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13 day Wildlife Tour in Kenya
Aberdares - Solio- Samburu - Nakuru - Masai Mara
A safari designed for those who want wildlife viewing with minimal activity
Day 1: Nairobi Arrival at the airport at night and transfer from the airport to the La Mada or equivalent hotel in Nairobi. Day 2: Aberdare Country Club sanctuary. Outspan Hotel. A 3 hrs transfer takes you to Nyeri in central Kenya, home of the Kikuyu tribe. You will drive through the main farming areas of Kenya with a lot of coffee and pineapple plantations. We will make a stop at the open air Karatina market, which is the biggest farm produce market in the region. We arrive at Outspan Hotel and after settling in the comfortable rooms we will have our lunch in the veranda overlooking the garden and Mt. Kenya. This hotel was the last home of the founder of the scout’s movement: Lord Baden Powell. A museum in his name is maintained and this is worth a visit. In the afternoon we will walk in the game sanctuary of the Aberdare Country Club which is only a 20 min drive away from Outspan. Game viewing will start at the gate of the Aberdare Country Club: the warthogs and impalas roam free on the golf course of the sanctuary. There are lots of opportunities to encounter Thompson and Grant’s gazelles, zebras, reticulated giraffes and the biggest antelopes: elands. On their own these animals are a wonder to watch but to do so while you are walking is an experience that has always brought joy to our guests. Warning: kindly reserve your films or memory space! There is a big temptation to take all the pictures on this day but take our word: there will still be other opportunities. Day 3: Solio Ranch + Treetops (Aberdare NP). After breakfast we drive to the nearby Solio Ranch, which is an 18000-acre private reserve divided into a Rhino Sanctuary, which has Rhino, Buffalo, Zebra, Eland, Oryx, Hartebeest as well as various Gazelles. The other part is an active cattle ranch with the occasional Gazelle roaming in the fields. We do an extensive game drive in the Rhino sanctuary, which has the world's largest concentration of Black Rhinos. The White Rhino is also found here as well as the Reticulated Giraffe, Leopard, Lion and a wide range of plains game and bird life. We will drive around in the ranch but since this private sanctuary is little visited by the main tour operators, we will not have many cars surrounding us. Back to Outspan for lunch. Many people who come to the Aberdare NP expressly visit the tree hotels for game viewing. Their interest is highly justified; to see Elephants, Buffaloes, Rhinos and other game coming to a floodlit waterhole right below the balcony of the hotel is really amazing. Our hotel of choice is Treetops, which is designed for game viewing on a 3-storey structure standing on stilts. Treetops gets its name from the original hotel in which Princess Elizabeth arrived on Feb 5, 1952 and checked out on Feb 6 as the queen of England after her father, King George died in London during the night. The game viewing is an all-night show and many visitors pass the time focused on the waterhole where among the species frequenting are elephants, rhinos, hyenas, various gazelles, warthogs, giant forest hogs, the elusive bongo and with luck a leopard or a lion may pay a visit. Day 4, 5 + 6: Samburu / Shaba National Park. O/N Sarova Shaba Lodge / Samburu Lodge. Leaving the green Central Highlands, we drive up to the dry Northern Kenya, our destination being the famous Samburu National Park. With 3 days dedicated to extensive widlife viewing we expect to see the Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebra, Gerenuk which are the unique species of the region. Along the Ewaso Nyiro River which is the life line of the park herds of elephants, buffaloes as well various cats e.g. lions, leopards, cheetahs and Genet cats are all likely finds. Day 7: Naro Moru River Lodge. Drive south to Naro Moru which is at the base of Mt. Kenya, for an overnight stop before we go to the Rift Valley. We arrive in time for lunch. Free afternoon relaxing at the pool or enjoying the birdlife in the garden. Day 8: To Lake Elementaita. O/N Lake Elementaita Lodge. A four hour bus transfer takes us to the Rift Valley, where we will stay for 2 nights at the Lake Elementaita Lodge. We interrupt the ride with a visit to the Thomson Falls in Nyahururu. In the afternoon we walk up to the shores of the alkaline lake. From there we proceed up to the hot springs and into the Kikopey Hills surrounding the lake. We walk mainly in open savannah land and occasionally we will stop for a chat with a Masai herdsman. The gentle sloping hills give a good panorama. Day 9: Lake Nakuru. O/N Lake Elementaita Lodge. The nearby Nakuru National Park is the oldest park of Kenya. It's not only known for its thousands of flamingos but also for the vast herds of buffaloes, tens of rhinos and cats like leopard and lion. Of the big five only the elephant is missing. We go with a picnic lunch which we have on a scenic point overlooking the lake. Return to the Lake Elementaita Lodge for our second overnight. Day 10: Masai Mara - Mara Simba Lodge / Keekorok. We now take a break from walking to put all our attention to watching wildlife. To see the best of Kenyan wildlife Masai Mara is the place to be. Elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, gazelles and all the big cats are found here. So, after breakfast we start our journey passing through Narok Town; a colorful Masai town. Our game viewing does not actually start at the park gate. We will be able to see many animals along the way grazing side by side with the Masai livestock. We reach the lodge, our home for the next three days, in time for lunch. Day 11 + 12: Masai Mara. O/N Mara Simba Lodge / Keekorok These are our cultural and activity days in Masai Mara. We do a morning game drive through the park and hike to a Masai manyatta (=homestead). Here we will see how the typical Masais live. An afternoon game drive makes the day complete. On day 11 we do a morning and an afternoon game drive. We break from the driving with an optional walk in a natural area with rolling hills and grasslands, out of the park boundaries. Day 13: Transfer to Nairobi Return to Nairobi in time for lunch. Day rooms are at your disposal until 6 p.m. Evening transfer to the airport where we say goodbye. Itinerary changes may be made due to local conditions beyond our control.
Included: all accommodation as per itinerary, all meals from breakfast of day 2 through lunch of day 13, all transport Nairobi-Nairobi and airport transfers, bottled water during the walks, services of guides and the park entrance fees. Not Included: airfare to Kenya, airport taxes, visa, insurance, drinks, tips and expenditure of personal nature.
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