DAY 1: THE ARK LODGE, ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK

Aberdare National Park

Located northeast of Nairobi, Kenya, the Aberdare National Park was created to protect the Aberdare Mountain Range, the peaks of which soar to 3930metres. The landscape is characterised by steep forested slopes, expansive moors, and deep ravines scattered with cascading waterfalls, crystal-clear streams and rushing rivers. The park is inhabited by a variety of African wildlife such as: elephant, lion, spotted hyena, rhino, black leopard and the very elusive bongo antelope that lives in the high altitude bamboo forests. The park offers the perfect environment for picnics, camping in the moorlands, trout fishing in the rivers, and excellent bird watching with over 250 species of birds including hawks, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.

Day Itinerary

Morning flight into Nairobi and on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International airport clear with customs and immigration, thereafter you will be greeted by your friendly tour manager / local representative outside the baggage hall and depart for Aberdare National park arriving for late lunch at Aberdare country lodge. Afternoon transfer to The Ark Hotel set in the heart of the Aberdares National Park, iconic and yes, quirky. The late afternoon and rest of the evening at leisure with optional activities at extra cost. The Ark overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick, which attracts a host of awesome wildlife. Modeled after Noah’s Ark, The Ark has four viewing decks with balconies and lounges to provide superb game viewing from the comfort of the lodge. The animals come to you! Meals and Overnight at the lodge.

Overnight: The Ark Lodge  

The Ark has four viewing areas from which to observe the ever-present animal activity at the waterhole and saltlick. There is also a ground level hide – the perfect spot for the discerning photographer. From this vantage point, photos of animals can be taken at eye-level.

As described in the book, Haven Under the Hill, Monty Brown says, “In this intimate recess one can almost, but not quite, pat the animals, hear their sounds and smell the aroma of the night. This is a magical corner, where there is close contact with the essence that tells of unexplored Africa, and where, very often, the visitor may enjoy in solitary state the beauty of it all.” So as not to miss any animal sightings, the resident guide will buzz your room when special animals come to the waterhole. Simply throw on your provided robe and slippers, grab your camera and view nightlife at the waterhole!

The sister property to The Ark the Aberdare Country Club, is a short distance away and is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Activities include a game walk on our 1300 acres, golf, tennis, horseback riding, relaxing at our health club or swimming pool, or simply enjoying the gorgeous gardens.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 2: LAKE BOGORIA SPA RESORT, LAKE BOGORIA NATIONAL PARK        

Lake Bogoria National Park

Situated in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Lake Bogoria National Park is made up of the magnificent Lake Bogoria and its beautiful surrounds. The landscape features vast grasslands, acacia-ficus woodlands and papyrus swamps. The rich blue-green algae which grow in the saline waters of Lake Bogoria attract the thousands of Lesser Flamingos. While the small national park has numerous hot springs along its western shore and is host to a variety of other creatures, visitors flock here to view the thousands of pink flamingoes fringing the blue water’s edge. This spectacle is a wildlife photographer’s dream.

Day Itinerary

Breakfast and check out. 0900hrs: Depart for Lake Bogoria arriving in time for Lunch, followed with a visit to the hot springs or game drives at Lake Bogoria National reserve or just relax in the heated swimming pool

Dinner and Overnight: Lake Bogoria Spa Resort

Located 266 kilometres from Nairobi, Lake Bogoria Spa Resort is one of the only resorts in Kenya with a naturally heated pool. The resort’s accommodation consists of 6 executive rooms, 30 junior suites, 38 cottage rooms, 21 standard rooms, and 20 camping tents with beds and extensive spaces for personal camping. Each room is equipped with coffee/tea making facilities, a telephone, a minibar, a TV with satellite channels and an en-suite bathroom. Guests can enjoy a variety of tasty local and international cuisines at the on-site restaurant. Other amenities offered are bars, a massage parlour, a pool table, table tennis, a spa pool, a children playground and an outdoor swimming pool.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 3: LAKE NAIVASHA SOPA RESORT, LAKE NAIVASHA

Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha is the highest of the Great Rift Valley Lakes and despite having no outlet; it is one of only two Rift Valley freshwater lakes. This beautiful lake is fringed by papyrus and acacia trees, a unique geologic landscape and supports a vast array of over 450 bird species. It serves as the main drinking hole for wildlife in the area such as zebra, eland, hippo, waterbuck, buffalo and much more. Visitors can look forward to excellent game viewing, intriguing night safaris, boat excursions around the lake as well as to Crescent Island for spectacular bird watching opportunities. Other popular activities include: guided nature walks, horse riding, village visits and tours to neighbouring national parks.

Day Itinerary

After breakfast drive to Lake Naivasha via Nakuru, this is a freshwater Lake. Lake Naivasha is on the floor of the East African Great Rift Valley. Birdlife is particularly abundant (over 460 species). It is a breeding ground for cormorants all year round. You might see pelicans and spoonbills perched on the dead trees and almost certainly the fish eagle. There are two species of fish breeding in this fresh water lake, black bass and tilapia. The tilapias are ‘mouth breeders’, the various species of fresh water mouth breeders are known as “tilapia”. Large and small frogs are abundant, from the bull frog to the tiny tree toad. Lunch is at the resort. Afternoon you will have a will have a boat ride along the lake. Later return to the lodge for your overnight.

