Day 1
Nairobi, Kenya |
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Our first morning in Nairobi we are introduced to some special
work being done to support Africa’s orphaned wildlife at
Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage whilst viewing the baby
elephant feed and play session and the rhino feed. We also visit the Giraffe Park where we can hand feed graceful giraffe
in the beautiful grounds. For those that want to get a little closer you might even be in for a giraffe kiss! We have our
departure meeting and then enjoy a meal in a local restaurant in the capital to get to know our fellow travellers.
Optional excursions: Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage, night
out at Carnivores restaurant or similar.
Meals:
(Dinner)
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Day 2
Nairobi to Masai Mara |
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We hit the road driving to Kenya’s greatest wildlife reserve,
the Masai Mara, for our first taste of African game safaris. Arriving around lunchtime, we have the afternoon for game
drives through the park, to marvel at the landscape and wildlife that make the Mara so famous. This park boasts all
members of the ‘Big Five’, being famous for its lion population in particular. Cheetah and leopard are also found here, Masai
and common giraffe, as well as hyena, hartebeest, impala and topi, hippo, elephant and of course in season the
migration herds of wildebeest, zebra and Thomson gazelle.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 3
Masai Mara to Naivasha |
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We game drive through the Masai Mara during the morning, or
alternatively you can take an early morning balloon safari.
Traditional Maasai live in this region and we visit a village
whilst here. We leave the park by lunchtime to travel through to Lake Naivasha.
Optional excursion: Balloon safari.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 4
Naivasha |
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The Maasai name for Naivasha is Nai’posha, which translates
as ‘rough water’. It is a fresh water lake and plays host to over 400 species of bird. It is also the primary source of all
fresh water flowers sold in the UK. From here we are able to cycle into Hells Gate National Park with its extraordinary
volcanic scenery. Alternatively we can hike to the Crater Lake or take a walking safari on Crescent Island to stretch our legs
and get up close to Africa’s wildlife including giraffe, zebra and gazelle.
Optional excursions: Cycling in Hells Gate National Park,
guided walk to Green Crater Lake, Crescent Island.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 5
Naivasha to Nakuru |
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By day hippo drift in the lake and at night they come out to
graze in our campsite. A hippo cruise is also a fun excursion
during our stay. A visit to Elsamere, home to Joy Adamson,
and now a conservation centre, is next on the agenda. Joy and George’s time with Elsa the lion was depicted in the well
known movie ‘Born Free’. We enjoy afternoon tea whilst the black and white colobus monkeys feed nearby on the lawns. In
the afternoon we head to our campsite near Nakuru. We can
visit an orphanage on the way.
Optional excursions: Elsamere for afternoon tea, hippo cruise.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 6
Nakuru |
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Lake Nakuru National Park is our next park to enjoy game
drives by the lake amongst acacia and euphorbia forest. The park’s alkaline lake supports hippo and migratory waterfowl
and waders, and particularly the beautiful greater and lesser flamingo. The park is also a sanctuary for black and white
rhino, Rothschild’s giraffe as well as defassa waterbuck, reedbucks, zebra, warthog and Grant’s and Thomson’s
gazelle. Lion can be seen and if we are fortunate, we might spy a leopard, lounging in a tree. From Baboon Cliffs we can
enjoy the gorgeous views across the lake.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 7
Nakuru to Eldoret |
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We are back on the road today, travelling into the mountains
to Eldoret and a stay at Raj’s, reputedly ‘the coolest bar in
Africa’.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 8
Eldoret to Jinja, Uganda |
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Crossing the border we enter Uganda, famed for its
welcoming, vibrant and relaxed atmosphere to camp by the
White Nile overlooking Bujagali Falls downstream from the
Source of the Nile. After several days on the road we enjoy a
few days break here in Jinja – Uganda’s adrenaline capital.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Days 9 - 11
Jinja |
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Take the time to explore this lush tropical region by quad bike
or on horseback. Head out whitewater rafting on grade 5
rapids on the world’s longest river. Bungee jump with a final
dunk in the river at the conclusion! There is also time to help
in a local school, a sunset cruise and for village walks,
kayaking and canoeing.
