Kenya & Tanzania Private Safari – High End

Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta Int’l airport -Nairobi, gateway to your thrilling Kenya safari; you will be transferred by our representatives to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to acclimate to your new time zone as you prepare for the African adventure that awaits you. Overnight at Fairmount Hotel. Meal Plan: Breakfast

The day trip begins at 9:30 AM by picking you up from your hotel and depart for the conservation center at the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. It is here that orphaned or injured baby elephants and rhinos are taken to rehabilitation in their natural habitats. Baby elephants of all ages delight guests as they feed and play. Feeding time is from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thereafter, we will head to Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens for lunch (at traveler’s expense).

After lunch we will visit the nearby Giraffe Center and have a completely up close and personal interaction with the endangered Rothschild giraffes, as well as feeding them from an elevated platform. Then we visit the beautiful Kazuri pearl factory which employs disadvantaged members of Kenyan society, especially single mothers.

Kazuri means "small and beautiful" and that's exactly the kind of pearls they produce here. The mission of the factory is to provide sustainable employment for local women in Nairobi and to contribute to the fair-trade market. After the trip, we return to the hotel arriving in the evening. Overnight at Fairview Hotel. Meal plan: Breakfast.

Breakfast in the hotel and check-out.

07:30hrs Meet up with your dedicated Safari Driver Guide at the Hotel Lobby. After introductions and pre-safari briefing, depart and drive to Kenya Central Highlands with a brief stopover at the Equator Point just after Nanyuki Town. Here, the locals perform a water demonstration to qualify the position of the Equator and for a small tip, you will be awarded an ‘Equator Certificate’.  Drive on to Ol Pejeta Conservancy with game viewing drive en-route to the Camp.

Lunch in the Camp followed by an afternoon at leisure to enjoy the facilities at the Camp that include a swimming pool.  16:00hrs enjoy an afternoon game viewing drive in the Conservancy. Overnight at River Camp.  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Full day in the Conservancy with morning and afternoon game viewing drives.  Host to all the members of the ‘Big Five' (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard), the conservancy has a higher wildlife-to-area ratio than any Kenyan national park and is one of only four private game conservancies to have been founded in Kenya.

At the forefront of the Kenyan conservancy program, the conservancy boasts the largest Black Rhino Sanctuary in East Africa, hosts the only Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Kenya, and shelters large numbers of rare and endangered species. Overnight at River Camp. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After breakfast, we depart for Lake Nakuru National Park. Enjoy magnificent views of the Great Rift Valley Escarpment en-route to arrive in time for lunch at Lake Nakuru Sarova Lodge. Lake Nakuru was crowned a national park in the sixties and – in addition to its attractive Lakeland scenery – it’s best known for its absolutely superb birdlife, with over 450 species recorded. This region of Kenya is also one of the densest rhino populations on the continent. Other much wildlife like buffalos, rhino, tree climbing cheetahs can easily be seen.  Overnight at The Cliff Lodge or Similar. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After breakfast, we depart for the world’s renowned Masai Mara National Game Reserve arriving for check in and lunch at Mara Governor’s Camp. Your Luxury Camp is Located at the very Centre of the famous ‘Mara Triangle. Set high on a bush-cloaked hill with long views over the savannah and down to the winding coils of the hippo-filled Mara River, it stands Centre-stage to one of Africa's most dramatic wildlife arenas. In the afternoons you will enjoy several game drives in this remarkable game area. Throughout the year the Maasai Mara is a place of natural drama, a kaleidoscope of color and life. The famed "Big Five" - elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo - roam the reserve, together with hundreds of other species, from the fastest animal on earth, the cheetah to crocodiles and magnificent birds of prey. Overnight at Mara Governor’s Camp. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Balloon ride: Participate in optional hot Air Balloon and a bush breakfast upon landing at an extra cost of $500 per person.

Enjoy full game drives for these two days in Mara. Technically Mara is an extension of Tanzania's renowned Serengeti National Park. The park stands Centre-stage to one of the most spectacular phenomena of the natural world -The Great Annual Wildebeest Migration, futured as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”. The Great Migration is the largest herd movement of animals on the planet. In fact, with up to 1,000 animals per km², the great columns of wildebeest can be seen from space.

The numbers are astonishing: over 1.5 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebras along with topi and other gazelle move in a constant cycle through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in search of nutritious grass and water, every year from July to September.

