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holiday to Kenya & Seychelles
Ben Herbst, 18th August 2025This was hands down the best trip my wife and I have ever been on or will likely ever go on. The safari experience was truly life-changing and we felt like we experienced a month's worth of sightseeing in just 5 days. There wasn't a single game drive (morning or evening) where we didn't see something new for the first time. From packs of lions and herds of giraffes/buffalo/zebras to the millions upon millions of wildebeests making their migration, we were continuously amazed everywhere we looked. I was partial to baby cheetah and rhino while my wife was a fan of the baby elephants. The hot air balloon down the Mara River was a one in a lifetime experience and one we couldn't recommend more if you're staying the Maasai Mara area. Beyond the views of the exceptional wildlife and breathtaking landscape, the service and accommodations were 7 stars out of 5. Everyone we met was nice as can be and incredibly informative as we learned about the ways of life halfway around the world from our own. The food was fantastic, whether it be a 3 course meal back at the camps or a surprise breakfast out in the Bushwick, everything was A++ and we wouldn't make a single change. After the safari, we would have been totally content flying home which made the extra days on the Seychelles beaches just a cherry on top. The weather was a constant 77-79 Fahrenheit and the views of the island from the lush mountains to the clear blue Indian Ocean made for a perfect culmination of our honeymoon. This trip beat our expectations in every way and we couldn't any more highly recommend a safari to all our friends back home.
Accommodation Visited
Tamarind Tree Hotel
“n/a - Due to travel issues, we did not make it to Nairobi in time to stay at the Tamarind.”
Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp
“The overall service from the entire Elewana team was unlike anything we'd experienced before. It was truly above and beyond 5 stars the way the staff took care of us and made us feel like the most important people in the world. Unfortunately, the airlines misplaced our luggage on our travel from Chicago to Nairobi, and the Loisaba Tented Camp personnel did everything they could to make us feel as comfortable as possible while it took a few days to arrive. Even the Elewana CFO's wife was there on vacation and went out of her way by doing everything she could to track down our luggage. Given the remote nature of the camp, the electric fence made us feel quite safe at night on our first foray into Kenya. The game drives felt like you were alone out in nature, as you were often the only car pulling up next to a lion/cheetah/elephant etc. and the guides (Jackson and Ronald) were overly nice and informative. The food was truly incredible - 3 course meals for each of breakfast, lunch, and dinner with options for each course. They surprised us with a remote cocktail hour and bush breakfast at various points throughout our stay there, mixing in fun surprises for the meals while having a view of wildlife all around us. The accommodations were incredible, with the tent feeling like a 5 star hotel and (if we weren't there in the middle of the winter) several gorgeous pools overlooking the valley far below where herds of elephants walked. They did our laundry every night, made up the room every time we left, and had warm bags of water under our covers when we got into bed each night to warm up the bed for us in the middle of winter. I simply can't say enough good things about our stay at the Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp.”
Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp
“The Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp took our experience from a 5/5 star trip to a 7/5. They matched the unbelievable hospitality we'd experienced at our first Elewana camp and then took it above and beyond. We had a personal server, Joshua, who was nice as can be and took the time to teach us Swahili during our meals; as well as a personal attendant who would walk us to and from our tent in the evenings for safety (note: we always felt entirely safe but there were wild elephants/zebras/monkeys walking around ~50 yards from our tent so just to be careful). Our safari guide, Zion, was a member of the Maasai people and couldn't have been more knowledgeable of the Mara and surrounding area. We learned more in 3 days driving around with him about the flora, fauna and animals than I could learn in weeks in a classroom. Between seeing a live cheetah kill, giraffes fighting for alpha in their herd, and one of (if not the) only baby rhinos in the whole conservancy, we were treated to an extremely rare trip that couldn't be replicated if we tried. However, having a guide who knows all the best places to look at all the right times certainly maximized our chances of seeing the magic that we did - and he treated us to some fascinating Maasai stories during our downtimes while waiting. From Joshua to Zion to the chefs, desk staff, and everyone involved as part of the EPC team - thank you for creating such a once in a lifetime experience that made us not want to leave. We can't wait to return someday.”
Eden Bleu Hotel
“We only spent a few hours at the Eden Blue Hotel after getting in from the airport around 3am and leaving for our next destination at midday. However, the hotel was absolutely gorgeous, with a very large and comfortable room. Both our back balcony off our room and the back deck / pool looked out over the Eden Island Harbor which had crystal blue water and gorgeous boats. While I can't speak for an extended stay here, it checked every box we could've asked for for an overnight stay and could've stayed longer.”
Constance Ephelia Seychelles
“The Constance Ephelia was a perfect spot for my wife and I to wrap up our honeymoon. After our safari trip, the Constance offered the perfect pivot to tropical peacefulness with a hint of adventure. We spent most of our five days on the beach, overlooking an effectively private lagoon that made for peaceful swimming not far from the raging Indian Ocean. The beach was a 30 second walk from our "beach villa" which had its own private backyard pool and gazebo. A butler scheduled all our meals for us, including a second trip to our favorite Thai fusion option on our last night. Beside the beach trips, we went ziplining and got massages on premise, walked to a nearby Seychelles waterfall just ~1-2 miles from the Constance Ephelia front gate, and even played golf at the our Constance property on Praslin island. Between the service, the food, and the peacefulness provided by lagoon, it was a fantastic ending to our trip halfway around the world.”
Staff Review
“Donna was exceptional in planning the entire trip. We roughly gave her a ballpark budget and the highlights we wanted to hit (Great Migration + Seychelles) and she took it from while doing an A+ job. I don't know all the camp partners that Mahlatini utilizes in the Kenya area but we simply couldn't be happier that she introduced us to the Elewana experience because we can't stop praising their hospitality to all of our friends. Beyond the trip planning, Donna was extremely helpful with our luggage fiasco as our luggage was missing for the first ~4 days of our trip, never making it out of Brussels as we continued on to Nairobi from Chicago. She was in constant communication with the various airlines, the team on the ground in Nairobi, and the Elewana personnel to help track down our bags and get them to us at our remote camp on the Savannah. Thank you so much Donna for all your help before and during in making our honeymoon the best trip ever.”
