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Kenya Most Romantic | Photographers Paradise - Kenya
Photographers Paradise - Tanzania | Tanzania Most Romantic | Wildest Most Remote Places

Kenya is, without doubt, a stunningly beautiful country. From the bleached sands of the eastern coast lapped by the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean to the primitive aridity of little-visited Turkana, Kenya offers a wonderful variety of landscape, a people that are utterly charming and friendly, a rich and fascinating culture and, of course, fabulous wildlife. The picture many have of Africa, that of golden savannah dotted with game and studded with flat-topped umbrella acacias is actually the landscape of Kenya. It has featured in so many Hollywood movies and wildlife films that it is embedded in our psyches as the real Africa. This is the land of the classic safari and luxurious lodges, the land of wide blue skies and the land of enchantment.

RATES 2008:
LOW SEASON : 6612.00 per person twin share, and 935.00 per person single supp
HIGH SEASON : 7188.00 per person twin share, and 1072.00 per person single supp

Please check for seasonality.

ITINERARY DETAILS

Day 1 Nairobi
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International airport you will be met by a Vintage Africa Representative who will meet and assist you before your transfer to your town hotel for check-in. Overnight at Macushla House BB.

Day 2 Tsavo West
Breakfast at your hotel, check out at 0800hrs and drive to Tsavo West along Nairobi - Mombasa highway to arrive at this park who star attraction is Mzima Springs, a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing hippos. Arrive intime for lunch at your camp. After lunch relax followed by an afternoon game drive to return before sunset at your camp for dinner and overnight at Finch Hattons LDBB.

Day 3 Tsavo West
Today spend full day in Tsavo west with morning and afternoon game viewing drive with all meals being served from your camp with Overnight at Finch Hattons LDBB.

Day 4 Amboseli National Park
Breakfast at your camp, check out and drive to the Amboseli National Park lying below the most famous symbol of Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro. Arrive early intime for check-in followed by lunch at your lodge. After lunch relax thereafter proceed for an afternoon game viewing drive to return to your lodge early before sunset intime for your dinner and Overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge LDBB.

Day 5 Amboseli National Park
Today spend full day in Amboseli National Park with morning and afternoon game viewing drive with all meals being served from your lodge with Overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge LDBB.

Day 6 Amboseli National Park
Today spend full day in Amboseli National Park with morning and afternoon game viewing drive with all meals being served from your lodge with Overnight at Ol Tukai Lodge LDBB.

Day 7 Lake Nakuru National Park
Breakfast at your lodge, check out and drive back to Nairobi, Kenya's colourful capital city to arrive intime for your lunch at the famous CARNIVORE RESTAURANT. After lunch drive to Lake Nakuru National Park famous as the home to thousands of lesser and greater flamingo. The park also provides sanctuary for Rothschild giraffe, rhino and leopard. Afternoon game viewing drive at this park to arrive to your lodge early before sun set for check-in followed by dinner and Overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge L-DBB.

Day 8 Lake Nakuru National Park
Today spend full day in Lake Nakuru National Park with morning and afternoon game drives with all meals being served at your lodge with Overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge LDBB.

Day 9 Lake Nakuru National Park
Today spend full day in Lake Nakuru National Park with morning and afternoon game drives with all meals being served at your lodge with Overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge LDBB.

Day 10 Masai Mara National G.R
Breakfast, check out and drive across the Great Rift Valley via Narok to the Masai Mara National Reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. Lunch will be served at Keekorok Lodge. After lunch continue to your overnight lodge with a game drive enroute to arrive early before sunset intime for dinner and Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge L-DBB.

Day 11 Masai Mara National G.R
Today spend full day in Masai Mara National Game Reserve with morning and afternoon game drives with all meals being served at your lodge with Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge LDBB.

Day 12 Masai Mara National G.R
Today spend full day in Masai Mara National Game Reserve with morning and afternoon game drives with all meals being served at your lodge with Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge LDBB.

Day 13 Masai Mara National G.R
Today spend full day in Masai Mara National Game Reserve with morning and afternoon game drives with all meals being served at your lodge with Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge LDBB.

Day 14 Departure
Early morning game drive and return to your lodge for Breakfast, spend morning at leisure then check out and transferred to the local airstrip for your scheduled flights to Nairobi departing at 1100hrs. On arrival at 1215hrs you will be met by a Vintage Africa Representative and transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International airport for your onward departure flight. A Vintage Africa Representative will reconfirm your onward departure flight and assist you to check-in.

