This safari includes prime accommodations at some of East Africa's finest lodges. Transport is by Safari Cruiser with a guaranteed window seat. The flight from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro Airport eliminates as 4 ½ hour road transfer and is included in the price. Day 1: Nairobi
You are met on arrival and transferred to the Nairobi Serena Hotel.
Nairobi Serena Hotel
Amidst the bustle of Africa's most dynamic cities there is a sanctuary offering peaceful respite. Standing among verdant gardens, it is considered one of Kenya's finest hotels. It is the flagship of the Serena Hotels and a member of Leading Hotels of the World. Interiors are inspired by Pan African design themes and reach their fullest _expression in the intricate timberwork that accentuates the guest rooms. Within these luxurious surroundings are found the most modern amenities. Views from the rooms are of Central Park to the east, and to the west, acacia groves and lush gardens.
Day 2: Samburu Game Reserve
Leave Nairobi after breakfast and drive across the Equator to Samburu, where you arrive at your lodge for lunch. Samburu is one of three adjoining reserves, Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba, situated in arid country north of Mount Kenya. In the afternoon there will be a game drive. Dinner and overnight Samburu Serena Lodge. All meals.
Samburu Serena Lodge
Located in the centre of Samburu, the lodge overlooks the muddy waters and sandbanks of the Uaso Nyiro River, where pods of hippo and massive crocodiles congregate. The rooms are beautifully appointed with all mod-cons and have private verandas overlooking the river. There is also a swimming pool, beauty therapy and massages available. Fascinating slide shows, lectures and tribal dancing is performed nightly, as well as crocodile feeding. The surrounding terrain is extremely scenic with acacia woodlands, ravines and open grasslands, as well as some volcanic rock cones and craggy hills. Favorite spots generally include long-necked gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe and Beisa oryx, whilst leopard are frequent visitors to the lodge.
Day 3: Samburu Game Reserve
Early morning game drive is followed by breakfast, and time to relax by the lodge pool or the terrace overlooking the river. After lunch there will be another game drive and overnight Samburu Serena Lodge. All meals.
Day 4: Mt. Kenya/Aberdares
Leave after breakfast and drive south and into the forests of the Aberdare Mountains and the Mountain Lodge arriving for lunch. Mountain Lodge, is a tree hotel set in a forest glade and with a waterhole which attracts all sorts of wildlife during the day, and when it is floodlit at night. All meals.
Serena Mountain Lodge
Hidden away on the slopes of Mount Kenya, Serena Mountain Lodge (2,194m) is ringed by a dense rain forest that comes alive hours before dawn. With a myriad of forest sounds and the most spectacular forest waterhole in the Aberdare Range, wildlife sightings from the lodge are frequent and fascinating. The lodge is cozy and rooms comfortable, however the key feature here is that all visitors can hide away to watch the waterhole throughout the day or night. Local game includes elephant, buffalo, rhino, waterbuck and hundreds of bird species. A specially constructed underground viewing bunker adds to the experience, as this connects the lodge to the waterhole, enabling even closer photographic opportunities. In the distance and on a clear day, the majestic rocky peaks of Mount Kenya provide a stunning backdrop.
Day 5: Lake Nakuru
An early morning start takes you north west as you head for Nyahururu, still known to many as Thomson's Falls for its 237 foot cascade. Now travel in a southerly direction to your next destination, the spectacular Lake Nakuru. This is often colored a shimmering flamingo pink from thousands of the beautiful birds lining its shores. Once in the park, there will be a game drive en route to Nakuru lodge where you will have lunch. Following lunch there is an afternoon game drive you will then continue to Great Rift Valley lodge as the sun sets. All meals.
Great Rift Valley Lodge
The Great Rift Valley Lodge sits at about 7,000 feet, with vistas that stretch from the shimmering waters of Lake Naivasha to the jagged volcanic crater of Mount Longonot and, beyond, the sloping shoulders of the Aberdare Mountains. With thirty delightfully spacious and decorated new rooms and various cottages, fine dining and many activities on ones doorstep, this is a superb location for a night of rest and relaxation.
Day 6: Masai Mara Game Reserve
Leaving the flamingo-fringed Lake Nakuru behind after an early morning breakfast, you head for Njoro town, where you begin your ascent up over the top of the Mau Escarpment. Then, heading due south, travel towards Narok, the gateway to the Maasai Mara and district headquarters of this part of Maasailand. You'll travel across the "breadbasket" of Kenya, covered with acres of wheat and barley, before you reach the Mara. Following lunch and a siesta, there is an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge as the sun sets. Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge. All meals.
Mara Serena
An interpretation of a traditional Masai Manyatta Village of domed huts, Mara Serena Safari Lodge is set on the saddle of a hill where it overlooks the 1,800 square kilometers of rolling plains, woodlands and rivers that make up the Masai Mara Triangle - one of the world's richest wildlife sanctuaries. No other lodge has such a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape or the game and birdlife that inhabit it. The guest rooms are styled and arranged to blend into the natural landscape. Every room is an individual "hut" - spread out to give each one uninterrupted views of the plains.
Day 7: Masai Mara Game Reserve
Early morning and afternoon game drives. Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge on a full board basis.
