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We had this same itinerary in 2007 and I can
tell you that everything was perfect. It was the most incredible
experience with the best sightings, lodges and food. This is the
Africa safari you've been waiting for! And yes, I took all
these photo on our last trip other than this first one with the
giraffe.
Get
ready to have an African spell cast over you. No feeling in
the world matches the sheer exuberance of being on a safari - you
will be spellbound by your first sightings of Cape buffalo,
cheetah, elephants and giraffes. Experience the exhilaration of
being in the wild, the wonder of seeing these wonderful animals
unhindered by bars or fences.
KENYA
Situated on the east coast of Africa, and split in half by the
equator, is the colorful and exciting
Republic of Kenya. The country has a multiracial population of 30
million with 50 different languages and dialects. However, one can
easily get by speaking English almost anywhere. Even with all
these different people and customs, Kenya is one of the most
economically and politically stable countries on the continent of
Africa.
ITINERARY
Day 01:
USA / Europe
Day
02:
Europe /
Nairobi
Meet on arrival at the airport.
After clearing with customs and
immigration, transfer to the Stanley hotel in Nairobi for your
overnight stay. This evening meet with your host for an
orientation and evening cocktails.
Lunch and dinner
on own arrangements. Overnight at The Stanley Hotel
http://www.sarovahotels.com/stanley/index.php
Day 03:
Nairobi – Aberdares (B,L,D)
Breakfast at
your hotel and travel north, passing near Thika, which boasts the
world's third largest pineapple plantation and Karatina with its
colorful market. Soon you'll be at Nyeri, one of Kenya's major
towns and provincial headquarters and then on to the Aberdare
Country Club,
an elegant
baronial style country home set in sprawling superbly landscaped
gardens (120 miles – 3hrs)
12.30PM
Lunch at the Aberdare Country Club.
Club transport
takes you to the Ark Lodge. A uniquely shaped lodge tucked away
in the
Aberdares National Park forest. The
lodge's water‑ hole and salt lick are well lit at night when the
animals come to drink and a well-concealed "hide" affords
eye‑to‑eye viewing of forest Elephant and other game, including
the endangered Black Rhino. You’re also likely to see Baboon,
Buffalo, Bushbuck, and Bush pig, Civets, Duikers, Giant Forest
Hog, Colobus and Syke's Monkeys. The bird life includes some
species not common in other places, among them being: The Green
Ibis, Rufous Sparrow Hawk, Mountain Buzzard, Crowned Eagle and the
Silvery ‑ Cheeked ‑ Hornbill.
Dinner in the lodge. www.lonrhohotels.com
Day
04: Aberdares – Samburu (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the
Ark.
Return to the
Aberdare Country Club where you will rejoin your
driver guides,
retrieve your stored luggage and proceed on your safari adventure.
Travel further north, past the Equator and the dusty outpost known
as
Isiolo,
later drive into
the semi-desert bush country of northern Kenya. Here you will meet
the nomadic tribes of Samburu, Borana, and Turkana who have lived
in this land blessed with rich colors and a variety of landscapes.
Lunch at
Sarova
Shaba Lodge.
Visit the banks of the
Ewaso
Nyiro River, in the heart of Shaba National Reserve, famous for
the Out of Africa film by Joy Adamson. It has now been
made famous once again with the shooting of the third edition of
America’s television phenomenon, SURVIVOR having been
filmed on this location. (130 miles – 4hrs)
This afternoon
enjoy a game viewing drive in the reserve ending with a sundowner
and followed with dinner at the lodge.
Sarova
Shaba Lodge
www.sarovahotels.com
Day 05 Samburu (B,L,D)
Breakfast will be served at the lodge.
Full day exploring the Shaba and Buffalo Springs National Reserves
with lunch at Samburu Serena Lodge. The Shaba Reserve is named
after an outcrop of volcanic rock that dominates the region.
Evidence of the intensity of its upheaval is demonstrated by the
formidable lava flow that travelers must cross to reach the
reserve and the lodge. The Reserve's northern boundary is marked
by the width of the Ewaso Nyiro river which empties into Lorian
Swamp; the tall doum palms which mark its course in silent
contrast to the rugged and pitted tracts which make up much of the
sanctuary. Many small hills dot the landscape and, with four
springs, Shaba is better watered than its neighbors.
Animals commonly seen are Elephants,
Lions, Cheetahs, Grevy's Zebras, Giraffes, Gerenuks, Buffalos,
Oryx, Grants Gazelles, Dikdiks and Waterbucks. The river forest
attracts a wide variety of birds.
Afternoon
visit to a Samburu Cultural Village:
This
afternoon, we will also enjoy a visit to a Samburu
Cultural
Village before returning to the lodge for the evening.
Join the Samburu
dancers donning
their African regalia and the jingling on their feet, flow by the
rhythm of African beats and dance to their tunes that will leave
you refreshed.
In the evening
there is the opportunity to hear a talk about one of the tribes, the Samburu, followed by traditional African dances.
After the performance you will
have an opportunity to meet and photograph these colorful people.
Sarova
Shaba Lodge.
Day
06: Samburu – Lake Nakuru (B,L,D)
Travel from Samburu, heading west to Nyahururu, still
known to many as Thomson's Falls for its 237‑foot cascade.
Afterwards, travel in a southerly direction to your next
destination:
Lake Nakuru, colored a shimmering
flamingo pink from thousands of the beautiful birds lining its
shores. You'll arrive at Lion Hill Lodge, which offers
unforgettable views of the lake from its hillside perch. The
Lodge also is a perfect base from which to explore the lake on
foot or by boat, with its fabulous array of birds as well as many
types of game, including waterbuck, rhino, leopard and buffalo.
