Preliminary Day by Day Itinerary

January 30              Addis  Ababa- NAIROBI
Saturday
Depart Addis Ababa at 9:30 AM for the short tow hour  flight to Nairobi. Welcome to Kenya! After clearing customs and immigration  formalities, we will be met by our guide and transferred to The Stanley Hotel.  As Kenya’s first luxury hotel, The Stanley has always occupied a special place  in Nairobi’s heart. From the day it opened its doors in 1902, it has been  making history – hosting royal safaris, groundbreaking business events and a  long line of living legends. From the moment you pass through the century-old  revolving doors, you leave the heat and bustle of modern Nairobi for a world  of cool Victorian elegance. The spacious foyer, with its marble floors,  leather furniture, and antique brass and wrought-iron fittings, recalls a  graceful era of fine furnishings and grand living. The luxurious rooms, the  largest in Nairobi, blend Victorian grandeur and comfort with all the  practical amenities of the 21st century. There are two restaurants, a café and  a bar to select from.

Upon arrival, we’ll have an introductory meeting and  safari briefing by our guide before proceeding to the famous Carnivore  Restaurant for lunch. The Carnivore Restaurant has now become one of Nairobi’s  musts!  Situated on the edge of Nairobi National Park, the Carnivore (as  the name suggests) is a meat eater’s paradise.  The focal point of the  main restaurant is the “roasting pit” where an enormous variety of both game  and domestic meat is roasted on huge metal spears.  Waiters bring these  different meats to the table and carve onto piping hot plates. Guests have the  opportunity to sample an array of game meats that may include ostrich and  crocodile. Delicious sauces and fresh salads accompany the meal. For  herbivores there is a comprehensive vegetarian menu. Waiters continue their  rounds until you admit defeat and lower your flag (provided on the table!). If  you have any room left after the unlimited servings, a variety of puddings are  on offer before moguls of steaming Kenya coffee herald the end of the  meal.

This afternoon, we’ll visit the Karen Blixen Museum  and the Giraffe Center.  Located in Karen, the beautiful Nairobi suburb  that was once part of Karen Blixen’s vast coffee estate, “Mbogani” was Karen’s  home from 1917 until 1931.  The house and grounds were made famous by the  film “Out of Africa” and have been restored by the Danish community of Kenya.  Visitors have a glimpse of typical colonial life in Kenya at the turn of the  twentieth century.  As well as many of Karen’s original belongings,  replicas replace items that have been lost over the years.  From the  beautiful gardens there are magnificent views of the Ngong Hills, held dear by  Karen and described so tenderly in her writings. At the front of the house the  original millstone tables can be seen from which Karen conducted much of her  farm business.

The Giraffe Centre is headquarters for AFEW, the  African Fund for Endangered Wildlife. Made famous by Daisy Rothschild, a  giraffe calf rescued from Soi, on the border of Western Kenya, Giraffe Manor  was established in 1983 as a sanctuary for the then endangered Rothschild  giraffe. The breeding program has been a great success and visitors can now  watch these gentle giants at eye level from a raised platform.  There is  also the opportunity to learn more about giraffes at the interpretation centre  and hand-feed them whilst watching the semi-tame family of warthogs snuffle  around their hooves in search of tidbits. Dinner tonight is on our own. You  might enjoy room service while resting and recovering from jet lag. Overnight  at the Stanley Hotel. (Meals aloft - L)

Stanley Hotel

January 31             NAIROBI 
Sunday                   SAMBURU  GAME RESERVE
We’ll have an early start and drive north to Nanyuki  to Mount Kenya Safari Club for breakfast. This afternoon, we’ll drive further  north to Samburu Game Reserve and check-in at Samburu Game Lodge in time for  an afternoon game drive. Have your camera handy, as there will be opportunity  for wild game viewing en route.

Set on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River and in  Samburu’s prime game area, Samburu Game Lodge offers a variety of  accommodations in bandas and individual cottages. A swimming pool provides  welcome relief from the heat of the day between game drives.  The dining  room is open on the riverside and the aptly named Crocodile Bar overhangs the  river. In the evening guests gather here to watch the crocodiles being fed by  daring waiters!  Another attraction in the evening is the visit of  leopard to a floodlit tree across the river where bait tempts even the shyest  creature.  Staff at Samburu Game Lodge are friendly and attentive and  mainly from the local Samburu tribe. After dinner the Samburu entertain guests  with traditional dances. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Lodge.  (B-L-D)

