A great migration: Kenyan wilds to Seychelles’ shores

A great migration: Kenyan wilds to Seychelles’ shores

Bright isles and bush tales

Decisions, decisions… do you blow the holiday budget on the chance to pap an elephant on a luxury safari in Kenya? Or on a romantic Seychelles break for pictures of your freshly-tanned limbs stretching out towards white sands and gem-clear waters. Both offer months of Instagram fodder, but which to choose? We say, do both… 
 
This coin-toss-deciding five-star break can be fine-tuned and taken all the way to 11 on request: a private meal in the bush, first-class flights, someone to style the photobombing palm trees, perhaps… Beyond acquiring you a pet impala, we can make most of your wishes come true.
 
This 10-night trip is £6,719 a person (approximately US$8,668), based on two guests sharing.* 
 
To kick off your trip, contact the Smith24 team around the clock on:
+44 (0)330 100 3180 from the UK,
+1 800 464 2040 from the US.

Submit an enquiry

Highlights

Highlights

  • Staying in a very special Mr & Mrs Smith safari lodge and on (almost) your own private island
  • The chance for a front-row seat to see wildebeest stampede in staggering numbers across the Maasai Mara 
  • Feeling felicitous at a beach-y retreat in the Seychelles
  • Lively bush barbecues
  • Daily game drives and superlative sunbathing

 

Need to know

Need to know

When to go
The vast wildebeest herd usually reaches Maasai Mara in July, so to catch the end of their epic journey arrive early in the month. The Seychellois have little use for umbrellas, so you’re pretty much guaranteed sunshine; April and May are the best months, when the climate changes from sunny and a little bit humid to sunny and less humid. 

Getting there
Book flights to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (or have the Smith24 Team book them for you); from there your lodge is a five-hour drive. Alternatively, connect via Nairobi Wilson Airport to the Olare Orok airstrip (around a 90-minute flight). Comfortable transfers are included for both hotels; by car or boat, and there’s a short flight from Nairobi to the Seychelles.
 
Packing tips

  • Lighten your load: your Kenyan hideaway has binoculars, sun hats and hair-straighteners to spare
  • Knockabout gear for safari, glamorous swim and evening wear for the island
A great migration: Kenyan wilds to Seychelles’ shores

Day 1–4: Kenya

It’s no surprise Africa’s most beloved megafauna and big cats choose to roam Kenya’s reserves – from lakeland to savannah, the country possesses intense natural beauty. As the end point for the spectacle of the Great Migration, it seems to be a hit with wildebeest too. 
 
Here, you’ll spend three nights in a tree-shrouded tent at safari lodge Mahali Mzuri.

Your hotel…

Your hotel…

Virgin boss, Richard Branson has an eye for an out-of-this-world, yet thankfully in it, retreat. Mahali Mzuri has just 12 luxurious tents hidden in the foliage at the edge of the Maasai Mara Reserve. From your private terrace you have a good chance of catching the region’s really wild shows.
 
Smith Extra A private dinner for two set up on your tent’s wooden deck
 
Day 1 The lodge will send a driver and an air-conditioned car to pick you up from Olare Orok airstrip. On arrival, update your definition of ‘glamping’ with a quick tour of your tent, then perch on your private deck and turn your gaze to the wilds.
 
Day 2 Embark on two game drives through the Maasai Mara Reserve. The first starts very early in the day, but your guide serves breakfast in the bush. After a day spent spotting lions, leopards, giraffes and more, take a tasty pan-African meal on your terrace, included in your trip.
 
Day 3 Head out on more games drives, but if you’d like to experience the local culture in between, request a trip to the local Maasai villages. 

Day 4 Today, much like the wildebeest, you’ll be on the move; but you won’t be too sad to go – up next, a sun-kissed week in the Seychelles.

A great migration: Kenyan wilds to Seychelles’ shores

Day 4–11: Seychelles

The Seychelles is a constellation of 115 islands, floating in the Indian Ocean. There’s not a dud in the bunch: each is beach-blessed, lapped by turquoise waters and has scenery to make you swoon. Your particular speck of paradise is private island stay Six Senses Zil Pasyon.

Your hotel…

Your hotel…

Petite private isle Félicité – a place where couples will indeed be intensely happy – is home to Six Senses Zil Pasyon. Glamorous villas (each with a private pool, naturally) are set amid the dramatic rocky outcrops, lush vegetation and warm-to-the-touch sands.
 
Smith Extra One 30-minute foot massage or body scrub for two
 
Day 4 You’ll fly to the Seychelles’ main international airport from Nairobi; from here, a private boat will ferry you to Félicité in around 20 minutes.
 
Take a second to pick your jaws up from the floor after seeing the view from your private pool. And, relax…
 
Day 5 You decide what you’d like to do on your island break. First up, we recommend some serious sunbathing time on one of the hotel’s three natural beaches.
 
Day 6 Sunbathe, swim, repeat. If gazing into each other’s eyes and digging your toes into the sand is a too lo-fi for you, take advantage of the free activities included in your room rate: yoga stretches in a bale with a view, kayaking, or snorkelling with shoals of neon fish.
 
Day 7 Another little beach break.
 
Day 8 Play gentle games of petanque or croquet, hike in the leafy hills and spend the evening stargazing with your sweetheart.
 
Day 9 Idle the day away in your private pool, then pitch up to the open-air cinema where screenings are held as guests recline on pairs of cushioned loungers.
 
Day 10 On request, we can arrange for a boat for just the two of you. Sail to nearby La Digue for curvaceous rock formations or Praslin for its secluded beaches and blush-free skinny-dipping.

Day 11 Say goodbye to your island in the sun before being transferred back to the airport; or if you truly can’t tear yourself away, why not keep island-hopping…

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Further adventures in Africa…

A wander through the winelands? A city break in Cape Town? Whale-watching in Hermanus? Be inspired by our range of luxury trips in Africa.

Terms and conditions

If this African getaway has you purring like a lion, our Smith24 Team are available round-the-clock to answer enquiries.
 
Make like an elephant and don’t forget that we can tailor trips to your taste, book flights and ensure that you have the best possible time…

To kick off your trip, contact the Smith24 team around the clock on:
+44 (0)330 100 3180 from the UK,
+1 800 464 2040 from the US.

 

*The package includes all accommodation in Mr & Mrs Smith boutique hotels and local transportation with your own driver; entry fees; local guides; and all applicable taxes.

Not included in your package

  • International flights, visa fees, airport taxes or insurance.
  • Any increase in government taxes.


General conditions

  • All prices are in GBP and are subject to change, depending on what time of the year you travel.
  • All prices are subject to any revisions to taxes or tariffs.