(114 miles – 3hrs)
Buffet lunch at the Lodge.
Afternoon game drive in the park, which is, of course, known for
its birdlife ‑ as thousands of flamingos make this lake their
home, along with hundreds of other species. But wildlife is also
in abundance here. You'll see large numbers of waterbuck,
warthog, impala, Buffalo, Plains Game, Cheetah, and now Rhino, as
Lake Nakuru National Park has been made into one of
Kenya's rhino sanctuaries.
Sarova Lion Hill Lodge
www.sarovahotels.com
Day
07:
Lake
Nakuru – Masai
Mara (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the
Lodge.
Leaving
flamingo‑fringed Lake Nakuru behind, you will drive to Narok, the
gateway to the Masai Mara and district headquarters of this part
of Masailand. You'll reach the Sarova Mara Lodge in time for
lunch. (198 miles – 5-˝ hrs).
Nowhere in
Africa is wildlife more plentiful than in the Masai Mara Game
Reserve. At the southern end of this 585 sq miles paradise and
right in the path of the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra,
lies the Sarova Mara lodge.
After lunch you are at leisure until 4.pm when you start your
first game viewing drive in the reserve regarded as the most
magnificent natural theatre in the world. Set in the heart of
Africa’s Great Plains, the Masai Mara is home to the highest
concentration of animals and birds anywhere on the continent.
Return to the
Camp in time to freshen up for dinner.
Overnight stay at Sarova Mara Lodge.
http://www.sarovahotels.com/mara/index.php
Day
08 Masai Mara (B,L,D)
Enjoy a full day
in the Mara with two game drives included. This reserve is
situated to the west of
Nairobi,
on Tanzania's northern border - it is the extension to the larger
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Masai Mara offers
wonderful scenery and an abundance of big game. It is perhaps the
only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the
same super-abundance as existed a century ago.
The waters of the
Mara River are home to Crocodiles and pools of Hippo, the Acacia
woodlands and riverine forests favored by Leopard and Elephant,
and the open savannah and dry bush areas play host to the plains'
game and their predators such as Lion, Cheetah, Hyena and Jackal.
Afternoon
visit to a Masai Cultural Village:
This afternoon,
we shall have a taste of the Maasai Culture by visiting one of the
many dotted Manyattas (villages). At the village, join the Masai
dancers donning
their African regalia and the jingling on their feet, flow by the
rhythm of African beats and dance to their tunes that will leave
you refreshed.
Be sure to
return to the lodge in the evening refreshed and having learnt
something from this pastoralist community.
Overnight stay at
Sarova Mara Lodge
Day
09 Masai Mara/
Nairobi (B,D)
Leaving Masai Mara, head back to Narok, district headquarters of
this part of Masailand and then travel across the vast plains on
the floor of the Rift Valley ‑ keep an eye out for herds of
giraffe and gazelle ‑ and head up the Rift Escarpment on a road
built by Italian prisoners of war during World War II. You will
arrive in Kenya's bustling capital city in time for lunch on own
arrangements. Dayrooms are reserved at The Norfolk Hotel.
Afternoon at leisure to explore the
city.
Evening transfer to The Carnivore Restaurant. The
restaurant is considered ‘Africa’s Greatest Eating Experience'.
This open-air meat specialty restaurant has strikingly different
food, service, and atmosphere to anything ever seen in Kenya.
Every type of meat imaginable, are roasted on traditional Masai
swords over a huge, visually spectacular charcoal pit that
dominates the entrance of the restaurant.
The waiters then carry these swords around the
restaurant, carving unlimited amounts of the prime meats onto
sizzling, cast iron plates in front of you. A wide selection of
salads, vegetable side dishes, and a variety of exotic sauces
accompany the meat feast. Dessert and coffee
follow this.
After dinner transfer to Jomo Kenyatta Int’l
Airport for your outbound flight.
Nairobi/Europe
Day 10
Europe/USA
TO SEE MORE
PHOTOS FROM OUR LAST TRIP
CLICK HERE.
DEPOSIT TO SIGN UP
- $500
OPTIONAL:
Balloon Safari In
Masai Mara:
What could be
more uplifting than an early morning safari in a hot air
balloon flying over the vast plains of Africa? Witness an African
sunrise as a plethora of wildlife roams the land beneath you.
To highlight this exhilarating experience enjoy a champagne
breakfast on landing. Rate Per
person: US$
450.00
SINGLE
SUPPLEMENT:
Single
supplements are available on request.
Cost
is inclusive of the following:
1.
Accommodation as stipulated in the itinerary or similar.
2.
Transportation in a chauffeur driven minivan with pop-up
roof for easy game viewing & photography.
3.
Services of an English-speaking driver-guide, game viewing
drives and parks entrance fees as indicated in the itinerary.
4.
All Government taxes and levies.
5.
Farwell dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant.
6.
Boma dinner in Samburu.
7.
Bush breakfast in Masai Mara.
8.
Bush dinner in Masai Mara.
9.
1 free mineral water per person per day in the safari
vehicle.
10.
All meet and greet services.
11.
All arrival and departure transfers.
12.
24 hours stand-by contact number.
13.
Meals as indicated in the itinerary.
14.
Guaranteed window seat in each vehicle.
15.
Two-way long-range high frequency radio communication in
each vehicle.
-
On
safari accessories in each vehicle: - First-aid kit, wildlife
books, a pair of binoculars, cool box and fire extinguisher.
-
Visit
to Masai Mara local village
-
Flying Doctor insurance in Kenya. This covers you within Kenya
for a period of 3 months. In the unlikely event of a medical
emergency, you will be airlifted to Nairobi where you will be
taken to a hospital. Hospital bills are born by the patient.
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