Spectacular Kenyan Safari Escape for Couples

Leave Nairobi and fly north, landing in the remote ruggedness of Meru National Park. The airstrip is one of wilderness revelry, a strip of tarmac amongst high grass and wandering pachyderms. Mount Kenya dominates the landscape, its defined peak dominating green hills crisscrossed by rivers. Journey into the trees and your camp is tucked along a pristine space of riverine forest, elegant views of the Bisandi River greeting you on arrival. Check into a stunning en-suite tent and watch the river. Impala and kudu are drinking, tentatively sipping as they watch for predators. Elephants don't have the same fears. They charge down the banks and splash in the shallows, great water jets cascading out of trunks.

Camping might not sound like preferred accommodation for a romantic escape. But this is camping, Kenyan style. Canvas tents ensure the immersion in nature feels absolute, but the rest of your accommodation is more like a grand home than a camp. Traditional wood features abound; flushing toilets and hot showers can be found in your en-suite bathroom in the bush, and luxuriant beds are raised above the landscape. The evening campfire’s surrounded by wild animal silhouettes, private breakfasts watch over a wild game party at the river, and you can hear a lion roar as the sun goes down.

A hippo's wheeze-honk wakes you at sunrise. Open the curtains and from the bed you can spot the culprit, an indecisive youngster trying to choose between grazing and wallowing in the river. Your guide brings over a luxury bush breakfast and discusses today's options. Every day's safari activities will be individualized to your interests. Long game drives get intimate with Meru's big game. Expect leopards and lions hiding in the tall grass, dozens of ungulate species dining on overgrown wilderness, and a dazzling collection of bird species providing a feast for both eyes and ears. You're watching and admiring, chatting away as you both experience the intimacy of African safari. Then silence. Conversation is cut mid-sentence and you stare at the forest edge. Slowly, almost painfully slowly, two Black rhino emerge from the trees. You stand spellbound, silently marveling at the elegance of two rare and beautiful animals walking your way. Sometimes, there really isn't need for words.

Evenings provide dramatic opportunities to walk hand in hand. An armed ranger leads the way, taking you into this Big Five landscape as the sun relinquishes its power over the day. Follow ancient antelope trails and nothing is scared. Smaller wildlife may run from the sound of an engine, but ungulates aren't fearful of footsteps. Kudu and eland stand and stare, pointed horns belying gentle faces. Gazelle skip across the trail, and then an elephant bulldozes through the trees and you must quickly backtrack. Return to the camp and the evening's enchantment follows a similar pattern. It's just you, your partner, a kerosene lantern, and Meru's mesmeric soundtrack. Oh, and the full cast of Animal Planet drinking from the river below.

Mount Kenya continues to dominate the landscape as you drive across the Laikipia Plateau, en route to another of Kenya's hidden treasures. The vast rural plains between Mount Kenya and the Rift Valley offer an animal paradise. It's an unfenced land, home to just about every African mammal and virtually no roads. Journey across the hills, soaking up the stunning panoramas as you head towards your safari lodge. Hidden away on a 24,000 acre private ranch, the next three nights will provide a home away from home in the heart of Kenya's wilderness. You will arrive in time for a long afternoon game drive through Laikipia.

Your en-suite cottage screams of yesteryear, bursting with a grandeur associated with the early explorers. As you share a bottle of wine on the private verandah, a herd of red hartebeest charge past. They've escaped three lionesses who have abandoned the hunt. That's the thing about this Kenyan safari vacation; even when all seems silent and the two of you are deep in romantic reverie, the wildlife springs up and offers something new. Like Meru, this is very much a private experience and your own piece of the Kenyan landscape. There are just a small handful of other guests at Sosian and you could go days without seeing them. Discreet staff brings sumptuous food and wine to your room and a personal guide is ready with a new set of safari experiences.

Game drives take you close. Stop the vehicle beside a lion pride and the predatory cats will come to inspect. They'll wander around the vehicle, lucid expressions ensuring your hands remain firmly inside. Continue the drive and you could be eying a leopard jumping down from a tree, a hippo pod splashing about in the shallows, or a zebra herd galloping across the horizon. In fact, you'll probably be viewing all the above. African safari isn't a zoo experience; it's always unpredictable. But the abundance of Kenya's plains is what keeps it in the premier position of African safari destinations.

