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ULTIMATE KENYA SAFARI June 8-27, 2009 (from Los
Angeles)
MON, JUNE 8 - DEPART LOS ANGELES For Los Angeles departures, your dream trip to Africa begins this evening as we board a Swiss International jet bound for Zurich. TUE, JUNE 9 - DEPART NEW YORK/ARRIVE ZURICH New York departures leave JFK this evening. Los Angeles departures arrive in Zurich this afternoon and transfer to our hotel. Hotel Allegra WED, JUNE 10 - ZURICH-NAIROBI New York departures arrive in Zurich this morning and connect with our flight to Nairobi. Los Angeles departures return to the airport this morning and board the flight to Nairobi, arriving this evening. Nairobi Hilton (B) THU, JUNE 11 - NAIROBI After a short orientation meeting, we visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust facility to meet orphaned baby elephants, followed by a stop at Utamaduni for a welcome lunch and shopping. We continue on to the Giraffe Center to feed and learn about its Rothschild giraffes, and to the Karen Blixen Museum, former home of Isak Dinesen (author of Out of Africa). In late afternoon we return to the Sheldrick orphanage to see the baby elephants put to bed. A special highlight today is that each of us will be adopting an orphan elephant. Nairobi Hilton (BL) FRI, JUNE 12 - NAIROBI-AMBOSELI This morning we depart for Amboseli National Park, famous for its superb game-viewing at the foot of spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro. We arrive in time for lunch, then have an afternoon game drive. There's also excellent game-viewing from the hotel itself. Sit on the shady veranda and watch the wildlife panorama unfold before you as you sip a cool drink and relax. Amboseli Serena Lodge (BLD) SAT, JUNE 13 - AMBOSELI Morning and afternoon game drives today, seeking out the many species of wildlife which abound here -- lions, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, cheetah, hyena, and especially elephants, nearly 1,500 of them at last count. Early morning is the best time to view Kilimanjaro, before the clouds build up over its summit in the midday heat. Amboseli Serena Lodge (BLD) SUN, JUNE 14 - AMBOSELI-NAIROBI After breakfast we drive back to Nairobi. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Nairobi Hilton (B) MON, JUNE 15 - NAIROBI-SAMBURU This morning we drive through Kenya’s lush central highlands to Ngandu School, where we’re warmly welcomed by the children and teachers. We enjoy performances of song, dance, and poetry by the students, and donate books and school supplies. Afterward, we stop for lunch at a local restaurant, then continue north across the Equator, passing through lovely scenery dotted with native markets, to Samburu Game Reserve, typical of Kenya’s semi-arid regions. Though small in size, Samburu is rich in many species rarely seen elsewhere -- the Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, oryx, gerenuk, Somali ostrich, and tiny dik-dik -- as well as baboons, warthogs, impala, and lots of elephants! On the way into the park, we take our first game drive in this animal-rich area. Samburu Serena Lodge (BLD) TUE, JUNE 16-FRI, JUNE 19 - SAMBURU The river banks here boast a fantastic variety of bird life, particularly near our thatched lodge on the Uaso Nyiro River. Samburu is where we have our best chance of spotting leopards. We may also see cheetahs and lions. Morning and afternoon game drives each day during our five days spent here give us an opportunity to view the abundant wildlife. There’s an optional visit to a nearby Samburu/Turkana village and a chance to see members of the local tribes perform their dramatic dances at the lodge amphitheater. Samburu Serena Lodge (BLD) SAT, JUNE 20 - SAMBURU-MASAI MARA This morning we fly to the Masai Mara Game Reserve on the Tanzanian border. Here, on the northern Serengeti, vast herds of zebra, wildebeest, and antelope roam the plains by the thousands. Our new home is one of Africa’s most famous and luxurious tented camps, for a true safari experience under canvas. Outstanding cuisine and impeccable service are “de rigueur.” We spend six nights at Governors’ Camp, allowing ample time to spot those magnificent African animals in their natural environment. Governors’ Camp (BLD) SUN, JUNE 21-THU, JUNE 25 - MASAI MARA As we trundle cross-country in our open-top Land Rovers, the unending expanse of acacia-dotted grassland is what impresses us most. That and the great numbers of wildebeest, zebra, topi, hartebeest, and gazelle. We’ll also see lions, cheetahs, giraffes, warthogs, spotted hyenas, and many other species of wild game here. Early-morning and late-afternoon game drives are standard at Governors’ Camp, and those who just can’t get their fill of this amazing place are welcome to take midday excursions as well -- perhaps a visit to a local Masai village or to a prime spot on the river for watching hippos. One morning is set aside for an optional early-morning balloon flight, an experience not to be missed! When we arrive the balloons are just being inflated. Soon we’re aloft, drifting gently above the great plains of the Masai Mara. From our lofty vantage point we watch the sun rise, see the morning mist swirling on the grasslands below, and photograph the game animals that dot the plains. After setdown we’re served a wonderful champagne breakfast cooked over the balloon’s burners, then take a short game drive on our way back to camp. For those who don’t go ballooning, it’s business as usual -- another thrilling early-morning game drive. Governors’ Camp (BLD) FRI, JUNE 26 - NAIROBI After one last game drive this morning, we bid a sad goodbye to our home in the bush and return by air to Nairobi, where we have individual day rooms at the Hilton. The afternoon is free for last-minute shopping and repacking before our late-evening flight to Zurich. Nairobi Hilton (B) SAT, JUNE 27 - ZURICH-U.S. We arrive in Zurich this morning and connect to our flights back to the U.S., arriving the afternoon of the same day.
Note: Departures from either New York/JFK or Los Angeles. Included meals are indicated by B, L, and D for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. |