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Karibu Kenya Safari - 6D/5N
This unique tour of Kenya visits the Amboseli National Park, nestled under the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro; the Naivasha Lake region; Masai Mara; and Lake Nakuru region.
Amboseli National Park - It is thanks to the waters that run off Africa’s greatest mountain that the apparently dry Amboseli, Kenya’s first game sanctuary, is able to support its wildlife. Mount Kilimanjaro broods high over Amboseli, generally cloaked by clouds but appearing in all its snow-shrouded magnificence from time to time. Kilimanjaro was once part of Kenya, but now is the territory of Tanzania. The mountain now provides water for the park, wonderful views and, of course, the most glorious background for animal photography. There are high numbers of the elephant for which the park is famous, and it is here that much research has been done on the largest land mammal. The grasslands in the park can be undeniably lovely when made verdant by the rains and the three major swamps could star in a dinosaur movie. The swamps on the east of the park attract wildebeest, zebra and antelope with the predators that live off them, chiefly lion which tend to be easy to view here. In the south, Enkongo Narok swamp attracts hippos to the larger pools and plenty of buffalo, buck and teeming birdlife including the jacanas that pick their way elegantly and carefully. Giraffe are here and in areas still sufficiently treed there are leopard. Cheetah, caracal and civet may be seen. In the west of the park lies Lake Amboseli, a seasonal soda lake, sometimes with flamingos. Amboseli is a fabulous place to visit.
Masai Mara National Reserve - Probably the most famous of the reserves, the Masai Mara, in Kenya’s south western corner, boasts an astonishing amount of game. Unfenced, the Mara is bounded in the east by the Ngama Hills and in the west by the Oloololo or Siria Eascarpment. Gazelle, wildebeest and zebra graze in large numbers and where prey is found so are predators. Not only is this a great place in which to find game, but the wide greeny-gold savannahs spotted with thorn trees make it ideal for photography. The landscape is stunning. The famously black-maned Mara lions are possibly the stars of the Mara show, but cheetah, elephant, kongoni, topi, Thompson’s gazelle, waterbuck, hyena, and primates are all here too. As with the rest of Kenya, the birding is good. There is no settlement within the reserve however, the Mara is in theory owned by the Maasai, pastoralists and, in earlier times, renowned lion-killers. Lodges and hotels offer the opportunity to buy their beadwork, checked cloths and copies of their spears. Famously, the Mara is the northerly end of the Great Migration, that great primeval surge of wildebeest, zebra and antelope that sweeps in from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara as the Tanzanian grass starts to fail. They are tracked by the large predators who pick off the weak, the stragglers and the young. The great herds, nearing their destination by July, mass along the Mara River, pushing, shoving and fantastically noisy, just waiting for the first animal to cross so that they can all follow, lemming-like, on the final leg of the journey. However, crocodiles lie in wait, sluggishly cruising the waters, fully prepared for their best meal of the year. Many fail in the life-and-death struggle - drowned, eaten by the crocodiles or, made careless or weak by their stressful swim, brought down by lions. The Masai Mara is terrible yet wonderful, and not to be missed.
Lake Nakuru National Park - Originally declared a national park because of a superbly diverse bird population, the park is also a favourite place for travellers to seek the rare black rhino. However, it is best known for flamingos. Buffalo, zebra, antelope and both lion and leopard are to be found. The rather less ubiquitous reedbuck and waterbuck are also here as is the glamorously leggy Rothschild giraffe. Lake Nakuru is a small national park. There is no need to stay in the area in order to see all that is to be seen. A good day trip may be enough.
ACCOMMODATIONS
This tour can accommodate on a three-, four-, or five-star basis.
Three-star
- Amboseli - Kibo Safari Camp
- Lake Naivasha - Great Rift Valley Lodge
- Masai Mara - Siana Springs Tented Camp
- Lake Nakuru - Lake Nakuru Lodge
Four-star
- Amboseli - Ol Tukai Lodge
- Lake Naivasha - Naivasha Sopa Lodge
- Masai Mara - Mara Simba Lodge
- Lake Nakuru - Lion Hill Lodge
Five-star
- Amboseli - Amboseli Serena Lodge
- Lake Naivasha - Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge
- Masai Mara - Mara Serena Lodge
- Lake Nakuru - Lion Hill Lodge
INCLUDED - Accommodation is on full board basis on Safari. Transport in 8-seater minibuses, game drives as mentioned on the itinerary, park entrance fees for clients, drivers and vehicles. Bottled water on road safaris in the vehicle.
NOT INCLUDED - Tips, porterage, beverages, items of personal nature such as laundry, phone, fax, insurance etc. Deviation from the itinerary. International and domestic flights, visas and airport taxes. Any other item not mentioned in the itinerary.
DEPARTS - Daily
SKETCH ITINERARY
- Day 1 Amboseli - On arrival at JKI Airport, you will be met and assisted to your vehicles. Proceed to Amboseli National Park situated at the foothills of the Majestic Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa. Afternoon game drive. Overnight at your lodge/camp on full board basis
- Day 2 Amboseli - Breakfast at your lodge. Morning and afternoon game drives in search of the wild under the backdrop of the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa. Overnight at lodge/camp on full board basis
- Day 3 Naivasha - After an early breakfast, depart for Naivasha region. Lake Naivasha is a beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus. The lake is almost 13kms across, but its waters are shallow with an average depth of five metres. Afternoon wind and storms can cause the Lake to become suddenly rough and produce high waves. For this reason, the local Maasai christened the lake Nai’posha meaning ‘’rough water'’, which the British later misspelt as Naivasha. Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow barked Acacia Xanthophlea, known as the yellow fever tree. These forests abound with bird life, and Naivasha is known as a world class birding destination. Overnight at lodge/camp on full board basis
- Day 4 Masai Mara - After breakfast traverse the Rift Valley and ascend its western rim into the Masai land and to the famous Masai Mara. Afternoon game drive to view the “Big Five” and other wildlife in the magnificent scenery of the Mara, famous for the Wildebeest and Zebra migration and its abundance of resident wildlife. Overnight at lodge/camp on full board basis
- Day 5 & 6 Masai Mara - Morning and afternoon game drives in this spectacular game reserve, all with superb photographic opportunities. Option balloon excursion-early morning to experience the panoramic Mara from a birds-eye view (optional and not included in the price). Overnight at lodge/camp on full board basis
- Day 7 Lake Nakuru - Breakfast at your hotel. Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park via Nyahururu Falls. Afternoon game drive to view the flamingos and other birds that feed in the alkaline water. Other game found in this park are black and White Rhino, buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild’s Giraffe, White and Black Colobus monkey, eland, steinbok, impala, Chandlers Reedbuck, dik dik, whilst rock hyrax, klipspringer, hippo and clawless otter. O Overnight at lodge/camp on full board basis
- Day 8 Depart - Breakfast at your lodge. Drive back to Nairobi for your farewell lunch at the famous Carnivore Restaurant. Dropoff at JKI Airport for your onward flight
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Canadian Residents - Download Full Plan Details Here
Vantage World Strongly Recommends Insurance for all your Travel Programs
We provide, through TravelSafe Insurance, one of the nation's largest and most respected providers of travel insurance, a TravelSafe Custom Plan, where you decide the benefits YOU want and the levels of protection YOU desire including access to their 24-hour emergency assistance service from anywhere in the world. Click the link below the Plan Benefits table for plan details.
