CLASSIC JOURNEYS WILDLIFE KENYA SAFARI
QUINTESSENTIAL KENYA – 2016
Day 1: NAIROBI
On arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to the Ngong’ House Nairobi, for check in and overnight stay
Ngong House is a private, serene and luxurious home situated in Karen/Langata area of Nairobi that accommodates up to 24 guests. The lodge overlooks Ngong Hills, only a few minutes from what used to be Karen Blixen’s coffee farm.
Secluded in 10 acres of private land, it is close to Nairobi National Park, 30 to 40 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, about 15 minutes from Wilson Airport (where all fly safaris depart from) and 20 minutes from the city centre. Accommodation is mainly in luxurious tree houses, designed to provide great comfort to guests. Every unit is different in design: some have two levels with bedrooms upstairs and living areas on the lower floor raised 15 ft. from the ground to gain an uninterrupted view of the Ngong Hills over unspoiled bush.
Overnight stay: Ngong House
Meal Plan: Half Board
Day 2: NAIROBI
This morning drive to Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage at the edge of Nairobi National Park, which is a nursery and rehab center for infant elephants that have lost their families as well as rhino and occasionally zebras and other wildlife. Proceed for lunch at Blixen’s Cottages and later visit Karen Blixen Museum & the AFEW Giraffe Center near Giraffe Manor where you may hand-feed the Rothschild giraffe that live here.
At 1600hrs. Return to Ngong House and spend the rest of the evening leisurely or take this opportunity to visit the nearby Galleria Shopping mall.
Overnight stay: Ngong House
Meal Plan: Half Board
Day 3: NAIROBI – AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
After your breakfast, you will be transferred to the Wilson Airport (Nairobi) for your morning Air Kenya flight to Amboseli. This flight departs Nairobi at 0730hrs to arrive Amboseli at 0800hrs. On arrival at the Amboseli airstrip, you will be met by the lodge representative and with a game drive en route, you will be transferred to the Tortilis Camp for check in. Thereafter, you will settle down for lunch before going for an evening game drive with a sundowner, till dusk when you return to your camp
Tortilis is an elegant small lodge nestled on the side of LIimbarishi Hill with magnificent views across the plains to the highest free standing mountain in the world, the Kilimanjaro. Its beautifully designed tents are large and spacious, with king or twin beds and elegant en suite bathrooms. There is a main lounge, bar and dining area, all exquisitely built with natural materials and thatched roofs.
Overnight stay: Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
After coffee, tea and breakfast pastries, you’ll drive through the bush for a full morning of game viewing. Following lunch at camp or a picnic in the park, you’ll spend your afternoon at leisure. In the early evening you may go on another game drive, stop for a sundowner and find out more about nocturnal animals, such as aardvarks, serval cats, caracals, bat-eared foxes and African wild cats.
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 rising 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 stay: Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK – SAMBURU NATIONAL GAME PARK
Collect your bags and transfer to Amboseli airstrip for your flight back to Wilson airport in Nairobi, where you will connect with your flight to Samburu National park in time for check in at the Joys Camp. After you unpack, settle in and have lunch, you’ll set off on your first game drive on Samburu’s rugged grounds. You’ll pass by the river, the lifeblood of the park, and watch the animals that surround it. After a full day on Samburu’s grounds, you’ll stop for a sundowner and then take a night drive back to camp, where you’ll have dinner followed by gin & tonics around a campfire.
An elegant oasis in the arid lands of Samburu; Joy’s Camp is built on the site of Joy Adamson’s tented home in Shaba National Reserve. The camp overlooks a large natural spring where elephant and lion jostle for watering rights with herds of buffalo and the rare desert species of Beisa Oryx, reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra.
Joy’s Camp is the perfect choice for discerning guests interested in a glimpse of Kenyan history, as well as those looking for an authentic wildlife experience combined with the comfort of a luxury-tented camp.
Overnight stay: Joys Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 6: SAMBURU NATIONAL GAME PARK
Wake up before sunup and have some muffins and coffee, before you take a morning game drive. You’ll see how still and quiet the Bush is at dawn and watch it begin to stir as the sun comes up. Keep a look out for Burchell’s Zebra and Gerenuk, a species that may make you think of ET. You’ll return to camp for a late brunch; then you’ll have the option to take a safari, on-foot, to a local samburu Village, where you’ll be exposed to samburu traditions and nomadic culture. Head back to camp for lunch followed by a siesta, and finish up your day on an evening game drive, taking in another African sunset.
Overnight stay: Joys Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: SAMBURU NATIONAL GAME PARK – OLPEJETA CONSERVANCY
Today, you start brief road safari experience. After your breakfast, you will be introduced to your driver guide with whom you will depart for the Ol Pejeta Conservancy where you will arrive in time for check in and lunch at the Sweetwaters Tented Camp. You will then spend the afternoon at leisure before proceeding for an evening game drive till dusk when you return to your camp.
A sheltered oasis, clustered around a waterhole, Sweetwaters Tented Camp is in a class of its own.
Abounding with wildlife, unfettered by the more rigorous strictures of the Kenyan National Parks and designed to offer a charming blend of under canvas ambiance and uncompromising luxury, Sweetwaters Tented Camp has long been the preferred retreat of wilderness and safari lovers alike. Built in the 1970’s, the camp’s main building was originally the residence of the ranch manager.
Overnight stay: Sweetwaters Tented Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8: OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY
Morning and afternoon game viewing drive within the conservancy.
One of only four private wildlife reserves in Kenya, your under canvas experience includes wildlife drives in search of the ‘Big Five’. Watch a parade of elephant, giraffe, zebra and impala come to drink at the camp’s floodlit waterhole and saltlick. Optional activities abound, you may choose to go on a night drive in search of nocturnal species, go on a nature walk or join a rhino patrol with experienced armed rangers to find and monitor black rhino.
