Male lion with a full mane lying half-hidden in tall grass in the Maasai Mara

How we plan

How your safari comes together.

From a first conversation to the day you fly home, this is how we work with you, and what happens at each stage.

Begin a conversation See the five stages
Photo: Shafiq Jagani, Maasai Mara Scroll

Individually crafted

How we plan

Every Etana safari is individually crafted. There is no fixed package to choose from, so planning starts with you: what you hope to see, how you like to travel, and the pace that suits you.

A typical safariUS$5,000 to US$30,000 per person
To confirmA 30% deposit, with the balance 60 days before departure
Your roomsBlocked once your proposal is final
While you travelPhone or WhatsApp, day or night
Our officeNairobi, Kenya
Our clientsA limited number, so every safari has our full attention

The five stages

From first word to home again.

01 · Begin a conversation

It starts with a conversation.

  1. Step 1

    Tell us what you have in mind.

    Write to us, call, or send a WhatsApp message. A few lines is enough to begin: when you might travel, who is coming, and anything you already know you want, whether that is the migration, a particular camp or simply time away together.

  2. Step 2

    A proper conversation.

    We then arrange a call at a time that suits you. We ask how you like to travel, what has made past holidays memorable, the level of comfort you expect and anything you would rather avoid.

  3. Step 3

    An honest word about budget.

    The cost of a safari depends mainly on its length, the camps and lodges you choose, the season and how you travel between them. As a guide, a typical safari ranges from US$5,000 to US$30,000 per person. We talk this through openly at the start, so every suggestion that follows is one you can actually choose.

The Jagani family and their guide beside a safari vehicle at sunset in the Maasai MaraPhoto: the Jagani family, Maasai Mara

02 · Shape your safari

Shaping your safari together.

  1. Step 4

    Your first itinerary.

    We prepare a day-by-day proposal: the destinations, the camps or lodges, how you move between them, and why each choice suits what you told us. Where there is a real alternative, we show it.

  2. Step 5

    Refined until it is right.

    Change the pace, swap a camp, add a few days at the coast. We adjust the plan with you until it feels right.

  3. Step 6

    Securing your rooms.

    The most sought-after camps have few rooms and fill early. Once your proposal is final, we block the rooms at each camp, and they are confirmed as soon as we receive your deposit.

Tent bedroom with open doors onto a deck looking over bush and plains at Naboisho CampPhoto: Asilia Africa

03 · Confirm and prepare

Confirmed, and ready to go.

  1. Step 7

    Confirming your safari.

    When you are happy, we confirm every camp, flight and transfer, and send a clear summary of what is included and when payments are due.

    Deposit
    30% of the agreed price, to confirm your booking.
    Balance
    Paid in full 60 days before departure.
    Payment
    Payment by cheque is preferred. Card payments carry a processing surcharge.
    Cancellation
    More than 60 days before arrival, 50% of the agreed price; 31 to 60 days, 75%; 30 days or less, or a no-show, 100%.
    Travel insurance
    We recommend cover for cancellation and medical emergencies.

    Some camps and lodges set their own deposit and cancellation terms. Where these differ from ours, the property’s terms apply.

  2. Step 8

    Ready to travel.

    Before you leave, you receive your final itinerary and travel documents, with practical guidance on entry requirements, health advice, what to pack, and luggage limits on light aircraft.

Tent interior with a bed and dining table, opening onto a deck facing green plains at Kicheche Mara NorthPhoto: Kicheche

04 · On safari

With you while you travel.

  1. Step 9

    We are with you throughout.

    Our office is in Nairobi, and you can reach us by phone or WhatsApp at any hour, day or night, while you travel. If plans change because of weather, a delayed flight or a wish to stay longer, we take care of it.

Cheetah sitting in the shade of a leafy bush in the Maasai Mara, looking to the rightPhoto: Shafiq Jagani, Maasai Mara

05 · Home again

When you are home.

  1. Step 10

    Your thoughts, and what comes next.

    When you are home, we would like to hear how it went: what you loved, and what we could do better. When you are ready to return to Africa, we will remember how you like to travel.

Elephant and calf grazing in long grass in the Maasai Mara, with another elephant on the horizonPhoto: Shafiq Jagani, Maasai Mara

A few lines is all it takes to begin.

Begin a conversation

Why plan with us

Why plan with Etana.

A family legacy.

Rooted in Safari Travel, founded in Nairobi in 1985 by Feeroz Jagani.

More than four decades.

Of the family’s experience in East African travel.

Proudly family-owned.

Etana is led by the family today, and your safari is planned by us.

A limited number of clients.

We keep our numbers small, so every safari has our full attention.

Based in Nairobi.

Our office is in Nairobi, close to the camps and people we work with.

We choose the camps.

We personally select camps and lodges across Kenya’s six safari regions, and match them to how you like to travel.

Four elephants, including a calf, walking across open Maasai Mara grassland

Africa, Private & Personal

Tell us what you have in mind.

A few lines is all it takes to begin.

Begin a conversation Message us on WhatsApp
Email
enquiries@etanasafaris.com
Phone & WhatsApp
+254 795 887765
Office
The Piano Building, Brookside Drive, Nairobi
Your enquiry is answered personally by the family.
Photo: Shafiq Jagani, Maasai Mara
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