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2009 - Siku Kumi na mbili Watu na Tsavo Rhino, Oserian, Loyan

Safari 12 days / 10 nights : Nairobi, Ithumba, Tsavo West, Mara via Amboseli, Oserien, Loiyangalani, Desert Rose via Nanuki, Samatian.

Day 1

Depending on your arrival time in Nairobi, we come and collect you from the airport, and you hear toward the Light airport, Wilson. A cup of tea or coffee at the Aero Club, relax whilst we prepare for a 1hr 10 min flight to Tsavo East, over the Machacos Hills, the immense Yatta plateau, and the Athi river. Land in Ithumba, well away from anywhere, and settle into a small private camp. Lunch, relax , and later in the afternoon, you will meet your adopted orphan. Yes in choosing this safari, you have adopted a baby elephant, whose parents have been killed by poachers. You will be directly concerned with their livelihood by participating in this courageous and sensitive rehabilitation programme, created by the Sheldrick foundation. On site, according to the age of the orphans, you will be able to bottle feed some of them, follow them in their enclosures, and visit the rehabilitation centre. Your participation assists the continuity of the Sheldrick foundation, and over the year you will receive regular news of your protégé. If you want, you can always adopt another one ! Return to the camp for dinner in the privat camp.

Day 2

Early morning wake up to meet your charge, and feed him or her with it’s morning milk ration. Return to camp for breakfast, after which you can rest or walk to the summit of Ithumba rock at 1, 100 meters where you have a spectacular view.. At the end of the morning after another milk feed you can help the elephants in their mud bath, an emotional experience.. return to the Lodge for Lunch. early the afternoon, return to the plane to take off for a superb 1 hour flight over the Tsavo ecosystem on the lookout for herds of elephant. Installation in a small privat lodge on the migration route towards Lake Jipe. Sundowner, dinner and night at the Lodge.

Day 3

Wake up with the sounds of Nature, with a hot tea or coffee. After breakfast, leave either in 4x4 or by plane in Tsavo West to meet the rangers responsible for the reintroduction of the rare surviving black rhinocerous. And you again, in choosing this safari, will assist a black rhino survival program, on this day, due to your presence and your vehicle ; the park will be able to double their patrol and radio tracking of the 20 threatened black rhino released in this Zone. If you wish you can become directly involved along with the specialists participating in the patrol, far from anywhere in the bush, radio tracking the rhino even on foot if terrain permit. Lunch in the bush. In the course of the afternoon, return to the plane to make an aerial patrol of the rhinoceros protection zone, or according to the need of the Park warden we might make a surveillance of the state of the forests covering the most recent volcanic chain, the Chyulu Hills and its threatened environment. This catchment area provides water for the whole of the Tsavo Ecosystem, three rivers and ten million people.. Return for a sundowner at the little lodge, dinner, and night at the Lodge.

Day 4

Morning wake up, and another beautiful day awaits us. After a hot drink, take off with our bags to the summit of Kilimanjaro for about 1hr 15 minute flight full of surprises. I wont say any more. Upon landing not far from Amboseli, at the foot of Kilimanjaro, we will be met by our Masai friends, not to say too much this will also be another surprise. Breakfast. Leave on foot with some Masai warriors, who can explain much about the various plants we see, and introduce us to their Masai families in their manyattas. Again, your participation in this safari, contributes to send certain youth of this community to university. Lunch, rest by the pooland take off to the Mara for a 2hr 20 min flight which will take your breath away,. This will remain a surprise, and one of the beautiful memories of your safari. A short time after take off, we fly over the Amboseli swamps, which are impossible to see properly from the ground, scattered with elephant at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro. Passing over the Namanga plateau and her mountains, over the East side of the Great rift valley, her impressives cliffs, and more emotion as we overfly the sublime colours of Lake Natron, her alkaline waters providing abundant avifauna, the perfect feeding ground for flamingos and pelican. Images you will never forget. It is an incredible palette of colours. We then climb up over the Nguruman escarpment, to a height of 3200 meters, follow the Loita hills and arrive making an aerial game drive over the mara savana. Install into a general stantadrd tented lodge. If you have time and the energy, a quick game drive in search of some big cats, sundowners and return to the camp for dinner and the night.

Day 5

Today, we wake up early, take a hot drink, and leave for an amazing surprise ; a balloon flight over the spectacular mara plains, followed by a sumptuous bush breakfast, and a leisurely game drive. Around lunch time back to the lodge. Lunch at the Lodge.

The Masai Mara is connected to the Tanzanian Serengeti, and thus the migration routes for all the plains game pass between these two reserves. You should get to see a good number of Burchells Zebra, Wildebeest, Elephant; Thomson’s and grants gazelle, Impala, Kirks dick dick, Hartebeest, Topi, buffalo, Masai giraffe, Eland, Rhino, jackal and all the big cats. The Mara National reserve is a world of its own covering 1.530 square kilometres.

After a rest and lunch at the camp, we go out again about four pm in search of cats, game driving until dark. Dinner, night at the lodge.

Day 6

At six o clock, wake up with a hot drink, and at 06.30 leave for a private 4 x 4 game drive, looking for all the park has to offer. Bush breakfast, and game drive back to the Lodge end of morning time. Lunch and take off to Naivasha for a 1 hour flight, varying scenery between the rolling savana plains and high forested plateau, descending into the Great Rift Valley, you see the geothermal smoke, not far from the longonot volcano. A beautiful descent to Lake naivasha and olgodien, teaming with birdlife. Arrive good and fresh after these days of safari, and install into an elegant small lodge, in a private wildlife sanctuary. After lunch, depart for an afternoon full of surprises. At the end of the day, a sundowner in the bush, around a camp fire. Return to the lodge making a night game drive, where it is quite possible to see leopard. Dinner by the fire, we are at about 1800 meteres, night at the lodge.

