KENYA/TANZANIA DELUXE TENTED CAMP SAFARI (11 Days / 10 Nights)

 

Day 1. Arrive Nairobi

Welcome to Nairobi, a thriving young city spawned during the construction of the railroad to the Indian Ocean. Stay at one of the world's most charming hotels, the Norfolk, for a quiet respite in the center of the city. At your get acquainted reception this evening, enjoy an informative presentation about East Africa's National parks, reserves and wildlife given by the African ‘Spice Safari Director. Norfolk Hotel /Intercontinental Hotel. Meal Plan {Bed}.

 

Day 2 Nairobi -Masai Mara

You are on safari! This morning, drive into the bush to the Masai Mara National Park of Kenya, bordered by the Great Rift Valley escarpment on the west and the Ngama Hills to the east. Your first ‘Spice’ game drive is this afternoon through the open savanna grasslands where thousands of plains game (zebra, gazelle, impala and topi) graze and roam, and is hunted by predators such as the lion, hyena and jackal. Stay two Nights at Kichwa Tembo Camp, (in Hemingway-style safari tents), each with an en suite bathroom and private veranda. The camp is on the fringe of a riverine forest overlooking the plains of the Mara. Meals are served in the dining room or at a boma, with seating in a semi-circle out under the African sky and a blazing wood fire in the center. Overnight at Kichwa Tembo Camp. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 3 Explore Masai Mara/Night game drive
For a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an optional early morning hot-air balloon ride is available, with advance reservations highly recommended. Morning and afternoon ‘Spice’ game drives are included in special 4x4 safari vehicles designed for the best game viewing. The Masai Mara has riverine woods, areas of dense shrub and plenty of open savanna. Experience the different terrains on your game drives to insure seeing the widest variety of wildlife, including rhino, crocodiles, giraffe, buffalo and wonderful birdlife.

 

An incredible sight, the annual Great Migration of plains game between the Serengeti of Tanzania and the Mara of Kenya can fill the horizon with wildebeest, zebra and antelope. Also, visit a village of the Masai people, the proud native tribe of cattle-herders. Extending a ‘Spice’ game drive into the evening is possible for guests staying at Kichwa Tembo, who may wish to search for those seldom-seen animals with nocturnal hunting habits. Overnight at Kichwa Tembo Camp. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 4 Masai Mara- Amboseli National Park
After early morning ‘Spice’ game viewing, return to Nairobi on the first of your bush-flights, which saves time transferring between game Parks. From Nairobi, drive south and east to Amboseli National Park, known for its natural beauty and the snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro rising to the south. It is also famous for big game, notably for its large elephant population but also for lion and cheetah. Overnight at Amboseli Serena/Oltukai Lodge. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 5 Explore Amboseli National Park
Morning and afternoon ‘Spice’ game drives are included, with leisure time scheduled at midday, when the animals are least active. There are extensive stands of yellow-barked acacia trees that giraffe are so adept at nibbling despite the thorns, plus rock-strewn hills and even marshlands. Be on the lookout for baboon, waterbuck, families of elephant, even eland and, if you are fortunate, the elusive leopard. Around the lodge, watch for the beautiful yellow weaverbird and the brilliantly colored Superb Starling. Overnight at Amboseli Serena/Oltukai Lodge. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Days 6/7 Amboseli-Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
After breakfast take a short drive to the Tanzanian border, then continue to the small town of Arusha at the base of Mt. Meru. After lunch, visit the Mtu Wa Mbu Spinners and Weavers workshop to watch local artists at work. Continue to Ngorongoro Crater, which is often compared to the Garden of Eden, an extinct collapsed volcano rising to 7,500 feet at the outside rim, with the inside floor 2,000 feet below. This is all that remains of a once-vast volcano that is a part of the Great Rift Valley, the longest continuous crack in the earth's crust. Ngorongoro's floor extends 102 square miles and has a lake in the center. The crater is an island sanctuary, protected from the fluctuating weather conditions on the surrounding savanna.

 

You stay on the crater's rim for superb views, with breathtaking panoramas of the surrounding woods and the descending crater. The following day, enjoy a ‘Spice’ game drive down to the crater's floor. The "Big Five" are here: lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo, plus many of the plains herbivores, such as wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, zebra and reedbuck, along with thousands of flamingos. Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge/ Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 8 Ngorongoro-Olduvai Gorge/Serengeti
Travel to Olduvai Gorge, revered by anthropologists worldwide since 1959, when Mary Leakey discovered a human skull considered to be 1.7 million years old. Continue to Tanzania's most famous game park, Serengeti National Park. On the seemingly endless and tree-spotted plains, literally millions of hoofed animals are constantly on the move in search of grassland. Tonight, settle in for two Nights at the deluxe, tented Kirawira Serena Camp. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 9 Serengeti National Park
’Spice’ game drives include different tracks in the vast Serengeti. You are out on the hunt across the plains in search of hungry predators--lion, leopard and cheetah--each anxiously trying to prey upon the grazing herds. Use your binoculars to scan the horizon and look for movement. Topi and hartebeest, even the beautiful kudu, sometimes graze among the huge antelope, zebra and gnu herds. Dikdik, the smallest antelope, scamper about the bush, huge crocs and hippo thrive in the park's rivers, and eagles and storks soar overhead. Overnight at the deluxe, tented Kirawira Serena Camp. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 10 Serengeti Nairobi- Nairobi- (Dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant)
Take a morning scheduled flight back to Arusha and connect to another flight returning to Nairobi, Kenya Your lodging is the pleasingly familiar Norfolk Hotel. Tonight's dinner is in at the famous Carnivore restaurant. Overnight at the Norfolk Hotel. Meal Plan {B, L, D}

 

Day 11 Karen Blixen's home/Nairobi departure
Just outside Nairobi in the Ngong Hills, visit the home of Out of Africa author, Karen Blixen. Continue to Giraffe Manor, which is dedicated to educating the public about Africa's tallest native, the Rothschild giraffe. The center provides a chance to see these graceful animals (and a few warthogs) up close. Return to Nairobi with time to explore or to pick up a last-minute souvenir. Your room at the Norfolk Hotel is held until dinner at the hotel. Afterward, transfer to the airport for your return flight. Asante Kwaheri! Meal Plan {B, L, D}.

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Note
Land only rate is per person based on double occupancy. International Airfare is not included.

Pre/post Nights are available upon request.

On tour flights Masai Mara/Nairobi, Serengeti/Arusha and Arusha/Nairobi are included.

Visa is required and is the responsibility of the traveler to secure.