Tier 2 Safari
Tour Name: Best
Of East Africa II
Tour Number: AMDSKETZ2BEST
Duration: 13 Days
Departure Days: Sundays (Group Departure) OR Daily (With
Your Own Private Guide & Exclusive Use Vehicle)
Destinations: Samburu National Reserve, Mount Kenya
National Park, Great
Rift Valley Featuring Lake Nakuru Park & Masai Mara National Reserve, Lake
Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater & Conservation Area, Serengeti
National Park
Accommodations: Samburu Serena Lodge, Serena Mountain
Lodge, Flamingo Hill Camp, Mara Serena Lodge
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, Ngorongoro Serena Lodge,
Serengeti Serena Lodge
Prices: Scroll Down To The End Of This Itinerary
Safari
Description:
Best Of East Africa - 13 Days delivers the best ecological and wildlife experience of Kenya and
Tanzania. The program combines
a comparative and harmonious safari experience by displaying the distinct yet
interlocking offerings of Kenya’s ecosystem within one country divided by the
Equator. See the display of wildlife and nature distinctly different in Northern
Kenya, specifically in and around Laikipia, Samburu and Shaba National Reserve,
versus those found in Masai Mara. The
visit to Mount Kenya region, displays Africa's second highest freestanding
mountain after Mount Kilimanjaro. Enjoy breathtaking experiences by
staying in the Great Rift Valley. Fresh
water and soda ash lakes such as Lake Naivasha and Nakuru are home to hippos,
and thousands of flamingoes and migratory birds that converge during the course
of the year creating superb and colorful photographic moments. The visit
to the Masai Mara National Reserve can turn out to be an event of a lifetime.
The reserve shares a similar ecosystem with its sister park, Serengeti in
Tanzania and welcomes the wildebeest, zebras and antelopes during the great
migration season. The Ngorongoro Crater rim delivers awesome and spectacular views of
the crater with the opportunity to descend the crater floor for a game drive. On
the way to the Serengeti National Park stop over at the Olduvai Gorge located in
the conservation area. It is here, on this Maasai owned land that balance
between retaining the rights for the Maasai to continue the pastoral ways and
Tanzania Government’s control of natural resources has been bound. Watch the
young Maasai child tend to their cattle a few steps away from the site where
hominid remains were excavated. Continue on to Serengeti epitomized around the
globe in documentaries, movies and even animated cartoons. The Serengeti is home
to the wildebeest, zebras and antelopes during the great migration season. The
presence of migration attracts prey and predator to partake in the cycle of
life, which is eloquently described in AfricanMecca’s poem about the
Serengeti.
The Best Of East Africa is
offered in 2 Safari Tiers
(Tier 1 & 2)
offering similar nature and ecological experiences. Tier 1 itinerary is only
available as a tailor made program upon request. Contact us for for more details
if you are interested. Learn more about
AfricanMecca’s Safari
Tier™ Ratings - Click
here
Program
Highlights:
Detailed
Safari Itinerary:
Guests
arriving today normally have the following 3 options available to them as stated
below:
1.
If
arriving on an early morning flight, your program can start today.
2.
AfricanMecca
guests arriving on an early flight can also take the day to relax and start
their program on the following day. How do our guests spend the day in Nairobi?
Consider a variety of day excursions available to our clients such as
experiencing the Out Of Africa Tour which includes a visit to the Karen Blixen
Museum, Giraffe Center or the Nairobi City Tour which includes a visit to the
Kenya National Museum where guests have the opportunity to view the beautiful
paintings of over 40 cultural communities in Kenya along with prehistoric
artifacts excavated and displayed. Your day can end with a drop-off at a Nairobi
city or suburban accommodation of your preference. Please view the Safari Notes
section below to view the Nairobi hotels and lodges available to AfricanMecca
guests. We will help you check in to your hotel or lodge. Pre-arrangements need
to be made before your arrival so please let us know the Nairobi hotel or lodge
of choice when selecting this program. If you need assistance in selecting an
accommodation appropriate for your itinerary, please let us know.
3.
If
arriving on an evening flight, your program can only start the following
morning. Please see the Safari Notes section below to view the Nairobi hotels
and lodges available to AfricanMecca guests.
Day 1-2: Arrival In Kenya – Samburu National
Reserve
Upon
arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), our guest
relations’ officer will personally meet all arriving guests. We will be
standing outside the arrival section holding a signboard with your name on it.
Drive
to Samburu Serena Lodge set around the rugged terrain by the banks of the
picturesque Uaso Nyiro River.
Explore the Samburu
National Reserve located within the lands of the colorful Samburu people, close
relatives of the Maasai, and which harbors a number of wildlife species rarely
found elsewhere in any numbers. These include Grevy zebra, the reticulated
giraffe and the Beisa oryx all species found north of the equator.