The Package Includes:

1Night Macushla House
2Nights Finch Hattons Camp
3Nights Ol Tukai Lodge
3Nights Sarova Lion Hill Lodge
4Nights Mara Serena Lodge
Lunch at Carnivore Restaurant on day 07
Lunch at Keekorok Lodge on day 10
Arrival and departure airport transfers
All meals as specified in the Itinerary
All game drives as per itinerary
All park entrance fees as per itinerary
Transport in 1x7, 4x4 Safari Vehicle
Services of a qualified English Speaking Driver Guide
1 Litre bottle of mineral water per person per day while on a road safari in a VINTAGE AFRICA vehicle

The Package Excludes:

All International Flights + Taxes
Visas
Travel & Personal accident insurance
Tips & personal expenses such as telephone calls...etc.
Excursions not detailed in above program

Included flights:

Scheduled flights Masai Mara - Nairobi on day 14

Added Value:

Vintage Africa Gift Pack
Complimenmtary 188 pages Vintage Africa Safari Guide covering the whole of East Africa
Complimentatry Vintage Africa Safari Pouch with a pen
Complimentary Vintage Africa Hat

Optional services:

 USD 25.00 Per person Flying Doctor Rescue & Evacuation Service (Subject to change and vendor terms & conditions).
 USD 425.00 Per person cost for hot air balloon ride while at Masai Mara

NB: FLIGHT COST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.

ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION

Macushla House

The peaceful and charming Macushla House is located in Langata, a wealthy suburb west of Nairobi, close to the Nairobi National Park, the Ngong Hills, the Karen Blixen Museum, Daphne Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Centre. This immaculate six-bedroomed house at the edge of an indigenous forest is like a private home and provides excellent facilities, food and personalised service in comfortable surroundings.

Open beamed ceilings, natural woodwork, log fires and a private study give the house a unique country-house flavour. Fabulous wholesome meals are prepared with care and attention using the freshest of ingredients and served in the intimate dining room or by the swimming pool. Traditional English Tea with scones can be taken in the garden or the bar which has a large selection of alternative types of drinks. The airy bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms have large windows which overlook the natural gardens of Macushla. Macushla allows you to get away from the city and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the country-side.

Finch Hattons

At the foot of the Chyulu Hills, within Tsavo National Park, Finch Hattons provides a taste of life as it was for the big game hunters in the earlier part of the century. Tsavo is world renowned for its elephant and other game, it is vast - the size of Wales, Holland and Belgium - and it offers terrain ranging from rich golden savannahs to misty mountains. Divided into Tsavo East and West by the Nairobi/Mombasa road, the gamelive an almost undisturbed existence in the western part. Here you will enjoy marvellous game drives.

The luxury tented lodge offers elegant and refined accommodation under canvas. When the aristocratic Denys Finch Hatton, played by Robert Redford in the film "Out of Africa", went on safari he took Mozart and  cut crystal, fine wines and real porcelain. At Finch Hattons the style is the same. Understated, quiet luxuryare the key words. The tents, with deluxe beds and beautiful slate walled shower rooms, are the last word in tented comfort. The main lodge offers a dining hall, bar, lounge and mezzanine library - the latter a favourite spot for post-prandial coffees and delicious petit fours. Food is taken very seriously here. Dinner is always a "production". Served by waiters wearing the khanzu, the traditional snowy-white tunic that servants wore in the colonial period but which is now worn with pride, the five courses are served skilfully and thoughtfully. The cooking is accomplished and indulgent and the continental deserts made by the Finch Hattons patisserie are superb. A well-stocked cellar offers an excellent range of European, American and South African wines. The 35 acres that form Finch Hattons Lodge are unfenced. Lion, buffalo, elephant, giraffe and plains game may come and go as they wish. Hippo and crocodiles live in the three huge pools on the site and the hippos often graze around the tents. Therefore, armed askaris escort you back to your tent when you wish to retire. A close encounter with a hippo reminds you that you are in Africa and anything might happen!

Ol Tukai Lodge

Deep in the heart of the world famous Amboseli National Park is the magnificent Ol Tukai Lodge with amazing views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ol Tukai is surrounded by yellow barked acacia trees and blends effortlessly into this celebrated African wilderness. This is an exceptional location for the naturalist - elephant, lion, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, giraffe, wildebeeste, gazelle are all found here in this haven dominated by acacias, phoenix palms and a partially dry lakebed of evaporated salts, all under the shadows of Africa's highest mountain.  Speakers from the elephant research centre stay within the sizeable grounds of the lodge and give fascinating lectures daily. Bird-walks offer the professional or amateur ornithologist a wide variety of bird species. 

At Ol Tukai, each of the 80 twin rooms, furnished in African woods and fabrics, is extremely comfortable and contain en-suite bathroom facilities. All have breathtaking views of the mountain and the wetlands where elephant and buffalo wallow in the afternoon when it is hotter. For the guests there is a superb swimming pool and a bar to relax at. The open-air Elephant Bar is the ideal place to enjoy drinks or sundowners as you watch the wildlife wander past. A well-stocked library is available to those who wish to learn more about Amboseli.  With wildlife right on your doorstep day and night combined with the gorgeous views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Ol Tukai offers a perfect stay inside Amboseli National Park, one of Africa's greatest wildlife reserves.

