Oct 8 - Olpejeta Conservancy – Get your Game Drives on!   

We’ll spend a full day in the 90,000 acre, award winning conservancy, which is home to large prides of lions, leopards, elephants, rhino and more. Our highly trained and knowledgeable guides will help us make the most of the viewings as we explore Ol Pejeta's open plains and secret valleys with an astonishing variety of wildlife.

We’ll start out before dawn for a game drive and return for a scrumptious breakfast. The day is one to enjoy at your leisure with lunch at the camp.   Following afternoon tea and coffee, we’ll proceed on an early evening Game Drive before returning for dinner and overnight again at the camp.

Overnight: Sweetwaters Tented Camp (2 Nights)                                B,L,D

https://www.serenahotels.com/serenasweetwaters/en/accommodation.html

Oct 9 - Lake Nakuru   

After breakfast, we set out for a morning drive into thew Great Rift Valley and head to Lake Nakuru National Park. We’ll arrive at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge in time for lunch.

Our lodge is designed in such a way that most chalet-style rooms afford stunning views of the Kenya’s third largest lake and the park. The Lodge incorporates natural landscaping with tall acacia trees, winding walkways and greens dotted with bird feeds. Enjoy the spa, pool, sauna and free Wi-Fi.

Following lunch, we’ll have some leisure time before proceeding on an afternoon game drive. Lake Nakuru is famous for the massive populations of flamingos that number in the thousands during dry season. The Park also contains Kenya’s largest population of rhinos, as well as many primates from baboons to monkeys, giraffe and even leopards.  The surface of the lake occupies about a third of the park. The lake supports a dense bloom of the blue-green algae called Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis from which Nakuru derives its color and draws over 400 species of birds.

Overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge (1 night)                                   B,L,D

https://www.sarovahotels.com/lionhill-nakuru/

Oct 10 - Lake Nakuru – Masai Mara   

In the morning, we head around 4-hours in our five safari vehicles with pop-up roof for maximum viewing comfort to the legendary Maasai Mara, Kenya's most famous Game Reserve.

We’ll have a few stops along the way for comfort breaks, a handicraft market and to enjoy the cool savannah fresh air. The Masai Mara, bordering Tanzania’s Serengeti plains.

We check into the dreamy Fairmont tented retreat with impeccable service. Our luxuriously furnished tents with large bath and outdoor rain showers, overlook the Mara River, right on the seasonal path of the Great Migration. There is a spa, outdoor heated pool, horse rides, sundowner cocktails, alfresco buffets, bush dinners, evening lectures on Kenya and cultural dances by the Masai make it truly unique.

You’ll have some leisure time before we enjoy a late afternoon game drive in this magnificent reserve. The greatest attraction in the  Mara is watching the animals in their natural element; a lion’s roar, a cheetah making a kill, the large herds of the migratory wildebeest, an elephant trumpeting and lots of other animal activities are all very fascinating events.

We’ll return to the camp after your game drive for dinner.

Overnight at Fairmont Safari Club (2 nights)                            B,L,D

https://www.andbeyond.com/our-lodges/africa/kenya/masai-mara-national-park/andbeyond-kichwa-tembo-tented-camp

Oct 11 - Masai Mara – Balloons, Village Visit, Game Drives

We set out for a pre-dawn safari game drive in search of animals. The early mornings and evenings are the best times to watch the big cats hunt - lions, cheetah, and leopards. We’ll return for a scrumptious buffet breakfast and mid-morning we’ll visit to a Maasai Boma. As we arrive at the village, we’ll be greeted by excited children and adults with song and dance including the traditional jump dancing. We’ll learn how the village functions, visiting huts (called Manyatta) that are made of cow dung and clay plastered over stick frames. Some of our hosts may not speak English but our guides will interpret for you and the elders. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history and lifestyle of these Maasai.

After lunch, the afternoon is free.  Then at dusk we enjoy another exciting evening game drive with spot lights in search of the "Big Five" the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and the buffalo. Dinner is back at the Safari Camp.

Optional morning flight in hot air balloons will be offered early today. This is the number one place to ascend in a balloon with panoramic views of the wildlife drama sweeping across the Mara plains below. We rise early for a lift-off at dawn over 1000 feet, floating in total silence apart from the natural sounds below. Celebrate with champagne and a full English breakfast served in the bush in fine ‘Out of Africa’ style. Receive your balloon certificate and head back to camp at 9:45 AM for another breakfast! It’s expensive but oh so worth it. Full details and headcount later.  

Overnight at Fairmont Safari Club (2 nights)                            B,L,D

https://www.andbeyond.com/our-lodges/africa/kenya/masai-mara-national-park/andbeyond-kichwa-tembo-tented-camp

Oct 12 - Masai Mara to Nairobi (depart)   

We’ll bid goodbye to our camp after breakfast and make the five-hour journey across the Mara to head back to Nairobi. We’ll have lunch at the legendary Carnivore restaurant that specializes in exotc game meats and an endless buffet for a dining experience you’ll never forget.

Our final stop will be at Nairobi’s Giraffe Center where you can hand-feed the Rothschilds giraffes.  Afterwards, we will drive back to the airport where we start our journey home.                               B,L