The lions are hungry, nervous, and aggressive. When they hunt big game, their success is in numbers.
An exhausted and thirsty young bull lags behind the elephant herd and catches the lions’ attention, who quickly surround him and look for an opening. The bull charges with flapping ears; he whips around and flees behind a rock outcropping, pursued by every lion.
A lioness leaps from the rocks onto his back with claws dug in and gets in a big bite as the panicked bull runs until she falls off. The wind drifts the corrupt stench of lion your way. Two lions leap onto the bull’s back, and with his running twists and turns, one falls off, leaving a big male who hangs on. Dusk rapidly approaches. Two more lions leap onto the bull’s back, and the elephant goes down with a crash.
Are you prepared for the circle of life?
Finch Hatton was a pilot, so he would have appreciated our vision and version of their safaris together. Your pilot’s extensive knowledge of the African bush will take you to extraordinary places that only a helicopter bush pilot can deliver.
Fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi (NBO) and be met by your helicopter pilot and one of our owner guides.
We’ll escort you to the helipad for an extraordinary flight through the Rift Valley to Africa Born Safaris luxury mobile camp inside the Maasai Mara Reserve and close to the Tanzanian border. The camp is “secluded and exclusive use,” replicating the tented camps of the early 1900s.
They partnered with the oldest safari company in Africa, Ker & Downey, considered the world’s best mobile tented camp operator. Royalty, heads of state, and movie stars have benefited from their exceptional safari camps. This includes the filming of “Mogambo,” “Gorillas In The Mist,” and “Out of Africa.
A morning helicopter flight explores the Sand River as it splits from the Mara River and undulates through the Maasai hills like a snake through long grass. Your pilot looks for wildebeest herds crossing the river, elephants, and the perfect place to land for a picnic lunch with champagne.
All game drives and helicopter flights are on your schedule, which we discuss the evening before, along with the routes.
A pre-dawn helicopter flight delivers you to Balloon Safaris Ltd. in the Mara. They include champagne and a made-to-order hot breakfast by their Chef. If you spot some cool wildlife action from the air, let us know once we pick you up, and we’ll head that way.
Your afternoon game drive explores Mara’s savannahs, and lunch is in the bush. A helicopter sundowner flight lands on the escarpment’s edge to watch the setting sun…
For those who dream of dining in the wild, a romantic bush dinner is every night in this camp. After a fabulous dinner, relax by the campfire with premium sundowners and good conversations.
You may want a game drive after dinner when the bush comes alive with nocturnal wildlife, birds, and the loud chorus of male cicadas singing to attract females. In contrast, the warning barks of monkeys notify us of nocturnal predators who look for a place to drink and get their bearings for their next meal.
Explore the Mara River by helicopter to see where the wildebeests cross. Once landing, the game drive explores these crossing points, which vary due to predators in the vicinity.
A morning helicopter flight is to Lake Bogoria in the Rift Valley near the equator, famous for its hot springs, geysers, and large numbers of lesser flamingoes.
After coffee and Amarula on the lakeshore, your flight continues to Sasaab Safari Lodge, a Moroccan-inspired lodge perched on a cliff with spectacular views of the Samburu wilderness. Luxuriate in a 90-minute “Safari Pick Me Up Massage,” per person.
A horseback ride is with the northern and southern white rhinos, Grevy’s zebras, and Jackson’s hartebeests in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy offers a unique perspective and close observation of the last two remaining northern white rhinos on earth (both females).
Ol Pejeta also has the highest number of endangered wild dogs in Kenya, our favorites.
The Conservancy has 90,000 acres of unspoiled African savannah with the “Big 5” elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, and Cape buffalos. Like many other settlers, Karen and Denys often rode horseback while on safari.
A morning helicopter flight is to the Aberdare Mountains, with a coffee stop.
This isolated volcanic range forms the easternmost wall of the Rift Valley. Deep ravines cut through the forested slopes with dramatic cliffs, clear streams, and torrential waterfalls that plunge from cloud-shrouded heights to spray-filled canyons as you fly past.
