Big Five Safaris

The Big Five is an old hunting term, and the animals it names are not the rarest or the most interesting in Africa. But seeing all five on one trip remains a satisfying goal, and Kenya is one of the best countries in which to achieve it.

Lion and elephant are straightforward in the Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Laikipia. Buffalo are abundant almost everywhere. Leopard are the real challenge, they are solitary, nocturnal and often concealed, and the Mara and Samburu offer the best odds. Rhino are the most difficult of all: poaching has reduced numbers drastically, and the most reliable sightings are in Lake Nakuru, the Lewa and Ol Pejeta conservancies in Laikipia, and Nairobi National Park.

Rather than chasing a checklist, we design itineraries that naturally stack the odds. A typical twelve-day route might combine the Maasai Mara for lion and leopard, Laikipia for rhino and elephant, and Lake Nakuru as a single night to add rhino with near-certainty.

We will also be candid about what is realistic. If rhino is essential, we will build the trip around the conservancies that hold them. If it is not, we would rather spend those days somewhere wilder.