Africa:Kenya
Golden Shadows Flying Hooves
Tour Highlights:
-Encounter one of Africa’s most established cultures on a visit to a remote Masai manyatta (village) to meet Masai women, who tell you about their lives, both past and present
-Explore three of East Africa’s most famous habitats: Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park, Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater
-Savor the complete game drive experience: follow a matriarchal elephant herd or track lions with your professional guide from your open safari vehicle; and relish al fresco breakfasts, bush suppers by lantern light, and campfire roasts
-Learn a new definition for nightlife as you spend a night spotting nocturnal animals from the decks of The Ark, a tree hotel on stilts integrated with its surroundings near a natural waterhole
-Play tennis, golf, swim, fish, or simply unwind and be pampered at Mount Kenya Safari Club, where your stay includes membership in the exclusive club
Day 1: Arrive Nairobi, Kenya
Welcome this evening to Africa’s safari hub! Your guide escorts you to the legendary Norfolk Hotel. Opened on Christmas Day, 1904, this hotel has hosted the famous and infamous. From its verandas, you can imagine Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway mapping out their historic safaris. Norfolk Hotel
Day 2: Nairobi
“I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.” So begins Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Baroness Karen von Blixen), who showed us a world of romance, daring, struggle and triumph in Kenya during the early part of the 20th century. From her cottage, you glimpse her beloved hills. At the Giraffe Centre, you come eye to eye with Rothschild giraffes. Tonight’s briefing prepares you for your safari tomorrow. Norfolk Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 3: Nairobi / Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
This morning, two flights take you to the splendid Serengeti Plains, where the world's last mass animal migration plays out annually. Hundreds of thousands of mostly wildebeest and zebra move in columns snaking to the horizon. And, predators are always nearby.Your first tented camp rests at the heart of prime wildlife theaters on the Serengeti, where game viewing is good year-round. Game drives and ranger-led bush walks combine with safari luncheons, lantern-lit bush suppers, conversation around the campfire, and dance displays by the Ikoma people. Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp (B,L,D)
Day 4: Serengeti National Park
Few things equal the thrill of sharing these wide, open spaces with antelope, giraffe, wildebeest, cheetah, elephant, leopard, buffalo, zebra, warthog, hippo and crocodile.Watch the extraordinary interplay between species, such as hyenas hovering near feasting lions. Bird watchers can scout for some of the 500 species here. Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp (B,L,D)
Day 5: Serengeti National Park / Olduvai Gorge / Ngorongoro Crater
Travel into the Stone Age at Olduvai Gorge, where Louis and Mary Leakey discovered abundant fossils dating back over two million years. Continue to the crater and your lodge located on its rim. The impressive caldera descends 2,000 feet to the 102-square-mile basin. Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (B,L,D)
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater
Begin this exquisite day with a descent along a rocky track into the caldera, the result of an ancient volcano. See some of the more than 30,000 animals, including buffalo, rhino, wildebeest, gazelle, zebra, reedbuck, and Africa’s highest concentration of lion. The flamingo, the royal crowned crane and the comical secretary bird are among the 350 bird species. Sit down to a picnic lunch in this unforgettable setting. Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (B,L,D)
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater / Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara sits at the foot of an escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. This small park supports a surprising array of animals, including the largest concentration of elephants in East Africa.You may spot one of the park’s famed tree-climbing lions that seek shade high in the acacia branches. Lake Manyara Serena Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 8: Lake Manyara National Park / Amboseli National Park
