East African landscape

Our Destinations

A curated guide to the places we know and love across East Africa

East Africa

Kenya

Kenya is where your African story begins, a land of sweeping savannas, snow-capped mountains, pristine coastlines, and vibrant cultures. From the thundering herds of the Masai Mara to the tranquil shores of the Indian Ocean, Kenya offers an extraordinary diversity of experiences that few countries on Earth can match. We've spent over 30 years building relationships with the finest lodges, guides, and operators across the country, and we know it intimately.
Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the world's only capital city with a national park inside its borders. Giraffes and zebras graze against a backdrop of skyscrapers, and the city is gateway to two of Africa's most heartwarming wildlife experiences: hand-feeding endangered giraffes at the Giraffe Centre and visiting orphaned baby elephants at the Sheldrick Trust. It's the perfect place to begin or end your safari.
Best time to visit: Year-round, pleasant climate at 1,700m altitude

Star Holidays Recommended

Maasai Mara

Maasai Mara

The Mara is where Africa reveals itself in its most dramatic form. Golden grasslands stretch to the horizon, home to the Big Five and the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth, the annual Great Migration. Between July and October, over two million wildebeest and zebra pour across the Mara River in a display of nature's raw power.
Best time to visit: July to October for the Migration, year-round for wildlife

Star Holidays Recommended

Amboseli

Amboseli

Amboseli is where the iconic postcard image of Africa comes to life. Vast herds of elephants traverse the dry lakebed with the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro towering behind them. The park is home to some of the largest elephant herds in Kenya, and the photographic opportunities here are unmatched anywhere on the continent.
Best time to visit: June to October (dry season), January to February

Star Holidays Recommended

Tsavo National Park

Tsavo National Park

Tsavo is Kenya's largest and oldest national park, divided into Tsavo East and Tsavo West, together forming one of the world's biggest wildlife sanctuaries. The park is famous for its iconic red elephants, who dust-bathe in the area's distinctive crimson soil. Tsavo East offers vast open plains and the palm-lined Galana River, while Tsavo West is home to the spectacular Mzima Springs and the dramatic Shetani lava flows. With fewer visitors than the Mara, Tsavo delivers a raw, untamed safari experience.
Best time to visit: June to October (dry season), January to February

Star Holidays Recommended

Samburu

Samburu

Samburu is Kenya's wild, remote northern frontier. The landscape is rugged and dramatic, with red-earth terrain cut by the Ewaso Ng'iro river, the lifeline for all wildlife here. This is the only place you'll find the Samburu Special Five, including the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, and the gerenuk. The Samburu people's vibrant culture adds an unforgettable human dimension.
Best time to visit: June to October, January to February

Star Holidays Recommended

Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru is Kenya's iconic flamingo lake, set within a rhino sanctuary in the heart of the Great Rift Valley. The lake's alkaline waters attract vast flocks of lesser flamingos that paint the shoreline pink, while the surrounding acacia woodland is home to white rhino, leopard, lion, and over 400 bird species. It's one of Kenya's most rewarding and photogenic parks.
Best time to visit: June to March for flamingos, year-round for wildlife

Star Holidays Recommended

Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha is a freshwater jewel in the Great Rift Valley, perfect for boat safaris gliding past pods of hippos and fish eagles, cycling through the wildlife-rich Crescent Island, and exploring the dramatic gorges of nearby Hell's Gate National Park. The lake's gentle shores and lush surroundings offer a refreshing contrast to the dusty savannah.
Best time to visit: Year-round, June to October for drier conditions

Star Holidays Recommended

Laikipia Plateau

Laikipia Plateau

Laikipia is a vast privately conserved wilderness north of Mt. Kenya, home to some of Kenya's highest concentrations of wildlife including endangered African wild dog, reticulated giraffe, and Grevy's zebra. The plateau's conservancies offer an intimate, crowd-free safari experience with a strong focus on community-led conservation. This is Kenya at its most authentic and responsible.
Best time to visit: July to October, January to March

Star Holidays Recommended

Meru National Park

Meru National Park

Meru is an off-the-beaten-path gem immortalised by Joy Adamson's Born Free. Remote, lush, and strikingly beautiful, the park's palm-lined rivers, rolling grasslands, and dense bush are home to elephant, buffalo, lion, and rare species like the lesser kudu. With very few visitors, Meru offers an exclusive wilderness experience that feels truly untouched.
Best time to visit: June to October, January to March

Star Holidays Recommended

Diani Beach

Diani Beach

Diani is Kenya's most celebrated stretch of coastline. Powder-white sand gives way to warm turquoise water, with coral reefs teeming with life just offshore. Whether you're looking for barefoot luxury, world-class diving, or simply the sound of the Indian Ocean, Diani delivers. It's the perfect complement to a bush safari.
Best time to visit: December to March, July to October

Star Holidays Recommended

Lamu Archipelago

Lamu Archipelago

Lamu is a living museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site where Swahili culture has remained largely unchanged for centuries. Narrow streets wind through Stone Town, donkeys replace cars, and traditional dhows glide across calm waters. The archipelago's untouched beaches, private sandbanks, and slow pace of life make it one of East Africa's most enchanting escapes.
Best time to visit: June to October, December to March

Star Holidays Recommended

Watamu

Watamu

Watamu is a marine wonderland on Kenya's north coast. The Watamu Marine National Park protects some of East Africa's finest coral reefs, and the beaches here are nesting grounds for green and hawksbill turtles. Snorkel alongside these ancient creatures, explore underwater caves, or simply soak in the tranquillity of one of Kenya's best-kept coastal secrets.
Best time to visit: October to March for turtle nesting, year-round for diving

Star Holidays Recommended

Can't decide? Combine destinations.

