An Intimate Safari Experience
Day 1 – Welcome to Nairobi, Kenya
Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly welcomed and escorted to the 5-star Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, a luxury landmark for more than a century. The balance of your day is at leisure.
Day 2 – Into the Masai Mara
After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the Wilson Airport for your short flight into the famed Masai Mara, longtime favorite of travel writers, film makers, and seasoned travelers. It is one of the few places on the Continent where visitors can see big game in the same super-abundance that existed a century ago! Upon arrival at the airstrip, you’ll be met by your guide and escorted to your deluxe lodge with a game drive en route. Set in a bend of the Mara River, the Fairmont Mara Safari Club offers luxurious tented accommodations with four-poster, pillow-top beds and a private verandah overlooking the hippo and crocodile-filled river! Meals B,L,D
Day 3 – Masai Mara National Game Reserve
Set in the heart of the Great Rift Valley, the golden grasslands of the Mara - punctuated by acacia woodland - stretch to the horizon where rugged rocky hills shimmer in the distance. The valley floor is abundant with the Big Five, plus giraffe, zebra, rhino, cheetah, and more than 450 bird species including spectacular birds of prey like eagles and owls. You’ll have morning and afternoon game drives today with lunch, dinner and time to relax back at the Safari Club. Meals B,L,D
Day 4 – Onward to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park
Journey across the border into Tanzania, stop for a picnic lunch and enjoy a game drive en route to the Lemala E-Wanjan Luxury Camp. With a privileged location in the Central Serengeti and specially designed open-top 4x4 safari vehicles, our camp offers spectacular game viewing in the wildlife-rich habitats of the Central, Southern and Western Serengeti. Meals B,L,D
Day 5 – Safari Drives in the Serengeti
Arise refreshed for breakfast in the chandeliered mess tent before setting out on a morning game drive. Your luxury camp is ideally positioned for wildlife viewing here in the game-rich Serengeti, famed for its unequalled concentration of animals, including the wildebeest and zebras that make up the Great Migration. Return to camp for lunch and time to relax before heading out with your tracker guide for an afternoon game drive. Meals B,L,D
Day 7 – To Ngorongoro
by way of Olduvai
After breakfast, drive into the eastern Serengeti to visit Olduvai Gorge. Often referred to as “The Cradle of Mankind,” our modern understanding of human evolution began here in this gorge with the pioneering work of Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey. Continue to Ngorongoro Crater, unique for both its geological origins and abundance of wildlife. This immense caldera, the remnants of an ancient volcanic summit, measures 12 miles across and the encircling rim – now seen as a chain of mountains – soars 2,000 feet above the crater floor. Almost like an immense fishbowl, the crater is a nearly treeless expanse teeming with wildlife including the Big Five - plus hyena, hippo, gazelle, and numerous bird species.
Descend to the crater floor for an unforgettable game drive and then proceed to the Lemala Ngorongoro Luxury Camp, set in a privileged location atop the rim of the crater. This evening by special arrangement, a prominent member of the local Masai tribe will join us at our camp. This informal lecture and casual discussion with the chief’s son promises unique insight into Masai culture. Meals B,L,D.
Day 8 – From Ngorongoro to Tarangire
This morning’s journey takes us to Tarangire National Park. Though less visited, this 525-square-mile slice of land on the Tarangire River has some of the greatest concentration of big game in Tanzania - perhaps second only to Ngorongoro, but with fewer visitors! Arrive at the stylish Lemala Tarangire Camp in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive. The Park is well-known for its populations of several species rarely seen in the larger parks including Eland, Oryx and Grant’s gazelles. Meals B,L,D
Day 9 – Game Viewing from dawn to dusk
Near to your camp deep in the Park, the Tarangire River and Silale wetlands attract vast numbers of elephant and buffalo herds along with the big cats and more than 500 species of birds. Taking advantage of the seasonal game movement from the surrounding areas into Tarangire during the dry season from June to October, the seasonal Lemala Camp promises unparalleled game viewing opportunities from dawn to dusk. In between your early morning and afternoon game drives, you can join guided nature walks from camp, enjoy al fresco meals and sip sundowners while watching game saunter past. Meals B,L,D
Day 10 – Out of Africa
After breakfast at camp, drive to Kilimanjaro Airport for your onward flight. Meals B,L
