Most Kenya safaris are spent in a vehicle. This one is not. You walk out with an armed ranger to find black rhino on foot, reading tracks and wind the way the anti-poaching teams do. You ride horses through plains where giraffe and zebra let a horse get far closer than a car. After dinner, a spotlit night drive turns up animals you will not see by day: aardvark if you are lucky, hyena and genet almost certainly.
Conservancies cap the number of vehicles and guests, so sightings are rarely shared. Many northern species are found here and not in the south, including Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffe. Conservancy fees are usually built into the camp’s nightly rate, so there is no separate park ticket to buy.
We match the conservancy and camp to what you want most. Some are known for walking with rhino, some for horses, some for camels. Families, riders and photographers each end up somewhere different.
Day by day
- Day 1
Fly from Wilson Airport to Nanyuki or a conservancy airstrip (about an hour), or drive from Nairobi (about four hours). Afternoon game drive and sundowner.
- Day 2
Rhino tracking on foot with an armed ranger in the cool of the morning. Afternoon horseback ride for any level of rider, then a night drive after dinner.
- Day 3
Camel walk or bush breakfast, a visit to a conservation or community project, and a final evening drive.
- Day 4
Dawn drive, breakfast, and the flight or drive back to Nairobi by early afternoon.
What the trip price covers
- Private vehicle and guide for your group
- Conservancy accommodation with meals and most activities
- Conservancy fees, where the camp includes them in its rate
- Flights or road transfer from Nairobi, as quoted
International flights, visas and the Kenya eTA, travel insurance, tips and drinks are not included unless your quote says so.
Worth knowing
- Riding is optional and usually needs a weight limit and some experience for anything faster than a walk. We check each camp’s rules for you.
- Kenya residents and citizens pay lower conservancy rates at many camps. We ask for both prices.
Who checks the operator
We do, before we recommend them. This trip is run, contracted and invoiced by a tour operator licensed by Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority. Your planning fee pays for the plan and the checks; we take nothing from the operator.
- Tourism Regulatory Authority licence, checked against the regulator’s own records
- NTSA tourist service licence for the vehicles you ride in
- Public liability insurance in date, with a copy on file
- Guide qualifications and, for walking and riding, the camp’s safety procedures
- Recent client references we can contact
- For halal trips, each camp’s confirmation in writing