Itinerary August/September 2022
Day 1 Arrive in Nairobi & transfer to motel Day 2 Nairobi
Day 3 Nairobi
Day 4 Morning visit to Rubens Centre & prepare for Safari Day 5 Drive to Samburu, afternoon Safari
Day 6 Full day in Samburu Day 7 Full day in Samburu
Day 8 Ol Pajeta/Sweetwaters to Lake Nakuru Day 9 Lake Nukuru to Masai Mara
Day 10 Masai Mara Day 11 Masai Mara Day 12 Masai Mara
Day 13 Masai Mara to Nairobi Day 14 Nairobi – Departure day
Day 1
Arrive at Nairobi International Airport (Jomo Kenyatta). Where possible, I will meet you at the airport for your transfer to the Motel. Our motel is near the Airport.
The rest of the day will be free for you to rest. We will all meet up for dinner.
While in Nairobi the Hotel is booked with breakfast only included. Overnight: Boma Inn or similar
Day 2
Late start at 10am we will depart to the public area of Giraffe Manor. There is a large platform where we will get to feed the giraffe and see some other animals.
Visit the home of the Danish Author, Karen Blixen (from Out of Africa fame, make sure you watch the movie before we go), she was a very interesting woman. We will lunch here and explore the Museum.
Overnight: Boma Inn or similar
Day 3
9am departure to town. We will have a look around before organising local sim cards with data and calls and txt. This should cost around $25.00. Then we can keep in touch at all times. It also means you have data and can use messenger/facebook/whatsapp to keep in touch with family & friends.
Private visit to Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage – I will ask guests to sponsor an elephant earlier in the year. This costs from $50 per year. It is a wonderful program, but you can choose to drop your sponsorship after the visit. The 11am general public viewing is great, but very busy.
We will lunch on town somewhere nice.
Visit the Kazuri Bead Company. They sell handmade ceramic beads fashioned into ear-rings and necklaces. Each bead is handmade, unique, colourful and striking. This foundation was founded in 1975, initially with 2 single mothers. It soon became obvious that there were many women in the same circumstances. It has now grown to a workforce of 340 women.
Overnight: Boma Inn or similar
Day 4
8am Breakfast. 9am - Visit to the Rubens Centre to see the amazing work being done with the poor of the slums. The slum in Nairobi contains over 1 million people living in appalling conditions, it is considered the largest slum in the world. Make sure you wear solid
footwear as there is little or no infrastructure and it is not particularly clean. The children here have very little, so if you have room in your luggage for pencils, coloring books, hair ties, underwear (childrens), etc it would be greatly appreciated. I will find out exactly what they would prefer us to bring.
The Ruben Centre is a faith based organisation, run by the Christian Brothers African
Province. It provides education, health, financial and social services to children and families in Muruku community.
There will be some free time in the afternoon to give you time to get organised for Safari. Safari briefing with Driver – Time to be advised
Tonight we will visit the famous Carnivore Restaurant (cost not included). This is an iconic restaurant serving all types of meat. This is an all you can eat experience where they carve many types of mainstream and exotic meats onto your plate until you admit defeat. There is also a number of salads and a vegetarian menu available.
Overnight: Boma Inn or similar
Day 5
6.30am Breakfast for a 7.30am Departure. Drive to Samburu National Park, this is around a 6 hr drive. Lunch will be purchased along the way. We should arrive at Samburu mid-afternoon. After check-in and rest, we will have a late afternoon game drive in the park.
Samburu features Kenya’s biggest river, Ewaso Nyiro. It is a vast expanse of pristine wilderness, it is a wildlife haven. As one of the less-visited regions in Kenya, it offers an authentic wilderness experience. Samburu is also home to five rare species. The Grevy Zebra, Gerenuk, Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx and Somali Ostrich, are only found here.
Beisa Oryx Gerenuk
Overnight: Samburu Intrepids Camp - Includes all meals
Day 6
Full day in Samburu
Overnight: Samburu Intrepids Camp - Includes all meals
Day 7
2nd full day in Samburu
Overnight: Samburu Intrepids Camp - Includes all meals
NOTE: On one of our days in Samburu, we will visit a local Masai Boma (Village). Overnight: Samburu Intrepids Camp - Includes all meals
Day 8
7.30am breakfast for 8.30 departure. Drive to Ol Pajeta National Park. Upon arrival, we will check in, have some lunch and a tidy up before departing for the afternoon game drive. The Southern & Northern hemispheres meet in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy, we will visit this area during our time here.