Game drives are merely the start. This itinerary unveils a multitude of authentic experiences to have with the Big Five and more. Laikipia's unique additions are horseback and camelback safaris. Experienced riders can gallop across these inviting plains, hooves thundering through the dust towards zebra herds. Horseback provides an unrivaled intimacy and thrill, the wind rushing through your hair as you gallop alongside a herd of black and white stripes. Stay calm as you trot past the elephants and then allow the horse to kick up dust and return to your cottage. Inexperienced riders can also take a horseback safari although it will be at a more sedate pace. Going by camelback really evokes the adventures of early explorers, the desert giant calmly plodding past all of Laikipia's remarkable wildlife. As always, all safari activities are included and your personal guide will plan a program to suit your interests.

This morning you fly south, touching down beside the planet's most renowned safari destination: the Maasai Mara. Wildebeest are everywhere, dotting the plains with a patchwork of hooves and bushy hair. Come to the Mara from July to September and the wildebeest numbers increase exponentially, over a million of them migrating north from the Serengeti after crossing crocodile-infested rivers. But even outside these months, the omnipresence of wildebeest is staggering. Thompson's gazelle join them on the plains, further dots on the flourishing grassland. These first impressions quickly warp into hyper-reality, the same sights repeating themselves from every angle; wildebeest, gazelle, and a hidden collection of predators waiting to pounce. After you are picked up at the airstrip, the whole drive to your safari camp is a game drive. And these ubiquitous scenes keep repeating themselves from your luxurious camp balcony.

The same iconic scene greets you in the morning; thousands of wildebeest, hundreds of zebra, a smattering of larger mammals, and the mischievous whiff of a big cat lurking nearby. Your camp is one of the Maasai Mara's most exclusive and a premier destination for a romantic escape. The camp has its own private concession, a vast area of the Mara that can only be explored by its handful of guests. Out on a game drive you spot a leopard. It's stalking, dipping into the grass and approaching an unsuspecting gazelle herd. Few scenes are as sought after, the interaction between predator and prey reaching its pinnacle. While the Maasai Mara's popularity often means that this kind of scene becomes surrounded by safari trucks, at your camp, the experience is only shared with your partner.

Lion prides seem to be everywhere in the Mara. They drink from shriveled waterholes, inspect the plains from rocky pinnacles, and lounge in the grass with content bellies. Cheetahs and hyena have also found abundant heaven here, one using grace and speed, the other snacking on leftovers. Spotting these big cats from your verandah is a strong possibility. Watching bushy buffalo from the tent is even more likely. You're drinking a fresh morning coffee and a whole herd of them graze just meters away. As always, your tent is fabulously furnished, well separated from other guests, and complete with a hot shower with views onto the wilderness.

The Maasai Mara isn't a one day destination. Appreciating its beauty requires an immersion in its scale. Long game drives cover vast stretches of the park, the interaction between predator and prey omnipresent. Grass keeps rolling, hooves continue to pound against the earth, and the immersion in nature's greatest theater becomes absolute. With four days here you get to explore at a relaxed pace, ensuring there's plenty of free time to sit back and watch the Mara unfold from your verandah. So uncork the champagne and experience a part of the Maasai Mara reserved for just the two of you.

Imagine walking through the Maasai Mara. Now try to imagine exploring at night, the plains eerily dark and lion roars rising out of the darkness. These experiences aren't possible in the main part of the park. But the rules are relaxed at your camp's private concession, so nighttime game drives and walking safaris are easy to incorporate into the itinerary. Surely there can't be a more memorable romantic walk than exploring the Maasai Mara. And few safari experiences are as memorable as waiting in the dark wilderness for a large herd of elephants to walk past. The focus for this whole itinerary has been to offer an individualized slice of Kenya's famed wildlife; one that elevates amorous reverie and provides delightful impressions of escapism. Perhaps that's epitomized by these two unique adventures in the world's most famous safari destination.

After 12 days you say goodbye to wild Africa, but first enjoy an aerial view of the Maasai Mara on a local flight taking you back to Nairobi. From here you will transfer onto your onward international connection.