12 Day Kenya Tanzania Select - S

Highlights: Arrival in Nairobi City.

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Accommodation: Jacaranda Hotel
   [Alt: Nairobi Safari Club]
   [Alt: Silver Springs Hotel]
Activity: Airport arrival and meeting your guide.

Your host will be on hand when you arrive at the airport and will take you to the Jacaranda Hotel. This beautiful hotel has a seasoned history of hosting international and local business as well as leisure travelers dating back in the early 1960's. Take a minute to enjoy a few drinks at the poolside bar whilst you relax and unwind after your flight. If you’re ready for sleep, you’ll immediately relax in your luxurious room, with its fine linens. In the morning you’ll be refreshed and ready to go. Who says a safari has to be rustic?

Highlights: Exploring the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

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Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Nyumbu Camp]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Activity: Tour of Maasai Mara before your first afternoon game drive.

Your African safari adventure will start in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where you will be able to witness the traditional lifestyle that the tribe’s people follow to this day.  Many travelers consider the Mara to be one of the most important parts of the safari experience, with its magnificent scenery and impressive abundance of wildlife.  During the afternoon’s game drive you will see jackals, lions, wildebeests, zebras and many other species.  You will also meet Kenya’s nomadic people, the Maasai, and get an insight into their lives as cattle-herding nomads.  Tonight you’ll stay at the Mara Sopa Lodge, set in expansive and mature wooded gardens. The lodge has an ethnic design that incorporates traditional round buildings with thatched roofs for its guest rooms and public areas.

Highlights: Second day of exploration on the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

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Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Nyumbu Camp]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Activity: Game drives, morning and afternoon.
Optional: Visit to tribal village and walking safari.    

Game drives are offered both in the morning and in the afternoon, to allow you the best chance of seeing some wildlife.  You are likely to see buffalo, prides of lions, zebra, hyenas, antelope, cheetahs, wildebeest, and giraffes.  If you would like an even closer look, you can take a walking safari with a local ranger.  You will also want to consider stopping by the tribal village to experience Maasai culture and learn more about their ways.  Relax or enjoy a nap in between game drives in your comfortable accommodations or unwind at the bar area with a drink or a dip in the pool.

Highlights- Game viewing at Lake Nakuru National Park.

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Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Lodge
   [Alt: Lake Naivasha Sopa]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Activity: Transfer by road to Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy a late afternoon game drive.

Head off to Lake Nakuru National Park, an internationally renowned bird sanctuary.  More than 450 species of birds are known to live here, including millions of flamingos that transform the whole area into a sea of pink beauty, especially when seen from Baboon Cliff.  The park also serves as a sanctuary for Rothschild giraffes and both white and black rhinoceros, among many other animal species.  This is also an excellent place to see gazelle, leopards, impalas and hippos.  You will encounter many of them as you explore the Malaika Waterfall, beautiful Lake Nakuru and the surrounding forests. In the evening, you will enjoy splendid views from the Lake Nakuru Lodge, designed to blend in with the terrain.  The rustic African décor perfectly blends comfort with adventure, and the restaurant offers the finest in local and international cuisines in a relaxed setting.

Highlights – Your first day of exploration at the Amboseli National Park.

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Accommodation: Amboseli Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Kibo Safari Camp]
Meal Plan: Full Board - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Transfer to Amboseli before an afternoon game drive

After a tasty breakfast, it is time to head out to Amboseli National Park, considered the prime location in the world for viewing wild elephants.  Nothing can beat the site of these magnificent creatures with Mount Kilimanjaro as their backdrop.  The mountain is the world’s highest free-standing mountain and its majesty will take your breath away. In addition, you’ll see plenty more wildlife – including giraffes, lions and cheetahs. You’ll know this is a real safari as you travel over the rugged roads to the park and later on your afternoon game drive.   It is an exciting day and you’ll be grateful for a chance to unwind at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge, which more than lives up to its serene name.  The décor is inspired by the indigenous Maasai people and it harmonizes with the Kenyan terrain beautifully.   Walk through the beautifully landscaped gardens to enjoy a delicious meal, including many local food items.

Highlights – Your second day of exploration at Amboseli National Park.

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Accommodation: Amboseli Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Kibo Safari Camp]
Meal Plan: Full Board – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Morning and afternoon game drives.
Optional: Visit to Tribal Village & Walking Safari

The day starts with breakfast and a morning game drive where you’ll see white rhinos, wildebeests, zebras and many other species. Undoubtedly, you will also see many of the more than 400 species of birds that inhabit the park. Amazingly, the sites you see in the morning will be quite different from those you’ll see on the afternoon game drive as the various creatures respond to their unique biological clocks.

