Day 1 – Australia – Nairobi

Depart for Nairobi, Kenya today on an overnight flight.

Day 2 - Nairobi

On arrival and after clearing with Customs and Immigrations, you are met by your expedition driver & guide and driven to Nairobi Serena Hotel to check in. Justly famed for its exception-al standards of efficiency, service and five-star hospitality, the elegantly sophisticated Nairobi Serena Hotel is a member of the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ group and is consistently vot-ed ‘Best Hotel in Nairobi’ by airlines and international travel magazines alike. Despite its pivot-al central hotel location in Nairobi, Kenya; the Nairobi Serena remains true to its title and offers an oasis of serenity amidst the bustle of one of Africa’s most vibrant capital cities. The interior décor reflects an entirely pan-African theme featuring art and inspiration from Ethiopia, the Maghreb, West Africa and East Africa. Offering a wide range of dining experiences, The Nai-robi Serena is renowned for its ‘Mandhari’ fine-dining restaurant, which is universally acknowl-edged as one of Kenya’s finest.

Hotel: Nairobi Serena Hotel

Day 3 – Nairobi – Amboseli National Park

After breakfast we’ll depart to the Amboseli National Park. On arrival at the Amboseli Sere-na Lodge it is time for lunch. Secluded within a grove of acacia trees, the safari lodge looks out over the golden savannah plains, with uninterrupted views of the mountain itself. Close by are a series of emerald green swamps, which are fed by the melting snows of Kilimanja-ro. These, the only sources of water in this otherwise starkly beautiful but arid park, attract huge numbers of wallowing elephants, hippos, buffalos and plains game. Meanwhile, from the prehistoric site of Observation Hill, the sunset over Kilimanjaro is magnificent. At the centre of ‘Maasai land’, the lodge’s décor reflects the brilliant primary colours and iconic shapes rep-resentative of these legendary warriors. At the heart of the lodge, shaded by palm trees, is a free-form swimming pool; to either side of which stretch the rooms. Each room is housed in a single storey building opening directly on to the grounds, each reflecting a Maasai manyatta

Private Best of Kenya Lodge Safari Tour

10 Days

theme: each with its own hand-painted wall frescos. The lodge features a central dining area reached by a timbered bridge over a melt-water stream. The lounge and bar feature a broad terrace and a blazing fire-pit where evening cocktails can be enjoyed. Activities include dai-ly game drives in custom-built traditional safari vehicles, ‘sundowners’ on Observation Hill, bush breakfasts, bush dinners, Maasai dance performances, visits to Maasai villages and tree-planting program.

Hotel: Amboseli Serena LodgeMeals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4 – Amboseli National Park

Today we’ll have a full day of game drives at Amboseli National Park. Amboseli is a top des-tination for a Kenya Safari. Indeed, one of the classic images of East Africa, let alone Kenya, is that of a herd of elephant strolling across the plains with the snow-capped peak of Kiliman-jaro in the background. It is to catch this sight on memory - and on film - that people flood to Amboseli National Park.

While Kilimanjaro is actually across the border in Tanzania, Amboseli has a perfect view of this world’s tallest freestanding mountain, rising an impressive 5 kilometres above the plains. The best time to view the majestic mountain is at dawn and sunset, when the clouds lift and the light is both clear and soft.

The park is one of the smaller game parks in Kenya, but it offers you the best opportunity of seeing the critically endangered black rhino, along with a spectacular range of wildlife. The area’s low and well-munched vegetation also ensures that animals are easy to spot. Lions can easily be found and can occasionally be watched stalking their prey. Buffalo, cheetah, gazelle, hyena, jackal, wildebeest, zebra, and baboon are just some of the animals that can be en-countered at Amboseli. Dinner and overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge.

Hotel: Amboseli Serena LodgeMeals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5 – Amboseli – Lake Naivasha

After breakfast at the lodge we depart for Lake Naivasha. On arrival we will check-in and have lunch at Lake Naivasha Enashipai Lodge. All the rooms are indulgently spacious and comfort-able offering sweeping views of the surrounding hills or the lush tropical gardens spilling over their banks. Upscale comforts such as wireless Internet, mini bars and flat screen TVs with premium entertainment channels are also available. The casual elegance of the rooms invites you to kick off your shoes, lie back and feel the hustle of daily life slowly ebb away. This after-noon we’ll enjoy a boat ride on the Lake Naivasha, spotting the local widelife before heading back to dinner and overnight at Enashipai Lodge.

Hotel: Enashipai LodgeMeals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6 – Lake Naivasha – Maasai Mara

This morning we depart at 8 :00am after breakfast at the Naivasha Lodge and head for the famous Masai Mara National Reserve via Narok. We will stop at the Mara Sarova Camp for lunch before enjoy an afternoon game drive enroute to the Masai Mara National Reserve.Located at the very centre of the famous ‘Mara Triangle’ of the world-renowned Masai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Serena Safari Lodge is the ultimate safari destination. Set high on a bush-cloaked hill with long views over the savannah and down to the winding coils of the hippo-filled Mara River, it stands centre-stage to one of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife arenas, with a ringside seat for the ‘greatest wildlife show on earth’, the legendary migration of the wil-debeest.

