’s free roaming wildlife and are now geared towards adventurous and often luxurious safari tourism. Groundbreaking conservation projects work in tandem with the local ecotourism industry, generating sustainable income for the local Samburu and Laikipiak and Mokogodo Maasai communities, amongst many others.

Enasoit Property Overview Enasoit is a luxury tented camp in the wildlife rich Laikipia highlands of Kenya. The camp is an enchanting exclusive property, catering for only one group of guests at a time, and offering a uniquely private safari experience. Enasoit guests have the camp and surrounding wildlife reserve all to themselves – an ideal retreat for families and groups of friends.

As a small and intimate camp, Enasoit has unique charm. It is relaxed and welcoming, yet luxurious and beautifully appointed.

An Enasoit safari offers remarkable wildlife encounters and an array of exciting ways to experience the wilderness. One of the most distinctive features of Enasoit Camp is the extraordinary wildlife activity at the waterhole, located just in front of the main Mess Tent – the perfect viewpoint for wildlife-viewing from the comfort of an armchair.

Experience & Activities Enasoit days are as action packed or as relaxed as you like. There is an array of activities on offer including day and night guided game drives, guided bush walks, tracking resident lions, bush picnics, sundowner drinks and dinner under the stars, horse-riding, bird watching, exploring ancient rock art sites, relaxing by the swimming pool, massage and spa treatments. There is also a games area with croquet, table tennis, volleyball, and boules.

Other activities that can be arranged prior to arrival at an additional cost include helicopter excursions, guest speakers (experts in their fields such as anthropology, conservation, astronomy), quad bike excursions, and a visit to the nearby rhino sanctuary.

Accommodations Exclusive Use of Camp Enasoit Camp has 8 rooms: 6 tented cottages and 1 family tent with 2 interconnecting rooms. The rooms are situated around the waterhole, which attracts a busy array of wildlife, easily visible from the tent verandahs. The tents are carefully constructed using canvas and local materials, combining the romance of living ‘under canvas’ with the comfort of a permanent structure. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom, wooden floors, a sitting area with a fireplace and private verandah.

Fast Facts Highlights

Ideal for private groups and families Exclusive use of Enasoit Camp and the 4,500-acre wildlife reserve; and access to adjoining 50,000 acre wildlife reserve. An amazing array of exciting activities on offer. Excellent wildlife viewing. Owner managed

Quick facts Can accommodate 16 guests in eight tented cottages. Plus an additional two thatched cottage rooms at the Pool House (5 min drive from Enasoit Camp), which can be used for larger groups. 24-hour power available. 45 minutes flight or 4-hour drive from Nairobi. Located on the equator at 6,000ft altitude. Days are warm (mid 20’s Celsius) and mornings and evenings are cooler

Maasai Mara Area Overview The Mara (as it is affectionately known) covers 583 mi and is widely considered to be Africa’s greatest reserve. The backdrop of the Siria escarpment in the west overlooks sweeping savannas, riverine woodlands, and forests on a deceptively flat landscape that extends eastwards towards the Sekenani Hills and northwards towards the Aitong Hills.

The Mara is in essence the northern extension of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem and plays host to one of nature’s greatest phenomenon’s, the Great Wildebeest Migration.

Because of the quality of wildlife viewing, the Mara has for generations been the setting for hundreds of wildlife documentaries, including Disney’s African Cats, and the BBC’s Big Cat Diaries and Planet Earth. It is a wildlife photographer’s paradise and every year visitors come to capture the spectacular wildlife. The reserve and its conservancies contain some of the highest densities of predators in Africa and this only increases as nomads and vagrants follow the huge herds back and forth through this ecosystem during the seasonal wildebeest migration.

I’ve sent dozens of clients on Safari wit this team and have explored the Mara and these same areas with the team- they are beyond fun, the food is excellent, it is Quite Perfect!

SAFARI IS THE SWAHILI WORD FOR JOURNEY.

Yours starts here.

Ol Jogi, Kenya. The Most Expensive Safari Lodge?

9.30 am Wheels up to Ol Jogi. Our Scenic Air pilot banks in a swooping turn to introduce a few hippos sloshing in a watering hole and herds of wandering Zebra on the plains, before our arrival at Ol Jogi, where many of our clients have happily stayed.

Set on 58,000 acres of unsullied wilderness and nestled into a lush, rocky outcrop, of the Laikipia Plateau. Ol Jogi is one of the most remarkable wildlife reserves in Kenya. Not a typical Safari Lodge by any fashion, it’s a stunning private home that has been in the care of the Wildenstein family for more than 50 years. Long time GM and property managers keep a watchful educated eye on preserving the property and managing local conservation. It is a design masterpiece with a unique style. The home and stone cottages have an extensive collection of museum quality artworks, antique furniture, taxidermy, and a collection of priceless china and silver. The setting creates an ambiance atypical of the more common safari lodge offerings. While the home is luxurious, it is also very comfortable and tranquil. Photos don’t do it justice!

Although our clients have stayed, this is my first visit, warmly embraced by GM Frederic Chanelet, you must be Gwendolyn! He leads us through a long carpeted underground tunnel from inside the house directly to a ‘hide’, pop out windows open to a popular animal watering hole, allowing guests to take a very close look at the giraffes and Zebra! Have you ever been so close to a wild animal? Imagine being a few feet away from a herd of buffalo, or an endangered black rhino, and being close enough to see the marks on its skin and hear its breath, all while being in complete safety and enjoying your favorite cocktail. Welcome to Ol Jogi! My mantra: the arrival sets the stage for any visit, Ol Jogi nails it!

