The Discovery Journey to
Kenya
“All I wanted to do was get back to Kenya,” said Ernest Hemingway. You will feel the same way too! Join the vibrant club of those intoxicated with Africa’s magic, from its beautiful landscapes and sunsets, to animals and people whose lives have changed little over the centuries. “Do lunch” at Mount Kenya Safari Club before setting off for exciting wildlife viewing in Samburu, Tree Hotel, Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara. After sundown, return to luxury lodges pampered by all the modern amenities, yet still immersed in the magic of your natural surroundings.
Days 1/2/3 - New York/London/Nairobi
Board your overnight flight to London. After a brief layover and use of a dayroom, return to the terminal and depart on your overnight flight to Nairobi, arriving the next morning. Your Classic Escapes professional naturalist and driver/guides will escort you to your luxurious hotel. Enjoy a welcome barbeque dinner at the Nyama Choma Ranch Restaurant followed by a dance show. NAIROBI SAFARI PARK HOTEL. (Meals Aloft,D)
Days 4/5 - Mount Kenya Safari Club/Samburu Reserve
Begin your exploration of this magnificent country as you drive on its rugged roads, through rich farmland, en route to Samburu Reserve. Stop for lunch at the legendary Mount Kenya Safari Club, set on the slopes of Africa’s second highest mountain. Continue past the equator to Samburu which lies on the hot and arid fringes of the vast northern region of Kenya. The Reserve is within the lands of the colorful Samburu people and home to a number of wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in Kenya: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Beisa oryx. Enjoy morning and afternoon wildlife viewing and at night the rhythmic performance of Samburu dancers as they leap high into the air. Learn about the research at Save the Elephants, founded by renowned conservationist and elephant researcher Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, from one of the researchers, and relax poolside at your beautiful lodge situated on the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River. SAMBURU SERENA SAFARI LODGE. (B,L,D Daily)
Day 6 - Tree Hotel
A tree hotel is your destination today, standing at 7,200 feet on the slopes of snow-capped Mount Kenya. Your comfortable rooms overlook a waterhole frequented by a myriad of wildlife throughout the day and night, including elephant, buffalo, rhino, giant forest hog, waterbuck and possibly even a leopard or a lion. Enjoy a guided nature walk by the lodge naturalist through the forest, where you’re likely to see rare forest birds, as well as colobus monkeys, bushbuck and often-times elephant and buffalo. SERENA MOUNTAIN LODGE. (B,L,D)
Day 7 - Lake Nakuru/Lake Naivasha National Park
Drive to the Great Rift Valley, a geological fault-line that stretches round one-sixth of the Earth’s circumference and is visible from outer space. Over 2,000 feet deep and 30 miles wide with bubbling springs and geysers, the landscape is spectacular. First stop, Lake Nakuru, the shallow alkaline lake that is world-renowned for its huge concentration of flamingos – at times hundreds of thousands of these exotic birds give the lake a pink shimmering glow. Enjoy a picnic lunch and wildlife run. Continue on to your luxurious lodge on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Naivasha, the highest of the Rift Valley lakes that supports a thriving bird population of over 350 species. Duties permitting enjoy a lecture by Mary Wykstra from the Cheetah Conservation Fund Kenya, who will also join you for dinner. LAKE NAIVASHA SOPA. (B,L,D Daily)
Days 8/9/10 - Maasai Mara/Northern Serengeti