Samburu Game Lodge

February 1             SAMBURU GAME
Monday                 RESERVE
We will enjoy game viewing activities in Samburu with  many game drives included. Samburu Game Reserve offers what is arguably  Kenya’s greatest – and least changed – encounter with the wild Africa of  yesteryear. This harsh, savagely beautiful wilderness depends on the steady  flow of the Uaso Nyiro River for its existence; the river waters offer a wide  variety of animal species not found south of the Equator, including the  majestic Beisa oryx, the reticulated giraffe, the thin-striped Grevy’s zebra,  and the “giraffe-necked” gerenuk antelope, which stands on its hind legs to  feed. Elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard can all be seen along the river, and  the 400-plus species of birds are positively spectacular. Together with  neighboring Buffalo Springs and Shaba national reserves, Samburu comprises 833  square kilometers of protected semi-desert land. This is the home of the  Samburu tribe, cousins of the Maasai, who share the same nomadic,  cattle-herding existence, and an even stricter adherence to their age-old  rites and customs. (B-L-D)

Samburu Game Lodge

February 2  SAMBURU
Tuesday      ABERDARES
After breakfast at the lodge, we drive south to Nyeri  and the Outspan Hotel for lunch. After lunch, we’ll be transferred in hotel  vehicles to the Treetops Lodge for afternoon tea and overnight of game  viewing.

Widely acclaimed as the world’s most famous game  viewing lodge and, perhaps even more notoriously, the place where Elizabeth II  became Queen, Treetops has become synonymous with game viewing adventure deep  in the African bush. Situated beside a well-frequented waterhole high in the  Aberdare Mountains, Treetops is designed exclusively for comfortable game  watching. The 50 rooms are small and cozy, and the lounge has large picture  windows overlooking the nocturnal spectacle outside. Treetops’ regular  visitors include large herds of elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and the rare  chestnut-coated bongo antelope. For those who can’t keep awake, an optional  buzzer system will alert you when a new visitor arrives.  As the  Treetop’s accommodations are small, we’ll carry only a small overnight bag.  The rest of our luggage will be stored at the Outspan to be retrieved in the  morning.  Dinner and overnight at the Treetops Lodge.  (B-L-D)

Treetops Lodge

February 3           ABERDARES
Wednesday          LAKE  NAKURU - LAKE  NAIVASHA
Early this morning, we’ll return to the  Outspan Hotel for breakfast. We’ll retrieve our luggage and continue to  Nyahururu. After stopping briefly at Thompson Falls, we continue driving into  the Great Rift to Lake Nakuru National Park, where we will arrive in time for  lunch at Lake Nakuru Lodge. Thereafter, enjoy a bird/game drive around the  lakeshores.

Lake Nakuru National park is one of Kenya’s most rich  and surprising national parks and is widely regarded as the world’s greatest  bird spectacle – more than a million lesser flamingoes paint the green waters  of Lake Nakuru a fluttering pink. In the 188 square kilometer park some of  East Africa’s rarest creatures abound, including fast-growing populations of  black and white rhino, the Rothschild giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and lion.  Lake Nakuru also enjoys a reputation as one of the best places in the country  to spot the elusive leopard.

Proceed to Naivasha to Lake Naivasha Country Club for  check-in. The name Naivasha is synonymous with Kenya’s early settler community  and, in particular, with the decadent lifestyles of the notorious “Happy  Valley Crowd.” It is an undeserved reputation for although a few led lives to  excess here during the 1930s and 40s, Naivasha was primarily a place of wheat  farming, cattle breeding and hard work. Lake Naivasha Country Club is situated  by a beautiful crystal clear lake, 6,000 feet above sea level and ringed by  some of the country’s most charming and luxurious holiday retreats. The lake  itself is home to hundreds of hippo. Plains game and cats still roam the game  sanctuaries run by several of the lodges and farms. The lake also boasts one  of the greatest diversities of bird life in the world with more than 400  species recorded to date. The old-style architecture is solid and comfortable  with a variety of accommodation in rooms and cottages facing the rolling lawns  and the lake. Dinner and overnight at Lake Naivasha Country Club.  (B-L-D)

Lake Naivasha Country  Club

February 4       LAKE  NAIVASHA
Thursday          MAASAI MARA GAME  RESERVE
After breakfast, drive along the bottom  of the Rift Valley and turn off on the main road across the Rift Valley and  head towards Narok, District headquarters of this part of Maasai land.   The jewel in Africa’s crown, Maasai Mara is host to the most spectacular  array of wildlife.  Her 320 square kilometers of open savannah, woodlands  and tree-lined river creates an ecosystem that supports huge numbers of bird  and mammal species. The western border of the park is the spectacular Siria  Escarpment, and together with the acacia-dotted plains, creates scenery of  stunning beauty.  Lion are found in abundance throughout the park, as are  elephant, giraffe, a variety of gazelle species and zebra.  Cheetah and  leopard are also regularly seen and, if lucky, you may also find rhino.   Game viewing is never dull in the Mara, and patience is often rewarded  with unique sightings: a pride of lion stalking their prey; a solitary leopard  retrieving its kill from the high branches of an acacia tree; male wildebeest  sparring to attract females into their harem; or even a herd of elephant  protecting their young from opportunistic predators.  The annual  wildebeest migration traditionally is present in the Mara from July to  September and at this time nature’s dramas unfold before your eyes at every  turn. As well as wildlife, the Maasai Mara is also home to many members of the  colorful Maasai tribe who may be seen around the borders of the park – morans  (warriors) loping across the plains, young boys herding goats, or elders  grouped under a tree discussing matters of the day.

