12 Days Kenya Tanzania Luxury Highlights

CLASSIC JOURNEYS AFRICA WILDLIFE SAFARI

12 DAYS CLASSIC LUXURY HIGHLIGHTS OF KENYA & TANZANIA SAFARI PROGRAM

ITINERARY IN BRIEF:

On arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our customer care representative who will transfer you to the The Tamarind Tree Hotel for check in and overnight stay.

A haven in the city, this Nairobi hotel is ideally located for business, close to the Parliament buildings and next to Kenyatta International Convention Centre. Select from a wide range of dining options, including grilled seafood al fresco on a stunning outdoor pool terrace overlooking Uhuru Park. If exploring is your aim, a range of shopping experiences include luxury malls and Masai open air markets, or for a real taste of Africa, visit nearby Nairobi National Park. This superbly equipped hotel has all the usual leisure facilities including gymnasium, sauna, jacuzzi, Turkish bath and massage service. It also offers the outdoor pursuits of tennis, cycling and golf. However, guests who are a little more adventurous can enjoy a more exotic pastime and embark on a safari into Nairobi’s National Park.

Overnight: The Tamarind Tree Hotel
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Start your exploration of this beautiful country as you visit Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage situated on the outskirts of Nairobi. The Sanctuary is run by Daphne Sheldrick and is set in the grounds of her house. Here you will see the orphaned animals and meet the people who handle and care for these animals. It’s an interesting excursion and the team who run the orphanage are always willing to spend time answering any questions guests may have to ask.

Later, visit a nature center run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife. An elevated observation walkway allows you to get face to face with 18-foot-tall Rothschild’s giraffes. Lunch will be at Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens then later return to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Overnight: The Tamarind Tree Hotel
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Day 3: NAIROBI – AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK 

0800hrs. After your breakfast, you will depart for Amboseli National Park to arrive in time for check in and lunch at the Ol Tukai Lodge. You will then spend the afternoon at leisure before going for an evening game drive till dusk when you return to your lodge.

Ol Tukai Lodge is one of the best spots in the world to watch elephant with the backdrop of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Ol Tukai is an Eco-rated lodge having excellent outdoor and indoor facilities with its unique collection of African art. The property receives overwhelming response from the international and local tourism market. There are 80 luxury chalet-style twin rooms, all with an uninterrupted view of the wetlands or Kilimanjaro. Stylish and comfortable, the rooms have private bath rooms and individual terraces.
The beautifully appointed rooms provide quality, comfort and attention to detail. The presence of the wilderness can be felt in the silence of the night.

Overnight: Ol Tukai Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

Today, you will spend the whole day in the Amboseli National Park with both morning and evening game drives.  In between, you will have an option of visiting local Masai villages that will enable you get the chance to interact and learn about the colorful culture of this nomadic pastoralist community at an extra cost.

Amboseli sits on the lower slopes of mighty Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest – whose peak lies across the border in Tanzania. It is quite an experience to see Kilimanjaro hovering above the clouds in an early morning. The animal pictures arising against the dramatic backdrop of the mountain will thrill the photography enthusiast. Amboseli is renowned for its huge elephant herds. You will also see buffalo, black rhino, zebra, wildebeest and other plain animals.
Overnight: Ol Tukai Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

0730hrs. After your breakfast, you will depart Namanga, the Eastern Kenya/Tanzania border where after the cross-border formalities, you will proceed with drive to Lake Manyara with a brief stop for lunch at a local restaurant in Arusha and get to Lake Manyara in time for check in at the Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge. You will then spend the rest the day at this luxurious hotel with option activities available at an extra cost

Nested on the rim of the great African rift valley with stunning views over lake Manyara, mount Meru and on a clear day, Mount Kilimanjaro. The lodge is set on pristine lush green gardens and local vegetation with over 130 species of birds. Lake Manyara Kilimanjaro lodge is the ideal place in which to base your northern safari experience. The Ngorongoro Crater, Oldeani, Lake Eyasi, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Highlands is just a short drive from the lodge.
Overnight stay: Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

The day starts with morning game drives at Lake Manyara national park with picnic lunch boxes before proceeding to Ngorongoro National Conservation Area for check in at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline lake that is part of the Rift Valley wall; the lake is at the base of this dramatic western escarpment giving it a beautiful and serene setting. In addition to this peaceful setting, Lake Manyara’s main attractions are its rich bird life, tree climbing lions and its hippos, which you can see at a closer range than many other places. Lake Manyara also hosts thousands of flamingos at certain times of the year and has diverse vegetation ranging from savannah, to marshes and acacia woodland, enabling a variety of wildlife habitats including butterflies.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

Take breakfast at leisure then descend into the crater for a full day crater tour with packed lunches.

