The skies of the Southern Hemisphere sparkle brightly over Kenya's landscape as you spend your nights experiencing the true meaning of an African 'safari' while camping in luxury under the stars.
By day, thrill to the sights and sounds of Kenya's fabled host of animals that reside in some of the country's best reserves. And by night, enjoy total comfort, wonderful cuisine, and the tranquil ambiance of life in the African Bush.
Day 1 - Nairobi
On arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, you will be met and transferred by private car to the Safari Park Hotel for a 2-night stay. Surrounded by lovely gardens, this exceptional hotel offers an oasis of tranquillity, sterling service and luxurious rooms. The balance of the day is at leisure. After a long flight, pamper yourself at the Spa with a massage or a sauna, work out those kinks at the gym or just relax around the pool. There is even a casino where you can try your luck.
Day 2 - Nairobi
After breakfast you will be taken to visit Daphne Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage, which is dedicated to taking in baby elephants whose mothers have fallen victim to poachers or who have been separated from them for other reasons. Learn how the elephant handlers have perfected the technique of hand-rearing these babies and how they help successfully acclimatize the calves when they are ready to be re-introduced into the wild. This is followed by a visit to the Giraffe Centre, home of 'Daisy' the famous Rothschild giraffe who starred in the film "The Last Giraffe". You will have the opportunity to actually offer tasty snacks to these lovely animals. Return to your hotel and spend the evening at leisure.
Day 3 - Nairobi - Samburu
This morning drive north to Samburu that lies on the edge of the vast semi-desert lands of central Kenya, arriving at Larsens Camp by noon. Set on the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River within the Samburu National Reserve, you will spend 2 comfortable nights in airy, spacious tents that are raised on wooden platforms. Each has an en suite bathroom and a verandah overlooking the river, offering round-the-clock game watching opportunities. After lunch set off on your first game drive. Meet some of the animals that are peculiar to this area - the reticulated giraffe, Gravy's zebra, the Somali Ostrich as well as the long-necked gerenuk, a graceful antelope that spends much of its time standing on its hind legs nibbling the tops of bushes in search of sustenance.
Day 4 - Samburu
After breakfast set off for a morning of game viewing and exploration through this harshly beautiful reserve where game thrives, especially in the forested fringes of the Uaso Nyiro River with its abundance of doum palms. Most of the vegetation here is usually dry grass with a few swampy patches, which keeps the river areas full of promise for spotting the reserve's many species of animals and birds. Lunch is followed by an afternoon at leisure, perhaps by the poolside before a late afternoon game drive, returning to the lodge by sundown where you can watch the sun set from the camp's own tree house!
Day 5 - Samburu – Naivasha
Today set out for Naivasha, stopping on the way at the world-famous Mt. Kenya Safari Club. Set in 100 acres of landscaped gardens, this fabulous hotel, with its celebrated Hollywood connections, sits at the foot of Mt. Kenya with its towering, often snow-tipped peaks (17,058 feet). After enjoying a wonderful lunch at the Club, continue on to Naivasha, arriving at Kiangazi House in the early evening for a 2-night stay. Set within the Oserian Wildlife Sanctuary and overlooking part of Lake Naivasha, this lovely country house provides exceptional accommodation, superb cuisine and a relaxing atmosphere. Surrounded by lovely gardens there is even a waterhole where some of the Sanctuary's games gather to drink.
Day 6 - Naivasha
Today there will be a day trip to visit Lake Nakuru National Park. Here you will enjoy the sight of pelicans bathing in the fresh water streams that flow into Lake Nakuru. Since there is no existing drainage, Lake Nakuru is alkaline, the perfect place for flamingos to feed on the blue-green algae. It is not unusual to see hundreds of the pale pink Greater Flamingo and its more vivid pink relative, the Lesser Flamingo. The park also has a variety of animals include hippo, waterbuck, gazelles, Colobus monkeys, buffalo, leopard and the Rothschild giraffe as well as being a sanctuary for the endangered white and black rhinos. Return to Naivasha in the evening in time for another excellent meal.
Day 7 - Naivasha – Masai Mara
This morning, relax and savour the beauty and tranquillity of your surroundings where hundreds of different species of birds can be seen, before driving across the lunar landscape of the Rift Valley to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Check in by lunchtime for a 3-night stay at Olonana Camp. This is a small, luxury tented camp set in the heart of the Reserve. Each large tent is beautifully decorated and has en suite bathrooms with river view verandahs where you may watch hippos wallowing.
Head out this afternoon in an open 4X4 vehicle driven by experienced and professional game rangers as you game watch, looking in particular for the huge black-manned lions, for which the reserve is famous.
Days 8 & 9 - Masai Mara
Over the course of the next 2 days you will traverse the great open plains of the Masai Mara during daily morning and afternoon game drives. There also will be time to relax at the camp and enjoy its refreshing swimming pool. While exploring Kenya's finest reserve, you may witness the lion making a kill or a leopard enjoying the meal he had dragged up the tree with him. The vegetation is mostly savannah type with forested areas near the rivers and of course the dwarf acacias to cater to the giraffes. More than 60 species of animals are found here and countless bird species, including the Masai ostrich and the long-legged Secretary bird. It is in the Masai Mara where the great migration of the wildebeest takes place at the beginning of August. There will also be the opportunity to visit a traditional Masai 'manyatta' or homestead to see a way of life unchanged over the centuries.
Day 10 - Depart Kenya
After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for scheduled flight from Mara to Nairobi where on arrival at Wilson Airport, you will be met and transferred to the Norfolk Hotel where you will have the use of a dayroom. After dinner at the hotel, you will be taken to the airport for your return flight home. Half board