Kenya & Tanzania

Day 2:  Nairobi “I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.”  So begins Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Baroness Karen von Blixen), who showed us a world of romance, daring, struggle and triumph in Kenya during the early part of the 20th century.  From her cottage, you glimpse her beloved hills.  At the Giraffe Centre, you come eye to eye with rare Rothschild giraffes.  Tonight’s briefing prepares you for your safari tomorrow.  Norfolk Hotel (B,L,D)

Serengeti

Day 4:  Serengeti National Park Few things equal the thrill of sharing these wide, open spaces with antelope, giraffe, wildebeest, cheetah, elephant, leopard, buffalo, zebra, warthog, hippo and crocodile.  Watch the extraordinary interplay between species, such as hyenas hovering just out of reach of lions.  Bird watching enthusiasts can scout for some of the 500 species here.  Olakira Camp / Soroi Camp (B,L,D)

Ngorongoro Crater

Day 6:  Ngorongoro Crater / Ngorongoro Highlands Begin this exquisite day with a descent along a rocky track into the caldera, the result of an ancient volcano.  More than 30,000 animals that inhabit the crater floor, including buffalo, rhino, wildebeest, gazelle, zebra, reedbuck, and Africa’s highest concentration of lion.  Flamingo, royal crowned crane and the comical secretary bird are among the 350 bird species found here.  Sit down to a picnic lunch in this unforgettable setting.  After leaving the crater floor, continue on to your accommodations at the elegant and welcoming, up country farm home in the Cape Dutch style of architecture.  Relax and dine in an atmosphere of old-world graciousness.  The Manor at Ngorongoro (B,L,D)

Amboseli | Arusha | Kilimanjaro

Day 8:  Ngorongoro Highlands / Satao Elerai Conservancy (Amboseli), Kenya Enjoy lunch in Arusha before traveling back to Kenya and your exclusive camp located on the Eastern side of Amboseli National Park in its own private conservancy, the Satao Elerai Conservancy that protects more than 5,000 acres of natural wildlife area.  The camp was built to ensure the local Maasai community benefit from the economic incentives to set aside their land for wildlife conservation.  The Satao Elerai Conservancy forms a critical wildlife corridor linking the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve in Tanzania and the Amboseli National Park.  The Conservancy is a project between the privately and community owned camp, the African Wildlife Foundation and the local Maasai Elerai community.  The camp is comprised of five luxury suites and nine charming canvas tents.  The gorgeous lodge style suites feature gently sloping organic walls, built with natural rocks, acacia wood and a carefully constructed thatched roof; large sliding doors open up to a private verandah overlooking the plains of Elerai Conservancy and the Amboseli National Park.  Satao Elerai (B,L,D)

Day 10:  Satao Elerai Conservancy / Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Fly to Nairobi, and connect with your flight to Lewa Downs.  Lewa Safari Camp featuring outstanding game viewing, and spectacular views to Mt. Kenya to the south and arid lowlands to the north.  The camp is based within the private 65,000-acre wildlife conservancy of the Lewa Wilderness Trust, and is home to about 10 percent of Kenya's black rhino population and the single largest population of Grevy's zebra in the world.  Lewa Safari Camp (B,L,D)

Masai Mara

Day 12:  Lewa Wildlife Conservancy / Olare Orok Conservancy (Masai Mara) Enjoy the panorama of the Great Rift Valley from the window of your plane as you wing your way to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya's most precious wildlife sanctuary.  On arrival, you are transferred to your camp, one of just three camps currently operating within this conservancy, which boasts the region’s lowest vehicle density; no mini-buses and only one guest room per 700 acres.  Here, you avoid the high tourist density of the Masai Mara Game Reserve while retaining the diversity of wildlife. Until recently, Olare Orok’s 30,000 acres of prime rolling grasslands and riverine forest were filled with rural homesteads and large herds of cattle and goats.  The ecosystem was being overgrazed, risking the sustenance of both wildlife and cattle, and to the detriment of both.  Sustainability was at risk for both the people and the wildlife.  Today, the homesteads, cattle and goats have moved, and herd sizes have been reduced accordingly.  The conservancy has become a haven for big cats, a route of migration and now offers some of East Africa's finest year-round game viewing.  Mara Plains Camp (B,L,D)

Masai Mara | Nairobi

Day 15:  Masai Mara Game Reserve / Nairobi / Depart After an early game drive, you fly over the Great Rift Valley back to Nairobi, and transfer to your welcoming hotel.  Late morning, you visit the David SheldrickWildlife Trust’s Elephant and Rhino Orphanage, an amazing experience showcasing this organization's efforts to save young elephants and rhinos orphaned by poachers.  This afternoon, enjoy a city tour through the shopping center and colorful bazaar to Parliament Buildings, Kenyatta Conference Center, the Railway Museum, Uhuru Park, and onto the National Museum, once described as "The Finest Small Museum in Africa."  This evening, savor a gala farewell dinner.  Then, you bid “Kwaheri” (a Swahili goodbye).  After check-in at the airport, you have time for last-minute shopping near your departure gate.  Ole Sereni - Dayroom (B,L,D)