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Day 1:
Nairobi - Safari Park Village Hotel
Arrive into Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International
Airport today. After clearing customs you will be met
and transferred to Nairobi’s famous Safari Park Hotel
- a few minutes outside the Nairobi City. Conceived over
50 years ago, the Safari Park Hotel and Casino has grown
from a British Army officer's retreat during the Colonial
period to its current status as a world-renowned inland
hotel and resort. Surrounded by sprawling 64-acre grounds,
the Safari Park Hotel combines the intrigue of African
architecture and art with an infrastructure on the cutting
edge of technology.
Located only half an hour drive from the airport and 15minutes
from downtown Nairobi, Safari Park Hotel is strategically
located and the most ideal starting point for your African
adventure. Shining through flourishing wild flowers and
majestic trees are the welcoming smiles. Arrival at the
hotel means people at your service. From the doormen to
the receptionists to the guest relations' officers, the
lobby staffs are there to ensure your personal needs are
satisfied throughout your stay. This evening we go through
the entire program with our safari tour leader and get
a chance to ask safari-related questions. Dinner is on
your own account. Overnight - Safari Park Hotel
& Casino (B & B basis)
Days 2 + 3: Kilimanjaro &
Amboseli National Park
05h00: Early morning wake up call, followed by room service
tea/coffee’s at Cafe Kigwa International Restaurant.
06h00 depart for Wilson Airport to connect the scheduled
flight for Amboseli airstrip to depart at 07h30 to arrive
at 08h15. Met on arrival and transferred to Amboseli Serena
Safari Lodge for check in. Proceed on your first, morning,
game-viewing drive and photo session in the Amboseli.
Lunch is followed by an afternoon photo session in search
of the resident herds of elephants. The combination of
salt flat and marshland provides one of the most dramatic
safari setting in Africa, and the mountain makes an amazing
background for photographing animals. Each day, we wake
up for an early morning photo session and game drive,
take a rest when the sun is hot and enjoy a further photo
session in the afternoons. From your lodge you enjoy unrivalled
views of Mt Kilimanjaro and Meru which can be clearly
seen in the morning, particularly before 10 am. Amboseli
is known for its elephant herds, amazing to watch as they
stand in the marshes to keep cool, drink water and munch
on vegetation. Other animals, such as zebras and wildebeests
and even lions are also found here. This park is also
a bird-watcher's paradise. Two (2) nights in Amboseli
Serena Safari Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day
4, 5 + 6: Northern Frontier & Samburu Game Reserve.
Breakfast at the Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. 08h30 depart
on the scheduled flight from Amboseli airstrip to Nairobi
Wilson Airport to arrive at 09h00 and soon connect to
Airkenya scheduled flight from Nairobi for Samburu to
arrive at 10h30. Met on arrival and continue on morning
photo session in the Samburu Game Reserve – the Kenya’s
rugged, semi-arid of the Northern Eastern Province. This
is the homeland of the nomadic Samburu people, whose culture
attaches great value to tending their livestock of cattle,
sheep, goats and camels as their main economic activity.
Samburu is rich in species not seen in southern Kenya's
more famous parks, such as Grevy's zebra, reticulated
giraffe, kudu and gerenuk. You'll also have a good chance
at spotting lions, cheetahs and the elusive leopard. The
semiarid landscape is dramatic, with the rugged outcrop
of Mt. Ololokwe a prominent feature. The Ewaso Ngiro River,
which forms the southern boundary of the reserve, attracts
many birds and is a popular watering hole for elephants.
Each day, we wake up for an early morning photo session
and game drive, take a rest when the sun is hot and enjoy
a further photo session in the afternoons. Enjoy searching
for animals native to this fascinating and beautiful area
guided by your expert safari drivers, who will amaze you
with their ability to spot game hiding in the bushes.