Ol Pajeta also contains the only Chimpanzee’s in Kenya. They are caged, so it will be a group decision as to whether we visit or not.
Ol Pajeta is 90,000 acres in size and is Africa’s largest black Rhino Sanctuary. The snowy peaks of Mt Kilimanjaro form a backdrop. It contains elephant, wild dog (hard to find), hyena, lion, buffalo, cheetah as well as all the plains herbivores.
It is a conservancy dedicated to the protections of wildlife and education. It has an armed Ranger team, and a trained K9 unit. It does have electric fences in some areas, but has a specialised fencing system which allows animals other than the Rhino’s to migrate.
The exact itinerary here will need to be finalised, as this is a draft itinerary at this stage.
Specialised Rhino Fencing – All other animals can fit through and migrate
Overnight: Sweetwaters Serena Camp - Includes all meals
Day 9
7.00am breakfast for an 8.30am visit to the world last remaining Northern White Rhino. Najin and Fatu are only 2 Northern White Rhino left (sadly) and they are both at Ol Pajeta.
Drive to Lake Nakuru, with lunch along the way. We should arrive early afternoon, and after a short rest, have a late game drive. Lake Nakuru is well known for its abundance of Rhinoceros. It contains Black (not often seen), and Southern White Rhino, Rothschild Giraffe, Lion and Leopard (unlikely). There is a lake across one side containing Flamingo.
Southern White Rhinoceros
Overnight: Sopa Lodge – All meals
Day 10
7am breakfast in Lodge and 8am departure. We will game drive out of Lake Nakuru before driving to the Masai Mara. It is around a 5 hour drive to the Masai Mara (the roads can be bumpy). We should arrive at the Mara mid-afternoon. We will then game drive to our accommodation.
The Masai Mara (along with the Serengeti) forms Africa’s most diverse and spectacular eco-system, and the world’s top safari big game viewing. It stretches 580sq km’s and is 1,500 – 2,170m above sea level. Once you add the conservancies, the area doubles in size (the Masai own land surrounding the Mara Triangle). The annual migration of the
Wildebeest begins late June until October, is one world’s MUST SEE wildlife spectacles. The Masai Mara contains all of the big 5, and a large number of Lions, Leopard and Cheetah.
Cheetah in the Masai Mara
Overnight: Mara Ashnil – Includes all meals
Day 11
We now have two full days in the Masai Mara. We will have a 7am Breakfast, before departing on a Game drive to our accommodation in the Mara triangle. We will lunch at our accommodation, and have a 2nd afternoon/evening Game Drive.
Overnight: Mara Serena - Includes all meals
Day 12
Full day in Mara triangle. Some mornings we will have a very early morning start to capture the sunrise, both here in the Mara and also in Samburu. We will discuss with our driver the best mornings to do so
Overnight: Mara Serena - Includes all meals
Overnight: Mara Serena - Includes all meals
Day 13
7am breakfast – Depart on Game Drive with packed lunch. Leave park late morning for the return drive to Nairobi. Currently drive time is around 6 hours, but by 2021, the main road to Nairobi should be finished. So drive time will be much shorter.
Day 14
Today you fly home, or on the optional 5 days to Zanzibar Island. For some guests, we will continue onto Cairo on a 2nd tour. This is day 1 of the Egypt/Jordan Tour on a separate itinerary.
At some stage, it there is time, I would like to visit the final resting place of “Big Tim”. Tim was an iconic super tusker Elephant, who I have been lucky enough to visit on a couple of occasions. He has now been preserved, and as he was one of the finest elephants you are ever likely to see, well worth a visit.
Inclusions:
Most meals, all transfers, all accommodation and breakfasts, 4wd Safari vehicle, tours and transport in NairobiExclusions:
International Flights, visa’s, some meals, tips, driver’s tips, alcohol, gifts,sponsorship at Daphne Sheldricks
2 weeks Tour approximate cost: $5,800
(based on 2020 pricing)COST: Costs are calculated on a twin-share basis. I will attempt to place a single traveller with a same sex traveller. Single supplement will apply if this is not possible, for solo travellers (not usually a problem).
Optional Extra:
Ballooning is a wonderful experience (but expensive), floating silentlyabove the animals. I have done it a few times, and always take the opportunity. Cost: $560USpp
