Kenya’s Great Migration Special

Situated 160 km south of the equator, Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and boasts one of the finest climates in the world. This modern, cosmopolitan city is the regional headquarters for many African and Indian Ocean businesses. With delegates attracted here from around the world, they come for the friendliness of the people, the modern hotel facilities and the vast array of fascinating options available throughout the city. Although the "City in the Sun‟ is relatively young by global standards, it has fascinating history capturing explorers, missionaries, wars, cultural diversity and politics etc, each leaving their mark on the city center in some way.

Today, you will enjoy morning and afternoon game drives with all meals and overnight at your camp. The reserve is within the lands of the colorful Samburu people, close relatives of the Maasai, and home to a number of wildlife species rarely found elsewhere in Kenya: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, and Beisa oryx, all found only north of the equator. The graceful gerenuk, an antelope with its characteristic long neck, spends much of its time in a bipedal stance seeking relaxation in the sparse scrub that grows in this harsh terrain. This dramatic landscape is blanketed by the hot equatorial sun for most of the year. Relief comes from the cool waters of the Uaso Nyiro ("Brown") River, which rises to the west on the foothills of the Aberdares and which vanishes beyond Samburu in the soggy expanse known as the Lorian swamp. The scenery in Samburu is magnificent and the birdlife is awesome. (b,l,d)

After breakfast, we drive to Sweet Waters, a sheltered oasis, clustered around a water hole and set in the pristine calm of the private Ol Pejeta Conservancy .The camp offers a charming blend of under-canvas ambiance and safari luxury. Game here includes a parade of elephants, giraffes, zebras and impalas among other animals. You will also visit the 200-acre Chimpanzee sanctuary established by Kenya‟s Wildlife Service and the Jane Goodall Institute. Over twenty orphaned and abused chimps reside here while becoming rehabilitated so they may be reintroduced to the wild. Also found here are almost 400 bird species that lurk in the Savannah grasslands and riverine forests, including Augur Buzzard, Black Kite and African Harrier Hawk. Arrive in time for lunch which will be followed by a late afternoon game viewing drive. Later, drive back to your camp for dinner and relaxation. (b,l,d)

Maasai Mara is Kenya’s most famous wildlife reserve, much the setting for the film Out of Africa. It is classic savannah – grasslands, where animals are plentiful and the vistas spectacular. In this dreamlike land, animals live in freedom, and the Maasai tend their cattle, all sharing the same land with minimal conflict. You will have two days of wildlife-viewing opportunities in the Maasai Mara Reserve, also known as the “Jewel of Africa,” a site with one of the largest and the most spectacular animal migrations in the world. The reserve is inhabited by many of Africa's most popular wild animals, including lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, black rhino and hippo. There are also over 500 resident species of birds in the park including ostrich, larks and sunbirds as well as the lovely Lilac-breasted Roller. (b,l,d)

Today, we continue to track the wildlife of the unforgettable Massia Mara Reserve. Our day includes an early morning as well as an afternoon Game Drive. All meals are included at the lodge. The area is famous for rolling grassland and for the Mara River, which runs through the reserve from north to south. The reserve covers an area of 700 square miles and forms part of the Serengeti ecosystem, hosting the world famous spectacle of the annual migration of up to two million wildebeest, thousands of zebra and an escort of carnivores from the Serengeti plains that follow the rains and succulent new grass. A costly trek as many of the lame, laggard and sick will fall prey to the ravening pack of predators and many more will die in the swirling flood waters of the Mara River as they try to cross it. The Mara also has one of the highest concentrations of cheetah on the continent, as well as many magnificent black-maned lions. (b.l.d)