This
will be our 6th Africa safari to Kenya and this is a wonderful
tried and true package tha
t
everyone
has been delighted with. You must see and experience what
life is like in Kenya. I am very confident that this trip
will more than meet your expectations, and at a very reasonable
price. We work direct with the tour operator in Kenya and
stay at the nicest, 4-star game lodges. This itinerary has
it all, with plenty of up close big game safaris in a great
variety of settings. Get your camera ready - this is the
African safari you've always dreamed of taking. This
year we are upgrading our vehicles to land rovers which
will be very comfortable. And yes, I took all these photos
on our past two trips.
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. This is also the time frame of
the annual migration, which will be seen in our 2 days at
the end of the trip in the Masai Mara.
All
photos on this page were taken by me, Ed Reder, on this
same safari!
ITINERARY
July
22nd Arriving
in Nairobi on July 22nd
After
clearing with customs and immigration, our safari vans will
be waiting for us. We will load up and begin our drive to
the first safari camp.
Upon arrival
at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you will met
by our Tour Guide - Anthony and later board our Safari minivans
and depart Nairobi driving north past the lush pineapple,
coffee and tea plantation in Kenya's reach highland arriving
Aberdare Country Club, base hotel for the tree lodge in
time for lunch. After lunch transfer in lodge vehicles to
The Ark located right in the Aberdare National Park with
small overnight bags while the rest of baggage is left at
the base hotel. The decks and balconies at the Ark are geared
towards affording easy game viewing and photography.
Overnight:
Ark Lodge. Meals HB: Lunch & Dinner. Distance: Nairobi -
Aberdare: 180 km / 2.5 hours. 
July
23rd After
breakfast at the Ark you rejoin your driver guide and drive
north to reach Samburu Shaba Lodge arriving in time for
Lunch. Lunch and leisurely afternoon before enjoying scheduled
evening game drive in Samburu where Joy Adamson, author
of Born Free spent her final years, returning a leopard
to the wild. This was the subject of her final book, Queen
of Shaba. Overnight: Sarova Shaba Game Lodge. This
is a wonderful lodge with a very nice pool. There is a river
running right next to the lodge with lots of wildlife and
alligators.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.
Meals FB: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Distance: Aberdare
- Samburu: 220 km / 3 hours.
July 24th Today depart for full
day game watching to the Buffalo Springs & Samburu National
Reserve. Buffalo Springs is linked to Samburu to the south
by a bridge crossing the Ewaso Ng'iro which was built in
1964. It shares much of the same wildlife as Samburu but
intriguingly is also home to the common zebra not found
just over the bridge on the north side of the river. A
crater in the park was created by some misjudged bombing
by an Italian pilot in the Second World War. It has since
become a clear water pool and is apparently safe to swim
in. Vegetation is limited to a narrow stretch of doum palms
tamarind and some woodland bordering the Ewaso Ng'iro River.
Away from this is hot dusty scrubland and acacia woodland.
Termite mounds and weaver bird nests are common Samburu
sights.
Some mammals are well adapted to this desolate landscape and
are rarely seen in less harsh climes. The rare Grevy's zebra,
Beisa Oryx and reticulated giraffe are among these. Crocodile
and hippo dwell in the river. The long necked gerenuk or 'giraffe
necked antelope' as it's also known, can often be seen on
its hind legs seeking food from desiccated bushes. Leopards
are rarely seen, birdlife however proliferates with large
flocks of guinea fowl drinking from the riverbanks in the
afternoon.
Overnight: Sarova Shaba Game Lodge. Meals
FB: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
July
25th Samburu/Lake Nakuru. Leave after breakfast
and drive past the Northern tip of the Aberdare mountains
with a brief stopover at the Equator where you'll be able
to experience the warmth of an annual warm temperature and
feel the exhilaration that comes with knowing you're standing
in the Middle of the world. Drive further into the floor
of the great rift valley to descend into the Great Rift
Valley where Lake Nakuru is located. Lunch at Sarova Lion
Hill Lodge and later game drive visit the famous bird sanctuary
in Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru National Park
is famous for its abundant birdlife. The Park offers a great
chance to see thousands of greater & lesser flamingoes,
pelicans around the shores of the lake alongside abundant
mammals that include endangered rothchild giraffe, black
& white rhino, buffaloes, waterbuck, elands, zebras among
other species.
Overnight:
Sarova Lion Hill Lodge. Meals FB: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Distance: Samburu - Lake Nakuru: 345 km / 5.5 hours.
July 26th -Lake Nakuru /Maasai
Mara. Depart Lake Nakuru after breakfast driving through
the floor of the Great Rift Valley arriving Maasai Mara
in 
time
for lunch. Lunch and leisurely afternoon before enjoying
scheduled evening game drive. Maasai Mara Reserve is the
most popular reserve known for the big skies, open savannahs
as featured in the film ''Out of Africa''. Also accorded
the status of the seventh wonder of the world because of
the annual wildebeest migration, where over 2 millions of
wildebeest cross from Serengeti to the Mara. Besides these
the reserve boasts of the ''big five'' (elephant, rhino,
buffalo, lion & leopard) plus plenty of plain wild animals
that include zebra, giraffe, impala, topi, giraffe, thomson's
gazelle, hyenas, cheetah, jackal, bat-eared foxes and birdlife.
No wonder it is the shooting sight for BBC Big Cat Diary
every year.
Overnight:
Sarova Mara Camp. Meals FB: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Distance:
Lake Nakuru / Maasai Mara: 350 km / 5.5 hours.
