A safari children are allowed to enjoy.
Exclusive-use houses so nobody is shushed at dinner, two vehicles so one adult can leave at five, and drives capped at three hours.
Ten nights in exclusive-use houses with two vehicles and drives capped at three hours. Children from six; the structural changes are what make it work, not a colouring book.
- From
- $17,400 pp
- Duration
- 10 nights
- Best months
- Jul–Aug, Dec–Jan
- Party size
- 4 – 10 guests
The changes that matter are structural, not cosmetic
Most operators make a safari family-friendly by adding a colouring book. The changes that actually work are structural: an exclusive-use house rather than a camp, so a five-year-old at dinner is not somebody else’s problem; a second vehicle, so one parent can go out at five while the other sleeps; drives capped at three hours; and a guide who teaches rather than narrates.
This journey moves three times in ten nights — Laikipia, the Mara conservancies, and the coast — with swimming built into the hot middle of every day. That is not a compromise on the game viewing; it is what makes the six o’clock starts possible on day seven.
We have taken our own children on it. The reason it ends at the ocean is that a fortnight of early mornings needs somewhere to put the last three days.
- Exclusive-use houses throughout: your own chef, staff and mealtimes
- Two vehicles, so the adults can split the day as they like
- Tracking lessons, bow-making and spoor casting with Maasai and Samburu guides
- Horse riding and mountain biking in Laikipia — safely, on conservancy land
- Rhino on foot at Ol Pejeta, with the rangers
- Three nights on the coast at the end, with nothing scheduled at all
Ideal traveller
Families with children six and over, and multi-generation groups of six to ten. Above six guests the per-head cost falls sharply. Walking itineraries need twelve-year-olds.
The itinerary
Nairobi — arrival
Met airport-side and driven to a garden house with a pool and a lawn. Lunch, swimming, and a very early night for everyone.
Into Laikipia
A short flight north to a private conservancy. The house is yours: four bedrooms, a chef, two vehicles. An afternoon drive at whatever hour suits.
Riding and tracking
Riding for those who want it, mountain biking for those who do not, and a first tracking lesson in the sand of a dry riverbed. Swimming from eleven until four.
Rhino on foot
A morning at Ol Pejeta, forty minutes away — black rhino tracked on foot with the ranger team, then the chimpanzee sanctuary, which children remember for years.
To the Mara
Flown south-west to a conservancy house on the Mara’s northern boundary. Afternoon drive; the resident lion pride is usually the first thing found.
Conservancy
First light out, back for a late breakfast, pool until four. A night drive after dinner for anyone over eight who can stay awake.
Maasai morning
A morning with Maasai guides on foot: spoor, bows, fire, and medicinal plants. Children are taught rather than shown, and it changes the tone of the whole trip.
A day the children choose
Genuinely theirs to plan, within reason. Most pick a picnic somewhere far away, a hide, and a swim. Some pick the pool and nothing else, which is also allowed.
To the coast
Flown east to Watamu — marine park, calm reef, turtle hatchings in season, and a house on the beach with a cook and no schedule.
The coast
Snorkelling, the Arabuko-Sokoke forest for anyone who wants birds, and the first day of the holiday with nothing at all in it.
Homeward
A mid-morning flight to Nairobi, day rooms at a private club, and our concierge with you until you fly.
Three houses, each one entirely yours
Every night of this journey is in exclusive-use accommodation: a four-bedroom conservancy house in Laikipia, a five-bedroom house on the Mara’s northern boundary, and a beach house at Watamu. Each comes with its own chef, staff and vehicles.
That is the single decision that makes family travel work. Meals happen when your children are hungry, bedtime is not a negotiation with other guests, and the eight-year-old who wants to eat at five-thirty can.
Above six guests, exclusive use is usually cheaper per head than the same party in tents, which surprises people. Below four, we would use a small camp that genuinely welcomes children instead, and there are four on our list.
What the price covers
- Ten nights in exclusive-use houses, all meals and house drinks
- Two private vehicles and two guides throughout
- All internal flights between the three regions
- Conservancy, park and marine park fees, and the conservancy levy
- Tracking lessons, Maasai morning, rhino tracking, riding and biking
- House staff — chef, housekeeping and childcare on request
- Airport meet-and-greet, fast-track and day rooms
- 24-hour Nairobi concierge, answered by a person
What it does not
- International flights and visas
- Travel insurance — required; we will help you compare
- Balloon flights and helicopter legs
- Diving courses on the coast
- Gratuities, at your discretion
July and August for the school holidays and the crossings — book eleven months ahead. Late December works and is dearer still. February is the quiet secret: warmer, greener, half the price, and the schools are back.
Shall we hold the dates while you think?
Tell us the month and we will send a costed draft of this journey, with the camps held provisionally at no charge. A written reply within one working day, from the specialist who will run it.
On family travel
What is the youngest age you would recommend?
Six for this itinerary, and honestly closer to eight if the point is game viewing rather than a holiday with animals in it. Under six we would build something shorter, closer to Nairobi, and with more swimming than driving.
Is it safe with children?
Yes, with the structural things in place: houses rather than open camps at the youngest ages, staff who know where children are, briefed rules about the vehicle, and guides who are first-aid qualified. We are candid about which camps we would not put a six-year-old in.
Will the children be bored in the vehicle?
Some of the time, and that is why drives are capped at three hours and why the guides teach. Tracking, spoor casting and bird lists turn a passive drive into something to do. The pool between eleven and four does the rest.
Can grandparents come?
This is one of our most-booked shapes — three generations, one house, two vehicles, and different people doing different things each morning. Tell us the age range and mobility and we will place you accordingly.