DAY
1 - NAIROBI, KENYA
You'll arrive this morning in Nairobi. Our Kenya-based personnel
will see you through immigration and customs, and escort you to the
elegant Nairobi Serena Hotel in the city center. Most of your day is
free to browse the shops, or take in the sights of the capital, or to
take an optional tour. Just make sure to get back in time for your safari
briefing! Nairobi Serena Hotel. A beautiful garden hotel just
a 10 minute walk from the city center. Our hotel's amenties include,
swimming pool, Mandhari Restaurant, Cafe Maghreb, Kisima Bar and an
elaborate health and fitness center.
Remember because there is limited space on the safari
vehicle, ONE medium sized bag (soft luggage preferred) is allowed on
the safari vehicle per person, plus your carry on.
DAY
2 - SAMBURU GAME RESERVE (BLD)
Safari life begins as we board our safari minibus and head towards
the highlands. The terrain makes a dramatic descent from the lush central
highlands to the low semi-arid plains of Kenya=s Northern Frontier District.
We arrive in time for lunch at our riverside lodge in the Samburu Game
Reserve. This afternoon we=ll have a game drive to view unusual species
rarely seen outside of this region: Grevy=s zebra with its distinctive
narrow stripes, Reticulated giraffe with its geometric pattern, the
shy long-necked Gerenuk which stands erect on its hind legs to feed
on the tender leaves of the high tree branches, and the blue-necked
Somali ostrich, among a variety of others. SAMBURU SERENA LODGE .
DAY 3 - SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE (BLD)
We'll set out on morning and afternoon game drives to observe Samburu's
unusual wildlife. The Ewaso Nyiro River provides an oasis from the equatorial
sun in this harsh spectacular land of rocky soil and scrubland. Bird
enthusiasts will be rewarded with a wealth of species attracted to the
palm tree-lined permanent waters of the river. Photographers will appreciate
the dramatic backdrop of Ololokwe Mountain. We=ll eagerly search for
leopards lounging high on tree limbs. There will be time to relax by
the pool in between game drives. At the end of the day, we=ll savor
the quiet activity of the river. SAMBURU SERENA LODGE.
DAY
4 - Mt. Kenya National Park (BLD)
After breakfast we head towards the slopes of Mt. Kenya, settle
in at he luxurious Mountain Lodge. A specially constructed viewing bunker
affords a most spectacular close-up of game at the lodge's waterhole.
You'll spend hours watching the foresthog, lordly elephant, aloof buffalo
and stumbling rhino. MOUNTAIN LODGE.
DAY
5 - LAKE NAKURU (BLD)
We leave Samburu and cross farmed countryside to reach Thompson's
Falls, then descend into the Great Rift Valley to one of the most important
bird sanctuaries on earth. On Lake Nakuru, we'll sight the most spectacular
display of bird life in all of Africa, flocks of pastel-pink flamingos
gliding above their reflections on still blue waters. Opportunities
for dazzling photography abound. And there are many, many other avian
species. We'll have lunch at our lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park,
then drive through lush lakeside expanses, where we might sight reedbucks,
bushbucks, warthogs, baboons, leopards, rhinos, and Rothschild giraffes.
DAY
6 - MASAI MARA (BLD)
After breakfast, we'll drive by way of Narok, the major Masai administrative
center, to one of the prime stops on our safari: the Masai Mara Game
Reserve, Kenya's foremost wildlife sanctuary. Plains game are found
here in staggering numbers, which in turn attracts a tremendous predator
population. During our afternoon game drive, we'll have opportunities
to see herds of impala, wildebeest, giraffe, elephant, topi, buffalo,
warthog, and ostrich, as well as lion, cheetah, hyena, and possibly
the elusive leopard. Our home for the next two nights will be the lovely
Mara Serena Lodge. After dinner, we'll retire to our cozy beds and sleep
soundly to the stirrings of the African night.
DAY
7 - MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE (BLD)
We'll take a drive before breakfast to surprise game animals during
the cool morning hours, and another drive in the afternoon. As we cross
the savanna, we'll meet up with resident herds of buffalo, wildebeest,
hartebeest, impala, and gazelle. The Masai Mara marks the northernmost
extremity of the great Serengeti ecosystem. Black rhino browse in dense
thorn bushes, while riverside woodlands attract numbers of giraffe and
elephants. Hippos roll and wallow in the Mara River, while prides of
lions are up to 20 strong.
DAY
8 - NAIROBI, DEPARTURE HOME (BD)
We'll drive back across the Great Rift Valley to Nairobi, where
you will have use of a room at the Nairobi Serena Hotel. The rest of
the day is yours for souvenir shopping and spending time with new friends.
Then it's kwaheri (goodbye in Swahili) after a gala farewell dinner.
We'll see you to the airport, where you'll board a London-bound flight
on your way home.
RATES
in USD $ :
For
daily arrival into Nairobi : $3595. Per person sharing in double .
For
daily arrival into Nairobi : $5995. Per person sharing in double .