Set out early this morning on a boat ride on Lake Naivasha to see hippo, freshwater lilies and a plethora of birds. Continue to the Maasai Mara enjoying a picnic lunch along the way to Kenya’s most famous reserve, with its classic savannah grasslands, plentiful animals and spectacular vistas. You have three days to experience exciting wildlife viewing across the dreamlike endless plains, home to lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, rhino, giraffe, zebra and hippo. There are also over 500 resident species of birds including larks, sunbirds and the Lilac-breasted Roller. The drama of the migration unfolds here, as each year up to two million wildebeest and thousands of zebra with an escort of carnivores cross the plains searching for succulent new grass, best to viewed in the Mara between late July and mid October. Visit a school and duties permitting, enjoy a lecture by a Mara ranger. Exciting optional activities (at additional cost) include witnessing dawn over the Serengeti from a hot air balloon, flying to Lake Victoria to fish for giant Nile perch, or visiting a Maasai Village to experience this nomadic tribe’s way of life. Your lodge is an interpretation of a traditional Maasai Manyatta of domed huts with a stunning view of the surrounding landscape. MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE. (B,L,D Daily)
Days 11/12 - Maasai Mara/Nairobi/London/New York
Photograph the vibrant sunrise before driving back to Nairobi. (An optional flight is available for $200 per person.) A day room awaits you at the NAIROBI SAFARI PARK HOTEL. Later, you are escorted to the airport for your return flights home. (B, Meals Aloft)
7-Day Optional Post-Extension to Amboseli & Tanzania
Extend your safari with more classic East Africa birding and wildlife viewing in Amboseli National Park, located at the foot of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Around your lodge roams legendary wildlife such as lion, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, baboon, gazelle, wildebeest and over 400 species of birds. Continue to neighboring Tanzania to discover the beauty and excitement of wildlife viewing across the plains of the Serengeti. Journey into the dawn of time as you pass a stark, red-robed Maasai boy herding his cattle and descent 2,000 feet by Land Rover beneath the cloud cover into Ngorongoro Crater, Africa’s ‘Garden of Eden’ teeming with wildlife.
Your Safari Includes:
- Roundtrip air transportation between New York and Nairobi.
- Superior accommodations throughout as indicated or similar.
- All meals as specified.
- Bottled water in vehicles and during meals.
- All wildlife viewing by private minibus, driven by a naturalist driver/guide. A window seat is guaranteed. Land Cruisers will be used in Tanzania. Complimentary bottled water in vehicles.
- Professional naturalist with a minimum of 10 travelers.
- Lectures by: Save the Elephants researcher in Samburu, Mary Wykstra of the Cheetah Conservation Fund Kenya in Lake Nakuru, Mara ranger and Amboseli Elephant Research Project staff member (with a minimum of 10 travelers in the group). All lectures are duties permitting.
- All applicable hotel/lodge taxes and gratuities for baggage handling.
- All park entry fees.
- Complimentary backpack, baggage tags and passport wallet.
2008 Dates |
Price Main Trip |
Single Supplement Price/Main |
Optional Extension |
Price Extension |
Single Supplement Price/Ext |
Feb 23 - Mar 7 |
$4,995 |
$995 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,895 |
$495 |
Mar 8 - 21 |
$4,795 |
$995 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,895 |
$495 |
Mar 15 - Mar 31 |
$4,795 |
$995 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,895 |
$495 |
May 17 - 30 |
$4,395 |
$495 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,695 |
$395 |
May 24 - Jun 6 |
$4,495 |
$595 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,695 |
$395 |
May 31 - Jun 13 |
$4,795 |
$895 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,695 |
$495 |
Jun 7 - 20 |
$4,795 |
$895 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,695 |
$495 |
Jun 14 - 27 |
$4,795 |
$895 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,695 |
$495 |
Jul 26 - Aug 8 |
$5,195 |
$1,295 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,995 |
$495 |
Aug 2 - 15 |
$5,195 |
$1,295 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,995 |
$495 |
Aug 9 - 22 |
$5,195 |
$1,295 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,995 |
$495 |
Sep 20 - Oct 3 |
$4,995 |
$995 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,995 |
$495 |
Oct 11 - 24 |
$4,995 |
$995 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,995 |
$495 |
Nov 1- 14 |
$4,695 |
$895 |
Amboseli & Tsavo |
$1,895 |
$495 |
*Prices do not reflect applicable departure taxes.