A Wildlife Journey With Hemingways

Hemingways: One Collection, Many Landscapes

In East Africa, wildlife is never far away, yet few travel brands bring together such a wide range of habitats and encounters as Hemingways Collection. From the savannahs of the Maasai Mara, to the coral seas of Watamu, to the urban wilderness of Nairobi and the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, Hemingways offers a rare chance to experience Africa’s diversity in one seamless journey.

This is more than a safari, it is a story that moves across landscapes, cultures, and species, each chapter unique, yet woven together by Hemingways’ commitment to authenticity, comfort, and conservation.

Maasai Mara: Big Cats and Endless Plains

The Maasai Mara is legendary for its wildlife. At Hemingways Ol Seki Mara and Hemingways River Camp Mara, guests experience the conservancy model at its best, vast tracts of land where wildlife roam free and tourism is carefully managed.

• Big Cats: Lions, leopards, and cheetahs dominate the Mara, offering sightings that are as intimate as they are unforgettable.
  
• The Great Migration: Between July and October, millions of wildebeest and zebras cross into the Mara, shadowed by predators.
  
• Conservation Impact: Every stay supports the Maasai landowners and the 74,000-acre Mara North Conservancy, sustaining both people and wildlife.
  

For many, the Mara is the quintessential safari. But with Hemingways, it is also about context: guides sharing the land’s stories, evenings by the fire, and a sense of connection that goes beyond photography.

Watamu: Life Beneath the Waves

On Kenya’s coast, Hemingways Watamu showcases a very different kind of wilderness. Here, the Indian Ocean takes centre stage, alive with dolphins, whales, and sea turtles.

• Marine Encounters: Pods of dolphins glide alongside boats, while humpback whales breach offshore during their migration (July–September).
  
• Turtle Conservation: Guests can witness nesting and hatching events, supporting local projects that protect endangered turtles.
  
• Arabuko Sokoke Forest: Just inland, this forest reveals rare birds like the Sokoke scops owl and the golden-rumped elephant shrew, proving that Watamu is as rich on land as it is at sea.
  

Watamu offers a balance of relaxation and discovery, mornings on the water, afternoons in the forest, evenings by the ocean. It is a reminder that Africa’s wild places are not only found on the savannah.

Nairobi: A Capital Where the Wild Still Roams

No other capital city has a national park on its doorstep. Hemingways Nairobi and Hemingways Eden Residence provide two very different but complementary ways to experience the city’s surprising natural side.

• Nairobi National Park: Lions, rhinos, and giraffes against a backdrop of skyscrapers, with over 400 bird species recorded.
  
• Hotel Gardens: Guests often spot sunbirds, weavers, and ibis without leaving the grounds.
  
• Eden Residence’s Forest Setting: Hemingways Eden Residence, with its leafy Langata surroundings, attracts Hartlaub’s turacos, paradise flycatchers, and other forest species, a retreat where art and nature meet.
  

For travellers, Nairobi is no longer just a stopover. With Hemingways, it is an essential chapter in the wildlife journey.

Kigali and Beyond: The Call of the Gorilla

Crossing into Rwanda, Hemingways Retreat Kigali opens the door to one of the world’s most moving wildlife encounters, gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.

• Mountain Gorillas: With fewer than 1,100 left in the wild, every visit is a privilege.
  
• The Trek: Small groups hike into the rainforest to spend an hour with a gorilla family, observing silverbacks, mothers, and playful infants.
  
• Gateway to Rwanda: From Retreat Kigali, guests can also explore Akagera’s savannah and Nyungwe’s rainforest, expanding the journey beyond gorillas.
  

What makes Hemingways Retreat Kigali special is not just access, but balance, a sanctuary of calm and comfort before and after an experience that is often described as life-changing.

Conservation With Purpose

Across all properties, Hemingways builds conservation into the guest experience.

• In the Mara, stays sustain Maasai landowners and protect vast wilderness.
  
• In Watamu, Hemingways supports marine projects and turtle conservation.
  
• In Nairobi, partnerships with initiatives like the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage contribute to elephant rescue.
  
• In Rwanda, visits help fund gorilla protection and community development.
  

Guests are not simply observers, they become part of a model where travel sustains landscapes, wildlife, and livelihoods.

Why Combine the Journey?

The magic of Hemingways lies not just in each property, but in the way they connect. A guest might begin in Nairobi, fly to the Maasai Mara for big cats, rest on the coast with turtles and whales, and conclude in Rwanda with gorillas. Each chapter contrasts with the next, yet together they form a story of Africa’s wild beauty in all its diversity.

Seamless logistics, from charter flights to tailored itineraries, make this possible, while Hemingways’ signature style ensures continuity: personalised service, authentic design, and a deep respect for place.

From savannah to sea, from city to rainforest, Hemingways Collection brings together the best of East Africa’s wildlife in a way that few others can. It is a journey not defined by a single destination, but by the richness of contrast, lions at dawn, turtles at dusk, gorillas in the mist.

For guests, it is more than a safari, it is a narrative that ties together people, place, and purpose across landscapes, creating memories that endure long after the journey ends.

Discover your wildlife journey with Hemingways, where every landscape tells its story.