Compile a lifetime of memories on this extended 10-day Kenya safari.

On this tour you’ll have the chance to meet orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The trust was set up over 40 years ago by Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her husband David, who was a famous warden and naturalist in Tsavo East National Park. It has developed into the most successful rescue and rehabilitation programme for elephants in the world, with many of the babies released back into the wild in Tsavo after about three years of rehabilitation.

At around 10.00am you’ll transfer by private vehicle to Nairobi National Park, arriving at the centre for the 11.00am feeding. The elephants know when it’s time to have their milk and come running down into the feeding area. As the keepers feed them, a guide from the trust will introduce you to the individual elephants and tell you their rescue stories. You’ll get to ask questions while the animals play.

Visiting will give you a chance to get up close to the elephants, learn about the wildlife trust’s work and contribute to the conservation of these incredible animals. As well as helping orphaned elephants and rhinos, the trust works on anti-poaching initiatives, habitat protection and runs mobile vet clinics. Following the visit, return to your hotel.

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Take a boat safari on Lake Naivasha, the highest lake in the Great Rift Valley. Governors' Loldia House has its own boat and launch jetty giving easy access to this picturesque lake.

Set against the backdrop of the extinct Mount Longonot, the lake is a haven for birdlife. Look out for cormorants, pelicans and eagles. As you cruise the waters, you will probably be under the watchful eye of pods of hippo, their heads bobbing in the water with the occasional wide yawn making the perfect photo opportunity.

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Take a walk through Eburru Forest, an incredible ecosystem full of biodiversity including 60 mammal species and the critically endangered mountain bongo.

Eburru Forest forms part of the geologically active Mount Eburru, a volcanic massif in the Great Rift Valley. Take a leisurely walk through the forest and see the active steam vents and a range of forest birds.

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Join one of the night-time game drives and discover the nocturnal wildlife around Lake Naivasha, from leopards to aardvarks. After dinner at Loldia House, one of the expert safari guides will take you out in a safari Jeep for around an hour. You’ll drive all over the 6,500-acre ranch, set on the shores of Lake Naivasha, searching for wildlife like bat-eared foxes, long-tailed mongoose and birds such as the nightjar and eagle owl.

Along the way, you’re very likely to see the Lake’s resident hippos emerging from the water to graze on the lawns, joined by other plains game. If you’re lucky, you might also spot leopards, who are very shy but can be seen out hunting at night around the property. Your guide will look out for difficult-to-spot species like the aardvark, locals believe that spotting one means you’ll have a long, happy life.

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Take a full day tour to Lake Nakuru National Park, one of Kenya's smallest but also extremely beautiful parks. The park is famous for its population of rhinos and the seasonal arrival of flamingos.

You will leave after an early breakfast and drive through the Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park. The park is home to a range of animals including both black and white rhinos, endangered Rothschild giraffes, zebras and hippos. You'll explore the park in 4x4 Landcruisers before enjoying a picnic lunch. You'll return to Loldia House in time for afternoon tea on the lawn. The journey from Governors' Loldia House to Lake Nakuru National Park takes about two hours. Park fees are payable.

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When you stay at Loldia House, you’ll get the chance to meet the Lake Naivasha locals and give back while you travel. You may wish to visit one of the nearby flower farms, where many locals work. The Lake Naivasha area is well-known for its horticulture, thanks to the fertile soil and many lakes. Kenya is one of Europe’s largest suppliers of flowers, mostly grown in Naivasha and, on this visit, you will meet the gardeners and learn about their growing processes and take a guided walk through a green house, learning about the entire process from planting to cutting and transporting.

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Get an inside look at the anti-poaching unit in Mugie Conservancy, where you’ll meet the adorable bloodhound tracker dogs. The dogs have been trained to sniff out poachers since they were puppies and are highly skilled in scent work. Although there isn’t much illegal activity on the conservancy, the dogs are sent all over Kenya on missions and work locally on different projects. You can take part in a scent tracking demonstration, setting a trail with one of the rangers and then hiding while the dogs track you down.

While at Mugie, their handlers keep the dogs sharp with daily training. It’s amazing to see the bond between the dogs and the trainers. Guests can visit the unit and get to meet the bloodhounds, who are super friendly and slobbery – they love people. However, when it’s time to train and their harnesses go on, the animals go from being wriggly, excitable dogs to extremely focused workers. The scent tracking is a really fun experience, kids in particular find it thrilling to be hunted by these smart dogs.