3 nights at Samburu Serena Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch
& Dinner)
Day 7 + 8: Equator Line
& Sweetwaters Chimpanzee and Game Sanctuary
This morning after breakfast, we depart by road towards
the equator and the slopes of Mt Kenya (Africa's 2nd Highest
Mountain). Arrive at Sweetwaters Game Sanctuary in time
for lunch. Although situated on the Equator, Mount Kenya
is permanently covered in glaciers and snow. Here we stay
at the Sweetwaters Game Reserve. This very special 23,000
acre wildlife sanctuary was originally established to
protect and breed highly-endangered Black Rhinos. In 1994
the Jane Goodall Institute established the Sweetwaters
Chimpanzee Sanctuary within the game reserve and moved
a large group of chimps here from the unstable situation
in their native West Africa. Each day, we have morning
and afternoon photo sessions in the reserve and tour the
Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Optional Camel Ride or a Night Game
Drive are available at an extra cost. 2 night at
Sweetwaters Luxury Tented Camp (Breakfast, Lunch &
Dinner)
Days 9
+ 10: Rift Valley Lakes, Lake Nakuru National Park
This morning after breakfast, we drive via Equator to
Nyahururu Falls and on to Lake Nakuru National Park in
the Great Rift Valley, known throughout the world for
its two million flamingos as well as its other species
of birds. The sight of the massed flamingos is quite spectacular,
and when you look down on the lake from an overlook, it
appears to be ringed in pink. Arrive at the park in time
for lunch and a little time to rest. Later this afternoon
enjoy a game viewing drive with a stop at the shore of
the lake to see the flamingos at close range as well as
other animals that inhabit the park. This park is a rhino
sanctuary, offering the rare opportunity to see these
endangered animals. It is also home to the rare Rothschild's
giraffes as well as buffalo, leopards and lions, which
are known to climb trees. Each day, we wake up for an
early morning photo session and game drive, take a rest
when the sun is hot and enjoy a further photo session
in the afternoons. 3 nights at Sarova Lion Hill
Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day 11 + 12: Rift Valley Lakes,
Lake Naivasha Basin
After a morning game drive, we leave for Lake Naivasha
located further south into the Great Rift Valley. The
Valley floor in Kenya is studded with volcanoes and seven
lakes. These lakes fluctuate greatly in size according
to the quality of the rains during the monsoons each year,
sometimes drying up altogether. Driving south along the
Great Rift Valley we come to Lake Naivasha where we stay
for the next 2 nights. Even though this lake is on the
floor of the Valley, it is still situated at about 6,200
feet (1,890 metres) above sea level. Naivasha presents
a mystery - even though the lake has no apparent outflows,
its waters are fresh. Unlike other lakes of the Rift Valley
that are very alkaline, Lake Naivasha's only one way of
losing water is by evaporation. And, because it is one
of the largest sources of fresh water in Kenya, Lake Naivasha
attracts a huge variety of birds in large numbers. It
is a bird-watchers' paradise. Each day, by boat, we take
morning photo sessions in the lake with excellent opportunity
to photograph the Fish Eagles in action and other migratory
and resident birds, take a rest when the sun is hot and
enjoy a further photo session in the afternoons. 2
nights at Naivasha Sopa Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch &
Dinner)
Day 13,
14, 15, 16 + 17: Southern Frontier, Masai Mara Game Reserve
After breakfast, board our safari jeeps for the Masai
Mara National Reserve, which borders Tanzania's Serengeti
National Park. The first sight of Masai Mara Game Reserve
is awesome. Here we learn and see first hand the intricate
web of dependency that binds the different animal species
together. Each of the animals has adapted to its own niche
and to the other animals that surround it. Here we see
Nature at its most subtle and, sometimes, most cruel as
each animal struggles to survive and reproduce. On our
morning and afternoon game drives in the Masai Mara we
have a very good chance of seeing all the major plains
animals including lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino,
hyena, cheetah, jackal, warthog and many species of antelope.
Five
days of exciting game viewing and photography in Masai
Mara Game Reserve. The vast, open grasslands of the Serengeti-Mara
are home to over 3 million large mammals. These include
over 1.4 million wildebeest, which migrate in an enormous,
straggling herd each year between the southern part of
the Serengeti to the northern part and back again. With
them move other herbivores such as gazelles and zebra,
also looking for the best grass. Along the way they provide
food for big predators such as lions, leopards and cheetahs.
Every year, between June and September, millions of wildebeests
and zebras migrate into the Mara in search of water. The
timing of this phenomenon varies, depending on the rains,
but they usually start heading back to the Serengeti in
October. Whether you see the migration or not, the Mara
almost guarantees you'll enjoy a magnificent time in Kenya.
Here among the grassy plains and lush landscape, you'll
find a huge variety of game, the largest in Kenya, including
lions, cheetahs, buffalo and abundant bird life such as
ostriches, cranes and storks. Other activities include
visits to a Masai Village for an in-depth look at this
colorful and pastoral people in their natural setting
(From $20, Optional).
NB: We stay at
2 different lodges in Masai Mara to optimize game viewing;
2 Nights at Keekorok Lodge in the Eastern Corridor
and 3 Nights at Mara Serena Lodge on the Western
Corridor. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day
18: Back to Nairobi, Departure
After breakfast enjoy your last photo session and game
drive before checking out of your rooms. Transfer to the
airstrip for your flight back to Nairobi, Kenya's colourful
capital city, scheduled at 11h00. A sumptuous barbeque
lunch waits for you at the famous Nairobi Carnivore Restaurant
where we also share the Kenya memories with the other
photographers. Carnivore Experience is also described
as 'Meat Eaters Paradise' and is the Africa's Greatest
Eating Experence! If your flight departs this evening,
you may opt to take a day room to rest at Safari Park
Hotel at small fee. Your tour leader will advise you on
cost and availability. Later, we transfer you to the Airport
for your onward arrangements. AfriChoice! airport representative
will re-confirm your onward flight, and assist you at
check-in.
This marks the end of this exciting and educative Kenya
Safari Adventure!
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Meet and Greet Services with airport assistance
International Airfares in and out of Nairobi, Kenya.
Membership to AMREF's Flying Doctors Emergency Evacuation
Programme*