Styled to echo the circular motif of a traditional Maasai manyatta, our Masai Mara lodge blends international sophistication with raw African beauty, while featuring twin rows of indi-vidual rooms, each with its own view of the famous Mara River. The central bar and dining areas enjoy spectacular views, as does the rock-surround swimming pool. Each unique-ly-presented room is accommodated in its own stand-alone modular unit, with uninterrupted views, private balcony and spacious seating area. Activities include two daily game drives in custom-built traditional safari vehicles, ‘sundowners’ in the bush, breakfast by the hippo pool, lunch in the wilderness, dinner in the bush, balloon safaris or relaxation and reinvigoration in the panoramic new Maisha Safari Spa and Gym.

World renowned for the breathtaking spectacle of ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth’, the awe inspiring annual migration of the wildebeest, the Mara is Kenya’s most visited protect-ed area. Technically an extension of Tanzania’s renowned Serengeti National Park, the Mara constitutes only 4% of the entire Serengeti ecosystem but its rolling grasslands, meandering rivers and towering escarpments offer one of the world’s most rewarding and evocative wild-life arenas.

After lunch we head out for an afternoon game drive to spot the local widelife before returning to the lodge for dinner.

Hotel: Mara Serena LodgeMeals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7 – Maasai Mara

Spend the day exploring the Reserve! We will tailor your day to fit in with every moment at the Camp. The Masai Mara Game Reserve is Kenya’s finest wildlife reserve. Everything about this reserve is outstanding. The wildlife is abundant and the gentle rolling grasslands ensure that animals are never out of sight. Birds, too, are prolific. Including migrants, well over 450 species have been recorded, among them, 57 species of birds of prey. Amongst the list of easy-to-view species are: gazelle, elephant, topi, buffalo, lion (Kenya’s largest population), black rhino, hippo, hyena, giraffe, leopard and mongoose. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well-spread rainfall year round. Throughout the year the Masai Mara is a place of natural drama, a kaleidoscope of colour and life. Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, Topi and Eland and many more species of plains’ game offer a rich choice of food for the dominant predators; lion, leopard and cheetah which hunt in this pristine wilderness. Here the great herds of shuf-fling elephants browse among the rich tree-studded grasslands with an occasional sighting of a solitary and ill-tempered rhino. In the Mara River, Hippo and Crocodile are commonly found.

Hotel: Mara Serena LodgeMeals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8 – Maasai Mara – Nairobi

After breakfast we drive back to Nairobi and arrive approximately at 1.00 p.m to check in at the Nairobi Serena hotel. In the evening, visit the Daphne Sheldrick Animal orphanage located in the Nairobi Game Park, Kenya. It was originally started by David Sheldrick, and the work was taken over by his wife after his death. The park itself is too small to sustain any adult elephants, but they take in orphaned baby elephants from all over Kenya. Unfortunately, due to the rise in ivory poaching, most of the elephants are there because their mothers have been killed by hunters, but some have just got separated from their mothers for some reason. The elephants are raised with the intention of gradually re-integrating them into the wild. The age range of the elephants can vary from a few months up to three years. Each elephant is assigned its own keeper, who acts as a surrogate mother and will stay with the elephant until it is released back into the wild. Being orphaned is obviously a very traumatic experience, so the keeper spends as much time as possible with the elephant in the first few days to lavish attention on it.

Your visit is scheduled between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to see the elephants being fed and playing. In addition, there is a keeper there who will give a talk about the elephants, where they came from, how they are getting on, and how some of the previous orphans are progressing. The evening visit is for foster parents and usually there are no more than 25 to 30 people there, so you can get really close to the elephants.

After the visit, drive to The Carnivore Restaurant for a farewell dinner and overnight. The Car-nivore is the ultimate ‘Beast of a Feast’. A variety of meat including ostrich, crocodile and camel, is roasted over charcoal and carved at your table. Delicious side dishes and an excep-tional array of sauces complement this fixed price feast that also includes soup, a selection of desserts and Kenyan coffee. Set in attractive tropical gardens, the service and the décor are outstanding.

The Carnivore is also home of the Simba Saloon, a delicious a la carte restaurant by day and Nairobi’s most popular nightclub. The informal indoor/outdoor atmosphere, exceptional snacks and the pulsating rhythms of Africa combine to ensure an exciting ambiance.

After dinner, you are transferred back to the The Eka Hotel.

Hotel: Nairobi Serena HotelMeals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 9 – Nairobi – Australia.

After breakfast, you are transferred to the Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your departure flight.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 10 - Australia

Arrive home today.