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Discover Mugie’s landscape and wildlife on a guided electric mountain bike safari. Exploring the Mugie Conservancy by e-bike offers an eco-friendly way to journey through breathtaking landscapes, with many chances to spot wildlife up close. For the best experience, set out in the early morning or late afternoon when it's cooler and animals are more visible. As you ride by, expect curious looks from giraffes, zebras, oryx, warthogs, elephants and impalas. Guests must be over 12 years for this activity, and groups are limited to four people at a time.

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Joining one of Governor’s expert wildlife guides, track down lions that are being studied as part of the conservation programme taking place at Mugie Conservancy – Lion Landscapes. With your guide, you will venture out to find the two collared lionesses that are tracked to better understand the pride’s movement and the relationship between human activity, such as farming and wildlife.

Using the guide’s expert knowledge of lion behaviour, combined with tracking equipment, you may see female lionesses that call Mugie Conservancy home.

Throughout the tracking experience, you will work with the guide to look for signs of lion activity, including paw prints and scat. These clues will give you an idea of how recently the animals had been in the area and makes tracking them even more thrilling.

This private 50,000-acre wildlife conservancy lends itself to intimate wildlife encounters, without the crowds. Along the way, you may see other wildlife that inhabit Mugie Conservancy including Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, impala, hyenas and elephants, as well as endangered species, such as reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra.

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When you stay at Mugie House, you’ll get to learn about life on a real Kenyan ranch and get involved with their community and conservation work. Located on the 50,000-acre Mugie Conservancy, it was set up to protect ecosystems for native wildlife like big cats and elephants. The Mugie Conservancy is home to endangered and rare species, from Jackson’s hartebeest to the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and oryx – all of which you might spot during a game drive in the area.

The conservancy also preserves natural wildlife corridors that many of these animals use to roam between the Laikipia plateau, the Matthews Range and Samburu. Just by staying at Mugie House you’re helping to fund the protection of this area. Some of other conservation projects you can get involved with include re-planting indigenous trees and taking part in big cat tracking when you go out with a safari guide to track lions that have been collared for research purposes and to prevent conflict between the animals and local herdsmen and their cattle.

Mugie House is a traditional Kenyan cattle ranch and they love to show guests how they work. For instance, every Saturday, the animals get taken to the spray area to get rid of ticks and you can go down there to watch the process, it’s a colourful and often noisy experience. In the evening, you can also watch the animals being herded back into their predator-proof enclosures and help count them in. It’s a great insight into everyday life on a working Kenyan ranch. As part of the farm tour, you’ll usually visit the vegetable gardens and meet Tala, an orphaned giraffe who lives near the office and loves interacting with guests.

Mugie lies on the very edge of the Pokot community’s land. These indigenous people are nomadic pastoralists permitted to graze on Mugie, similar to the Maasai and Samburu, but lesser-known. Their culture is very distinct from these groups, they don’t wear such bright colours and make unique glass beadwork. There aren’t many places where you can encounter the Pokot in Kenya, so interacting with them is a unique, authentic experience for guests. Governors’ helps to support the Pokot with funding for schools and health clinics that you can visit while you stay at Mugie House.

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Guests at Governors’ Mugie House can take a trip to a nearby village to meet the Pokot people and discover the vibrant traditions and customs of this tribe, originally from the districts of West Pokot and Baringo. Women perform lively songs and dances as an elderly lady crafts cloth from goat hide. Nearby, a village elder demonstrates fire making while other men play a quick game of ‘bao’ in the sand. You may also get a look inside in one of their homes where milk is stored in gourds.

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Take to the skies on the Governors' optional hot-air balloon safari, where you’ll watch the sunrise over the Maasai Mara and get an aerial view of African wildlife. You’ll lift off around 6am in time to see the sunrise from the balloon, painting the sky in buttery shades of orange.

At that time of day, the grazing animals are just waking up. Elephants are munching in the forest, hippos are heading back to the river and the trees are filled with birds. It’s particularly busy during the Annual Great Migration when massive herds of wildebeest roam the plains. Governors’ has the best flight path in the region, drifting along the Mara River above beautiful riverine forest where rhinos graze, before ending in the open savannah where you might see giraffe, zebra and lion. Guests love the serenity of the balloon ride and the fantastic opportunities for photography. You’ll also have the chance to drop seedballs from the balloon, as part of a conservation scheme to replant indigenous African olive trees. At the end of the hour-long flight, the balloon will land near a bush breakfast site where tables are set up under trees in the middle of the savannah. Here you’ll enjoy a lavish breakfast spread including eggs, sausages, pancakes, fruit, muesli, and of course Champagne. It’s a laid-back, picnic-style feast where your pilot will share bush stories and explain the history of ballooning in the Mara.

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