Honeymoon Safari

Day 1           Depart from the USA

Day  2                   Arrive Nairobi                                      Norfolk Hotel

Welcome to Africa! We will meet and take you to your hotel for overnight and breakfast.

Older than the London Ritz, younger than the Savoy, no other hotel in Kenya has as rich a history as the Norfolk, one of the world’s most romantic hotels. When it was first opened in 1904, it was to spearhead traditions of hospitality in East Africa, which are still unmatched today. Set within Nairobi, the cosmopolitan capital of Kenya, the Norfolk has impressed generation after generation of visitors with its unfailing high standards of service, luxurious style, hospitality and comfort. The Norfolk also occupies a unique place in the history of Kenya and specifically Nairobi.

Day 03                  Aberdares                                           Mountain Lodge

After meeting your guide, it’s off to the Aberdare Mountains and the famous Mountain Lodge, the perfect introduction to the animals of Africa.

The Aberdares is the established name of a mountain range, which thrusts directly north from Nairobi for more than 100 miles. The range is protected as the Aberdares National Park and encompasses all land over 10,000 feet together with a projection due east known as The Salient, which reaches down to 6800 feet near Nyeri town. The park is a fairyland, awesome in its majesty and beauty.

The Salient, which thrusts a dense forest through rich farmland, is where both Treetops and the Ark are situated. Its origin lies in an elephant migration route between the two mountains. The forest is rich in wildlife; elephant and rhino, warthog, bush pig and giant forest hog, waterbuck, duiker, suni, dikdik, bongo and reedbuck are all to be seen.

Birds are not only dazzling but also plentiful. The crowned eagle (which eats monkeys) is everywhere and the forest echoes to the shrill cries of the Silvery-cheeked hornbill. The resplendent sunbirds are well represented, among them the brilliant metallic violet Tacazze, the Emerald Green Malachite Sunbird and on the moorlands the Scarlet Tufted Malachite Sunbird, with its very long slender tail.

The only ‘tree hotel’ ever to be built on the slopes of Kenya’s legendary Mount Kenya, Mountain Lodge offers a matchless game viewing opportunity whilst combining a glorious panorama of mountain vistas with the primordial splendors of an ancient rainforest. Floating 7200 feet high on the flanks of Kenya’s highest mountain and secreted deep within her largest forest reserve, the lodge offers not only the champagne-clarity of mountain air, the tranquility of the forest and a colourful cavalcade of wildlife but also the chance of scaling the icy peaks of Africa’s second-highest mountain.

Guests can also awake to the trumpeting of elephant, fall asleep to the symphony of the African night or sit in stillness and observe the fascinating interplay of the animals as they arrive to drink, bathe, spar and forage around the water hole. Finally, they can venture down to the secret viewing blind by the water’s edge and experience the awesome thrill of being only yards away from some of the most massive beasts on earth.

This stunning area is towered over by the rocky peaks of Mount Kenya and prides itself in having one of the most consistently high records of big game ‘visits’ and sightings. Elephant, buffalo, rhino and waterbuck are regular sights on the evening and day game drives.

At any other time of the day you can spot game in the specially constructed viewing bunker that is connected to the lodge by a short tunnel. Here you will get spectacularly close to the animals that feed

at the waterhole.

The lodge has 42 attractive bedrooms furnished with indigenous wood and African art, each with private bathroom. A spacious verandah also overlooks the waterhole where there is never a dull moment.

Arrangements can be made for forest walks that are a unique experience with their on-foot sightings of game and bird life. These walks can even be prolonged to the top of Mount Kenya for the very daring and sporty.

Day 04                Samburu                         Samburu Intrepids

After breakfast you will be taken to a wonderful game reserve, Samburu, where nature still enthralls her visitors with magic and mystery. This is the place where a Lioness actually adopted a baby Oryx. Once the Oryx was old enough to leave, the Lioness promptly adopted another and later, another!

This gem of a reserve would have delighted Charles Darwin for it is here that you will see unique animals such as the Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebra, Beisa Oryx, the blue necked Somali Ostrich and the Gerenuk…the Little 5 of Samburu.

Samburu is in hot dry country but the Uaso Nyiro River provides a permanent water supply that creates an oasis and an abundance of wildlife. I have spotted Leopards and Cheetahs frequently plus Elephant, Waterbuck and many species of Antelope.

Bird watching is fabulous here. Whether you are an ornithologist or a first timer, you will find identifying some or all of the 400 species that reside in the area fascinating.

Samburu Intrepids invites guests to discover this dramatic wilderness first hand from a world of fascinating perspectives: through stirring early morning game drives, walking safaris with skilled Samburu guides, sedate camel rides, and raft trips when the river is high. Optional bush breakfasts, sundowners, starlit dinners and tours of local Samburu villages allow guests to experience the local culture and enjoy the true spirit of the wild.

Accommodation consists of 27 luxurious tents overlooking the scenic riverbanks with large four-poster beds and classic safari furniture. The tents have modern en-suite bathrooms with steaming showers and secluded verandahs with all-day, personalized bar service. The main area of the lodge features breezy, thatched dining areas overlooking the river as well as a lounge and bar with interesting nightly talks and slide shows. A freeform 'oasis' swimming pool, sunbathing garden and professional flex-body therapy sessions invite guests to unwind and relax into the comfort and beauty of the African way of life.