Day 8: Arusha
After breakfast you'll depart the Masai Mara and head across acres of rolling wheat and barley farms to Narok, the district headquarters of this part of Maasailand. From here cross the vast plains on the floor of the Rift Valley whilst keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle before heading up the rift escarpment. You'll arrive into Kenya's bustling capital in the early afternoon. After a leisurely lunch you will be transferred to Nairobi International Airport for Precision Air flight to Kilimanjaro. You will be meet on arrival after clearing Customs & Immigration and then transfer to Mountain village for dinner.
Serena Mountain Village
Wreathed in multi-colored tresses of tumbling bougainvillea, Mountain Village is hidden in the depths of a beautiful coffee plantation just outside the hustle and bustle of Arusha, Tanzania's premier 'Safari Town'. Strung like a necklace around the shores of an idyllic wooded lake, a haven of calm and serenity is found here. Set in the flowered gardens of a coffee planter's farm house and surrounded by rolling groves of wax-green coffee bushes, Mountain Village offers wide timbered decks with panoramic views over Lake Duluti and a selection of ethnically-styled 'Rondaval' village-cluster rooms. Each of these is neatly thatched with 'Makuti' stems, lavishly embellished with 'Makonde' carvings and comfortably furnished in traditional safari style. It's a great location to simply relax and enjoy strolls around the farm or gentle canoeing trips on the lake.
Day 9: Lake Manyara
After a morning Nature walk with a Serena guide and lunch, you head south from Arusha towards Tarangire, passing through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. At the town of Makuyuni you turn north west and continue the journey up through a scenic escarpment that brings you to your lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with stunning views over the distant Lake Manyara.
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
It would be difficult to find a more dramatic setting than the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. Situated at the edge of an escarpment, this deluxe lodge overlooks both the Great Rift Valley, which formed millions of years ago, and the beautiful soda lake of Manyara with is lavish supply of bird life. The birds themselves have provided the inspiration for the lodge's architecture. Graceful, curving and free flowing, it is built in the local circular style and exudes an atmosphere of peacefulness where man and nature co-exist. The bar and restaurant offer guests both indoor and outdoor seating at each meal. Sumptuous menus, buffets and barbecues are served to guests alongside authentic African dishes.
Day 10: Serengeti
Depart after breakfast via Olduvai Gorge for a picnic lunch. Visit the museum before continuing to the Serengeti Sopa Lodge for dinner and overnight. All meals.
Serengeti Sopa Lodge
The lodge is located in the Nyarboro Hills in the south west of the Serengeti National Park and is the only tourism development in this section of the Park. Year round water and the acacia woodland in this area create an ideal environment for the wide variety of wildlife seen in the immediate vicinity of the lodge. Opened in 1992, the lodge can accommodate 170 guests in 79 suites, each enjoying wall-to-wall carpeting, a private lounge with a mini bar, a bedroom with two queen size beds and ample room for a third, an en-suite bathroom with shaver sockets and a hair dryer, and a private verandah which offers stunning views over the plains.
Day 11, Wednesday: Serengeti
Morning and afternoon game drives with overnight at Serengeti Sopa. All meals.
Day 12: Ngorongoro
After breakfast you depart for Ngorongoro Crater, viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains and stopping off at Olduvai Gorge en route. The Gorge is about 50 km long and in some places around 90m deep and is found between the Crater and the Serengeti. You will have time to walk through the simple small museum at the gorge, where you can view copy displays of some of the finds as well as pictures of what life was like for the gorge's earliest inhabitants. After a picnic lunch you continue on to your lodge high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. All meals.
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Located on the eastern rim of the crater, the lodge is the only tourist accommodation here. It therefore offers guests unique and spectacular views down into the crater floor and of the sunsets over the western horizon. Another major advantage of this location, is that guests can be in the crater within five minutes of leaving the lodge. The 92 rooms are all very spacious, comfortable and set below the main lodge, so views of the forest and crater are great. It's a well managed lodge with friendly staff and excellent cuisine.
Day 13: Ngorongoro
A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart by 4x4 to explore what is commonly referred to as the World's largest wildlife zoo. After breakfast, you'll descend through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater for a full day of game viewing with a picnic lunch. Ngorongoro Crater is the World's largest intact volcanic caldera and is also one of the World's seven natural wonders. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct habitats, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. After a picnic lunch visit a Masai Village before returning to the lodge for dinner. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. All meals.
Day 14: Depart
Departing south east towards the highlands and Karatu after breakfast, the scenery gradually changes into wheat plains and coffee plantations, before heading down through the scenic Rift Valley escarpment with great views of Lake Manyara beyond. Once on the main Arusha - Dodoma road, the journey will pass through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. Upon arrival into Arusha you will have lunch then transfer to Kilimanjaro airport for Precision Air flight to Nairobi. You will be met on arrival and taken to the Carnivore Restaurant for dinner and then transferred to Nairobi International for your departure flight.
Land Cost - 2006
Dates
Per Person Double
Single Supplement
12/16/05 - 3/31/05 & 6/26/06 - 10/31/06
$6156
$1052
11/1/06 - 12/15/06
$5804
$900
4/1/06 - 6/24/06
$4710
$466
12/24/05 - 1/1/06 & 3/25/06 - 3/28/06
Holiday Supplement, add $90/pp/night