8 Day Kenya Lodge Safari (BS-YKK)

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya

IMPORTANT: As of 01/09/09 this trip will not be visiting Samburu National Reserve due to some localised violence occuring in the area. Maany local farmers have moved their stock into the area of and around the park due to the prevailing drought conditions and there has been sporadic violent clashes between rangers and farmers. We wish to avoid any possibity of our passengers and staff being caught up in these problems.

New itinerary is as follows:

Day 1: Nairobi.

Day 2: Aberdare National Park.

Day 3: Lake Nakuru.

Days 4-5: Lake Naivasha.

Days 6-7: Masai Mara National Reserve.

Day 8: Nairobi.

Added included activities in the new itinerary are:

• 1 day game viewing in Lake Nakuru National Park.
• A visit to a village outside Lake Nakuru National Park.
• A boat ride to Elsamere Conservation Centre.
• Walk in Crater Lake Game Sanctuary.
• 2 days game viewing in Masai Mara Game Reserve.

An arrival transfer is included. If you have confirmed your transfer by providing your flight details (at least 15 days prior) you will be met on arrival at Nairobi Airport and transferred to your hotel.

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where and this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.

Your leader will collect your local payment and park fees at this meeting. Please bring USD notes/bills printed after 2003 in large denominations for these on the ground payments.

Nairobi is a bustling city that is constantly alive with a wide array of restaurants, clubs, pubs and discos. If you arrive early, head out to explore the National Museum of Kenya or the Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa), or Bomas which displays the traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes in an outdoor village.

Meals: None

Overnight: Hotel Panafric

The Panafric is imposingly set in a quiet residential suburb, overlooking Kenyatta Avenue, thus commanding a panoramic view of Nairobi 's skyline. This 152-roomed hotel has a pool and two restaurants.

At around 7.30am this morning we leave the skyscrapers of Nairobi behind and travel north through hilly countryside dotted with Kikuyu villages. After crossing the equator we drive past Mt Kenya, taking in excellent views of its snow-capped peaks. Enter the semi-arid lands of the Northern Frontier District on the way to the untamed wilderness of the Samburu.

It is approximately 390 km (6-7 hours driving time) from Nairobi to Samburu. With a break for lunch along the way, we expect to arrive at our lodge around 5pm.

Our lodge is set on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, a muddy river that forms a ribbon of oases in the parched landscape. These oases are inhabited by the local Samburu tribespeople, who are often seen dressed in resplendent traditional robes and ornate jewellery.

Meals included: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners

Overnight: The lodge is very comfortable with outdoor living a real feature of the bar and dining area. The pool area is sensational and the perfect place to relax. The rooms are comfortable and come with all the expected facitlities.

Leaving Samburu soon after breakfast, we have an included country style lunch enroute to the Aberdare National Park (approx. 5 hours). Tonight's accommodation is at Treetops. A nearby waterhole and adjacent salt licks attract a variety of game and we can watch the animals come out of the wilderness for a drink from this wonderful viewpoint. Buffaloes, rhinos, elephants, giant forest hogs and antelopes are common visitors.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: This world-famous game-viewing hotel stands by a pool on a low spur of the Aberdare Forest. The hotel is raised up on 12m (40 ft) high stilts amongst the trees, and from its many verandahs, we can get superb panoramic views of the forest wildlife beneath.

Departing Treetops around 8am, we turn west, to visit the Lake Nakuru National Park, situated in the heart of the Great Rift Valley (200kms, around 3.5 hours). We plan to arrive at our lodge in time for lunch. This lake is justly famous for its visiting flocks of flamingos, as well as pelicans, cormorants and several hundred other species. Land animals are also well-represented here, with waterbucks, rare Rothchild's giraffes and zebras being fairly common. The park has worked hard in recent years to increase its population of both black and white rhinos so we might even see these magnificent creatures on game drives around the reserve.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Tonight you stay at a Lodge located right within the park.

The lodge comes with a relaxing open bar area, a wonderful pool to cool down in after your safari and a large dining area for your meals.

Leaving around 7.30am, we drive south from Nakuru, crossing the floor of the Great Rift Valley and traversing the escarpment before reaching the town of Narok in the land of the Masai. As we near this marvelous area, we are likely to see many colourfully dressed Masai tribes people attending to their herds of cattle. Distance covered is 320 km which should take us around 6 hours. We arrive in time for lunch at our lodge.

The Masai Mara has a very high population of plains animals such as wildebeest and zebras which are preyed upon by lions, leopards, hyenas, among others. Elephants are also a fairly common sight here while hippos and crocodile are plentiful in the Mara River. On our first day here we'll head out in the late afternoon for an evening game drive.

Our second day is spent with a dawn game drive, returning to relax at our tented camp during the heat of the day and heading out again in the late afternoon as the animals become more active.

An optional balloon ride over the Masai Mara at sunrise is an unforgettable experience. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see Important Notes) you will be picked up and drive to the launch site, receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You then glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height providing amazing wildlife photography opportunities, sometimes ascending to get an overview of the enormity of the Masai Mara plains and the teeming herds of early morning wild life movements. Upon landing and before being returned to your accommodation you'll be treated to a five star bush breakfast!

Meals included: Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners

Overnight: Accommodation for these nights is at a comfortable tented camp within park boundaries. Each tent has comfortable beds, lovely furnishings and full bathroom amenities - sleeping in a luxury tent is a true safari experience.

This morning we leave the magnificent Mara behind and drive back to Nairobi (approx. 5 hours) where the safari ends on arrival - usually around 1pm lunchtime. If you require post trip accommodation at the Panafric, please enquire at time of booking.

Meals included: Breakfast