# 8 Luxury Safaris in Kenya > We've rounded up eight luxury safari camps in Kenya where wild nature meets total comfort. Find out which camp to choose for your trip. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/8-roskoshnkh-safary-v-kenyy/ - Language: en - Published: 2025-01-11 - Categories: Leisure, Hotels, Kenya, Animal Rides, Relaxation, Plains --- Leisure safaris first appeared in the 1920s, when wealthy Europeans and Americans were drawn to Africa to see (and shoot) its astonishing wildlife. In the spirit of the excess of the Roaring Twenties, they traveled in grand style: in tented camps kitted out with satin sheets and silver tableware, gramophones and gourmet food and, of course, an endless supply of gin and tonic. With safaris led by the legendary big-game hunter Denys Finch Hatton, and famous guests such as Ernest Hemingway, Prince Edward (before he became Duke of Windsor) and Teddy Roosevelt, Kenya set the safari bar higher than anywhere else in Africa. And so it continues today. Kenya keeps pushing the boundaries of wilderness travel in ways the visitors of the 1920s could never have imagined. From tricked-out safari trucks and lavish private planes to "tents" that could easily pass for Park Avenue penthouses, the modern Kenyan safari doubles down on comfort and luxury. Read on to discover eight luxury safari adventures in Kenya: ## 1. Finch Hattons Luxury Camp Set in the heart of Tsavo West, one of Kenya's largest and oldest (1948) national parks, Finch Hattons embodies the spirit of its famous namesake. A favorite safari haunt of the celebrated aviator, Tsavo is where Finch Hatton made the shift from hunting to photographic safaris, and where he died in 1931 in a crash aboard his Gypsy Moth plane. Fully rebuilt in 2013, the camp's spacious "tents" (including the presidential canvas suite at $3,750 a night) sit on the edge of a natural spring that's home to hippos, crocodiles and countless birds. Scattered around the camp are a full-service spa with a Turkish hammam and an open-air yoga deck, a lagoon-like infinity pool, an air-conditioned gym, a small museum of natural-history curiosities and a bar full of memorabilia that Hemingway would have appreciated. In addition to the restaurant, guests can also reserve dinners in a romantic rooftop setting that feels like something out of the "Arabian Nights": cushion-covered divans and oriental rugs arranged around a dining table with an unobstructed view of the Milky Way. "Finch Hattons is a place for people who feel the old-world romance," says camp manager Jonathan Mutisya. Rates from $590 per adult (low season). ## Loisaba Almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 2013, Loisaba reopened this May with an even higher level of luxury and comfort than its previous incarnation. In addition to the usual luxury tents (all of them offering breathtaking views across the plains toward the snow-capped Mount Kenya), the revived camp will soon have a super-exclusive canvas enclave with a private pool, slated to open in July. Loisaba's most extravagant overnight experience is its mobile Starbeds: handcrafted four-poster beds built into the back of Land Rover platforms and rolled out onto open terraces at night, so guests can sleep beneath the starry African sky. A devoted oenophile, camp manager Jani Scheffer has stocked the wine cellar with a delicious collection of wines from South Africa and beyond. Rates from $385 per person (low season). ## Ol Jogi Ranch ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-50-1-2024.jpg) This private game reserve in the wilds north of Nairobi offers one of Kenya's most exclusive safari experiences. Once owned by billionaire French art dealer Alec Wildenstein and his eccentric wife Jocelyn "Catwoman" Wildenstein, the former cattle ranch is now dedicated to conserving endangered species. What makes Ol Jogi unique (and ultra-extravagant) is that the sprawling mansion, its satellite cottages and the rest of the ranch are available for exclusive use only, at prices around a quarter of a million dollars a week. "The experience I'm trying to offer here is how you would have seen Africa maybe 20 or 30 years ago," says ranch director Alec Wildenstein Jr. on the reserve's website. "There's no other place in Africa where you can have an entire 60,000-acre wildlife reserve all to yourself. You'll never see another tourist, never see another minibus." Exclusive use $200,000 to $300,000 per week. Ol Jogi Ranch, Nanyuki, Kenya; info@oljogihome.com. ## Ol Pejeta House