Lion tracking in the afternoon is with an armed ranger for 2 hours. Your participation in this walking safari helps fund these big cats’ protection. The Rangers take notes on specific lions spotted and report their findings to the Ol Pejeta Ecological Monitoring Department.
Experience surprising wild animal encounters, exotic birds, and endless plains. And yes, when several lions charged Karen, within seconds, Denys shot and killed both, a very close call for Karen.
Weather permitting, the helicopter flies up Mt. Kenya and lands at one of the high-altitude lakes. Bring your special fly rod along and fish in one of the world’s most exotic locations.
The flight from Mt. Kenya lands at Atua Nkop’s Elephant Bedroom Camp, a luxury tented camp along the Ewaso River in the Samburu National Reserve. It’s one of the few places where elephants walk by safari vehicles, so close that you can reach out and touch them.
Experience the magic of a private dinner by soft lantern light on your tent’s deck overlooking the river...
Breakfast is served ‘al fresco’ on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River under shade trees.
Explore Samburu’s ecosystem for leopards, elephants, and a variety of antelope, including the greater and lesser kudu with their impressive horns. The Reserve is also home to over 320 bird species, including hamerkops, which build the world’s largest nests.
Talk to your pilot about a special flight, as he’s full of surprises about where to fly.
Buffalo Springs National Reserve includes the endangered Grevy zebras, reticulated giraffes, elephants, oryx, gerenuks, Cape buffalos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and 365 bird species.
An evening game drive introduces the “Spirit of Samburu,” when zebras trek from Buffalo Springs to Samburu and kick up dust that is mystical in the setting sun’s last light. A perfect time for sundowner cocktails.
Your helicopter takes off at dawn up the Sugita Valley and stops many times, which includes coffee, breakfast, a picnic lunch on a crater, desert hot springs, a crocodile pool for a quick swim, explore ancient rock art, take a dip in Lake Turkana, and fly back to camp in time for a late tea.
Also, sundowners are on top of the mystery mountain, Ol Olokwe, with its stunning cliffs. It’s the sacred mountain of the Samburu, deemed to be the home of God.
A morning flight is to Elewana Elsa’s Kopje Lodge in Meru National Park. Unpack and settle into the best safari accommodations in the area and a remarkable lunch created by their 5-star Chef.
Unashamedly romantic and beautifully styled, Elsa’s Kopje is sculpted into Mughwango Hill above the site of George Adamson’s original camp, where he raised and released orphaned lions. Each cottage is crafted around the rocks, with a large bedroom, open sitting room, veranda, and spacious bathroom with breathtaking views.
Karen Blixen loved Meru’s wilderness some five decades before it became a National Park. Visitors can see Grevy’s zebras, elephants, Bohor reedbucks, hartebeests, pythons, puff adders, cobras, Cape buffalos, and more than 427 recorded bird species.
Fly over the Ewaso River to singing wells, home to a series of natural and excavated wells dotting the landscape. The Ewaso watershed stretches over various ecosystems, from the high regions of Mt. Kenya to the lower semi-arid regions of the land.
One of the stops is along the river for you to fish, catch & release, with a special picnic lunch on the river bank. However, Karen’s fish went into the skillet for their supper.
Fly into Magado, an ancient crater with salt mines that the same families have controlled for centuries.
Brilliant on a magnificent scale, the Meru and Kora sister parks feature luxuriant jungles, coursing rivers, verdant swamps, khaki grasslands, and gaunt termite cathedrals, all under the sky’s great blue bowl. Little visited and utterly unspoiled, few places are comparable to Meru’s remote and rugged wilderness.
The day ends with a romantic private dinner by the infinity pool under the stars.
Your game drive introduces the lions of Meru, the main attraction, who patrol this spectacular park. Your helicopter flight explores Adamson’s falls, rapids, and Elsa’s grave.
After a private bush breakfast, we’ll fly you back to Nairobi in the helicopter for your flight home.
