Classic Kenya, Under Canvas 

“Under Canvas in the Masai Mara”

Old World Safari Elegance in Kenya. Oct 4- 12, 2024

Timeless Kenya is everything you imagine Africa to be and truly the epitome of turning your safari dream into reality. October is the time to go for great weather and to witness ‘the greatest roadshow on earth’ in the Mara. Countless herds of wildebeest, zebra and herbivores cross the rivers south into the Serengeti in search of the rains. The Great Migration, one of the seven wonders of the world, is an experience that changes you. Senses are stirred with the thrill of anticipation of what will happen next. That’s just one of the reasons AFSers consistently rate magical Kenya as their“best vacation experience ever“. It is here where the safari concept began.

Forget watching National Geographic. Come live it with a front row seat to the abundance of wildlife ! Enjoy exhilarating game drives morning and night when the predators are actively chasing prey. In the Mara, you’re virtually assured of seeing the Big 5- lions, rhinos, elephants, buffalo and leopards. It’s as authentic as it gets. You’ll love the new award winning 5 star Fairmont Safari Camp ! Imagine luxury tents with 4 poster beds, huge bath and a private deck overlooking the hippos and crocs in the Mara River below you. Like the ultra- rich, you’ll be spoiled with the spa, pool and gourmet meals. At night there are lectures by Maasai warriors, sundowners and bush dinners under the stars. With your stay here, you’re giving back. Fairmont supports a local Masai village which we will visit. Also Children’s Garden Home for us to delight the orphans with school supplies. 

Each day we add more special moments. Visit David Sheldrick’s Elephant Sanctuary, Ol Pejeta Rhino & Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Lake Nakuru, the Rothschild Giraffe Center, Karen Blixens Homestead, Kazuri Beads, the Carnivore and more. Since 1989, we’ve sent dozens of groups here , so loved by all, some return again with us. With our smaller groups now, many of you were left behind on the waitlist last year. What’s different about our new Classic Kenya ? It’s our fine tented properties to pamper you throughout. And it’s about our all inclusive best ever price this year that can’t possibly be beat ! The only thing optional is your champagne hot air balloon safari in the Mara over the endless game. 

From colonial Nairobi, to luxurious tents in the wild bush, this is an experience like no other and Kenya always delivers. Our 9-day adventure is tailor-made for only 24 animal lovers to photographers. If you’re an AFS Afriholic, you may consider extending this safari with our next Tanzania and Zanzibar trip, whose dates dovetail this trip. They won’t come around again. Now is the time for your ‘Out Of Africa’ adventure of a lifetime.

Be sure you save your confirmation email.  It has a link that will direct you back to your booking in order to make changes or cancel, etc.  

Note- Itineraries are created a year before departure of the trip. Always refer to the online itineraries at www.afstravelers.com for the latest.

Oct 4 – Depart fly USA to Nairobi. (Air details coming in trip tips)

The flights to Nairobi are all overnight, so plan accordingly to leave the U.S. today. Air is easy round-trip to NBO and plenty of airline choices.

Oct 5 – Jambo, Welcome to Kenya!

Land at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport.  (One common group transfer will be provided).  The drive to our hotel is about 5 minutes away from the international arrivals. Arrive and check in to the beautiful Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel.

After check-in, the day is free to take advantage of the hotel’s rooftop pool or optional excursions depending on the time of arrival. The hotel is located very close to the Nairobi National Park which allows Nairobi to call itself the World’s only Wildlife Capital by hosting a national park within its borders.

Overnight: Nairobi Crowne Plaza (2 nights)

www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/nairobi/nboir/hoteldetail

Oct 6 -  Amazing Sightseeing Tour from Nairobi 

After breakfast, we enjoy a full day city tour of vibrant Nairobi. Our first stop will be for an incredible experience with orphaned elephants and rhinos at the David Shedlrick Wildlife Trust. This Kenyan wildlife conservation charity was founded in 1977 by Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her late husband David Sheldrick. Its mission is to assist and advise the Kenya Wildlife Service and manage these large orphans who otherwise would perish in the wild. It’s a delightful visit here for all!

Next, we visit the Karen Blixen Museum. The former African home of Danish author Karen Blixen, famous for her book Out of Africa, which chronicles life at the estate in the early 1900s.  We’ll enjoy lunch at the Karen Blixen café.  Our visit to the Kazuri Bead Factory in the afternoon will highlight an all women enterprise renowned for making fabulous clay beads and jewelry. The Factory was founded decades ago by an Englishwoman who wanted to help single mothers become self-supporting. The clay beads make great gifts and are as amazing as the story of the Factory’s evolution.

We’ll also the Children's Garden Home, a community-based, nongovernmental, non-profit charitable organization for orphans, abandoned, abused, desperate and neglected street children. The Home offers parental love, spiritual care, rehabilitation, and non-formal education to nurture the children and unleash their full potential towards living a good life based on self-reliance. Let’s bring goodies to Joy bomb these impoverished kids with a visit they’ll never forget.

Your evening is free to enjoy. There are many things to do and see here both day and night. Visit www.magicalkenya.com

Overnight: Nairobi Crowne Plaza (2 nights)                             B,L

www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/nairobi/nboir/hoteldetail

Oct 7 - Nairobi – Olpejeta Conservancy – Rhinos, Chimps & More

We’ll leave early after breakfast to make our way to the Northern Frontier region to Olpejeta conservancy. Our journey will take us through the lush Kikuyu farmlands and coffee plantation to the cool Kenyan highlands.

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is situated in the foothills of snow-capped Mount Kenya in central Kenya’s Laikipia County, and is a trailblazer in conservation, most famous for protecting the world’s last 3 northern white rhinos. Across the 36,400-hectare conservancy, we may even spot lions prowling the plains, giraffe and elephant munching on whistling thorn trees, cheetah scanning for prey or even elusive wild dog and leopard. It’s one of the largest black rhino sanctuaries in East Africa. Unlike in many protected areas, cattle farming has been built into Ol Pejeta’s conservation plan, benefiting the land and wildlife through strategic grazing, and the people through employment.

We will arrive in time for lunch at Sweetwaters tented camp, an absolute AFS favorite place.  We’ll have time to get checked into our tents and explore the grounds of this stunning enclave in the center of the conservancy. At 3 p.m. there will be an offering of Hot Tea and coffee in the lobby before we have a unique opportunity to visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary and learn more about the day-to-day care of our primate cousins. Chimps are not indigenous to Kenya and these chimps were brought from West and Central Africa after being orphaned or injured. The whole day lends great close-up photo ops.

Game Drive - The visit will be followed by an afternoon game viewing drive in the Ol Pejeta conservancy which offers visitors an unforgettable opportunity to watch and photograph animals in their natural habitat. We’ll return to the camp as the sun sets. Sweetwaters has a water hole to attract plenty of wildlife. Large, elevated tents with ensuite bath and nice swimming pool. Staff can arrange a bush walk with an armed ranger and even the new camel rides here.

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

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

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