Once the safari retreat of Saudi billionaire arms dealer and jet-setter Adnan Khashoggi, this two-story wilderness mansion is now run by the upscale Serena group. Among Ol Pejeta's many luxurious touches are a living room with a baronial fireplace, a personal chef who tailors the menu to each guest's tastes, four bedrooms and a guest cottage, plus two swimming pools and extensive gardens. Khashoggi's retreat sits within the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a private game reserve on the western side of Mount Kenya, famed for its landmark rhino and chimpanzee conservation programs. Double rooms from $311 (low season). ## Elewana Flying Safari Carrying on a tradition set by Finch Hatton and Prince Edward (later Duke of Windsor) in the late 1920s, when they pioneered the flying photographic safari, Elewana recently launched SkySafari Kenya. Flown on a business-class Cessna Grand Caravan based at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, the eight-day trips include stops in Amboseli, Meru and Maasai Mara national parks, with optional extensions to Diani Beach on the Kenyan coast or Zanzibar in neighboring Tanzania. Nights are spent in luxury lodges at each stop, including Elsa's Kopje, Sand River and Tortilis Camp out in the bush, and Hemingways Nairobi. From $6,429 per person (low season). skysafari.com; +255 27 250 0630 / 1 - 9; info@skysafari.com ## Mahali Mzuri ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-50-2-2024.jpg) With roughly 150 camps, lodges and other places to stay (and dozens of vehicles crowding around the same pride of lions), the Maasai Mara has turned into the safari equivalent of Disneyland. But a few places buck the mass-tourism trend, including Richard Branson's Mahali Mzuri camp in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy on the edge of the national reserve. The architecture alone makes this wilderness retreat stand out: a dozen futuristic "tents" designed and built by Nairobi canvas craftsman Jan Allen, with rustic-chic interiors by London's Real Studios. In Swahili the name means "beautiful place," and it truly is, perched on a hillside overlooking the grassy plains where a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of other animals migrate every year. From a chef trained by Gordon Ramsay to exotic spa treatments (such as the Orinka stick massage), the camp reflects Branson's signature blend of chic and adventure. The entire camp is available for exclusive use at $18,240 a night. Double rooms from $800 (low season). ## Alfajiri Overlooking the gorgeous white sands of Diani Beach, this luxury villa complex offers an entirely different take on the Kenyan safari experience. While the proximity to the Indian Ocean is undoubtedly the main draw (scuba diving and snorkeling, kitesurfing and deep-sea fishing), Alfajiri is also an ideal base for exploring coastal game reserves such as Shimba Hills and the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary. With thatched roofs and huge wooden doors, two of the three villas showcase local Swahili design, while the third feels as though it was transplanted straight from the Caribbean. Alfajiri's private chefs pair local ingredients (such as fresh seafood straight off the boat) with European culinary techniques introduced by the villa's Italian expat owners. British comedian Rowan Atkinson and Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood are among the celebrities who have taken a "beach and bush" safari at Alfajiri. Villas from $1,000 for two people (low season). ## Cottar's 1920s Safari Camp If Richard Branson's camp represents a new way of doing the Mara in style, then Cottar's is a return to the old days and the old ways. Quiet elegance is the hallmark of this luxury camp, created by the fifth generation of the Cottar family, who started their Kenyan business right after World War I. Though the Mara camp was founded only two decades ago, the accommodations look and feel as if they've been around since the golden age of East African safaris: spacious canvas tents furnished with family antiques and heirlooms, sturdy four-poster beds and even khaki-colored pith helmets. Guests can spin vintage records on the gramophone in the dining room, enjoy tea from a silver service, jot down entries in a journal on an antique typewriter or order an open-air bath in a portable canvas camp tub. The five-bedroom Homestead, with its own eight-person staff and a private pool, is available from $4,610 a night. Rates from $571 per person (low season).