Kenya for Families

The Perfect Safari Destination for All the Family

Treating your family to a Kenyan safari is a magical experience and will create memories to last a lifetime. Up close wildlife encounters is a specialty here – explore the Saruni Rhino Conservancy or see the wild dog dens in Laikipia. Of course, the famous great herds and lion prides of the Masai Mara shouldn’t be missed. We might arrange for you to wake up at Giraffe Manor, a sumptuous colonial style house where you may be joined for breakfast by the resident giraffe, poking their heads through the windows in search of treats.

Intrepid young adventurers can even spend a week learning traditional hunting techniques with the Maasai warriors, before putting their new skills to use in the bush, tracking footprints to find wildlife with expert guides. After all of your adventures in the wild, we might suggest that you and the family enjoy Kenya’s fabulous beaches, basking in the sunshine before going for a splash in the pristine turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.

Highlight:
Warrior for a Week (and Maasai Olympics)

Don’t just walk on the wild side: fight on the wild side too! When you’re a warrior for a week, you’ll delve deep into the traditions of the Maasai and Samburu tribes, honing your skills with a bow and arrow and a spear, and acquiring ancient wisdom about the bush.

Highlight:
Laikipia Adventures

Laikipia is your private playground in the Rift Valley of central Kenya. The conservancies are truly wild, with just one or two lodges each, so when you head out into the wilderness to explore by boat, by quad bike, or on foot, it’s an adventure for you alone.

Highlight:
Rhino conservation in Lewa

Special care is being taken in Northern Kenya to save the rhino, one of Africa’s most iconic but critically endangered species. In Lewa you and your children can share a poignant encounter with the rhino, learning about conservation work and savouring this precious moment for a lifetime.

Highlight:
Pride Lands of the Mara

The lion is the king of the jungle, but in Kenya you’re more likely to spy him on the plains! The pride lands of the Masai Mara are one of the best places for big cat spotting in East Africa.

Highlight:
Kenyan Beaches

This summer, will it be a beach holiday or a wilderness adventure? In Kenya, you don’t have to choose. The national parks are only a short hop away from the coastline, so you can safari first and then relax for a few days on the beach.

Highlight:
Up Close Encounters in Kenya

It’s one thing to stare at a herd of animals through your binoculars, but quite another to have a giraffe or zebra stare back at you through the window! With Journeysmiths’ up close encounters, you’ll meet wildlife with no sense of personal space.

Where to Stay:
Saruni Mara

The Mara has some truly extraordinary lodges, but none quite like Saruni Mara. It’s the only boutique property in the region: there are just five charming cottages and two private villas. They are surrounded by one of the most exciting wildernesses in Africa.

Where to Stay:
Lewa House

You would be hard pressed to find a more family-oriented property than Lewa House. Calum and Sophie are charming hosts, and you’ll be welcomed like relatives into their home, your kids excited to join their brood and explore the magnificent surroundings.

Where to Stay:
Laikipia Wilderness

Laikipia Wilderness Camp is your personal bush camp, and boasts incredible views of Mount Kenya. There are just five tented suites - perfect for an escape with a small group of family or friends - and you can also come here for expert-led courses on bushcraft, wildlife, and photography.

Where to Stay:
Ol Malo

Ol Malo is a unique family-owned ranch and game sanctuary nestled in Kenya’s rugged Northern Laikipia Range, the traditional roaming lands of the Samburu tribe. Make yourself at home with the Francombe family in the luxury of the wild African bush.

Where to Stay:
Ol Lentille

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille has the wow factor. This totally secluded site is an adventurer’s paradise and has some of the very best views in Africa. It was the first lodge in Laikipia with private villas and still pushes boundaries with new features and experiences.

Where to Stay:
Cottars 1920 Camp

Take your family back in time to the 1920s, the heyday of East African wildlife safaris. The past comes alive at Cottar’s, which combines simplicity with a relaxed style, inspired guiding, mouthwatering cuisine, and attention to detail. All of this goes to create an unforgettable Kenyan safari.

Where to Stay:
Kinondo Kwentu

Kinondu Kwetu is the beach lodge of your dreams. It’s on a 16 acre plot south of Diani - the best beach in Kenya - and has its own private stretch of Indian Ocean shoreline. The pace of life here is laid back, but the level of service is spot on.

Where to Stay:
Giraffe Manor

If there’s one hotel your kids have heard of in Africa, it is probably Giraffe Manor. One of Nairobi’s most iconic buildings, it has its own resident population of giraffe who know no bounds of personal space, and are famous for sticking their heads through the window at breakfast time.

Where to Stay:
Solio Lodge

On the slopes of Mount Kenya is a private wildlife reserve, and it is here you will find Solio Lodge. This luxurious property is the only lodge within the 45,000 acre Solio Game Reserve - the most successful rhino breeding reserve in Kenya.

Where to Stay:
Ol Seki Mara Camp

Ol Seki Mara lies in the wildest of Kenyan terrains. It is in the Naboisho Conservancy bordering the Masai Mara Reserve, and the combination of incredible wildlife sightings, glamping as you’ve never seen it before, and endless star studded skies make this a very special place to stay.

Where to Stay:
Borana

Borana is an intimate property looking out over the Samangua Valley and the Lewa Plains towards Mount Kenya. It’s a family owned and run property which has belonged to the Dyers for three generations, and you’ll be welcomed here like an old friend.

Where to Stay:
Mara Plains Camp

In the heart of the 35,000 acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy lies Mara Plains Camp. Access is over a bridge across the river, and when you cross, it feels as if you are entering a private kingdom, a world apart from the norm.

Where to Stay:
Saruni Wild

Saruni Wild’s name is definitely justified: it is surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of pristine wilderness in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Maasai warriors will lead your game drives out across the plains, and in the evening you can dine by firelight beneath the magnificent canopy of stars.

Where to Stay:
Loisaba Tented Camp

Give your children the gift of Loisaba Tented Camp. High on the edge of an escarpment, with a much visited waterhole below, this is an area of rugged natural beauty. The camp is a retreat where you can appreciate the wilderness in peace.

Start Planning

We have been arranging safaris for over 30 years. Our travel designers are specialists in family safaris. Have us plan your unique itinerary.

UK & ROW: +44 (0)1604 628979
USA: +1-866-871-3829

Email: inspireme@journeysmiths.co.uk

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Kenya for Families

The Perfect Safari Destination for All the Family

Highlight: Warrior for a Week (and Maasai Olympics)

Highlight: Laikipia Adventures

Highlight: Rhino conservation in Lewa

Highlight: Pride Lands of the Mara

Highlight: Kenyan Beaches

Highlight: Up Close Encounters in Kenya

Where to Stay:Saruni Mara

Where to Stay:Lewa House

Where to Stay:Laikipia Wilderness

Where to Stay:Ol Malo

Where to Stay:Ol Lentille

Where to Stay:Cottars 1920 Camp

Where to Stay:Kinondo Kwentu

Where to Stay:Giraffe Manor

Where to Stay:Solio Lodge

Where to Stay:Ol Seki Mara Camp

Where to Stay:Borana

Where to Stay:Mara Plains Camp

Where to Stay:Saruni Wild

Where to Stay:Loisaba Tented Camp