During your stay here, you will also visit the 200-acre Chimpanzee sanctuary that has been set up here. Although chimps are not indigenous to Kenya, the aim of the project, initiated by Lonrho East Africa, Kenya Wildlife Services and the Jane Goodall Institute, was to set up a colony where chimps could be introduced, rehabilitated and taught to fend for themselves in an area similar to their natural living conditions. Priority is given to orphaned and abused chimps. The Sanctuary currently has 27 chimps, including two babies born in the Sanctuary. There is also a new Visitor’s Information Center at Morani’s Boma. While here, you will be treated to a guided walking safari. At an optional cost, you can enjoy camel safaris, and horse-back riding.
Overnight: Sweetwaters Tented Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 9: OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY – LAKE ELEMENTAITA
Following breakfast, depart for Lake Elementaita which is one of the most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes and home to a shifting population of over one million flamingos and is within the Soysambu Conservancy. Arrival at the Lake Elementaita Serena Luxury Camp for lunch. Afternoon at leisure or enjoy an afternoon guided nature walk around your camp. This is at an extra cost.
Uniquely situated on the shoreline of sapphire-blue Lake Elmenteita where hundreds of thousands of birds congregate, the small and exclusive Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp opened in July 2011. This area of breathtaking beauty, also home to many rare species of animals.
Today’s Soysambu is a 48,000 acre Wildlife Conservancy, also a RAMSAR site – a wetland of international importance. The alkaline lake’s rocky islands are the only East African nesting site for great white pelicans, while its algae and plankton provides food for vast flocks of flamingos and a multitude of other waterfowl, many of them rare. The Conservancy protects over 450 bird species and 15,000 wild animals. Rothschild giraffes have found a safe haven for breeding here, while a diverse variety of terrain shelters many species – from herds of giant elands to tiny dik-diks and cliff-dwelling klipspringers. Night game-drives offer a unique opportunity to spot nocturnal creatures including the curious-looking aardvark and elusive leopard. Walking is also allowed, with chances to experience the miracles of the bush close-up. Atmospheric bush dinners beneath the stars and spectacular sundowners over this geologically fascinating part of the Great Rift Valley are a few more of the camp’s exciting activities. Lake Nakuru National Park and Kariandusi prehistoric site are also nearby.
Overnight: Lake Elementaita Serena Luxury Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 10: LAKE ELEMENTAITA/LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK
After your breakfast, depart for Lake Nakuru which is the most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes and home to a shifting population of over one million flamingos. You will do a game viewing drive within this wonderful Kenyan National park and the lunch will be served at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge.
Lake Nakuru National Park is a shallow alkaline lake that is world-renowned for its huge concentration of flamingos; at times, hundreds of thousands of these birds give the lake a pink shimmering glow. The park boasts a huge variety of animals, including leopard which is often found snoozing on the branches of the magnificent yellow-barked acacias, lion, buffalo, hippo, waterbuck, warthog, baboon, the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe only found in this park in Kenya, white rhino and the rare black rhino which is protected and guarded here.
After the game viewing drive, return to Lake Elementaita for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Lake Elementaita Serena Luxury Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 11: LAKE ELEMENTAITA – MASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE
Collect your bags and transfer back to the lake Nakuru airstrip for your flight to the Masai Mara game reserve. Upon arrival at the Masai Mara airstrip, reception and transfer to the Cotters 1920s Safari Camp. After you unpack, settle in and have lunch, you’ll set off on your first game drive, where you’ll see the Mara’s vast, rolling plains and some of the most sought-after wildlife in Africa. (The Mara is known for its abundance of wildlife: lions, elephants and giraffe are just a few examples.) You’ll wrap up your day with a sundowner, a night game drive back to the camp and dinner followed by gin & tonics around a campfire.
The Camp has its own 6,000 acre private conservancy and is situated one kilometre from the Masai Mara game reserve. The location provides easy access for day and night game drives to the Masai Mara game reserve and the conservancy, game walks, and cultural interactions with the Masai community.
The camp has 10 tents in total (one unique honeymoon tent, five double tents and four family suites), all with en suite bathrooms. The family tents have living rooms with fireplaces. The entire camp is situated to ensure that tents are private and quiet whether for honeymooners or families with young children.
Overnight: Cotters 1920’s Safari Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 12: MASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE
Wake up before sunup and have some muffins and coffee, before you take a morning game drive. You’ll see how still and quiet the Bush is at dawn and watch it begin to stir as the sun comes up. You’ll return to camp for a late brunch; then you’ll have the option to take a safari, on-foot, to a local Masai Village, where you’ll be exposed to Masai traditions and nomadic culture. Head back to camp for lunch followed by a siesta, and finish up your day on an evening game drive, taking in another African sunset
Overnight: Cotters 1920’s Safari Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 13: MASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE
Early morning transfer to the balloon safari site, a highly-recommended optional excursion. You’ll have the chance to see lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, countless species of birds and vast, African plains from above. Afterward you’ll have breakfast and champagne in the middle of the Mara. You’ll then take a game drive back to the camp, where you’ll have lunch.
Take it easy in the afternoon and then head out on a night game drive around your conservancy and take in some nocturnal wildlife. Return to camp for sundowners, dinner and drinks around a campfire that looks out on the Mara.
Overnight: Cotters 1920’s Safari Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 14: DEPART
Collect your bags and transfer back to the Masai Mara airstrip, where you will take your flight to Nairobi to connect to your flight back home or you may continue with an add-on of your choice.
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