Depending on the time of year, the terrain will vary – from Ernest Hemingway’s “Snows of Kilimanjaro” to the hot dry summer to the life-giving rainy season – but it will always be beautiful. The routes taken will depend on weather conditions but they all offer unforgettable scenery, so keep your camera ready. You will also have the chance to take a “walking safari” for a close up view of Kenya, along with an optional visit to an authentic tribal village. When you need a break, take a dip in the lodge’s pool or take a nap in your cool, comfortable room.
 

Highlights - Enjoy first glimpses of the Ngorongoro Crater rim.

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Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Activity: Cross the border into Tanzania and then drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Enjoy first glimpses of the crater rim from your lodge.

The Ngorongoro Crater Conservancy Area is where you will be off to after breakfast, and there will be time for a picnic lunch along the way.  The Ngorongoro Crater itself is all that remains of a long-extinct volcano.  The 2000-foot high crater rim encloses a depression measuring 100 square miles, which provides water and vegetation for wildlife, as well as the cattle of the Maasai people.  You are very likely to witness Maasai herders and their cattle passing through the area.  The lodge is situated right on the crater rim, with outstanding views from its well-appointed suites and from the outdoors dining area of the buffet restaurant.

Highlights - Ngorongoro Crater tour and game viewing.

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Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Activity: A full day of exploring the crater

You can take a picnic lunch and spend the day within the crater.  There are around 30,000 large animals within the crater, so you are bound to see lots of wildlife: large herds of wildebeest, antelope and zebras roam the landscape, often being pursued by hyenas, cheetahs or lions.  The lake inside the crater is home to numerous colorful bird species, and you can see hippos lounging in the water.  Every so often, visitors see impressive bull elephants passing through the crater area in search of water, though herds with cows and calves are rare.  You can also visit a Maasai village to learn more about what living in this unique area is like, as well as getting acquainted with the Maasai culture.  This is a key part of a safari in Tanzania.

Highlights - Visit prehistoric Olduvai Gorge; Afternoon game drive at Serengeti National Park.

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Accommodations:  Serengeti Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Seronera Wildlife Lodge]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Activity: Transfer to Serengeti followed by an afternoon game drive.

After a hearty safari breakfast, you leave Ngorongoro and drive to Olduvai Gorge, the site where remains from prehistoric people were first found. You proceed to your final destination on this day, the Serengeti, one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. All of the various animal and plant species are dependent on the sparse rainfall, as well as on each other. A variety of different vegetation zones make up the park. Grasslands with both short and tall grasses are in the dry south, which receives an average of 19 inches of rain per year. A savannah abounding with acacia trees is in the center, and the western area has more heavily wooded highland areas, complete with what is known as 'black cotton' soil. This last area follows a sweeping curve around the edge of Lake Victoria. There is wooded grassland to the north and tributaries from the Mara and Grumeti rivers flow through this region.

Highlights - Enjoy game viewing in the morning and afternoon at Serengeti National Park.

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Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge
   [Alt: Seronera Wildlife Lodge]
Meal Plan: Full board – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Activity: Morning and afternoon game drives.

Except for a late summer and fall visit to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, the migrating wildebeest spend most of the year traversing the Serengeti. Depending on the time of year, the hundreds of thousands wildebeests accompanied by zebras and gazelles, follow the rain in search of fresh forage. A second day at Serengeti National Park puts most visitors on the track of the herd. Begin your day with a sumptuous champagne bush breakfast (Optional - at cost), or take an early morning game drive before a breakfast feast at the lodge.

Highlights – Game drives at Lake Manyara National Park.

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Accommodation: Kirurumu Tented Lodge
   [Alt: Lake Manyara Wildlife Lodge]
Meal Plan: Full Board – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activity: Morning and afternoon game drives.

After breakfast we proceed to Lake Manyara, an amazing wildlife sanctuary famous for its tree climbing lions and dramatic views. It is located in a depressed valley where the red and brown cliffs of the western wall of Great Rift Valley seem to rise up out of the lake itself. Springs rising from the base of the escarpment provide a welcome water supply. While the lions may be shy (visitors who spot them are lucky indeed), Manyara includes a variety of habitats, home to a variety of big game and a rich assortment of birdlife.

Highlights - Drive from Lake Manyara to Nairobi City.

Meal Plan: Breakfast.
Activity: Transfer by road to Nairobi and transfer to airport for your departure flight home.
                        
You will start your last day at Kirurumu Tented Lodge with your final safari breakfast. As you prepare to depart you reflect on a truly special experience.  When you’re ready, your host will transfer you to the Namanga border where you will be picked up and transferred to Nairobi. Upon arrival in Nairobi, your driver-guide will drive you to the airport and see that you get to your flight in plenty of time. We want the last hours of your Kenya Tanzania Select safari to be as relaxed and trouble-free as the rest of the trip has been.