Overnight: Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort     

Naivasha is a Masai name given to the area, denoting the characteristics of the lake. 21 cottages are built in a crescent shape, and each has four rooms, totaling 80 standard rooms and two suites.  Two of these rooms are suitable for the physically challenged.  Six of the 21 cottages have interconnecting rooms on the ground floor.

Rock gardens feature vibrantly coloured flowers, which give a beautiful contrast to the greenery of the well-manicured lawns.  Monkeys play on the lawns and different species of birds chip in the trees.  Pathways wind between the open lawns and frangipanis, with aloes and proteas growing in abundance.  The acacia trees are plentiful in this area and provide welcome shade.  The stone exterior walls of the cottages are carried into the rooms.  Ground-floor rooms have two queen-size beds and a sunken living room at the front, which opens out on to the beautifully manicured lawns.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 4: KEEKOROK LODGE, MASAI MARA

Masai Mara

The Masai Mara together with Tanzania’s Serengeti form Africa’s most famous wildlife park, the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The image of acacia trees dotting endless grass plains epitomises Africa for many, then add a Maasai warrior and some cattle to the picture and the conversation need go no further. The undeniable highlight of the Masai Mara Game Reserve is undoubtedly the annual wildebeest migration traversing the vast plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. It is known as the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet – with more than a million animals following the rains. Large prides of lions, elephants, giraffes, gazelles and eland can also be spotted in the reserve. Aside from horse riding safaris and traditional vehicle safaris, hot-air ballooning over the Mara plains has become almost essential.

Day Itinerary

After breakfast at the lodge. 0730hrs – Drive to the Masai Mara Game Reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. Arrive at your hotel for lunch. Afternoon game drive. Meals at the lodge and Overnight: Keekorok Lodge Masai Mara.

Keekorok is located in the heart of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, in an area of permanent springs and lush grassland. Keekorok means abundance in the local Maasai language, and the area is often teeming with wildlife. Accommodation comprises stone built, en-suite bungalows with private balconies. Most rooms overlook the Reserve and others look into the large garden. With spacious grounds, countless activities, a sparkling pool, fantastic food and a rich history as the oldest game lodge in the Maasai Mara, Keekorok is an unforgettable experience in the Maasai Mara.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 5: KEEKOROK LODGE, MASAI MARA     

Day Itinerary

(0500hrs. Early morning optional balloon ride with champagne-style breakfast at an extra cost.)

Full day spent in Masai Mara National Reserve with scheduled morning and afternoon game drives.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 6: MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE, MARA TRIANGLE

Masai Mara

As previously described

Day Itinerary

Morning game drives enroute to Mara Serena arriving for lunch. Afternoon game drives. Meals and

Overnight: Mara Serena Safari Lodge       

Secreted deep within the Masai Mara, Mara Triangle, the Mara Serena Safari Lodge is the ultimate safari destination. Set high on a bush-cloaked hill, embraced by arcing vistas and washed by a sea of richly rolling grasslands, it stands centre-stage to one of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife arenas and has a ringside seat for the greatest wildlife show on Earth, the legendary migration of the wildebeest. Drawing its inspiration from the traditional Maasai cultural motif of a cluster of domed, mud-colored huts encircled by a “Boma” of brushwood, the Mara Serena offers a rare blend of raw African splendour and sumptuous sophistication. The essentially ethnic décor also draws on a vibrant colour-palette of sun-burst colours, embellished by a unique selection of Maasai art to create the look and feel of a traditional bush encampment. The lodge features individual rooms, each with their own balcony and view of eternity, a sky-blue swimming pool and a spectacular restaurant, overlooking a water hole where a fantasia of creatures collect to drink.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAYS 7 – 8: MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE, MARA TRIANGLE         

Day Itinerary

Spend a full days in Mara Triangle with morning & afternoon game drives or a full days game drives with picnic lunch. All meals and overnight at Zebra Plains Mara Camp, LDBB

We awaken to the sounds of Africa and begin our day with a morning game drive, affording an intimate and profoundly personal bond to the world of the wild. Our expert driver guide is hard at work, pointing our each individual miracle of the land that we are now part of.

An extensive afternoon game drives run explores the depths of the deep Masai mara. Everywhere there are animals, including monkeys and yes birds…but look closely and you will thrill to the huge jungles cats- Lions, Leopards and cheetahs just watching the earth go by. And go by it does: rhino, gazelles, antelopes and massive elephants by the herds. There are animals in the trees, on the wing, camouflaged in the bush, in rivers and streams.

Basis

Full Board: Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 9: END OF ITINERARY

Day Itinerary

This morning, we leave behind the legendary African savannah, seen so many times in films and documentaries; the endless extensions of grassland gives way to bush land, and slowly, to the rich green vegetation around Nairobi, Kenya’s colourful capital city. Rest of day free. Lunch on own arrangement.

Transfer Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your arrangements. ***End of Services***

Basis

Breakfast