The Best of Kenya & Tanzania (2012)

You depart the U.S. in the late afternoon on an overnight flight to Amsterdam.

 

You arrive in Amsterdam in the morning and board a flight to Nairobi, Kenya, arriving in the evening. Your Trip Leader meets you and transfers you to your hotel, where we’ll get to know each other over a Welcome Drink and a short briefing.

After breakfast at the hotel, we travel to the nearby Karen region, named for famed author Karen Blixen. Our first stop is the Giraffe Center, where you can get close to these towering animals and photograph them. In 1974, Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville relocated five orphaned and rare Rothschild giraffe to their home here, which was quickly dubbed “Giraffe Manor.” Over the years, the giraffe have thrived, and now have their own young. The center plays an important part in the conservation of the Rothschild Giraffe species.

Leaving the Giraffe Center, we visit a museum dedicated to Karen Blixen, who wrote Out of Africa under the pen name Isak Dinesen. The Kikuyu people she wrote about with great affection are still one of Kenya’s major ethnic groups. The Danish writer, as you may know, “had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills,” where she lived from 1914 to 1931. The Danish government gave her beautiful house to the country of Kenya upon its independence, and today it is a museum furnished with much of her original period furniture and open to visitors. A visit to this museum offers a fascinating peek into the lives of early 20th-century Kenyan settlers.

After enjoying a lunch in the Karen area, we'll depart for the Lake Naivasha area, traveling through the Rift Valley,enjoying splendid views as we go. Our lodge is located on the northeastern shore of this lake, which is set among floriculture fields and boasts more than 400 different avian species, as well as many crashes of hippopotami. En route, we visit the Crescent Island wildlife sanctuary, home to birds and grazing animals such as waterbuck, giraffe, and zebra, all roaming freely without fear of predators. There are no fences here, with the island acting as a natural barrier, which allows us to walk among the animal herds in their habitat.

We’ll arrive in time to enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the lodge this evening.

Today we’ll have breakfast a little earlier than usual so we can travel overland to Lake Nakuru National Park in time for a morning game-viewing excursion. Lake Nakuru is famous for the seasonal migration of vast rings of flamingos that often transform its placid waters into a shimmering sea of pink. The park is also home to a relatively large population of black and white rhinos. These are normally elusive due to their dwindling populations, but recent conservation efforts have made Lake Nakuru one of the most likely spots in East Africa to lay eyes on one of these stunning beasts.

We stop for lunch at the famed Lion Hill Lodge in the heart of the park, before embarking on an afternoon game-viewing drive. Be sure to keep those cameras ready—we’ll have another great chance to see more rhinos and other animals, including leopards, buffaloes, and lions. Dinner tonight is at our lodge.

Departing Naivasha, we leave the Great Rift Valley and continue overland to Amboseli National Park, set on the border of Tanzania and in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. We pause for a picnic lunch en route.

On arriving at Amboseli, we enjoy an afternoon game-viewing drive along the way to the permanent tented camp. The park shelters more than 400 bird species, including pelicans, flamingos, kingfishers, and ibis. But by far, elephants are the kings of the park. Amboseli's elephants, which are said to be among the largest in the country, are fond of the swamps, where they share the cool waters with the hippos that hide beneath the papyrus. Amboseli is also home to a large population of wildebeest and Burchell's zebra. We arrive at the camp close to dinnertime.

We rise early to enjoy a light breakfast in an open-air dining area, with views of the majestic snow-covered flattop of Mount Kilimanjaro, which forms a memorable backdrop to today’s explorations.

After breakfast, we travel to a nearby Maasai village, joining the Maasai as they start the day moving the large herds of cattle and goats out of the boma area and out to their grazing fields. Returning to the boma, we learn more about Maasai culture before escorting the children to Amboseli Primary School (when in session).

