Kenya

Day 1:  Arrive Nairobi, Kenya
Touch down in Nairobi this evening.  Welcome to Africa!  On arrival in Nairobi , you are met by your Big Five Tours & Expeditions’ driver after you clear customs.  Your guide will assist you with your luggage and escort you to the hotel.  Sankara Hotel

Day 2:  Nairobi / Amboseli – Kilimanjaro Region
This morning, fly out to the ranges of the Chyulu Hills and your camp, Ol Donyo Lodge in the 275,000-acre Masaai-owned Mbirikani Group Ranch between Amboseli, Chyulu, Tsavo and Kilimanjaro National Parks.  The Ol Donyo Lodge is immediately struck by the sense of both spaciousness and intimacy.  The entire main area is set high on the hillside, and opens completely to the plains below with Kilimanjaro in the distance.  Ol Donyo Lodge / Campi Ya Kanzi (B,L,D)

Day 3:  Amboseli –Kilimanjaro Region
Enjoy the camp activities.  More than 7,000 animals make their home in and around the Ol Donyo Lodge area.  Find the big five – rhino, elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo, as well as cheetah, fringe-eared oryx, gerenuk, and giraffe among many others sharing this diverse landscape.  Guests are able to track wildlife by vehicle, on foot or horseback.  Night drives offer the opportunity to spot the more elusive nocturnal species such as leopard.  Ol Donyo Lodge / Campi Ya Kanzi (B,L,D)

Day 4:  Amboseli –Kilimanjaro Region / Laikipia Plateau
Fly back to Nairobi where you connect with your flight to the Loisaba, a 100-square-mile ranch in the middle of the Laikipia Plateau of Kenya.  On arrival you are met and transferred to your lodge.  Constructed from stone, local timber and thatch, Loisaba Lodge is perched high on the edge of the plateau looking south towards Mount Kenya.  Each room features large French windows that open onto a private deck cantilevered over the escarpment.  The views are legendary, and a water hole a few hundred feet below draws a continuous stream of wildlife.  Loisaba manages to blend the needs of man and nature by providing a refuge for resident animals, which, in turn, allows the local Laikipia Maasai and Samburu tribes the opportunity for employment, education and the development of sustainable tourism and agricultural practices.  Activities during your stay include game drives, day and night, and interactions with local Masaai and Samburu warriors.  Loisaba Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 5:  Laikipia Plateau
Enjoy a full day of activities with tailored activities.  Morning and afternoon game drives cover the most area giving you the best chance to see the varied wildlife including access to the Mugie Rhino Sanctuary.  A great way to view the stunning diversity of Loisaba is on foot.  You will be accompanied by traditional Samburu guides whose knowledge of local flora, fauna, culture and history is unmatched.  Perhaps your desires will lead you to experience the unique exhilaration of riding horseback on the plains with a herd of zebra; or strolling past a group or graceful giraffes or a herd of elephants.  Or, you may want to experience the traditional mode of transport in the dry land of Northern Kenya, the camel, offering another unique experience of Loisaba.  Your final night in here shifts to an unforgettable night on an open-air platform, a Star Bed! Unique to Loisaba, each Star Bed is a dramatically designed, handcrafted wooden raised platform, with a partially covered thatched roof.  A handmade “Mukokoteni," a bed on wheels, can either be wheeled onto the open deck area for a night under the stars, or left under the shelter of the roof.  Your hosts are a team of traditional Samburu and Laikipiak Maasai warriors.  Loisaba Star Beds (B,L,D)

Important Note:  Due to the limited number of Star Beds, we recommend that this program is booked as far in advance as possible.

Day 6:  Laikipia Plateau / Masai Mara Game Reserve
The Great Rift Valley spreads out beneath your small plane as you fly into the heart of big game country – the magnificent Masai Mara National Reserve.  This irreplaceable wildlife sanctuary is home to a staggering number of animals, including a large predator population.  Gently rolling grasslands stretch to the horizon, intersected by dark green veins of rich acacia woodland.  A portion of the 1985 movie "Out of Africa" was filmed here.  On arrival, you are transferred to your luxury tented accommodation in the Mara Conservancies.  Mara Safari Club / Elephant Pepper Camp (B,L,D)

Days 7 & 8:  Masai Mara Game Reserve
During game drives on the Mara, you encounter a wide variety of animals, including herds of buffalo, wildebeest, hartebeest, impala, and gazelle.  You may glimpse the enchanting rare roan antelope with its long swept back horns.  Dense thorn bush reveal browsing black rhino, and large numbers of giraffe and elephant move along the edge of the riverine woodland.  Host to the country's largest predator population, the reserve is renowned for lion prides up to 20 strong.  Hippo and crocodile are plentiful in the Mara River.  Game viewing in the Mara is a remarkable experience throughout the year, but little can compare to the Mara during the season of migration.  Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra try to make the dangerous river crossing to complete their 800-mile journey in search of green grass.  It is, truly, the greatest show on Earth.  Everyone should experience this at least once in a lifetime.  Mara Safari Club / Elephant Pepper Camp (B,L,D)

Day 9:  Masai Mara Game Reserve / Nairobi / Depart
After breakfast, return to Nairobi, where the remainder of the day is free.  You have a reserved dayroom at the Ole Sereni Hotel for your convenience.  This evening, you will savor a final feast at a farewell dinner.  As you set out for the airport this evening, bid “Kwaheri,” Swahili for goodbye, to this amazing land.  After check-in for your homebound flight, you have time for last-minute browsing at duty-free shops.  Ole Sereni Hotel - Dayroom (B,L,D)