"Is Kenya the best place to go on safari?" Well, because we create trips to incredible destinations right across Africa, we tend to dodge this question. But the fact is Kenya pretty much invented the classic safari – and has a superb selection of national parks offering limitless game-tracking possibilities.

The most famous, of course, is the Masai Mara, which protects Kenya's portion of the Serengeti. The park boasts some of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the continent, including the traditional Big Five: the lion, the African elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros (black or white, take your choice). This truly is nature's main stage, and its biggest show is the annual migration of 2.5 million wildebeests, zebras and gazelles – thrilling to watch as they run the gauntlet of usual predatory suspects. To fully enjoy a wildlife encounter that's unmatched for sheer scale, we recommend forgoing the usual 4x4 game drive and getting even closer to the action on horseback. Or rise early to enjoy the spectacle from above in a hot-air balloon. Whatever transport you choose, we'll complement it with the perfect lodge – or create a luxury camp in the wild, complete with hot shower (and a healthy supply of sundowners).

For an entirely different angle (if you'll forgive the pun), we'll take you to the Pemba Channel on Kenya's southernmost coast, probably the best place in all of Africa for big game fishing. With a worldwide reputation for marlin, not to mention sailfish, yellowfin tuna, dorado and the vicious mako shark, this is where you can finally fulfill those Hemingwayesque dreams. And the rigorous catch-and-release policy ensures there are always record-breaking big ones waiting to get away – ideally when you let them go.

If all this big game action leaves you craving a little serenity, we'll guide you to Lamu, the stunning archipelago off Kenya's northern coast. Relaxing in beautifully restored, whitewashed colonial buildings, you'll discover a wonderful blend of Swahili and Arab cultures – the legacy of countless Middle Eastern traders who've plied these shores for centuries. Lose yourself in the warrens of Lamu town, stroll through the surf on white-sand beaches and relish the kind of chance encounters – a woman coaxing a donkey laden with pots and pans, a man in a flowing white robe carrying a swordfish – that could only happen in this magical corner of Africa.