At the school, we join in a class, taking time to observe the class activities and to talk with the students, teachers, and headmaster about the mission of the school, as well as its future development projects. We also join the children to collect water from the manually operated borehole, and learn more about the practicalities and challenges of education in a remote Kenyan village.

After bidding our Maasai hosts farewell, we return to our tented camp in time for lunch.

After lunch and a short rest at our lodge, we embark on with another game-viewing drive. Look for the elusive gerenuk, a delicate antelope with a long, giraffe-like neck that enables it to browse the middle branches of acacia trees. You may see families of giraffe, herds of zebra and antelope—and if you are lucky, you may spot the rare serval cat. Because Amboseli’s abundant elephants are tracked almost constantly by researchers, they largely escaped the ravages of 1980s poaching, so you are apt to see some older “tuskers” here. You’ll be fascinated by the abundant birdlife—from the colorful little lilac-breasted roller and the comical guinea fowl to graceful hawks and eagles. We return to the camp in the early evening in time to relax before we gather for dinner.

After breakfast, we depart for the Kenya-Tanzania border. We continue to the town of Arusha, Tanzania, where we lunch at the Shanga River House in Arusha.

We then transfer to Tarangire National Park, where we’ll stay in comfortable tents in a secluded area on Lake Burunge. Upon arrival, we’ll have the option to join a guided walk before dinner at the lodge.

Today we experience Tarangire's diversity on a full-day game-viewing drive, during which we'll pause to enjoy a picnic breakfast in the bush.

The variety of wildlife here is excellent, from elephant, lion, cheetah, and buffalo to a wealth of birdlife. Each of our driver-guides has extensive knowledge of the behavior of the native animals. Elephant are plentiful here, traveling in large herds that are not often seen elsewhere in Africa.

After our full day in the park, we’ll return to our camp for dinner this evening.

This morning, head for the Ngorongoro Highlands, arriving at Lake Manyara National Park in time for a game-viewing drive. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this scenic area. We then head for the Ngorongoro Highlands, enjoying spectacular views en route. As we ascend, the valley unfolds below us and we can see Lake Manyara stretching in the distance. We may see elephants or other wildlife along the roadside.

On our way back to our lodge, we’ll stop in Mto Wa Mbu (pronounced “UM-to WAM-bu”) en route. Here we'll learn about the interesting history of the area, where many different tribes were drawn by an irrigation project that created new farmland. We then drive up the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley.

We’ll continue into Karatu, arriving at our lodge in the early evening. We then have time to relax or take a stroll through the extensive grounds before dinner.

After breakfast, we travel to a local Iraqw village, where we’ll spend the morning learning more about this tribe (whose people are only found near Karatu and Arusha) and its customs.

We then return to our lodge, where we’ll enjoy lunch and time at leisure to relax or join a scenic walk with a local guide. Dinner is at our lodge tonight.

This morning after breakfast, we check out of our lodge and depart for the Ngorongoro Crater area. We’ll enjoy a thrilling drive up the side of the crater, then we’ll descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor to explore this natural zoological park, and observe an extraordinary variety of wildlife: elephant, rhinoceros, lion, hyena, zebra, wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, reedbuck, and buffalo. The lovely crested crane (similar to a peacock) can be found in great profusion here, and we may even spot a bat-eared fox. The balance of predator and prey in this extraordinary ecosystem is so precise that animals seldom leave. Our exact route is decided on the spot by our expert safari guides, depending on where the animals are.

After a picnic lunch in the crater, we’ll depart for our tented camp on the shores of Lake Masek in Ndutu. We enjoy dinner here this evening.

This morning after breakfast, we’ll explore Oldupai Gorge, preserved as part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It was here in 1959 that Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fossil fragments that led them to a new understanding of human evolution. They developed the theory that this gorge was the home to Homo habilis, a race of early humans that survived other species to become the ancestors of all present-day humanity. We’ll visit the small museum here, which explains the Leakeys' methods and findings.

