Kenya & Seychelles Honeymoon Safari
Days 1, 2 and 3 - Masai Mara
Arrive in Nairobi where you are met and transferred to the domestic airport for your flight to the Masai Mara for the start of your Kenyan Honeymoon Safari. The Masai Mara is world-renowned for its incredible game viewing and in particular big cats. Lions are fairly common in and around the Masai Mara making them the dominant predator of the region. Cheetahs prefer the open grasslands where they can use their speed to catch their prey, while leopards prefer the rocky outcrops, valleys, and riverine woodlands where they can slink away unseen. If you are lucky you may get to highly endangered wild dogs in some of the community conservancies surrounding the Masai Mara.
The Masai Mara is known for the annual migration that moves through the park from the Serengeti in Tanzania. Every year millions of wildebeest and zebra move in a clockwise direction from the Serengeti through the Masai Mara and back south again, following the rains. The migration traditionally moves between the northern Serengeti and the Masai Mara between June/July and October before the herds head south to give birth. When the migration is in the Masai Mara it can offer some of the most dramatic game viewing in Africa with millions of wildebeest and zebra moving through the grasslands and often crossing large crocodile-infested rivers to get to the best grazing.
Outside of the migration, the game viewing is still spectacular as the majority of animals do not migrate. Elephant, topi, Thompson’s gazelle, cheetah, leopard, lion, buffalo, rhino, and giraffe all remain to make for a varied Masai Mara safari experience.
Within the Masai Mara ecosystem, guests have 2 choices of where to stay. There are the camps that are located inside the Masai Mara Game Reserve and often in the thick of the action, but the areas can get crowded as this is a public reserve. Surrounding the Masai Mara Game Reserve are community-run concessions that are private and so offer a more exclusive safari experience, away from the crowds. There are no fences between the Masai Mara and these conservancies and so the game moves freely between the main reserve and the surrounding concessions. The benefit of staying in the community reserves is more exclusivity and more freedom with the chance to do walking safaris and night drives and the chance to do a full-day game drive inside the main Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Days 4, 5, 6 and 7 - Sarara Camp
From the Masai Mara, you fly north to a very special place, Sarara Camp situated in the 850,000-acre Namunyak wildlife conservancy in the Mathews Mountain Range. This vast conservancy covers open grasslands and forested mountains that is home to elephant, leopard, wild dog, reticulated giraffe and kudu. The area is also home to the colorful and proud Samburu people who herd their goats and cattle through the savannah, alongside the wildlife.
There is so much to do and experience at Sarara and we feel 4 nights is the perfect amount of time to experience it all. Aside from game drives in the conservancy accompanied by your local Samburu guide, guests have the chance to enjoy walking safaris, hikes into the montane forests on the slopes of the Mathews Range, swimming in the crystal clear rivers, visits to local Samburu villages to learn more about their culture and a visit to the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. 2 highlights of your stay at Sarara is a visit to the singing wells and the opportunity to go fly-camping on the reserve.
During the dry season (Jan to Mar and July to Oct) the local Samburu herdsmen meet at the wells, sharing stories, passing on messages, and getting water for their livestock. Sarara means “meeting place” and is named after this age-old tradition of singing wells. It is not the wells that sing, but it is the herdsmen that form a human ladder passing buckets of water from the well up to the top, singing as they go. This helps maintain the rhythm and keeps spirits high during the heat of the day. Amidst the singing, dust, colors, and bells, guests get to see this non-commercialized culture going about their daily lives. This is not a tourist show and guests are not allowed to take cameras along.
The second highlight is the opportunity to sleep under the stars in a rustic fly camp. A walk through the conservancy ends up at the location of a rustic fly camp in a dry riverbed. Mosquito nets provide your home for the night under the stars. Enjoy cocktails and candlelit dinner with only the sound of the African bush around you and then after a few stories around the campfire, fall asleep under the millions of stars above you.
Days 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 - Seychelles
From the dry northern mountains of Kenya, you head back to Nairobi in time for your onward flight to the tropical islands of the Seychelles. Consisting of 115 islands spread throughout the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles are the picture-perfect beach destination with blinding white sandy beaches, and crystal clear turquoise waters surrounded by palm trees and lush green forests.
The Seychelles has plenty of options for luxury beach lodges, villas, and private islands to choose from depending on your budget and preference. Our preference is for the exclusive private islands where privacy is at its best. The Stanley Safaris’ top choice for private islands includes North Island and the Outer Islands of Alphonse Island, Astove Island, and the Cosmoledo Atoll.
Regardless of which option or island you choose, you are guaranteed white sandy, palm-fringed beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters teeming with marine life. Spend your days relaxing on the beach or by the pool or head out on snorkeling or diving excursions to observe the incredible diversity under the water.