Many of our guests visit multiple locations in a single trip. We design seamless multi-stop itineraries that flow beautifully.

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East Africa

Tanzania

Tanzania is a land of superlatives. The largest national parks, the highest mountain, the most spectacular wildlife migration, and some of the most pristine beaches in the Indian Ocean. From the endless Serengeti plains to the spice-scented streets of Zanzibar's Stone Town, Tanzania offers a depth and diversity of experience that captivates every traveller. Combined with Kenya, it makes for the ultimate East African journey.
Serengeti

Serengeti

The Serengeti is the beating heart of African wildlife. Its endless plains support the largest concentration of large mammals on Earth, and the drama of the Great Migration plays out here across the seasons. From the calving grounds of the southern plains to the dramatic river crossings in the north, the Serengeti rewards visitors year-round with extraordinary wildlife encounters.
Best time to visit: June to October (dry season), January to March (calving)

Star Holidays Recommended

Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is nature's own amphitheatre, the world's largest intact volcanic caldera and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The crater floor is a self-contained ecosystem, home to around 25,000 animals including the Big Five. Descending into the crater at dawn, with mist clinging to the rim and wildlife scattered across the grasslands below, is one of Africa's most breathtaking moments.
Best time to visit: June to October, though spectacular year-round

Star Holidays Recommended

Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Zanzibar is a world unto itself. The spice island's Stone Town is a labyrinth of narrow alleys, carved wooden doors, and centuries of Swahili, Arab, and Portuguese history. Beyond the town, pristine beaches stretch for miles, turquoise lagoons invite you to swim with dolphins and turtles, and sunset dhow cruises offer the most romantic evenings imaginable.
Best time to visit: June to October, December to February

Star Holidays Recommended

Pemba & Mafia Islands

Pemba & Mafia Islands

For travellers seeking something truly off the beaten path, Pemba and Mafia Islands are Tanzania's hidden gems. Pemba is known for its dramatic underwater drop-offs and world-class diving, while Mafia Island's marine park is home to whale sharks, pristine coral gardens, and a pace of life that feels untouched by modernity. These are the islands the crowds haven't found yet.
Best time to visit: October to March for whale sharks, June to October for diving

Star Holidays Recommended

Tarangire

Tarangire

Tarangire is Tanzania's elephant capital. During the dry season, the Tarangire River draws enormous herds from across the region, creating one of the most impressive elephant gatherings in Africa. The park's ancient baobab trees, some over a thousand years old, give the landscape a timeless, almost mythical quality. It's a photographer's paradise and a welcome alternative to the busier parks.
Best time to visit: June to October (dry season for large herds)

Star Holidays Recommended

Ruaha

Ruaha

Ruaha is Tanzania's largest national park and one of its best-kept secrets. Wild, remote, and rarely crowded, it offers an authentic safari experience that harks back to a different era. The Great Ruaha River is the focal point, attracting large prides of lions, packs of wild dogs, and huge herds of buffalo. If you want Africa without the crowds, Ruaha is the answer.
Best time to visit: June to November (dry season)

Star Holidays Recommended

East Africa

Uganda

The Pearl of Africa is one of the continent's most extraordinary destinations, and one we're thrilled to offer as part of your East African journey. Uganda is home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and trekking to see them in their misty forest habitat is widely considered the single greatest wildlife experience on Earth. We're expanding our Uganda portfolio, and these are the experiences we recommend today.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi is home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Trekking through the dense, mist-shrouded forest to sit with a gorilla family is widely regarded as one of the most profound wildlife experiences on the planet. The encounter is limited to one hour, but the memory lasts a lifetime. Every trek directly supports the conservation of these magnificent creatures.
Best time to visit: June to August, December to February (dry seasons)

Star Holidays Recommended

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth is Uganda's most visited park, and for good reason. It's one of the only places in the world where you can see tree-climbing lions lounging in the branches of fig trees. The park also offers chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura Gorge and unforgettable boat cruises along the Kazinga Channel, where elephants, hippos, and buffalo come to drink at the water's edge.
Best time to visit: June to August, December to February

Star Holidays Recommended

Where Will Your Story Begin?

Whether you're drawn to the drama of the migration, the serenity of the coast, or the intimacy of a gorilla encounter, we'll help you find the perfect destination and craft every detail of your journey.

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