During your Samburu
game drives on both days, your guide will display and explain the majesties of the reserve
such as Uaso Nyiro River which rises some hundreds of kilometers to the west on
the foothills of the Aberdares and which vanishes beyond Samburu in the recesses
of the Lorian Swamp. Animals commonly seen in Samburu National Reserve include
elephants, lions, cheetahs, gerenuks, buffalos, grants gazelles, dikdiks and
waterbucks. There are over 350 varieties of birds. These include the famous
Somali Ostriches (distinguished by their unique purple/blue legs during mating
season), kingfishers, humming birds, eagles, guinea fowls and vultures.
Activities
Included: Day game drives.
Experiences
Available Additionally:
Breakfast in the bush.
Overnight
Accommodations:
Samburu
Serena Lodge
Day 3: Mount Kenya
National Park
After
breakfast, morning drive
to Serena Mountain Lodge located at the foot of Mount Kenya. Complete the rest
of exciting day viewing wildlife and enjoying the vistas of Mount Kenya from the
lodge overlook. Serena Mountain Lodge overlooks a large water hole attracting
elephant, buffalo, several species of antelope including the rare bongo and
occasionally the melanistic forms of both the leopard and the serval cat.
Activities
Included: Game
viewing from the lodge overlook (similar to experiences at the Treetops and Ark in
the Aberdares).
Other
Experiences Available Additionally: Take
a guided half-day peaceful nature hike on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya and
experience the rainforest and vegetation supported. Experience the terrain and
view birds, species of insects and wildlife not commonly see on a game drive
such as anteaters, wild boars, and monkeys. The crisp, clean mountain air will
revitalize your inner spirits during your nature walk after which guests can
conclude their experience with a special Mount Kenya spa massage treatment
available from the lodge.
Overnight
Accommodation:
Serena
Mountain Lodge
Day
4: Great Rift Valley Featuring Lake Nakuru National Park
Drive
towards the Great Rift Valley, with a visit to Lake Nakuru National Park. Upon
entering the Lake Nakuru National Park and driving to the lodge, guest will have
the opportunity to experience the vegetation and feel the calmness of the Lake
Nakuru in the distance. An afternoon game drive is planned. During your game
driving, guest will experience the awesomeness of the lake, which is world
famous as the location of the greatest bird spectacle on earth - myriads of
fuschia pink flamingoes whose numbers are legion, often more than a million
maybe two. Apart from the flamingoes, Lake Nakuru is one of the best places to
view leopards, black rhinos and lions. The park also has large sized python
snakes that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen crossing the
tracks or dangling from trees.
Activities
Included: Game
driving in Lake Nakuru National Park
Overnight
Accommodation:
Flamingo
Hill Camp
Day 5-6: Masai
Mara National Reserve
After a
refreshing night's sleep, drive leisurely from Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara
National Reserve with lunch arranged at the Mara Serena Lodge. An afternoon game
drive is planned for you in the Masai Mara National Reserve, which forms part of
the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem. The Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya's
finest wildlife reserve. Everything about this reserve is outstanding. The
wildlife is abundant and the gentle rolling grasslands ensure that animals are
never out of sight. Birds, too, are prolific. Including migrants, well over 450
species have been recorded, among them, 57 species of birds of prey. Experience
the wildebeest migration spectacle. You
have to be present on the plains of the Masai Mara to genuinely appreciate the
experience. Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, Topi and Eland and many more species
of plains' game offer a rich choice of food for the dominant predators; lion,
leopard and cheetah which hunt in this pristine wilderness. In the Mara River,
hippo submerges at the approach of a vehicle only to surface seconds later to
snort and boast their presence. Seemingly, the drowsy crocodile sunbathe on the
riverbanks, mouth agape, waiting with subtle cunning for prey at which to strike
with lightning swiftness.
Activities Included: Day
game driving.
Other
Experiences Available Additionally: Visit
to the Maasai En’kaang for a cultural experience; walking safari in the
conservation area; Masai Mara hot air balloon safari.
Overnight
Accommodation:
Mara
Serena Lodge
Day
7:
Masai Mara National Reserve -
Nairobi - Arusha
After
breakfast drive to the airstrip for your flight to Arusha via Nairobi. You are met on
arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport
and transferred to Arusha Hotel for lunch, relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Overnight
Accommodation:
Arusha
Hotel
Day
8:
Great Rift Valley Featuring Lake
Manyara National Park
Breakfast and
relaxation in the morning, and
thereafter lunch. At 2.00
PM drive from Arusha on the main road to Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation
Area, with picturesque hills in the distance passing the Mto Wa Mbu area and
stopping over at Lake Manyara National Park.