We’ll then return to our lodge for lunch and time at leisure. Perhaps you’ll take your binoculars out to spot flamingos on the shores of Lake Masek, or simply rest in the lodge’s comfortable, breezy lounge. We’ll gather again for dinner this evening.

After breakfast this morning, we pack our bags and depart for Serengeti National Park, perhaps the most famous wildlife viewing destination in Africa. We’ll arrive around lunchtime, then drive into the infinite expanse of the Serengeti Plain, where masses of wildlife roam the stunning landscape. We enjoy a game-viewing drive before arriving at our lodge in the late afternoon.

The Serengeti stretches over 5,700 square miles of plains, riverine bush, and acacia woodland, with savanna grassland as the dominant environment.

During the next few days, we venture out from our lodge in our special safari vehicles to try and spot a wide range of wildlife species—lion, cheetah, hyena, and jackal stalk herds of gazelle, zebra, wildebeest, and impala. Comical warthog bend down on their front knees to graze and elegant cheetah rest in the shade of acacia trees after a hunt. Isolated rock groups, called kopjes, provide shelter to lion, leopard, and cheetah—and to the tiny rodent-like rock hyrax, closest relative of the elephant.

We dine at the lodge this evening.

This morning, you have the option of rising before dawn for a balloon flight. As you float high over the Serengeti, watch the morning sun wash across the plains. The views are spectacular, and the one-hour ride is exhilarating. After touchdown, celebrate with a Champagne breakfast.

We explore the Serengeti wilderness area further today. The Serengeti’s varied landscape of savannas, grassy plains, and riparian woodlands make it one of the world’s most hospitable places for wildlife, which you will likely see in large numbers.

We follow our standard safari schedule. Our day begins with coffee and tea, followed by a morning game-viewing drive. We return to our lodge for a late breakfast, time to rest, and afternoon tea. Then we head into the bush again when animals resume activity in the late afternoon.

We return to our lodge for dinner.

We set out in the morning for a game-viewing drive, enjoy a relaxing lunch back at the lodge, and then return to the bush in the afternoon for a second game-viewing drive. The great diversity of Serengeti wildlife is also evident here—look for buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, lion, giraffe, antelope, Thompson's and Grant's gazelle. At certain times of the year, you may also see the spectacular migration of the wildebeest herds, which travel from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara each year.

We arrive back at our Serengeti camp in the early evening and gather for dinner.

After breakfast, we continue to explore the vast ecosystem of the Serengeti at a pace that allows us to truly focus on observing animal behavior and interaction.

After the morning game-viewing drive, we return to our lodge for a leisurely lunch before heading out to enjoy one more game-viewing drive.

Our final night in the Serengeti is spent at our lodge, where we enjoy dinner under the vast expanse of the African skies.

After breakfast we head to a small airstrip in the Serengeti and enjoy a short but thrilling flight to Arusha. From Arusha, we depart for our hotel in Nairobi, enjoying a packed lunch en route. We arrive in the evening, which you will have free to spend at leisure.

After breakfast, explore one of Africa’s most cosmopolitan cities—Nairobi—during a city walking tour. Though it began as a simple trading post for the British East Africa Company, today’s Nairobi is an active business and political capital with more than two million residents, and serves as the African headquarters for organizations, such as the United Nations Environment Program and the World Health Organization.

After our walk, we’ll enjoy lunch at a typical Kenyan restaurant near our hotel.

This afternoon, delve a little deeper into Kenya’s rich heritage during a visit to Nairobi National Museum, where a host of exhibits showcase the best of east Africa’s past and present, from natural and cultural wonders to a fascinating history that archaeologists say extends back as far as the origin of our species.

If you are returning to the United States, you'll have the luxury of a late check-out from your hotel this afternoon, and dinner at a local restaurant is included. Early in the evening, you fly from Nairobi to Amsterdam, where you connect for your flight back to the U.S. which arrives the next day.

If you are continuing on the post-trip extension, you will share dinner at a local restaurant, then return to your hotel for the evening.