Travel Service Safaris

The Great Migration

Kenya

August 2011

3^rd August 2011: Nairobi arrival. Transfer to Nairobi Serena.Overnight at Nairobi Serena Hotel

 4^th August 2011: Tour of Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, & Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage:
Our tour starts at the Giraffe Centre, an elevated treetop aerie where we may hand feed giraffes, quite literally face–to–face. The Centre has a feeding platform where they exchange kisses with visitors for pelleted food.  Then we will proceed on to the Karen Blixen Museum. Karen Blixen Museum is located on the outskirts of Nairobi on Karen road. Its history dates back to 1914, during the First World War, with the arrival of Karen Blixen from Denmark. At the foot of Ngong Hills, Karen Blixen established herself as a farmer. After her departure in 1931, the suburbs retained the commemorative home of Karen. The Danish government donated the house, and the surrounding land to Kenya after independence. The house was restored by the Danish government, and was used during the filming of "O ut of Africa" which immortalized Karen Blixen's book by the same name. The museum was opened to the public in 1986.  From there we will go to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.  Daphne Sheldrick is a world–class conservation figure and the premier authority on the successful raising of milk–dependent infant elephant and rhino orphans. During this time the baby elephants are bro ught out to play and to feed, and visitors can watch and interact with them. Wardens are on hand to explain the work of the orphanage and to answer any questions.

Overnight at Nairobi Serena Hotel (BL)

5^th August 2011: Fly to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. This morning we will be transferred to Wilson Airport for our flight to the Masai Mara.  The Masai Mara National Reserve was named for the Maasai people who inhabit the area, and for the Mara River, which flows through this great reserve. It shares a border with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and is essentially a continuation of this park, forming the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

The Masai Mara is home to an excellent year-round concentration of game and is renowned for its annual visit by the two million animals that make up the Great Migration. Covering an impressive 1 115 km² (430 square miles), the Masai Mara is a land of breathtaking vistas, abundant wildlife and endless plains. The Masai Mara was made famous by the book Out of Africa by Karen Blixen, which was later made into a movie starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.

Immorta lised through famous tales of olden day safaris, the Masai Mara National Reserve is

one of the richest and most diverse wildlife areas in the world. Known as the ‘spotted land’ to the Maasai, the reserve is hom e to a vast number of resident wildlife, as well as part of the annual phenomenon of the Great Migration. The migratory wildebeest, zebra, kongoni and topi join abundant elephant, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, lion and cheetah in the Mara. Leopard and serval are frequently encountered, while endangered black rhino can be found in the dense bush thickets. The Mara River is also famed for its enormous crocodiles, which lay in wait for the wildebeest and zebra during the excitement and drama of the migration. Six species of primates and over 450 birds add to the Mara’s incredible natural diversity.

Overnight at Mara/Acacia House Camp (BLD)

6^th, 7^th  and 8^{t h} August 2011: Masai Mara.

Overnight at Mara/Acacia House Camp (BLD)

9^th  August 2011: Masai Mara. Transfer to Kichwa Tembo Camp inside the Masai Mara National Park.  Here we will concentrate our efforts on the wildebeest migration.  We will try to see crossings of these massive beasts as they attempt to cross the Mara River as massive crocodiles await their arrival.

Overnight at Kichwa Tembo Camp in Classic Tents 

10^th and 11^th August 2011: Masai Mara.

Overnight at Kichwa Tembo Camp in Classic Tents

12th August 2011: Fly to Nairobi. Transfer to Nairobi Serena Hotel for dayroom use. Lunch at the Hotel. Afternoon- shopping tour. Dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant followed by a transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for flight home.

About Kichwa Tembo:

Known as Kenya’s best loved safari camp, Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara Tented Camp offers a quintessential game viewing experience, with sweeping vistas of the magnificent vistas of the Masai Mara or the Sabaringo River.

Located where the riverine forest meets the sweeping plains in the path of the awe-inspiring Great Migration, the camp provides an authentic dose of African wilderness, delivered with legendary Kenyan hospitality. 

Kichwa Tembo is renowned for its gracious teams of Kenyan staff whose warm welcome, charming service and effortless energy delight guests from all over the world. WHAT SETS US APART

Witness the spectacular migration of almost two million wildebeest, zebra and other herbivores – August to October – including the Mara River crossing

Mara River crocodiles Huge herds of elephant, black-maned Mara lions and red-tailed monkey

Interpretive game drives in open game viewing vehicles

Pan African meals Homegrown organic vegetables from the camp’s own shamba (vegetable garden)

Optional extras: Hot air ballooning, nature walks with resident Maasai naturalists around camp, Maasai cultural village visits, night drives on private concession, sundowners on rim of Great Rift Valley

Ideal for families

LOCATION

Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara Tented Camp is situated on the western border of the Masai Mara Game Reserve in southwestern Kenya. Set on a private concession leased from Maasai landlords, the camp lies at the base of the Oloololo escarpment just below the spot where Out of Africa’s most famous scene was shot. The camp overlooks the plains of the Masai Mara and lies directly in the path of the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra.