Drive to Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, perched on a hill with panoramic views of the lake, for dinner. Designed to reflect the brilliance of Lake Manyara's unique birdlife, the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge draws on an inspirational architectural motif that melds swooping avian curves with the gentle concentric patterns of traditional Maasai Bomas (encampments) whilst the vibrantly colored frescoes lining walls are designed to depict the colorful intricacy of bird migratory patterns.
Activities Included:
Game watching from escarpment using binoculars; swimming pool available for relaxation.
Other Experiences Available Additionally:
Horse riding around the escarpment; cycling; nature walks; paragliding; canoeing and
abseiling
Overnight
Accommodation:
Lake
Manyara Serena Lodge
Day 9-10: Lake Manyara National Park –
Serengeti National Park
After a
reviving breakfast in the morning, descend to the escarpment floor of the Lake
Manyara National Park and undertake a morning game drive. Lake Manyara National
Park is a relatively small park and can be traversed with in a short period of
time while viewing a considerable number of wildlife and birdlife. The park is
famous for mysterious Acacia Tortilis tree-climbing lions. Other animals
frequently seen are leopards (also on trees), zebras, impalas, baboons, monkeys,
wildebeests, giraffes, buffalos, elephants, flamingoes and many more. Hippos can
be seen either basking or submerged in the hippo pools near the forest. There is
an excellent bird population with in close proximity of the water sources. The
short branches of trees create excellent opportunities to photograph birds like
fish eagles that may have perched awaiting its next meal.
After
lunch,
drive to Serengeti National Park
with a game drive en-route. Descending to the Manyara-Serengeti access route, guests will be able to see herds of zebras
and antelopes as well as the famous Maasai youths
either tending to their cattle or waving enthusiastically as you drive by. This
amazing combination of striking a balance between conservation and human
sustenance is the success of the near by Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Driving on the
gravel surfaced roads, guests will actually be able to distinguish the change in
the terrain from the cool temperate to the moderately hot, rocky and acacia
dispersed ecosystem and later changing to the plains grass after the Nabi Hill
Gate.
Among the many
resources and beauties found and seen in the Serengeti ecosystem: rich animal
and plant diversity, unexposed gold and mineral mines, superb sunsets on smooth
landscapes, the number one wonder on the list in the Serengeti is the great
wildebeest migration. The migration has formed its own culture in the Serengeti,
with the wildebeest doing what they are do for the last two million years.
Nothing is a constant: not the rains, not the grass nor the timings of the
migration. The whole migration is masterfully planned by nature, with most times
the migration being led by the Burchells Zebra who relish the tall grasses,
making it easier for the wildebeest with their sunken heads to chomp on the
shorter grass. The remainder of short grass benefits the Thomson's (also called
Tomi's) and Grant gazelles that trail the magical spectacle of the wildlife
procession. The wildebeest crossing over the river is a highlight for many who
want to see them emerge victorious, when they make it across the river; other
visitors take a different view and wait for the opportunity for nature to define
its own rules. The river trees and hill mounds create an advantage and attract
leopards and lions adding to the fascinating experience in the Serengeti
National Reserve.
Activities Included:
Day game driving.
Other
Experiences Available Additionally:
Serengeti hot air balloon safari; walking safari; bush dining experience
Overnight
Accommodation:
Serengeti
Serena Lodge
Day
11:
Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater & Conservation Area
After a refreshing
night's sleep and hearty breakfast, depart with a picnic lunch and game drive
en-route from Serengeti to Ngorongoro with a stop over at Olduvai Gorge Valley,
site of the hominid fossils excavated by a team of archaeologists under the
leadership of Mary Leakey. Listen to a lecture being presented or peruse the
museum walls filled with history.
On your
drive to Ngorongoro Crater, guests will be able to experience thousands of acres
of land, golden brown during the dry season and green during the rains,
cushioning the hills in the distance displaying the sharp blue skies with
patches of fluffy cumulus clouds delivering contrasting shadows on the earth
surfaces. During the hot days, the clouds deliver cover for the wildlife or
sometimes much needed rain for the vegetation.
The landscape changes
as arrive at Karatu, home to coffee and agricultural farms such as renowned
Gibb's Farm where African traditional farming practices continue such as cattle
and pig rearing, and produce growing. Roadside Tanzania in comparison to the
cities displays a genuine contrast in the way commerce is conducted. Take the
opportunity to ask your guide to stop and pickup out a long sugarcane stem with
the outer skin pealed to reveal a soft chewable rush of fresh sugar cane juice
organically enjoyed.