Day 7

Wake up with a hot drink and small snack. Boat ride on lake Naivasha. You will have in front of your eyes, one of the highest variety of birdlife in the world, without forgetting the hippopotamus. Return to the shore, for a elegant surprise brunch, on the shores of the lake, in a beautiful spot. Return to the lodge around lunch time, a rest and a swim. Around 3 .30 for another enjoyable drive, along the shores of ancient Lake oloibor. An unforgettable night game drive, return to the lodge, dinner by the fire..

Day 8

After breakfast, safari by 4x4 in the private reserve, or a walk around a beautiful small crater lake, generally full of flamingos. At the end of the morning, take off for a superb 45 minute flight to Nanuki. If weather permits, we fly over the Abadare mountain, over a 10,000 ft high water fall, the highest falls in Kenya tumbling through a beautiful forest of indigenous trees, bamboo forest, and open moorland. We stop to refuel the plane, at a small airfield at the foot of Mt Kenya, at 2, 200 meters, whilst we take lunch in a special trout farm ,whose tables are arranged on platforms in a large fig tree ! Take off for another superb 1hr 45 minute flight which takes us along the chain of mountains, the Matthews, the Ndotos and the deserts of the north, the Horr valley, and Mt Kulal with her spectacular gorges and cliffs. We land in Loiyangalani, not far from the shores of Lake Turkana. Install into this Lodge full of stories, slightly in need of maintainance. Then we participate in a dance arranged by the women’s group, which aims to bring together the various different tribes , preserving their ethnic identities, in a dance for peace. Yes all the usually warring tribes are brought together for this special occasion..!

Sundowner in the hot spring fed swimming pool, dinner and night at the Lodge, hosted by Wolfgang, a true character mentioned in various books and novels, the last of which was the Constant Gardner, by John Le Carre. , the film was based at the Oasis Lodge.

Day 9

After breakfast, we travel in a 4 x4 and foot to visit a remote rock art site, in a magic spot where time seems to have not touched. I work in collaboration with TARA, a trust which protects and preserves these ancient art sites in Africa. Pic nic in the bush, and return to Loiyangalani.

In the afternoon, we return to the plane for a fantastic 40 minute flight, as we fly over the south end of the lake, and the volcanoes of Teliki and Nanoyetom, where the earth seems to have opened its bowels of Black Lava. To crown the flight we pass lake Logipi, and her palette of colours, and her flamingos, the lowest and hottest place in the Kenyan part of the Rift Valley, before landing at the foot of the sacred Mt Nyiro, far from the madding crowds, where it is said the God of the Samburu NGAI resides. Here a 4 x 4 awaits and you understand what a four wheel drive is capable of! ( say no more ). You are driven high into the mountain to a small unique charming private lodge. Dinner and night at the Lodge.

Day 10

Breakfast in this sublime spot, and leave for a beautiful walk up the mountain into the unspoilt indigenous forest, you need to be a little bit sporty to tackle the steep mountain paths. We might visit some of our samburu friends who nomadically move throughout the region. A surprise lunch in a special pic nic spot by the river, where we can enjoy the natural water- rock slide into the rock pool. Towards the afternoon, if you wiah, another walk to a superb rock outcrop for sundowners. Dinner by candlelight, night at Lodge.

Day 11

Wake up with a hot drink, breakfast in the meditative environment of this mountain, and drive back down the mountain. Return to the plane for a beautiful 1hr 15 min flight to Baringo with a beautiful flight over the cliffs and valleys of the Great Rift Valley, and her volcanoes. Arrive at lake baringo, transfer by boat to a small beautifull lodge on an island. Lunch. Rest . Afternoon boat ride sundowner on the lake. Dinner and night at the Lodge.

Day 12

Wake up with a hot drink, and we go by boat into the North East part of the lake to a Pokot village. The owner of this lodge had implement a courageous program for wildlife conservation in collaboration and cultural preservation, with differents clans living on site. Returning to the lodge via a scenic bird rich route. Brunch, and depending on you departure time, return by boat to the plane for a superb 1hr 20 miunte flight down the Great Rift Valley, it’s lakes and volcanoes, to Nairobi, arriving via the Ngong Hills, a very nice flight hard to forgey. Landing at Wilson Airport, we rest and enjoy the Aero Club of East Africa. Transfer to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, your head full of beautiful memories and stunning images which you can treasure always.

Cost

Nairobi/Nairobi - Price per person in € (Euros) (without Christmas or New Year supplement which some Hotels Charge)

Cost is based on chosen Hotels, if they are overbooked, the price might vary accordingly.

1 Person: 15,540 €
2 Pax :  9,495 €
3 Pax :  7,620 €
4 Pax :  6,685 €
5 Pax :  6,120 €

Single room supplement : 395 €

For children under 12 years sharing room with 2 parents :

1 Child : 6,265 €
2 Children: 5,325 €
3 Children: 4,765 €

Price is inclusive of :

• Full board accommodation at all lodges and camps during the safari
• Flight in hot air balloon
• All vehicle transport in 4 x 4
• All game park entry fees
• Meals in Nairobi
• Transport in Cessna 206 throughout the Safari
• Any drinks ordered by your guide
• All Tips
• Your French/English speaking pilot guide
• Transfers to and from the Airport

NOT included :

• Personal shopping / expenses
• Visas fees
• International flight
• First and/or last night in Nairobi depending of your arrival and departure time