We travel to the airport for our overnight flight to Kenya. Meals will be served in-flight. The trip to Kenya can have its moments traveling through airports, crowds, lines, luggage, and irritating snafus, but once we arrive in Nairobi, Safari Capital of the World, everything changes.

We arrive late this evening in Nairobi City. We are met by smiling faces greeting and welcoming us to Kenya. We are transferred to the Nairobi EKA Hotel. We will want to shower and get a good night’s rest as our safari adventure beings tomorrow.

After breakfast we depart for Amboseli National Park where Mount Kilimanjaro provides a dramatic backdrop as it rises almost 20,000 feet above the plain. Amboseli boasts a variety of ecosystems - marshland, scrubby plain, and acacia woodlands - supporting a diverse range of wildlife. Before entering the park you will find local vendors with inexpensive souvenirs. Please remember that bargaining is part of the culture, never pay more than 1/3 the asking price from local vendors or curio shops. We arrive in time for lunch. This afternoon we will be viewing elephants, giraffes, ostrich, gazelles, baboons, monkeys, and many more animals. In June, after the rainy season, food is abundant for the animals and this is the season of calving. You are sure to see newborn elephants, baboons, zebras, and gazelles today. We overnight at Amboseli Sopa Lodge for two nights. (B, L, D)

Today we enjoy a full day game drive. We are likely to spot wildebeest and zebra attracted to the marshes and swamps fed by the melting snows of Kilimanjaro. This is the calving and nesting season; pasture is abundant so animal concentrations are at their highest. You may also spot white rhinos on the fringes of the marshes as well as a great variety of bird life (some 425 species of bird populate the park). With Kilimanjaro providing a dramatic backdrop, your photographs will be stunning. Today we will have a box lunch to enjoy in the park avoiding having to return to the lodge for lunch. Included today is a visit to a Masai village where you can learn about the local people and culture. We encourage each of you to bring school supplies for the kids as pens and paper are often difficult and expensive to obtain. And, also you may choose to donate $50.00 to buy a child a school uniform, which each child must obtain in order to attend school. (B, L, D)

We continue our exploration with a scenic drive north through coffee, pineapple, and tea plantations of central Kenya. We will enjoy lunch on the way to the Sweetwaters Wildlife Sanctuary. We overnight at Serena Sweetwaters Tented Camp for two nights. Don’t be afraid of a tented camp as they are virtual hotel rooms with canvas walls. All rooms have electricity and private bathrooms with showers. This is a beautiful private game reserve and home to rare species such as beisa oryx, Rothschild’s giraffe, and black rhino. Game drives here reveal the full range of African wildlife including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, and hippos. (B, L, D)

This morning we visit the Rhine Information Center. Later, we enjoy a private visit with the tame animals at the wildlife orphanage. Observe chimps from the Jane Goodall Institute at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. When we visit the Chimpanzee research center you can adopt a chimp for a year. When you read the horror stories of these chimps, almost everyone wants to adopt an animal. You may want to contribute to aid in the research and preservation of these animals with the adoption program. In the afternoon watch the animals come to you as they come for a drink at Sweetwaters. A perfect time for a special photo opportunity. Don’t be surprised to see giraffes, storks, rhinos, gazelles, wart hogs, and many other animals coming down for a drink. Tonight we will feature a night game drive where you will be able to observe the nocturnal wildlife. In order to photograph animals in the dark we suggest you bring an LED Flashlight with a 300 lumen beam. (B, L, D)

After breakfast we travel to Samburu National Reserve. We arrive in time for lunch at the Sarova Shaba Game Lodge. The Lodge is located on the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. Later this afternoon, we experience our game drive which will reveal the elephants and unique northern species such as the reticulated giraffe, oryx, grevy’s zebra, and the long-necked gerenuk. (B, L, D)

After breakfast we embark on a morning game drive through Sambura Game Reserve. Before we return for lunch, we visit the Sambura Cultural Village. The Samburu sub tribe is the third largest in the Maa community of Kenya and Tanzani. The people still retain many of their traditions as they live largely untouched by modern day civilization. You will have a chance to interact with Samburu people and get a glimpse into their culture, unique way of life and see first hand some of their customs and practices. We return to the Lodge for lunch. Later today an afternoon game drive is included. (B, L, D)

After breakfast we travel from Sambura to Lake Naivasha ecosystem. 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 meters. Today lunch is included enroute at Thompson Falls. We arrive this afternoon and after we check in at the Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge for our two night stay, you are free to relax and enjoy the hotel facilities, maybe including time at the swimming pool. Each cottage is blissfully private; you can watch the resident wildlife, take a nap and wake up to stunning bush views. (B, L, D)

After breakfast we enjoy a boat cruise viewing hippopotamus and lots of bird species. After the cruise we take a walking safari on famous Crescent Island with wild animals such as zebras, giraffe, buffalo, and antelope like the water buck. This is where the movie Out of Africa was shot. We return to the Resort to relax and enjoy the remainder of the day. (B, L, D)

After breakfast we depart Lake Naivasha and travel to Masai Mara National Game Reserve, arriving in time for lunch. This afternoon we embark on our game drive returning to the Lodge early evening. In Masai Mara, our game drives will lead us to some of Africa’s largest lion prides, herds of zebra, antelopes, buffaloes, wildebeest, giraffes, cheetahs, and hyenas. We overnight at the Mara Maisha Tented Camp for two nights. (B, L, D)

Very early this morning, you have the OPTION for a Hot Air Balloon Flight, inclusive of a champagne breakfast in the bush. (Cost: $550 per person.) We begin a full day game drive here is Masai Mara, returning to the Lodge early afternoon. Dinner is included at the lodge where you can rest up to begin our journey home. (B, L, D)

We have breakfast at the lodge. On our way to Nairobi we enjoy a picnic lunch. We visit the giraffe center where you have the opportunity to feed the giraffes. Before being transferred to the airport, dinner is included at the famous Carnivore Restaurant. This evening we board our overnight flight home. (B, L, D)

We return to the USA with the many memories of the amazing sights we’ve seen and experienced.