We’ll continue to the Keekorok Lodge for lunch.  Keekorok Lodge lies at the southern end of the Maasai Mara Reserve. It is  sited in the direct path of the annual migration and was the first lodge to be  built in the Mara; it opened its doors in 1965. At the height of the  migration, Keekorok is surrounded by a swarming mass of animals and there is  hardly any need to go for a game drive. Keekorok’s charm lies in the liberal  use of local building materials. Sandstone, cedar and other indigenous  materials are used in all rooms and public areas. A 300-meter walkway meanders  through the riverine forest in front of the lodge with a small bar at one end  overlooking a dam where the resident hippo, if he is not on a “walk about,”  finds his observers as fascinating as they find him. We’ll enjoy an afternoon  game drive in this spectacular game area. Dinner and overnight at Keekorok  Lodge. (B-L-D)

Keekorok Lodge

February 5        MAASAI  MARA
Friday               GAME  RESERVE
Today is free to explore the reserve on  early morning and a late afternoon game viewing drives. There will be two  optional activities today, weather permitting: a morning balloon safari or  half-day excursion to Lake Victoria, at additional cost. 

Balloon Safari

As the balloon is inflated against the first rays of  sunrise, your pilot will go through safety procedures.  It’s then time to  climb aboard.  Once aloft, the balloon floats gently over the plains,  giving a bird’s eye view of the game below as the sun creeps slowly over the  horizon.  Spread beneath you is a panorama of Africa – elephants looking  improbably small; giraffe browsing amongst the treetops; antelope grazing; a  pair of lionesses stalking a herd of wildebeest; an eagle guarding his eerie;  and cheetah glancing up as the shadow of the huge balloon crosses their paths.  After around one hour the balloon lands and nearby breakfast is already being  prepared. The smells of bacon, sausages and eggs drift on the breeze as you  begin breakfast with platefuls of exotic Kenyan fruits and homemade pastries  and, of course, glasses of bubbly to toast your flight in a tradition  initiated by the Montgolfier brothers.  $467.50

Lake Victoria Adventure

An early start this morning with a transfer to take  you to the airstrip for a 6:30 AM flight (25 minutes) by light aircraft to  Rusinga or Mfangano Island on Lake Victoria.  On arrival, breakfast is  served. After breakfast, board your boat for the morning - 30 ft boats,  complete with sunshades.  There will be an opportunity to try fishing for  the legendary giant Nile perch found in these waters as you explore the myriad  of tiny islands found in this region of the lake.  An experienced and  knowledgeable fisherman captains each boat.

Nile perch weighing over 150 pounds are regularly  caught on the lake. Lake Victoria is a spectacular sight: the world’s second  largest freshwater lake, an inland sea covering some 68,800 square kilometers.   Although an area comparable in size to Scotland, Lake Victoria remained  unknown to the outside world until the middle of the 19th century.   Birdlife is abundant and includes the spectacular fish eagles that can  be seen perching high in the treetops or dramatically swooping across the lake  as they capture fish in their fiery talons.  There is the chance to stop  at a traditional fishing village and see how the villagers live from day to  day before returning to the Island for your return flight to the Maasai Mara.  $467.50

The afternoon is free for a game viewing drive and/or  other activity in the Mara whether or not you take the optional adventure.  Dinner and overnight at Keekorok Lodge. (B-L-D)

Keekorok Lodge

February 6     MAASAI MARA 
Saturday        NAIROBI
Enjoy an early morning game drive.  After a  leisurely breakfast, drive to the Keekorok Airstrip for our 11:00 AM departure  for Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. We are met on arrival and transferred to the now  familiar Stanley Hotel where dayrooms are awaiting.  The rest of the  afternoon is at leisure.

Overnight Stanley Hotel   (B)

February 7             NAIROBI
Sunday
The morning and early afternoon are free until  transferring to the airport around 3:00 PM. ET 500 departs at 6:10 PM for the  flight to Addis Ababa. Connect to ET 800 at 8:15 PM for the overnight flight  back to the States. (Meals aloft)

February 8             Arrive  U.S.A.
Monday             
Ethiopian Airlines arrives Washington Dulles IAD at  8:00 am. Welcome home!

