ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
9-Day Mara, Laikipia & Lewa Safari

Kenya - Fly-in safari

9-Day Mara, Laikipia & Lewa Safari

Duration
9 days
Countries
Kenya
Suited to
2-6 guests
Pricing
From USD 18,680

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

The Masai Mara is what most people picture when they think of Kenya, and it earns the reputation. But the country's most interesting conservation work is happening two hundred kilometres north, on the private conservancies of Laikipia and Lewa, and this route gives all three their proper share. Angama opens the trip from the Oloololo Escarpment, three hundred metres above the Mara Triangle. The Triangle is the reserve's western third, managed separately, with capped vehicle numbers and no off-road driving, so its lion and cheetah are watched in something close to silence. Laikipia next, at Lodo Springs on the Loisaba conservancy: 58,000 acres of ranchland where wild dog run, elephant move between the Ewaso Nyiro and Mount Kenya, and the activities open up to walking, camel treks and riding. Lewa closes it. A UNESCO World Heritage site of 62,000 acres, home to black and white rhino and around eleven per cent of the world's Grevy's zebra, with Lewa House as an easy family-run base. June to October is dry and prime; the green months bring newborns and better rates.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Nairobi to the Mara Triangle

You transfer across Nairobi to Wilson Airport for the 45 minute flight southwest. Angama stands on the lip of the Oloololo Escarpment, its tented suites facing out over the Mara Triangle from three hundred metres up. Lunch on the deck, then the first drive winds down the escarpment road onto the plain.

Stay 2

The Triangle Floor

A full day below the escarpment with a picnic packed. The Triangle's lion prides hold territory along the river line, cheetah use the open ground toward the border, and elephant families cross the marshes in the late afternoon. Between July and October the drive works the Mara River crossing points, where the herds gather and hesitate for hours.

Stay 3

Escarpment Morning

Today can go two ways: another descent for the cats, or a slower morning up top, walking the escarpment with a Maasai guide and visiting the community shamba that supplies the kitchen. Balloon flights leave before dawn if you book ahead. Lunch is laid at the old film picnic site, and the afternoon drive closes the Mara chapter.

Stay 4

North to Laikipia

The flight north crosses the Rift Valley and the Aberdares to Loisaba, about two hours with a stop. Lodo Springs looks over a waterhole toward Mount Kenya, and the country changes completely: rock, acacia and enormous space. The afternoon drive goes out for elephant and the reticulated giraffe that replace the Mara's Maasai giraffe here.

Stay 5

Loisaba on Foot

Private land means the rules relax. Walk out after breakfast with an armed guide reading tracks in the dust, or take the camels along the Ewaso Nyiro at their unbothered pace. Loisaba's wild dog packs range wide, so the guides work the radio all day. After dark the drive goes out with a spotlight for aardvark, genet and porcupine.

Stay 6

Loisaba to Lewa

A short hop east lands you on Lewa, 62,000 acres of conservancy running up into the Mount Kenya foothills and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013. Lewa House sits on a rise with the plains below it, family-run and unfussy. The afternoon drive finds white rhino grazing open grassland almost immediately.

Stay 7

Black Rhino and Grevy's

The morning tracks black rhino through the thicket lines, harder work than the white rhino and far more satisfying. Lewa also protects around eleven per cent of the world's Grevy's zebra, narrow-striped, big-eared and genuinely endangered. The afternoon visits the conservancy headquarters, where the tracker dogs and radio room explain how the rhino stay alive.

Stay 8

The Last Full Day

Lewa's freedom fills it: ride out across the plains if you can sit a horse, walk the riverine forest, or take the vehicle up toward the Ngare Ndare forest where elephant cross to Mount Kenya on a corridor built for them. Sundowners on a kopje with the mountain out, if the cloud allows, then dinner under the acacias.

Stay 9

Lewa to Nairobi

A final morning drive as the plains warm up, breakfast on the terrace, then the flight south to Wilson and a transfer across town for evening international departures. Nine days, three landscapes, and a clear sense of why Kenya's private conservancies now do the heavy lifting for the country's rarest animals.

Safari highlights

  • Three nights at Angama Mara on the escarpment
  • The Mara Triangle, capped vehicles and no off-road driving
  • Two nights at Lodo Springs on Loisaba, Laikipia
  • Walking, riding and camel treks on private land
  • Three nights at Lewa House on the conservancy
  • Black rhino and Grevy's zebra in the northern foothills

What is included

Included

  • 8 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Light-aircraft flights Wilson-Mara, Mara-Loisaba and Lewa-Wilson
  • Road transfers between airstrips and camps
  • All meals, house wines, local spirits, beers and soft drinks
  • Twice-daily game drives at all three properties
  • Guided walks, night drives and riding where offered
  • Masai Mara reserve fees and Laikipia and Lewa conservancy fees
  • Laundry and emergency medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Kenya electronic travel authorisation and entry permits
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
  • Balloon safaris and helicopter excursions
  • Premium spirits, champagne and imported wines
  • Gratuities for guides, drivers and camp staff
  • Items of a personal nature and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 9-day Mara, Laikipia and Lewa safari cost?

From USD 18,680 per person sharing, rising to about USD 21,880 in peak season. That covers eight nights at Angama Mara, Lodo Springs and Lewa House, all meals and house drinks, twice-daily game drives, walking and riding activities, all reserve and conservancy fees, and the three internal light-aircraft flights. International flights to Africa are excluded and quoted separately.

What is the difference between the Mara Triangle and the rest of the reserve?

The Triangle is the western third of the Masai Mara, bounded by the Mara River and the Oloololo Escarpment, and it has been managed by the Mara Conservancy since 2001. Vehicle numbers are capped, off-road driving is prohibited and rangers enforce both. The result is the same wildlife as the eastern sector with a fraction of the crowding at sightings.

Why add Laikipia and Lewa to a Mara trip?

Because private conservancies allow what national reserves cannot. On Loisaba and Lewa you can walk with an armed guide, ride out among plains game, take camel treks and drive after dark with a spotlight, none of which is permitted inside the Mara reserve. The species also change: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Beisa oryx are northern animals you will not see in the Mara.

When should you go?

June to October is the dry season, with the migration herds in the Mara from roughly July and the best walking weather in the north. November to March is green and quieter, with excellent resident game, newborn plains game and softer rates. April and May are the long rains, when tracks deteriorate and some camps close for maintenance.

Are international flights included?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded and booked separately, arriving at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport. All internal flying is included, operating from Wilson Airport on the other side of the city, so allow a transfer of about an hour between the two. Light aircraft enforce a 15 kg soft-bag luggage limit per person.

Is this a malaria area?

The Masai Mara is malarial and prophylaxis is recommended. Laikipia and Lewa sit above 1,700 metres, where risk is low but not zero, and most clinics still advise cover for the trip as a whole. Arrange it with a travel clinic about six weeks before you fly. Every camp on the route provides nets and repellent.