July
27th - Maasai Mara Full Day. Today you will do
a full day's safari in one of the world's most famous reserves
visiting Mara River where the annual migration will be happening.
Maasai Mara offers an abundance of herbivores, this makes
the ideal hunting ground for Kenya's famous 'big cats' and
hosts her largest population of lions. Historically teeming
with wildlife, the Mara is famous for the large herds of
elephant and buffalo that wander its plains, and for the
annual migration of the wildebeest.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Overnight: Sarova Mara Camp.
July
28th Maasai Mara Full Day. Another full day's
safari in one of the world's most famous reserves visiting
Mara River where the annual migration will be happening.
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. Overnight: Sarova Mara Camp.
July
29th - Maasai Mara / Lake Naivasha. Today wake
up early for morning game drive and amazing Africa sunrise
before 
returning
to the camp for full breakfast and check out. Afterwards
we descend down towards the Great Rift Valley arrival at
Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge in time for a delicious hot lunch.
The remainder of the afternoon will be at your leisure,
with the opportunity for optional nature walk, boat ride
for bird feeding, or simply relaxing by the swimming pool.
Overnight:
Naivasha Sopa Lodge. Meals FB: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Distance: Maasai Mara / Lake Naivasha: 200 km /4 hours.
July
30th - Lake Naivasha / Nairobi. After breakfast
depart for 2 hour boat ride at Lake Naivasha. Afterwards
drive back to Nairobi stopping enroute at the Great Rift
Valley view point for photo session. Later drive through
the highlands of Nairobi arriving in time for lunch at Nairobi
Carnivore restaurant
- "THE BEAST OF FEAST". We will check in at 1:30
am for our 4:25 am flight
Optional
Masai Mara Balloon Ride:
For
those going for the balloon safari, you
will be going for the early morning balloon, you
will be picked at the hotel by the Balloon Company
at 5.30am and drive to the balloon launch site
where you will gather for takeoff. Enjoy early
morning ballooning over the plains, getting a
birds eye view of the game below as the sun creeps
slowly over the horizon. After approximately one
hour aloft, the balloon lands while a breakfast
is being prepared for us nearby. The smell
of bacon, sausages and eggs drift on the breeze
as we sample exotic Kenyan fruits and homemade
pastries and, if you wish, glasses of bubbly to
toast our flight, a tradition initiated by the
Montgolfier brothersThis
is an optional tour:. Cost Person: $400
In
Nairobi we will have an option to visit the
David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. The Orphanage
helps to save the lives of
orphaned
Elephants and
Rhinos
who are ultimately released back into the wild is just
some of the many wildlife commitments 
The
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is involved in. This is
a special after hours tour. There is a cost of $60 but
for that cost you will become an elephant adopter for
that fee. Again, this is an optional tour.
In
the evening we will enjoy a special farewell dinner
at famous Carnivore restaurant.
GROUP
AIR:
FROM LAX:
Flight:Turkish Airlines 10 Departure: Los Angeles 20JUL/635P
Arrival:ISTANBUL AIRPORT 21JUL/535P
Flight:Turkish Airlines 607 Departure: ISTANBUL AIRPORT
21JUL/820P Arrival:Nairobi 22JUL/255A
Flight: Turkish Airlines 608 Departure:Nairobi 31JUL/425A
Arrival:ISTANBUL AIRPORT 31JUL/1105A
Flight: Turkish Airlines 9 Departure:ISTANBUL AIRPORT 31JUL/115P
Arrival:Los Angeles 31JUL/455P
Base fare $650 plus taxes $626.97 = $1276.97 (*Total Fare
Estimate per seat with taxes and fees at time of booking*)
FROM JFK:
Flight: Turkish Airlines 12 Departure:New York Kennedy 21JUL/1210A
Arrival:ISTANBUL AIRPORT 21JUL/450P
Flight:Turkish Airlines 607 Departure: ISTANBUL AIRPORT
21JUL/820P Arrival:Nairobi 22JUL/255A **Arriving with LAX
group**
Flight: Turkish Airlines 608 Departure:Nairobi 31JUL/425A
Arrival:ISTANBUL AIRPORT 31JUL/1105A **Departing with LAX
group**
Flight: Turkish Airlines 1 Departure:ISTANBUL AIRPORT 31JUL/130P
Arrival:New York Kennedy 31JUL/520P
Base fare $747 plus taxes $552.97 = $1299.97 (*Total Fare
Estimate per seat with taxes and fees at time of booking*)
TO SEE
MORE PHOTOS FROM OUR LAST TRIP
CLICK HERE
DEPOSIT
TO SIGN UP - $200
SINGLE
SUPPLEMENT: $895
Cost
is inclusive of the following:
1. Accommodation as stipulated in the itinerary or similar.
2. Transportation in a chauffeur driven land rover with
window seat with pop-up roof for easy game viewing &
photography.
3. Services of an English-speaking driver-guide, game viewing
drives as indicated in the itinerary.
4. All Government taxes and levies.
5. Farewell dinner
6. 1 free mineral water per person per day in the safari
vehicle.
7. All meet and greet services.
8. All arrival and departure transfers.
9. 24 hours stand-by contact number.
10. Meals as indicated in the itinerary.
11. Guaranteed window seat in each vehicle.
12. Two-way long-range high frequency radio communication
in each vehicle.
13. Boat ride in Lake Naivasha
14. Safari accessories in each vehicle: - First-aid kit,
wildlife books, a pair of binoculars, cool box and fire
extinguisher.
15. 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.