About Mara and Acacia House:

Our private bush homes, Acacia House and Mara House sit in the Ol Chorro Losoit valley within the Lemek hills, far from the tourist trail and within the 70,000 acre Mara North Conservancy area from where the Nomadic Encounters team have operated their wilderness expeditions for more than twenty years.

The living spaces dominate both houses beginning with a large, open-air verandah looking out over the famous Ol Chorro waterhole. This leads into an open-plan dining and seating area complete with log fire for those cooler nights in the bush. Beyond are two spacious double ensuite bedrooms and a third attic room, created specifically for younger guests in Acacia House and three spacious double ensuite bedrooms in Mara House.  In between the houses, raised above the waterhole, there is a pool and a barbecue area which provide a place to relax, dine and socialise between safari expeditions, particularly around sunset.

These private bush home come with a full complement of well-trained and experienced staff at guests disposal including a chef, wildlife guide and house manager to ensure a seamlessly-run safari experience which delivers the very best the Mara has to offer. It is an opportunity to explore this wilderness in the company of your personal Masai guide on your own terms.

A fully qualified safari guide and vehicle will be on hand to assist with a wide range of activities which include walking, day or night game drives and visits to local villages and trading centres. Game viewing is done both in the game reserve and in the conservancy and so offering a wide range of safari experiences. Guests interested in community conservation are very welcome to participate in our projects, including the computer training for local villagers at the nearby Trust classroom. 

Cost per Person Sharing will be $6000 US Dollars.

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Pre-Migration Gorilla Tracking in PNV

Rwanda

Itinerary

 
 
Day 3 AUG 1st 2011
Either go gorilla tracking again in Parc National des Volcans (on payment of supplement at time of booking), or visit the golden monkeys or drive to Gisenyi, visit Ros Carr's orphanage and Lake Kivu or climb the Visoke/Muhavura volcanoes, or trek to Dian Fossey's grave, or visit the local school, community projects or walk to Lake Bulera. O/N: Volcanoes Virunga Lodge (FB).
 
Day 4 AUG 2nd 2011
Leave for Kigali. Time permitting, go for a tour of the city including a visit to the market, a pottery project, handicraft shops and the genocide memorial. Transfer to the airport (HB).

End of Services.

COST BASED ON A SCHEDULED TRIP;

USD : $3,200 per person sharing including one gorilla permit.

USD :   $500 Extra gorilla permit.

USD :   $355 Single room supplement.


Prices INCLUDE transport and a driver/guide for the itinerary agreed, accommodation on a shared basis and meals as stated (on safari full board) and, where appropriate, boat trips, park fees, one chimpanzee and one gorilla permit. At Volcanoes gorilla lodges, the tariffs are on an all-inclusive basis and in addition to accommodation and meals, include unlimited consumption of all alcoholic and soft drinks; laundry services and any activities clients wish to do around the lodges. A complimentary massage is also offered. All gorilla permits need to be purchased at the time of booking therefore a non refundable deposit of $1000 must be paid. Gorilla viewing is subject to availability of permits, which are limited; any additional gorilla permits required should be purchased when booking. Gorilla permit prices are subject to change without warning.

Prices EXCLUDE airfares to Uganda/Rwanda, entry visas and airport taxes and gratuities as well as personal expenditure such as drinks and laundry at non-Volcanoes Lodges. For single rooms, a supplement (SRS) needs to be paid. From the safari price paid by clients Volcanoes contributes $100 per client to the Volcanoes Partnership Trust, a separate non-profit organisation which undertakes community and conservation activities.

About the lodge:

In a spectacular location overlooking the Virunga volcanoes and shimmering lakes Ruhondo and Bulera.

The magnificent Virunga Safari Lodge, set on a stunning hillside, has eight bandas with a panoramic view of the Virunga volcanoes and the lakes Ruhondo and Bulera. The terraced gardens on this high ridge are now well established, with a magical sunken paradise garden as their focal point. Aside from gorilla tracking, clients can climb a volcano, track the golden monkey, visit Dian Fossey's grave or go for gentle strolls around the picturesque villages near the lakes. Three hours' drive from Kigali or a long day's drive from Kampala.

Airfare from Nairobi to Kigali is about $450 roundtrip