Kenya Educational Student Safari

Amboseli & Rift Valley (Lake Naivasha)

Students Safari (10 Days / 9 Nights)

Students Safari 10 Days / 9 Nights Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi arrival. Overnight at the Wildebeest Camp Nairobi or Similar
Day 2: Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy .Overnight at Swara Plains Acacia Camp
Day 3: Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy .Overnight at Swara Plains Acacia Camp
Day 4: Amboseli National Park. Overnight at a Camp Site
Day 5: Amboseli National Park. Overnight at a Camp Site
Day 6: Amboseli National Park. Overnight at a Camp Site
Day 7: Lake Naivasha Rift Valley. Overnight at Elsamere Wildlife Center
Day 8:.Day Tour to Hell's Gate National Park .Overnight at Elsamere Wildlife Center

Day 9: Visit Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Overnight at Elsamere Wildlife Center

Day 10: Drive to Nairobi and lunch at Kiambethu Tea Farm transfer to Nairobi for outbound flight

Cost for 2010: Per Person
Land Arrangements (Per Person)

Detailed Itinerary for the Students Safari

Students Safari 10 Days takes you to see Kenya's Parks where plains game still roams free in total absence of mass tourism. Start with the Swara Plains, a private wildlife conservancy with limited numbers of visitors and the surrounding area is home to many species of plains animals, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, numerous antelope and many, many more... Students can choose the many available activities offered at Swara Plains Acacia Camp such as:

* Horse riding

* Day and night game drives
* Biking over 100 Kilometers of trail

* Swimming pool with a view over the plains

* Fishing & /or boating in any of the 8 man-made dams
* There is also the opportunity to visit Simon Thompsett, dedicated to raptor rehabilitation
* You will also have the unique opportunity to share your afternoon tea with the pet cheetah, Shalla

Our 10 Days Student Safari then proceeds to the bush country of Amboseli National Park for 3 full days, where dramatic views of Mount Kilimanjaro dominate every vista. Amboseli is famous for its tranquil beauty and easily approachable wildlife—an excellent way to explore our game viewing expeditions. Early morning and late afternoon game drives are made daily. After three exciting wildlife action packed days in Amboseli our students safari continues to the Rift Valley for hikes in Crater Lake, guided game viewing and Hell's Gate National Park where students will see eland, buffalo, lion, giraffe, zebra, leopard, impala, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, klipspringer, rock hyrax and Chanler’s mountain reedbuck. Other activities and attractions include Game viewing, raptor nesting in cliffs, spectacular gorge walks, hot springs, scenic landscape, the Geothermal Station, Masai culture.

As with all African Spice Safaris Students Safaris, this is a unique safari that exposes students to different aspects of Kenya in an entertaining as well as an educational way.

Day to Day Safari Itinerary

Day 1
Nairobi Arrival

Arrival at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport, met and greeted in our traditional style by our uniformed African Spice Safaris representatives, transfer to the Wildebeest Camp Nairobi or similar.

Overnight at the Wildebeest Camp Nairobi or similar
Meal Plan: {Bed & Breakfast}

Days 2 & 3
Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy
After breakfast, a Safari briefing is conducted by an African Spice Safari Director. By 8.30 a.m. we leave Nairobi for Swara Plains Acacia Cottages located on the Athi-Kapiti Plains Just outside Nairobi Town. Both Mount Kenya, 100 miles to the north, and Mount Kilimanjaro, equidistant to the south, are visible from the private wildlife conservancy ranch. called the Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy. Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy is situated on the Kapati Plains, 35 km southwest of the capital, Nairobi, just off the main Nairobi-to-Mombasa highway. The Small World Country Club on the southern side of the road marks the entrance way to Swara.

Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy 20,000 acres ranch is old wild Africa at its very best with wide open savanna grasslands, tall yellow fever trees, endless views, over 3000 resident population of easy to see plains game and more than 270 birds species. Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy is part of the Tsavo/Amboseli eco-system and with exception of Elephant's, Rhino's and Buffalo's, all the other wild game found both in Tsavo and Amboseli are found here. You will see big herds of Oryx, Elands, wildebeests, giraffes, monkeys, hartebeests, zebras, impalas, Grant's and Thompson's gazelles, warthogs and the and occasional gerenuk (Giraffe Gazelle) in total absence of mass tourism.

At Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy, environment conservation is a top priority e.g. numerous dams have been dug to trap the scarce rainwater. Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy has well-maintained earth roads for game drives and nature walks. Not surprisingly the ranch and the camp have long been used for wildlife research. Students spend their days on guided game viewing Safaris, Bird walking Safaris, and Nature Walks in the Bush.

Overnight at the Swara Plains Acacia Camp
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Days 4, 5 & 6
Amboseli National Park
After Breakfast this morning our Students Safari departs for Amboseli national Park. We drive south to Amboseli national park at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Amboseli National Park has stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Should you be interested in bird watching, Amboseli National Park has over 425 species of birds that have been recorded. There are different types of birds e.g. water birds, birds of prey, open savannah birds as well as dry scrub land birds. While on our student safari, you are guaranteed to see countless herds of elephants ambling by. Nowhere else in Africa (or the world) will you get soooooo close to soooooo many free-ranging elephants. You should also be on the lookout for hippos, buffaloes, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and gazelles, vervet monkeys and with some luck, some incredibly focused lionesses on the hunting trail...

