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Option C
Day 1 –
Met on arrival at NBO Airport and transfer up north to Samburu National Park. The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the bestselling book and award winning movie Born Free. The Samburu National Reserve is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves. An en-route game drive before we reach the lodge. Check in and lunch followed by an evening game drive. Samburu National Reserve is very peaceful and attracts animals because of the UasoNyiroriver (meaning "brown water" and pronounced U-aa-so-Nyee-ro) that runs through it and the mixture of acacia, riverine forest, thorn trees and grassland vegetation. The UasoNyiro flows from the Kenyan highlands and empties into the famous Lorian Swamp. The natural serenity that is evident here is due to its distance from industry and the inaccessibility of the reserve for many years. Back to the lodge before sunset with dinner.
overnight at SamburuSimba. (L,D)
www.marasimba.com
Day 2 –
Full day in Samburu. There is a wide variety of animal and bird life seen at Samburu National Reserve. Several species are considered unique to the region, including its unique dry-country animal life: All three big cats, lion, cheetah and leopard, can be found here, as well as elephants, buffalo and hippos. Other mammals frequently seen in the park include gerenuk, warthogs, Grant′s gazelle, Kirk′s dik-dik, impala, waterbuck, Grevy′s zebra, Beisaoryx and reticulated giraffe. There are over 350 species of bird. These include Somali ostrich, grey-headed kingfisher, sunbirds, bee-eaters, marabou stork, tawny eagle, bateleur, vulturine guinea fowl, yellow throated spur fowl, lilac-breasted roller, palm nut vulture, red-billed hornbill, secretary bird, Verreaux′s eagle, superb starling, yellow-billed hornbill and vultures. The EwasoNg′iroriver contains a large numbers of Nile crocodile.
Overnight at SimbaSamburu. (B,L,D)
Day 3 –
Lake Nakuru National Park is our destination on Day 3. The Park′s lake is well known for hundreds of thousands of Flamingos. After breakfast, we drive through the Great Rift Valley stopping at one of the highest towns in Kenya, Nyahururu at an elevation of 7700 feet. The main attraction here is the 236 ft high Thomson Falls. Part of the EwasoNyiro River, these cascading falls tumble to the thick forest below. We arrive by noon for lunch at Sarova Lion Hill followed by an evening game drive in this designated Ramsar site. Lake Nakuru is home to the black and white rhino, has a sizeable population of leopards, lions and buffaloes and is famed for its abundance of pythons. The more sociable white rhino is a common sight seen grazing on the open plains. However, its less sociable cousin, the black rhino, often remains hidden in the dense bush. Although not native to this park, these animals were introduced since the park offers good security from poachers. The rhinos are involved in an active breeding program to maintain and improve gene pool diversity. Lake Nakuru National Park is also famous for a large population of pink flamingos, which featured in the movie “Out of Africa”. By sunset we drive to LakeF;lamingo Lodge for dinner.
Overnight at Lake Nakuru. (B,L,D)
www.lakenakuruflamingolodge.com
Day 4 –
After breakfast, we drive to the Masai Mara. We drop down into the Great Rift Valley past the spectacular Volcano of Mount Longonot and head towards the rolling plains of the Masai Mara. The last one and half-hours of the journey find us on bumpy, dusty, dirt road as we drive across the Loita Plains taking in the scenery. Arrive and then check-in followed by lunch. The Masai Mara Game Reserve is often called simply "The Mara" which is the Maa word meaning "Mottled" - a reference to the patchy landscape. The Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) covers some 1,510 square kilometers (583 sq miles) in south-western Kenya. All members of the BIG 5 are found in the Masai Mara. It is classified as a Reserve as opposed to a National Park to allow the Masai people to use the area to graze their cattle. A highlight of the Mara is no doubt the annual wildebeest migration, when literally millions of these beasts move north from the Serengeti in search of grass for food, before turning south again. The Masai Mara also has one of the highest concentrations of lion in Africa and is also a good place to try and spot the elusive leopard and cheetah. An evening game drive and then before it gets dark we drive to our lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Mara Simba. (B,L,D)
Day 5 –
By this morning, if lady luck has been on your side, you would have by now spotted the most elusive of all animals, the leopard. It has been said that the leopard will have spotted you long before you knowing it, or without you even being aware of its presence. Leopards may sometimes be confused with two other large spotted cats, the cheetah and the jaguar. However, the patterns of spots in each are different: the cheetah has simple spots, evenly spread; the jaguar has small spots inside the polygonal rosettes; while the leopard normally has rounder, smaller rosettes than those of the jaguar. The leopard is larger and much more muscular than the cheetah, but slightly smaller and more lightly built than the jaguar. The leopard is known for its ability in climbing, and it has been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging its kill which may be up to three times their own weight, up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees head first. Your post lunch game drive will bring you closer to the thought of your journey home from this strong but vulnerable eco system. With thousands of tourists annually visiting the reserve, there is pressure on the environment and conservation in the Mara is of paramount importance. Kenya has growing demand for land and with the increasing population ever searching for more space to live and cultivate on, The Mara has its share of human-animal conflict, but your visit has brought much required resources that will help in the maintaining the balance between man and his environment.
Dinner and Overnight at Mara Simba.(B,L,D)
Day 6 –
Leave after breakfast for Nairobi. Arrive by noon and after Lunch at Calypso, we visit the Maasai market followed by some last minute shopping for Kenyan Tea and Matoke at Sarit Center. Dinner at Carnivore.
Overnight at Hotel Boulevard.
www.sentrim-hotels.com
Day 7 –
After breakfast, we have time for leisure, before being transferred to the airport for our flight back home. (B) |
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