 

Please note, flight schedules are always subject to  change

Tanzania Extension

Day-by-Day Itinerary

August 18 NAIROBI
Monday KILIMANJARO
NGORONGORO CRATER
On arrival at Wilson Airport, we’ll be met and assisted to the scheduled flight to Kilimanjaro at 1:00 PM. On arrival at 1:45 PM, we’ll be assisted after clearing customs to our new hotel. Welcome to Tanzania!

We’ll be met with picnic lunches and then drive up the slopes of the Ngorongoro Highlands arriving at the Crater rim, with spectacular views across the Ngorongoro Crater. Continue to your Lodge and enjoy a sundowner overlooking, what is said to be the eighth wonder of the World. Our lodge is nestled onto the rim of the Crater, all in stone and wood construction and overgrown with natural vegetation. The 75 rooms of the lodge become almost unseen among the natural surroundings, yet there are breathtaking views of the crater from all the rooms.

(B-L-D) Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

August 19 NGORONGORO
Tuesday CRATER
After breakfast descend to the crater floor for a full day of game viewing. This spectacular area is host to a dazzling array of wildlife. Chances are great for seeing leopard, lion, rhino, elephant, and a host of plains’ game. Game drives have been limited to 5 to 6 hours, due to conservation efforts in the area.

The Crater lies in northern Tanzania, at the western edge of the Great Rift Valley. It surrounded to the west by the Serengeti National Park and Lake Eyasi, and to the north by Lake Natron. Three million years ago, Ngorongoro one of the highest peaks in Africa, towered alongside Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania. Our earliest ancestors witnessed the restless volcano’s collapse, forming what is today the world’s largest intact caldera (likened to a giant soup bowl with a flat base and steep sides.) Today, Ngorongoro remains a place of drama and beauty - the most remarkable wildlife haven on our planet. Although only 100 sq miles, the crater floor is host to around 30,000 animals with a high concentration of predators. Much research has been carried out in this area of Africa and it has been discovered that in Ngorongoro, lion scavenge hyena kills at an alarming rate. The chances of seeing lion, as well as black rhino, elephant and buffalo are high. Leopard is also quite often seen and a host of plains game are regularly sighted.

(B-L-D) Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

August 20 NGORONGORO
Wednesday SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast this morning drive to Olduvai Gorge with a picnic lunch.

This “Cradle of Mankind” is a treasure trove of archaeological sites, filled with fossil, settlement remains and stone artifacts. One can see the evolution of prehistoric man in the landscape’s geological strata. It is the world famous site of the Leakey’s discovery of a humanoid skull dating back 1.8 million years. Following, we proceed from Serengeti to Serena Lodge.

Located high on a hill offering magnificent views of the Serengeti Plains, the lodge is pure Africa. Rustic and natural, circular like an African village, its 66 rooms make up a series of rondavels. The simple style is enhanced with sophisticated detail in the form of traditional handicraft, such as wood carvings, beadwork and pottery designs. The lodge offers its own unique game trails devised in conjunction with park consultants to allow enjoyment of the Serengeti’s unequaled variety of game. This afternoon we’ll go on our exciting game drive through the Serengeti.

(B-L-D) Serengeti Serena Lodge

August 21 SERENGETI
Thursday
Morning and afternoon game drives are included in the great wildlife reserve—the “endless plain”, the largest and most famous Park in Tanzania. Between the Ngorongoro Highlands, Lake Victoria and Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya stretches one of the world’s last great wildlife refuges: the Serengeti. The name comes from the Maasai siringet, “endless plains”. The Serengeti’s 9,174 square miles contains over three million large animals, most taking part in seasonal migrations, unparalleled in nature.

Twice a year, triggered by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle gather to undertake the long trek to new grazing lands. The migration of the herbivores roughly defines the boundaries of Serengeti National Park, which is the central zone of the Serengeti ecosystem, an area that also takes in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Maswa Game Reserve in the west. Within this 16,094 square miles of varied landscape live thirty-five species of plains game and 500 bird species.

(B-L-D) Serengeti Serena Lodge

August 22 SERENGETI
Friday KILIMANJARO
DEPART NAIROBI
After breakfast transfer to Seronera Airstrip for the scheduled flight to Kilimanjaro at 11:15 AM via Arusha. On arrival at Kilimanjaro at 12:45 PM, you will be provided with picnic lunch and also assisted to the scheduled flight to Wilson Airport Nairobi at 2:00 PM. On arrival at 2:45 PM, transfer to The Stanley Hotel where day rooms have been reserved till 6 PM. The rest of the afternoon at your leisure with dinner on your own arrangements. This evening transfer to the Jomo Kenyatta Airport for your departure flight

(B-L)

August 23 ARRIVE U.S.
Saturday
Overnight flights touch down in the U.S. today.
(meals enroute)

Welcome home!

Flight schedules always subject to change.

(B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner)