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Upgrade: Tour Option
If you prefer to travel in a bit more comfort, then you may consider upgrading your trip to a part fl y/part drive or a complete fly–in safari. Please contact us for other options and itineraries.
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Day 1: NAIROBI
Upon arrival into Nairobi, you will be met and transferred to the Nairobi Serena Hotel. This afternoon will be at leisure to enjoy these tranquil grounds and perhaps take part in some of the leisure facilities available. The Serena group is renowned for offering excellent hotel facilities throughout East Africa, and the Nairobi Serena is no exception. A member of the Leading hotels of the World, the Serena enjoys a location on the edge of the Central Park and the City Centre. Shaded by the glorious Jacaranda, Bougainvillea and Acacia trees and surrounded by lush manicured gardens, the hotel provides a peaceful and luxurious retreat to travellers, business people and famous dignitaries in a bustling city. The Serena is one of the finest hotels to stay in when in Nairobi.
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Day 2: NAIROBI - SWEETWATERS (B,L,D)
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to connect with the flight to Nanyuki departing at 11:30am, and arriving at 12:10pm. From here you'll be met and transferred to camp. After lunch, enjoy a game drive returning late afternoon. After dinner, you will depart on a night game drive. Sweetwaters Tented Camp lies in the heart of the private 24,000 acre Sweetwaters Game Reserve. Built in the early 1970's, the main building was originally the residence of billionaire Adnan Kashoggi's ranch manager. The 30 luxuriously appointed en-suite tents have magnificent views across the plains to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya.
Located in typical savannah grasslands, punctuated by the "whistling thorn" shrubs and acacia trees, Sweetwaters really is an oasis. It offers guests the indulgence of a swimming pool, some of the finest tented accommodation in Kenya, with personalised service and attention to detail. At Sweetwaters there is plenty to see. Giraffe, zebra, eland, oryx, waterbuck, Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, lion, silver-backed jackals, ostrich, hartebeest, baboon and rhino are all present. There are also several hundred bird species to be observed. There is always a resident naturalist around to help you with your identifications.
The private game reserve is also home to the only chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya. Most of the chimps came from the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi and the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary now cares for them as a non-profit making venture. Most of the chimps were rescued from the most appalling conditions and it is truly heart-warming to see them living in the riverine forest and savannah grasslands here.
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Day 3: SWEETWATERS - MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)
This morning, you'll transfer back to the Airstrip to connect with the flight to the Masai Mara, departing at 10:00am and arriving at 11:15am. Upon arrival, you will be met by a guide from camp and transferred to the lodge for lunch. After time to relax and afternoon tea, you'll head out into the Mara for an afternoon game drive, returning to the camp as the sun sets.
A masterful interpretation of a traditional Masai village, Mara Serena seemingly floats on a sea of savannah. A beautiful pool looks out over the wide plains that stretch endlessly before the lodge. 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 depicting 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 late in the evening. There is a large fire under the stars each evening where safari stories are shared with guests from around the world.
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Day 4: MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Masai Mara. One of East Africa's most famous reserves, the 1,600 square kilometre 'Mara' consists of undulating hills and great rolling grasslands that sustain some of the most varied wildlife in Africa, if not the world. There is always game in the Mara, however it changes its character dramatically with the seasons. So, when the grass is fairly high in many areas, game-viewing is restricted, but the countryside is incredibly green and at its most scenic.
As the countryside dries out, game-viewing improves. Game concentrations are at their greatest from around July to the end of October, when the migrating herds filter across the Mara River from western Serengeti. During this period, you will find vast plains filled, as far as the eye can see, with wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, topi and hartebeest as well as the normal resident herds such as elephant, buffalo and giraffe. Naturally, these are all followed by great prides of lion, hyena, cheetah and the various other predators and scavengers. Many animals do not survive these annual trips due to exhaustion or the treacherous river crossings, where some of the world's largest crocodiles await their feast.
Other highlights of the Mara include the early morning balloon safaris, walking in the community areas adjoining the main park and some of the lodges' fascinating programmes orientated towards children's wildlife education.
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Day 5: MASAI MARA - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)
This morning after an early breakfast you will transfer by road (with a picnic lunch) to the Isebania border post between Kenya and Tanzania (around 3 hours).
From here you will be met by a Ranger Safaris Driver-guide and Vehicle and transferred by road to your lodge in the Serengeti with game-viewing en route, arriving in the evening. The Serengeti Serena reflects both the local culture and the surrounding environment. Set high on a hill with magnificent views of the sweeping Serengeti, the lodge is reminiscent of a traditional African village. Rondovals built in the time-honored hut style, house luxury bedrooms with ensuite facilities. Simple in design, yet sophisticated in content, the Serengeti Serena's decor highlights African arts and crafts, including woodcarving, bead making and pottery. Everything from key tags to headboards for the beds have been specially made.
This uniquely African design skillfully incorporates the comforts and attention to detail that are the hallmark of every Serena Lodge. Therefore, if you wish to stay in a lodge, but want more of an African experience, then you will thoroughly enjoy your experience here.
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Day 6: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti. In the local vernacular, Serengeti means 'the endless plains that go up to the sky'. And they do just that. It is therefore easy to understand why this is the most popular and spectacular of all game parks in East Africa. Covering 14,765 sq km, one of the striking features of this park is the series of large granite outcrops that dominate the vast plains, making it very different to the Masai Mara. Life in the park centres on the triangular trek of several million hooves. This movement never stops, as the animals constantly seek out new grazing pastures.
Every year, after the south's short November rains, wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, topi and hartebeest gather in their thousands on the Serengeti's southern plains and the Ngorongoro Highlands. Then, around April, they head towards the western corridor of the Serengeti, where many overflow into the Masai Mara around July/August. They remain here until late October/November, when Tanzania's new rains prompt the move south again, towards Lake Ndutu and Lagaja.
This yearly phenomenon also affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of other species, who rely on the migratory herds for their survival. These include predators, gazelles, birds and lowly insects, not to mention the grasses and trees that are fertilised by droppings. Another of the highlights here is the early morning balloon safari.
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Day 7: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK - NGORONGORO CRATER (B,L,D)
After breakfast you depart for Ngorongoro Crater, viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains and stopping off at Olduvai Gorge en route. The Gorge acquired its name from the Sansevieria bush that grows profusely in the area, named Olduvai by the Maasai.
The Gorge is about 50km long and in some places around 90m deep and is found between the Crater and the Serengeti. It was first discovered by a German entomologist named Professor Kattwinkel, who instigated an expedition just before the First World War. Later, the exploration was continued by Dr Louis Leakey and his wife, who in 1959 found humanoid remains of Zinjanthropus, later renamed Australapithicus Boisei, an early form of man. You will have time to walk through the simple small museum at the gorge, where you can view copy displays of some of the finds as well as pictures of what life was like for the gorge's earliest inhabitants.
Upon arrival at the lodge, you'll have lunch and time to relax, before departing on an escorted 1 hour walk in the conservation area with a conservation officer. Your accommodation is at the stunning Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. Built of stone and covered with a profusion of flowering plants, the lodge feels as if it's actually part of the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. The walls and terraces were designed around the existing contours of the site, making this beautiful lodge appear to be absorbed into the very earth on which it is built.
The result is a unique accommodation with unhindered views of the wealth of animal and bird life that fill the vast crater below.
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Day 8: NGORONGORO CRATER (B,L,D)
A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart by 4x4 to explore the vast Ngorongoro Crater. After breakfast, you'll descend through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater for game viewing. Ngorongoro Crater is the World's largest intact volcanic caldera and is also one of the World's seven natural wonders.
Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct habitats, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It's an awesome wildlife experience. In the early afternoon you leave the Crater and drive back to the lodge for lunch followed by rest of the afternoon at leisure.
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Day 9: NGORONGORO CRATER - LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)
After breakfast, you leave the Crater and drive through the highlands to Lake Manyara Serena Lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will continue to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive before ending the day with dinner at your Lodge. It would be difficult to find a more dramatic setting than the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
Situated at the edge of an escarpment, this deluxe lodge overlooks both the Great Rift Valley, which formed millions of years ago, and the beautiful soda lake of Manyara with its lavish supply of bird life. The birds themselves have provided the inspiration for the lodge's architecture. Graceful, curving and free flowing, it is built in the local circular style and exudes an atmosphere of peacefulness where man and nature co-exist.
From the patterns in the reception area resembling bird migration paths, to the soft geometric designs in the bedrooms, there is barely a single straight line in its design. The bar and restaurant offer guests both indoor and outdoor seating at each meal. Sumptuous menus, buffets and barbecues are served to guests alongside authentic African dishes. From whichever direction you approach Manyara, the first view is spectacular.
From the east, the Rift Valley wall rises several hundred metres to form an impressive backdrop to the lake. From the west, if one is perched at the top of the escarpment, the park lies far below, with a long green strip of water that glistens in the sunlight. The vegetation around the lake's shores is surprisingly varied and comprises mostly forest, acacia woodland and open grassland.
The park covers an area of 330 sq km of which about 230 sq km is the lake itself. You can always find hippo in the Simba River, elephant in the forests and a resident herd of Cape buffalo on the open plains at Mahali Pa Nyati, which means, "the place of the buffalo" in Swahili. In addition, there are approximately 400 species of birds and with some luck you might see tree-climbing lions.
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Day 10: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK - NAIROBI (B,L)
Today you'll depart after breakfast and head east, down the fascinating escarpment of the Rift Valley towards the village of Makuyuni and onto Arusha. The journey will pass through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. On arrival in Arusha you will be provided with lunch, before being dropped of at the airport to catch the Precision Air flight to Nairobi departing at approximately 3:50pm and arriving at 4:40pm where your arrangements end.