The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World,’ a visit to the crater is a main drawcard for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is home of Ngorongoro Crater. It was formed some 2.5 million years ago from a volcanic mountain sinking due to inactivity, and was initially thought to be higher than Tanzania’s famous Kilimanjaro.
The crater has evolved into a unique and integral part of Tanzania’s eco-system. The crater is actually a caldera, measures 22.5 km’s across and the rim walls stand 600m high. Views from within and from the rim are breathtaking (as can be seen from the picture). The crater houses 30,000 animals and a large variety of birds, which rarely move from the area due to the availability of water through wet and dry seasons.

Later in the afternoon, you will depart for the Serengeti National Park where you will arrive in time for an evening game drive enroute to the Ole Serai Luxury Camp, Turner Springs.

Overnight: Ole Serai Luxury Camp – Turner Springs
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 8:  SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Spend the day exploring the vast park rich with abundant wildlife. You also visit the northern part of the park – Seronera with an opportunity of seeing the annual wildebeest migration.

Serengeti is Africa’s most famous and Tanzania’s largest park covering 14,736 sq km and is adjoining with the Masai Mara National reserve in Kenya. With a wildebeest population of about 2 million and several other hoofed species (which include zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, impala, topi, Grants gazelle, Kongoni, Eland, Kirk’s dik dik, klipspringer, roan, Oryx, oribi, waterbuck, buffalo, giraffe and warthog), the Serengeti is sure to attract a string of prey such as lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, golden jackals and bat eared foxes. Elephants are relatively scarce and the few remaining black rhinoceros are restricted to the Moru Koppies area.
Serengeti also offers rewarding bird viewing with ostrich and kori bustard being common, a variety of larks, finches, and raptors can be seen but the most distinctive small bird is the lilac breasted roller.

Overnight: Ole Serai Luxury Camp – Turner Springs
Meal Plan: Full Board

After your breakfast, you will depart for the Masai Mara National Game Reserve via the Isebania border point where after the cross border formalities and picnic lunches, you will be met by your Kenyan guide for the drive into the Masai Mara  where you will arrive in time for an evening game drive  enroute to the Kandili Camp.

Kandili Camp is a beautiful eco-camp overlooking the mottled plains of the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a short walk away from the world-famous Leopard Gorge. It is an intimate tented camp, designed to provide total comfort and a sensation of being part of the great African wilderness. The camp offers six luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms, hot showers and solar electricity. All the tents are decorated in African style, set among scattered acacia trees overlooking the savannah. Our guests enjoy wildlife viewing right from their terrace, seated on a comfortable sofa or a deck chair.

Overnight: Kandili Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board

You will have two more days of wildlife-viewing opportunities in the Masai Mara Reserve, also known as the “Jewel of Africa,” a site with one of the largest and the most spectacular animal migrations in the world. The reserve is inhabited by many of Africa’s most popular wild animals, including lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, black rhino and hippo. There are also over 500 resident species of birds in the park including ostrich, larks and sunbirds as well as the lovely Lilac-breasted Roller

The Masai Mara National Reserve is in the south-western part of Kenya and forms part of the greater eco-system that encompasses the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Masai Mara is one of the best known and most visited reserves in Africa. The park is surrounded by concession areas and tribal lands of the Masai tribes people. These are unfenced from the Mara and act as a buffer zone for the National Park and form part of the migration area. The Masai Mara consists of open savannah, rolling grasslands and undulating hills. July to September sees the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle coming from the plains of the Serengeti. Driven by dry conditions in the Serengeti and led by the lightning and thunder to the north, huge herds of mammals cross the Tanzanian border and rivers to reach the Mara’s grasslands.
Overnight: Kandili Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board 

Day 13: DEPART

After breakfast, you will at 0730hrs depart for Nairobi to arrive in time for a farewell lunch at the renowned Carnivore Restaurant.