Overnight at Amboseli Public campsite

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 7

Lake Naivasha Rift Valley
Our destination today is the Great Rift Valley. After Breakfast our Student Safari departs Amboseli National Park to Lake Naivasha. En route we will stop for lunch at Swara Plains Acacia Camp. Thereafter proceed to Lake Naivasha with a stop at the Naivasha market. Students new home/accommodations for the next three nights will be at Elsamere the home of the late conservationist Joy Adamson's. Elsamere Conservation Center is a bird watcher's paradise, over 200 species of birds have been recorded and rare species such as the Verraux's Eagle Owl are regularly sighted. Early mornings at Elsamere Conservation Center are as special time: the African Fish Eagles herald the dawn with their memorable ringing cry and the chorus of the bird song continues through-out the day.

Other activities at Elsamere include morning boat rides which are an ideal time to spot the many species of waterfowl and brilliantly colored kingfishers. The lake is home to the largest waterfowl population in Kenya. Elsamere Conservation Centre has also become famous for its resident troop of black and white colobus monkeys, which visit the centre regularly. African Spice Safaris student guests may easily view the troop from the lakeside lawn. Other frequent visitors to the centre are pod of hippopotami, which often graze on the lawn at night. Lake Naivasha is very important ecologically. The Elsamere Conservation Center provides information on the lake ecology and regularly hosts researchers who monitor the lake and local wildlife.

Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Elsamere Conservation Centre
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 8
Day Trip to Hells 'Gate National Park
Today we enjoy breakfast as we watch the sunrise over the Lake Naivasha. An early morning here should not be missed by anyone with an eye for birds since Lake Naivasha boasts of a wide variety of water and woodland birds. After breakfast we depart by road to Hell's Gate National Park. Hell's Gate is a unique Park where walking is allowed in the amidst wildlife. Famous for its natural hot geysers, eagle and vulture breeding grounds, students have the choice of driving, walking, cycling and rockclimbing within the park. Horseback safaris can also be arranged for those who wish to ride.

Special locations to view include Fischer's Tower, formerly a volcano's plug, the Central Tower and Njorowa Gorges. Two extinct volcanos: Olkaria and Hobley's are worth a trip. Natural steam vents rise from fissures in the volcanic rock. Obsidian, a striking black glassy rock formed from cooled molten lava is a feature of this landscape. Game to view includes: buffalo, Masai Giraffe, eland, Coke's Hartebeest, lion, leopard and some cheetah. A haven for ornithologists and rock climbers, the cliffs of Hell's Gate are breeding grounds for vultures, Verreaux's Eagles, augur buzzard and thousands of swifts; 103 species of bird have been recorded in the park. We climb back to the rangers post for transfer back to Elsamere educational center.

Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Elsamere Conservation Centre
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 9
Day Tour to Lake Naivasha Crater Lake Game Sanctuary

An early rising will ensure that one gets another magical display of the various birds. After breakfast we do a transfer by road to the nearby Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Crater Lake Game Sanctuary is great fun to explore on foot with a local guide. This area is alive with hundreds of species of birds and many mammals, large and small. While walking through the conservancy you can spot gazelle, giraffe, zebra, eland, baboon and black and white colobus monkeys - just to name a few. You can also take the short walk to the rim of the beautiful volcanic crater with views down to the emerald-green lake in the crater. Depending on the water levels of other Rift Valley lakes, there are sometimes large populations of flamingoes on the lake.

Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Elsamere Conservation Centre
Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 10

Drive back to Nairobi & Lunch at Kiambethu Tea Farm

Leave Naivasha in the late morning for lunch at the Kiambethu Tea Farm. Situated at 7200ft in a truly magnificent garden with views of the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngong hills, Kiambethu is a farmhouse to four generations of the first family to plant and make tea in Kenya. Students are served with a pre-lunch drink as the process of making tea is formally explained followed by an opportunity to tea fields. After a sumptuous lunch, a walk in the virgin forest to see Colobus monkeys and to learn about the flora and fauna follows. A cup of tea/coffee is served upon return at the house. Transfer to Nairobi for the evening flight out.

Meal Plan: {Breakfast & Lunch}

Safari Inclusions
Our attractive African Spice Safari Price is based on the size of your party and includes
* Transport Nairobi/Swara Plains Wildlife Conservancy/ Amboseli/Rift Valley/Nairobi
* All meals from Breakfast from Day 2 through lunch on Day 10
* All accommodation as per itinerary
* Flying Doctors Evacuation Cover
* Bottled Water during the Walks
* Park Entrance Fees

* Services of Guides

* Airport transfers

Safari Exclusions
* Gratuity or tips and expenditure of personal nature
* Airport taxes, visa, insurance
* Airfare to Kenya
* Drinks with meals