Itinerary
Day
1
NAIROBI
Transfer from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to your hotel in Nairobi. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure.
Day
2
NAIROBI
Revel in the ultimate Out of Africa film experience! Follow in the footsteps of Karen Blixen as you travel towards the Ngong Hills and feel swept immediately onto the 1985 film set the moment you see the old colonial farmhouse and colorful gardens. From there, visit the Giraffe Center, where the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe live, and have the opportunity to hand-feed them. Return to your hotel by late morning and take the balance of your day at leisure to explore the city’s markets, shops, and eateries, including the famous Carnivore Restaurant. (B)
Day
3
NAIROBI I MAASAI MARA
Head out from Nairobi after breakfast and travel towards Kenya’s fertile highlands. Pass the impressive Longonot Earth Satellite Station as you head across the Valley to Narok. Next, travel across acres of wheat and barley before you reach the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The lodge, which follows the design principles of traditional African round houses, is built into the surrounding hillside landscape of the Oloolaimutia Valley. Take in the fabulous wealth of wildlife, birdlife, and natural flora in every direction. In the afternoon, join an adventurous game drive into the reserve. (B,L,D)
Day
4
MAASAI MARA
Today you will experience two inspired game drives to see the magnificent range of animals in the Reserve. Maasai Mara holds the greatest and most diverse concentration of wildlife remaining in Africa today. It is home to the Maasai people and to small clans of Ndorobo, the traditional hunter-gatherers of East Africa. (B,L,D)
Day
5
MAASAI MARA I LAKE NAKURU
Depart from the Maasai Mara National Reserve after breakfast and cross the breadbasket of Kenya. Head north to Narok, and then drive across the vast plains of the Rift Valley, keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle as you head up the Mau Escarpment before arriving at Lake Nakuru. Both black and white rhino conservation efforts are underway in this carefully protected, 72-square-mile, fenced-in park. The present rhino population is over 50 and continues to grow. See the graceful movement of the Rothschild giraffes and watch for buffalo, leopard, zebra, eland, waterbuck, and lion. (B,L,D)
Day
6
LAKE NAKURU I AMBOSELI
After an early breakfast, leave the Rift Valley behind. Continue towards Nairobi and then head south towards Amboseli National Park. Enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park and arrive at your lodge in the evening. Set on 200 acres of private land in the foothills of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, the lodge is perfectly poised to provide a luxurious base from where you can venture out to explore the park and photograph the area’s incredible and dwarfing mountain. The lodge is also close to where Ernest Hemingway lived and worked while writing his famous story, The Snows of Kilimanjaro. (B,L,D)
Day
7
AMBOSELI
Experience morning and afternoon game drives in Amboseli National Park, best known for its unrivalled views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the local elephant population. Over 1,000 elephants live in the park’s ecosystem—some are documented as being the largest in Africa! (B,L,D)
Day
8
AMBOSELI I NAMANGA I NAIROBI TO USA (OR EXTEND YOUR STAY)
Catch your last glance of snowcapped Mount Kilimanjaro and the park’s wildlife. On the way to Nairobi, stop at the colorful border town of Namanga where you will find unique Maasai beadwork. Head onward across the beautiful and seemingly endless Athi Plains and arrive in Kenya’s bustling capital city of Nairobi by midday. Relax in a day room in the afternoon before transferring to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight home. (B)
Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.