The Carnivore is the ultimate ‘Beast of a Feast’  A variety of  meat including ostrich, crocodile and camel, t is roasted over charcoal and carved at your table. Delicious side dishes and an exceptional array of sauces complement this fixed price feast that also includes soup, a selection of desserts and Kenyan coffee. Set in attractive tropical gardens, the service and the décor are outstanding. The Carnivore since its inception has played host to over 2 million customers from across the globe including numerous celebrities. In fact, the Carnivore visitors book read like a global who is who! Whole joints of meat – legs of lamb and pork, ostrich, rumps of beef, sirloins, racks of lamb, spare ribs, sausages, chicken wings, skewered kidneys, even crocodile, and other tasty morsels – are roasted on traditional Masai swords over a huge, spectacular charcoal pit that dominates the entrance of the restaurant.
After lunch, you will be transferred back to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in time for your departure flight back home.
Say good bye to the wonderful country and promise to join us on another expedition

Included.

• Transportation and game drives in a 4×4 safari land cruiser with a pop-up roof for game viewing and photo taking.
• All park entrance fees.
• Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary.
• A guided nature walks in the Leopard gorge conservancy in Masai Mara
• Services of an English-speaking driver guide.
• 1 litter of bottled drinking water per person per night
• Farewell lunch at the renowned carnivore restaurant.
• AMREF flying doctors’ emergency evacuation cover

Not Included.

• Items of personal Nature e.g. Combs and toothbrush.
• An extra at the lodges e.g. Drinks, telephone costs etc.
• Tips and poterage fees.
• Masai village visit at US$ 20.00
• Hot air balloon safari at US$ 420.00 in the Masai Mara.

Note:

• Rates quoted are net and non-commissionable
• Rates are subject to change without prior notice.
• Confirmation is subject to availability at the time of reservation.
• In event that the lodge/hotel quoted is not available at the time of reservation, an alternative lodge/hotel of similar caliber will be provided.

TYPICAL DAY ON SAFARI
Our professional guides are there to assist you every step of the way.  Even though there is a general outline of your safari, your guide will talk with you regarding each day’s plans.  He will tell you about the country you are visiting, its history, traditions, the area you are visiting, what you see; he will take you to the loveliest places, look after any formalities or negotiations with the local people, and take care of your safety and comfort. They all are proficient in bush craft, and can also tell you about the local traditions, wildlife, identify the birds, and help you learn more about the world around you. All our guides speak English as well as their local language and some speak French and Spanish as well. Days will vary depending on your specific schedule, road conditions, and what you would like to do. A typical day may unfold like this:

You will get up before dawn when hot coffee and tea are served.  The air is cold as the sun rises and shimmers on the open plains.  This is the best time to see the wildlife.  Your camera is ready to go and you have layered your clothing to keep you warm.  Head into the bush and search for lions, elephant, giraffe and plains game.   Each turn will offer something unique – a lioness and her cubs, a herd of elephant moving to a waterhole, a cheetah stalking a gazelle.  Your morning game drive lasts about two hours, depending on what you see.  Return to the lodge for a delicious breakfast.  After breakfast there is time to relax from being up at sunrise or now is the time to participate in any additional activities that the lodge may offer – such as walks, village visits, or bike rides.

Lunch is usually served in camp/lodge, unless you are out for a full day’s game drive, when they will have a picnic lunch.  You will head out again in the afternoon; searching for the special species that may have eluded you.  As the sun sets, return to camp for a hot shower. Then indulge in a delicious dinner and after dinner drinks in the lounge. There may also be a chance to sit around the campfire exchanging tales of the bush. Everyone retires early with great anticipation of the next day’s adventure!

When you are out on safari your schedule is flexible at most locations; however, some locations have set times for game drives or walks.  You can always talk with the hosts of the camps/lodge to adjust schedules and they will try to accommodate you.  The restriction will be to stay within park rules and travel times required to get you to your destination.  Your guides will always give their recommendations but are there to listen to your needs.