Facilities:

Sarova Lion Hill Lodge

Situated in the heart of the Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru is one of Kenya's most famous soda lakes. A major feature of this park is the wonderful birdlife, particularly the thousands of flamingos which create a shimmering pink hue over the lake. A rhino sanctuary also provides the opportunity to see the endangered black rhino.

Sarova Lion Hill offers a unique vantage point. Each of the 64 superbly appointed chalets with private secluded verandah enjoys views over the lake and the distant hills. Even the glorious pool has a view!

Mara Serena Lodge

A masterful interpretation of a traditional Masai village, Mara Serena Lodge seemingly floats on a sea of savannah. A beautiful pool looks out over the wide plains. The rooms are Masai-influenced in style yet extremely comfortable. The main dining room, where delicious meals are served, has three large domes and three small ones depicitng Maasai manyattas (villages). Occasionally an African al fresco barbecue is served by the pool overlooking the Mara plains. Fresh fruit juices and cocktails, wines, spirits or liqueurs are available at the bar until lat in the evening.

At Serena, the views are stunning. It is on this very terrain, stretching endlessly before the lodge, that the annual migrations take place. Millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle pass through on their way to and from their alternative feeding grounds in Tanzania. The Mara Serena offers you a grandstand seat for one of the greatest shows on earth.

Lake Nakuru National Park
Originally declared a national park because of a superbly diverse bird population, which includes many migrants, the park is also a favourite place for travellers to seek the rare black rhino. However, it is for the flamingos that the lake is best known, and it was for their protection that the park was originally created. The level of the bluey-green alkaline waters here varies and this, with other accompanying environmental changes, causes considerable variation in the flamingo population, but when they are present, en masse, the whole lake turns a gorgeous rosy pink.

Although protection of the flamingo population on the lake was the original rationale for the inception of the national park, further land was included in the early seventies and it is now about 190 sq m. This expansion, which took in a large grassland area, has allowed the park to protect further species. Buffalo, zebra, antelope and both lion and leopard are to be found. The rather less ubiquitous reedbuck and waterbuck are also here as is the glamorously leggy Rothschild giraffe. Temptingly, the black rhino breeding programme, started in the late eighties, has proved successful and this is an excellent place to view them.

Lake Nakuru is a small national park. There is no need to stay in the area in order to see all that is to be seen. A good day trip may be enough and these can easily be organised from the Lake Naivasha area.

Masai Mara National G.R
 Probably the most famous of the reserves, the Masai Mara, in Kenya's southwestern corner, boasts an astonishing amount of game. Unfenced, the Mara is bounded in the east by the Ngama Hills and in the west by the  Oloololo or Siria Eascarpment. Gazelle, wildebeest and zebra graze in large numbers and where prey is found so are predators. Not only is this a great place in which to find game, but the wide greeny-gold savannahs spotted with thorn trees make it ideal for photography. The Mara, as it is known in Kenya, is ravishingly beautiful and also offers long, undisturbed views and utterly dramatic panoramas. The weather really means something here. The sun may beat down unforgivingly, huge clouds in fabulous shapes may sweep across the widest of skies, the wind ripples the grasses as though they are stroked by a giant hand. The landscape is stunning.

The famously black-maned Mara lions are possibly the stars of the Mara show, but cheetah, elephant, kongoni, topi, Thompson's gazelle, waterbuck, hyena, and primates are all here too. As with the rest of Kenya, the birding is good. There is no settlement within the reserve however, the Mara is in theory owned by the Maasai, pastoralists and, in earlier times, renowned lion-killers. Lodges and hotels offer the opportunity to buy their beadwork, checked cloths and copies of their spears. It is said that if lions scent approaching Maasai on the breeze they move swiftly in the opposite direction.

Famously, the Mara is the northerly end of the Great Migration, that great primeval surge of wildebeest, zebra and antelope that sweeps in from Tanzania's Serengeti to Kenya's Masai Mara as the Tanzanian grass starts to fail. They are tracked by the large predators who pick off the weak, the stragglers and the young. The great herds, nearing their destination by July, mass along the Mara River, pushing, shoving and fantastically noisy, just waiting for the first animal to cross so that they can all follow, lemming-like, on the final leg of the journey. However, crocodiles lie in wait, sluggishly cruising the waters, fully prepared for their best meal of the year. Many fail in the life-and-death struggle - drowned, eaten by the crocodiles or, made careless or weak by their stressful swim, brought down by lions. The Masai Mara is terrible yet wonderful, and not to be missed.

Luggage:
PLEASE be reminded that the luggage allowance on our schedule flights is strictly 15KGS PER PERSON and that SOFT BAGS are highly recommended, if not essential.  In light aircraft the baggage area and weight allowance is limited. Hard Samsonite type suitcases do not fit into the cargo compartment easily, if at all. Due to limited space available for storage in safari vehicles, we strongly recommend use soft duffle bags rather than hard suitcases.

Contact Cindi at Africa Discovery to reserve your spot!

For more information
Contact:
Africa Discovery
@
1-800-886-7321 • phone: (415) 444-5100 • fax: (415) 444-5560
or
Request Information