As you enter the
Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation Area, the elevation increases as guests drive
on the strikingly rich red soils of the Ngorongoro; AfricanMecca guests can feel
a tingle of the cool African highland air caressing against their face and with
refreshing African sun warming their body as it crosses from east to west. The
ascension from the Ngorongoro base to the crest of the crater reveals
magnificent and panoramic views of the beautiful crater. Imagining the crater
sustaining thousands of wildlife adds to the exiting adventures that lay ahead.
Entering the grounds
of the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge -perched on the jagged rim of the crater,
wreathed in morning mist, camouflaged in river-stone and cloaked in indigenous
creepers, the lodge is sensitively constructed so as to take nothing from its
environment while affording endless vistas over the heat-shimmering reaches of
the crater below, the clustered boulder-built buildings of the lodge hug the
crater rim, linked by rope-lashed timber walkways that skirt the buttressed
roots of ancient, liana-hung trees.
Activities Included:
Day game driving en-route; Game viewing using binoculars from crater rim.
Other Experiences Available Additionally:
Nature walk around crater rim
Overnight
Accommodation:
Ngorongoro
Serena Lodge
Day
12:
Ngorongoro Crater - Lake Manyara National Park
After
receiving a sample safari experience on your previous day, after breakfast,
descend to the crater floor and enjoy a 6 hours of wildlife viewing experience.
The Ngorongoro crater's spectacular setting and abundance of wildlife
combination makes it one of the wonders of the natural world. The crater alone
has over 20,000 large wildlife including some of Tanzania's last remaining black
rhino. The rhinos emerge from the forests in the mists of early morning and
their prehistoric figures make a striking impression, surrounded by the ancient
crater walls. No fences or boundaries border the Ngorongoro crater walls -
animals are free to enter or leave the crater but many of them stay for the
plentiful water, prey and grazing available on the crater floor throughout the
year. The most commonly seen animals are lions, elephants, wildebeests, zebras,
eland, bushbuck, cheetah, jackals, buffalos, grants gazelles, Thompsons gazelle,
black rhino and many more. Also, on the crater floor are swamps providing water
and habitat for elephants and hippos as well as numerous smaller wildlife such
as frogs, snakes and serval cats.
Return
to the lodge for lunch and afternoon drive to Lake Manyara for your overnight.
Activities
Included:
Day game driving inside the crater; Game viewing using binoculars from crater rim.
Other
Experiences Available Additionally:
Nature walk around crater rim.
Overnight
Accommodation:
Lake
Manyara Serena Lodge
Day 13: Lake Manyara National Park – Arusha –
Nairobi
After breakfast, checkout from your accommodation
and drive to Arusha for lunch with a drop-off at Kilimanjaro Airport for your
flight to Nairobi. You are met on arrival in Nairobi at Wilson Airport; transfer
to the JKI Airport for your outbound international flight or to your hotel in
Nairobi. This section of the program ends in Nairobi.
What's Included:
- Pre-planning professional program expertise, resource guiding along with first hand experience.
- Professional wildlife guiding services. All guides are native experts in African wildlife, game driving, and the African culture, many of who speak other European languages
- Accommodation in a double or twin room - sharing.
- Full board meals (lunch, dinner &
breakfast) when staying the night during the safari.
- Hotel in Arusha as
indicated.
- Internal
airlines as indicated.
- All point-to-point personalized meet, greet and transfer service as in the program.
- All park entry fees, airstrip transfers, VAT, state levies, service charge and hotel taxes.
- All gratuities except to driver-guides, game rangers, escort, and lodge, hotel, camp or bar staff.
- 24 Hours-7 days US/UK/Kenya/Tanzania office and cellular emergency contact details.
What's Not Included:
Personal expenses such laundry, flying doctor service, travelers insurance; communication charges, visas, international airfares; meals, drinks, excursions, Nairobi hotel accommodation, additional activities or sightseeing NOT
included in the itinerary.
AFRICANMECCA CUSTOMER COMMENTS
Gallaghers African
Safari Honeymoon With AfricanMecca
Jambo Raza! Our honeymoon was absolutely amazing thanks to you and AfricanMecca
Safaris. You were a pleasure to deal with while planning our trip. Whenever we
had any questions you were always quick to respond with detailed and helpful
information. You customized a trip for us that was far beyond our expectations!!
We felt comfortable and safe from the moment we got off the airplane thanks to
your detailed itinerary and planning. Our guides were so nice, the places we
stayed were luxurious and romantic, and the animals and scenery were
breathtaking in Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Selous and Zanzibar. I owe you a special
thanks talking to my mother when she called to see if you had heard from us. She
said that you could not have been nicer and that you immediately set her worried
mind at ease. We would highly recommend you and AfricanMecca to anyone
interested in going on the trip of a lifetime!! Thanks again!
Meredith and Tim Gallagher, Philadelphia
United States
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