Guided by survival instinct, each wildebeest will cover 800 to 1,000km on its individual journey along age-old migration routes. Hungry predators including lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, wild dog and crocodiles make sure only the strongest survive in this natural spectacle also known as ‘the greatest show on Earth’. The journey is beset with danger: young calves are snatched by predators, the slow are brought down by prides of lion, brave beasts break legs on steep river slopes, crocodiles take their share of the stragglers, and the weak and exhausted drown.

The three groups of migrant grazers have different grass-eating habits: as one group eats the top of the tallest grass, the next group will eat away some of the medium-height grass, until finally it is almost completely eaten, and the herds move on. This means each group sticks to their own kind with only a small overlap in their distributions. The grasses of the plains have the highest protein content in the whole of the Serengeti, as well as being high in calcium.

It is unclear how the wildebeest know which way to go, but it is generally believed that their journey is dictated primarily by their response to the weather; they follow the rains and the growth of new grass. While there is no scientific proof of it, some experts believe that the animals react to lightning and thunderstorms in the distance. It has even been suggested that wildebeest can locate rain more than 50km away. One of the evenings after game drive, Visit to a Maasai Village for a glimpse into the lives of this semi-nomadic tribe. Kenya recognizes over fifty tribes of native people. The Maasai were the dominating tribe at beginning of 20th century. They are one of the very few tribes who have retained most of their traditions, lifestyle and lore. In common with the wildlife with which they co-exist, the Maasai need a lot of land. Unlike many other tribes in Kenya, the Maasai are semi-nomadic and pastoral: they live by herding cattle and goats. A Maasai warrior is a fine sight. Those young men have, to the utmost extent, that particular form of intelligence which we call chic; daring and wildly fantastical as they seem, they are still unswervingly true to their own nature, and to an immanent ideal. Their style is not an assumed manner, nor an imitation of a foreign perfection; it has grown from the inside and is an expression of the race and its history, and their weapons and finery are as much a part of their being as are a stag’s antlers.

Overnight at Mara Governor’s Camp. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your flight to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. You’ll be met by your new guide and transferred to your Camp. You will arrive at your lodge situated on a private concession. Enjoy your lunch then a refreshing dip in the pool before heading out on an afternoon game drive. Enjoy the afternoon game drive into the wilds of this famed natural wonder. We follow the Great Migration herds as they make their way across the vast plains, you’ll travel to either Southern Serengeti or to the North. With animals constantly on the move in their inexorable quest for food and water. Return to camp in time for dinner around a roaring fire before laying your head to rest. Overnight at Serengeti Elewana Explorer Lodge or Similar. Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today you will spend the day tracking game and following hot on the heels of the wildebeest in Serengeti National Park, with a knowledgeable field guide by your side. Picnic Lunch will be served in a scenic spot under the shade of trees.  Arriving back to your Camp after a day replete with wildlife experience, it’s time to freshen up and get ready for dinner under the star-spangled African skies. Overnight at Serengeti Elewana Explorer Lodge or Similar. Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we drive to Ngorongoro National Reserve with a brief stop at the Olduvai Gorge. Olduvai Gorge the 'Crater of Mankind' is world famous for the Archaeological discoveries made there by Dr. Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey. The two discovered the remains of an almost intact human skull named Nutcracker Man. It was here at this important prehistoric site, together with other startling discoveries, that have contributed to the furthering understanding of early human development. You will arrive at the lodge in time for high-tea and Lunch. In the afternoons you will enjoy several game drives in this remarkable game area. Overnight at Melia Ngorongoro Lodge or Similar. Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy full day game drive. You’ll be able to partake in immersive walking safaris and crater game drives that will introduce you to the fauna and flora of the famed Ngorongoro crater. The Crater is the world’s largest intact, un-flooded caldera. Your route from the lodge descends over the lush rainforests of the rim, 610m (2 000ft) down to the grasslands of the crater floor, an area of about 260 square kilometers (100 square miles). Often described as the ‘Eighth’ wonder of the World, the Ngorongoro crater is so spectacular, a natural sanctuary for over 25,000 animals, including the black rhino. It is also a conservation area inhabited by the Maasai tribe.

This haven provides a year-round home to wildebeest, zebra, eland and gazelle, along with Africa’s densest population of lion. The rainforests shelter elephant, mountain buck, buffalo, hyena, wild dog, leopard and cheetah. After evening game drives, you will return to the Lodge for sundowners on the crater’s rim and a sumptuous feast in the domed dining area. Overnight at Melia Ngorongoro Lodge or Similar. Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy very early morning game drive followed by full breakfast. Thereafter we depart to Arusha town for lunch (at traveler’s expense). Thereafter, we shall transfer you to the Kilimanjaro Int’l airport for your homebound flight. Meal Plan: Breakfast