Enjoy lunch in Arusha before traveling back into Kenya and your exclusive camp in Amboseli National Park. Scout for wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala and gazelle along the way.Your luxury, tented camp on the edge of the park sits in an acacia grove facing Mount Kilimanjaro, a stunning backdrop for wildlife photography. Follow an elephant herd through the bush in open-sided safari vehicles, or take a bush walk with an experienced Masai guide. Travel to a Masai village for an encounter with the women to learn something of their history and their lives. Enjoy Sundowners as the colors of sunset dance off the snows on the mountain. Tortilis Camp (B,L,D)
Day 9: Amboseli National Park
On game drives, you discover five distinct habitats: open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush, swamps and marshland. During heavy rains, a dry lake becomes a temporary water source. Sighting some 420 bird species, including 47 species of raptor, rewards bird watchers. Tortilis Camp (B,L,D)
Day 10: Amboseli National Park / Aberdare National Park
Fly to Nairobi, and set out on a drive to the highlands and Aberdare Country Club for a sumptuous lunch. Travel through thick woodlands to The Ark in the center of Aberdare National Park. In this fairyland forest, your tree hotel is near a floodlit waterhole and a natural salt lick. Stay up all night, if you like, watching a parade of wildlife from observation decks or a ground-level bunker. Birds and bushbuck join elephant, buffalo, rhino and others. The Ark (B,L,D)
Day 11: Aberdare National Park / Mount Kenya Safari Club
On the Equator near Africa’s second highest peak, Mount Kenya, the luxurious Mt. Kenya Safari Club served as a retreat to the late actor, William Holden, and his famous friends.You hear the unmistakable voice of peacocks roaming the 100 acres of lawns, gardens, and ornamental ponds. Take your choice: ride a horse, play a round of golf, fish, swim or simply relax in this magical setting. The club offers an art gallery, boutique, and William Holden Animal Orphanage. Mt. Kenya Safari Club (B,L,D)
Day 12: Mount Kenya Safari Club / Masai Mara Game Reserve
Enjoy the panorama of the Great Rift Valley from the window of your plane as you wing your way to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya's most precious wildlife sanctuary. Staggering numbers of plains animals support a large predator population. Gently rolling grasslands stretch to the horizon, intersected by dark green veins of rich acacia woodland. The 1995 movie Out of Africa featured this lovely terrain. Governors Tented Camp (B,L,D)
Days 13 & 14: Masai Mara Game Reserve
During morning and afternoon game drives, you explore savannas spotted with herds of buffalo, wildebeest, hartebeest, impala, and gazelle. Dense thorn bush may hide browsing black rhino, and large numbers of giraffe and elephant patrol the edge of the woods. Hippos gather in the Mara River. Here, lion prides may be up to 20 strong.Your ideal camp provides you with the classic undercanvas experience. Governors Tented Camp (B,L,D)
Day 15: Masai Mara Game Reserve / Nairobi / Depart
After an early game drive, you fly over the Great Rift Valley back to Nairobi, and transfer to your welcoming hotel. This afternoon, enjoy a city tour through the shopping center and colorful bazaar to Parliament Buildings, Kenyatta Conference Center, the Railway Museum, Uhuru Park, and onto the National Museum, once described as "The Finest Small Museum in Africa." This evening, savor a gala farewell dinner. Then, you bid “Kwaheri” (a Swahili goodbye). After check-in at the airport, you have time for last-minute shopping near your departure gate. Norfolk Hotel, Dayroom (B,L,D)
Rates/Departures:
Golden Shadows Flying Hooves | Double | Single Supplement | Comments |
| Departure Dates: Jan 15, Feb 12, Mar 12, Jun 18, Jul 16, Aug 20, Sep 24, Oct 22, Nov 12, Nov 26, 2010 | $11250 | $2050 | 4x4 Safari Vehicles in Kenya & Tanzania |
| Departure Dates: Apr 16, May 14, 2010 | $8690 | $990 |
Rates are for land arrangements only. Airfares are not included unless specifically mentioned in inclusions and can be quoted separately. Rates are per person, in US dollars, and based on two people sharing a room. Valid Jan. 01 – Dec. 21, 2010, unless otherwise noted. The single supplements indicated are based on a single room supplement after the two passenger minimum is met. For solo travelers, additional supplements will apply.