Our evening game drive launches with a well camouflaged leopard mom posing atop a rock, her saggy belly full of milk for her cubs. We watch to see if she brings out a cub, her intent is a meal, not a cub reveal. Distracted by the leopard sighting on our Sunset outing, we make time roaring down the sandy road to dead end at a mammoth boulder. Rovers are not intimidated by a two-story rock, low gear engaged, our driver expertly scrambles up the face of the rock to the top, transporting us to a full sundowner bar! First night arrival and an impromptu leopard siting is rewarded with Dom Pérignon! To say we are impressed is an understatement!  We sit in canvas chairs around the cliff edged bonfire, in quiet reverence, gazing at the last brilliant hues of sunset, sipping bubbly on the edge of a boulder… extraordinary! The first bright star blinks, a toast to Ol Jogi!

We raced back to property for a delicious Tajine dinner; chef gathers the guests to describe the five-course meal. The young professional servers know every ingredient and offer matching wine.… Welcome to Ol Jogi, did I mention nothing compares! The more casual of the two dining rooms, faces a watering hole, where wildlife gather at all hours to sip and bathe. A wall length mirror above the table assures no guest will miss the wild visitors dropping in for a drink.

Morning coffee delivered to my comfy bed! Day Two begins. A Day of Stories about Nature, and Ol Jogi ‘s future development of conservation efforts. An educational safari amidst the magnificent old home and the exquisite guest cottages, privately hosting 14 guests, this is not a shared property. The experiences are tailored to each family or group of friends.

 Ol Jogi offers an extensive list of over-the-top excursions; we’ve brought in helicopters for off property elephant orphanage excursions. Guests can share in their fascinating projects such as their rhino orphanage, where you come face to face with these remarkable species. Tour the Veterinary Clinic and research center and understand how they take wildlife orphans from captivity and reintroduce them back into their natural environment.

The private compound assures you won’t see another land cruiser ever – hunt for the Big Five and never encounter another vehicle.  A private sanctuary teeming with an incredible diversity of game, including more than 40 of the 790 black rhinos that remain in East Africa, migrating elephants, and 15% of the remaining Grevy’s zebras.

Our educational visit at the animal hospital and rhino orphanage ends in an open field where we meet two elephants with keepers. Elly, 44 years old, is massive with enormous tusks, her 12-year-old daughter grazing nearby. Led individually to Elly with a bucket of carrots, she swung her trunk to retrieve a carrot and plop it into her mouth, if she could see her daughter, she was comfortable letting us feed her carrots one by one! The bucket was merely an appetizer! Elephants are constantly eating. They need to eat up to 150kg of food per day. Elephants eat so much that they can spend up to three-quarters of their day just eating!

Rovers continuing skyward to a broad plateau with soaring views, turn a corner arriving at several shaded tents for our lunch in the bush! Massive barbeque kettle drum grills and tables of fresh vegetables and meats – select your choices and deliver for grilling to chef! Saunter to the full bar at the edge of the cliff and sip while your lunch is prepared! Of course, there is a loo tent, with a view! Every meal, every outing tops the last – an extraordinary experience.

Each dining experience has tables exquisitely set with flowers and delicate silver or porcelain objects. The young male servers take turns embellishing each meal with an abundant assortment of objects from the main home. Ask Fred for the secret Butler Pantry tour, a private walk-in closet with floor to ceiling shelves of serving pieces, remarkable little butter dishes, knife rests… a treasure trove collection!

It’s safari heaven, we have spa and hammam appointments this afternoon, if you can imagine, more bliss!? The spa is adjacent to the pool and fitness center. Pool is an understatement, it’s a man-made lake with waterfalls, palm trees, boulder islands, private lounge nooks, and an upstairs deck with thatched umbrellas.

Ol Jogi Hammam… two hours of sheer bliss…I am a professional Hammam junkie and not easily impressed. The domed hammam with stained glass lighting, produces abundant steam with drops of heated water dripping from the ceiling… an ethereal experience! Triple body rub, massage, and two-handed scrub with Moroccan mud, finishing body and hair masque, followed by shea butter body polish! Alice is Kenyan, but she could teach a class in Hammam!

The main home consists of a trendy bar with chic monkey lamps, jungle prints, a game room, filed with heavy dark wood furniture, safari chic meets old world elegance. Cinema fans aren’t left out, comfy sofas line the room for proper viewing. Two dining rooms, one formal, and a grand living room with massive fireplace and sumptuous sofas. Another evening leads us to the secret wine vault and tasting room, the colossal steel vault door is large enough for Fort Knox…you won’t find it, a secret release button moves a wall revealing the door to the vault.

About the last night… Ol Jogi grand finale dinner on a wooden bridge over a river! A race to the river, where we walked over a creaky wooden suspension bridge to be greeted by our favorite barman for cocktails. An outdoor under the trees ‘living room’ of comfy sofas surround a roaring bonfire! Chef prepared Wagu and lobster, an assortment of yummy salads, fresh baked breads… and of course, dessert! Exceptional dinner, impeccable service… hard to top every meal and event, but Ol Jogi did every day!

It may be one of the most expensive African safari lodges, however, the balance between luxury and conservation is of equal importance.  Ol Jogi aims to be a leading model for private conservation, with relentless efforts to pioneer new methods and techniques enabling them to protect wildlife. Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy was created over 40 years ago, with the aim of preserving natural habitats and their wildlife in a responsible manner. 

Highly Recommend by our clients as well!