Today you will experience some unique game drives. This is probably the best park to see leopards and cheetahs. Keep a sharp lookout for the leopards in the trees! They will kill an impala and carry it up a tree, sling it over a sturdy limb and dine in comfort.

Day 05                  Samburu                                  Samburu Intrepids

Today will be a full day of game drives. You should see Samburu’s      Little Five. Pay particular attention to the markings on the Reticulated Giraffe and the Grevy Zebra. You will see quite different Giraffes and Zebras tomorrow.

Day 06                  Masai Mara                                       Governor’s Camp         

After breakfast, we shall transfer you to the airstrip for your direct flight to Masai Mara National Reserve.  You will fly over the Great Rift Valley and Central Highlands before landing on the rolling grasslands and plains of the Mara.

The Masai Mara is widely considered to be Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve. The Mara comprises 200 sq miles of open plains, woodlands and riverine forest. Contiguous with the plains of the Serengeti, the Mara is home to a breathtaking array of life. The vast grassland plains are scattered with herds of Zebra, Giraffe, Gazelle, and Topi. The Acacia forests abound with Birdlife and Monkeys. Elephants and Buffalo wallow in the wide Musiara Swamp. The Mara and Talek rivers are brimming with Hippos and Crocodiles.

The Mara has been called the Kingdom of Lions and these regal and powerful hunters dominate these grasslands. Cheetahs are also a common sight in the Mara, as are Hyena and smaller predators, such as Jackals.

The Mara is an awesome natural wonder, a place where Maasai warriors share the plains with hunting lions, a place of mighty herds and timeless cycles of life, death and regeneration. This is truly big country with massive animals and cruel predators. There is an ominous, overpowering quality of this place that evokes a primitive feeling of fear and wonder.

You will never forget the Mara.

Each year the Mara plays host to the world’s greatest natural spectacle, the Great Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti. From July to October, the promise of rain and fresh life giving grass in the north brings more than 1.3 million Wildebeest together into a single massive herd. They pour across the border into the Mara along with thousands of zebra and antelope, making a spectacular entrance in a surging column of life that stretches from horizon to horizon.

At the Mara River they mass together on the banks before finally plunging forward through the raging waters, creating a frenzy as they fight against swift currents and waiting crocodiles. Those who make it across may find prides of lions waiting to greet them.

The wildebeest bring new life to the Mara, not just through their cycle of regeneration of the grasslands, but for the predators who follow the herds.

This spectacle has been repeated for untold millennia.

The setting is magical. So much so that almost a century ago it was reserved, exclusively, for Kenya’s colonial Governors and their royal visitors. Now Governors’ Camp nestles in the forest along the winding banks of the Mara River, it’s waters teeming with hippo and crocodile.

Some of the 36 tents line the riverbank, with uninterrupted views over the Mara River; others have views across the sweeping plains. Created in 1972 Governors’ Camp set new standards in luxury for a tented camp. Today it’s still Africa’s best. Everything is under canvas; all tents have en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water and flush toilets.

Here’s how Travel and Leisure Magazine described them. "Governors’ Camp is a site popular with both animals (who come to the river to drink) and people. As in the past the camp emphasizes enjoying the wild splendorsof Africa in the highest possible style. Guests stay in well-appointed canvas tents, each with its own bathroom. Evenings are devoted to cocktails around a bonfire and dinner by candlelight."

Each morning a breakfast feast is prepared over blazing coals: mountains of bacon, eggs the way you like them, fresh milk flown-in daily, hot-baked croissants, exotic fruits, and freshly-brewed Kenya coffee.

Lunch, like breakfast is a buffet, this time roast meats hot and cold, fresh salads and delicious desserts. Both meals are served on the shady riverbank with views across the Mara’s plains.

The thrill of a brush with Africa’s big game is what brings people to the Masai Mara. Get up close to the big cats on a game drive in our custom-built four-wheel-drive vehicles. You can take as many drives as you like, all included in the room rate. Come face to face with nature in the raw on a walking safari. Or see life in a traditional Masai village.

Day 07-08         Masai Mara                              Governor’s Camp

You will have two full days on safari to see the great number of species residing in the Mara as well as hundreds of species of birds. There will be a visit to a Maasai Manyatta (village) where you will meet the Morans (warriors) and learn how this famous tribe lives and interacts with nature. There will be lots to talk about at dinner tonight!

Days 09-11               Zanzibar                                      Ras Nungwi

It is off to the exotic island of Zanzibar!  Our representative will meet and take you to your prestigious, exclusive Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel. You will be staying in a superior chalet with an ocean view on half board (breakfast and dinner).

Spend these days at your leisure partaking of all the water sports in the beautiful Indian Ocean or just relax on the white sandy beaches.

Day 12                      Stone Town and Nairobi

Today you will tour the ancient Arabic city of Stone town. Wind your way through the crooked alleys and haggle with the vendors who invented haggling.

 Later visit a spice plantation before flying to Nairobi and enjoy a romantic dinner before boarding your plane for the flight home.

Day 13                       Arrive home

          You will always remember this trip of Your lifetimes!     

Cost per person:                  based on                April-May

2 persons                        $5585                           $4490

4 persons                        $5290                           $4235

6 persons                        $5190                           $4120    

Single Supplement         $890                            $490