Optional excursions: Whitewater rafting, village walk, bungee
jump, kayaking, sunset cruise on Lake Victoria, voluntary work in a local school, quad biking and horse riding.
Meals:
(Breakfasts/Dinners)
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Day 12
Jinja to Entebbe |
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Today we head to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, before
reaching Entebbe, a town based on the banks of Lake
Victoria.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 13
Entebbe |
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If you opt in to visit Ngamba Island on Lake Victoria, you can
see the 32 cheeky chimps now living there and marvel at their
human qualities. Often difficult to spot in the wild, the chimps
at Ngamba are habituated to human contact having been
orphaned and then returned to live in a more natural setting
on the island. At Ngamba, we have a great chance to watch
their antics as they come in for their daily supplementary
feed. Chimps live in communities with the males often forming
coalitions to remain in dominance. In the wild they will work
together to ambush bush pig, and other smaller animals to augment their mainly vegetarian diet. On our return to the
mainland we can stop for a quick swim on the equator. If we don’t stay a day at Entebbe we head early to Queen Elizabeth
where we aim to trek to see chimps in the wild.
Optional excursion: Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 144
Entebbe to Mbarara |
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Time to test your bargaining skills as we drive west to
Mbarara where we stop over at local craft markets, including those of the Royal Mbambira Drum Makers. Crossing the
equator, but this time on land, we stop for a photo shoot and water demonstration to see the effects of the Earth’s
magnetic field.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 15
Mbarara to Queen Elizabeth National Park |
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Next is a relatively easy journey to reach Queen Elizabeth
National Park for game drives and a cruise on the Kazinga Channel. The cruise is a very special way to view wildlife in
this park, as hippo lounge and elephant play in and by the waterways. The park also has lion, leopard and jackal, Uganda
kob buffalo and waterbuck amongst other animals of the plain, as well as much bird life. We will stay in the park for a
full 24 hour period and squeeze in as many game drives as possible! If chimp trekking here we also head to Kyambura
Gorge.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 16
Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kabale |
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We then get on our way to Lake Bunyoni/Kabale where we
spend our last night in Uganda. Staying by the tranquil Lake
Bunyoni, depending on the road conditions, we have the
chance to canoe, spot otter and relax in one of the most peaceful settings on route.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 17
Kabale to Ruuhengeri, Rwanda |
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On entering Rwanda we pause to stop over in Kigale at the
Genocide Memorial and Museum. Then move on through to
Ruthengeri.
Optional excursion: Genocide museum and memorial.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Days 18 - 19
Ruhengeri |
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We camp near the Parc National des Volcans where Dian
Fossey worked, or alternatively near one of the Ugandan
gorilla parks. The trek to view the mountain gorillas brings you
face to face with this critically endangered species in its
natural habitat. Under the charge of the older dominant male,
the silverback, who can weigh up to 350 pounds, the families eat, sleep, groom and play the day away in lush jungle, their
environment, described as a giant ‘salad bowl’. They spend the day foraging for bamboo, wild celery, nettles and other
vegetation. The gorilla trek is a once in a lifetime opportunity to view this gentle and intelligent primate.
Optional excursions: Mountain gorilla trek in either Parc
National des Volcans (Rwanda) or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda), golden monkeys trek, visit to Dian Fossey’s grave,
orphanage and preschool visit, Batwa (Pygmy) village visit.
Meals:
(Breakfasts/Dinners)
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Day 20
Ruhengeri to Nyakhanazi, Tanzania |
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Leaving “the land of a thousand hills” today we have another
border crossing to travel through to our camp in a small rural
hotel in Nyakhanazi, Tanzania. It is an early rise and on our
arrival we can enjoy a game of football with the locals.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 21
Nyakhanazi to Mwanza, Lake Victoria |
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We again are travelling away from the main roads, off the
beaten track. We continue through to southern Lake Victoria
and set up camp at Mwanza.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner) |
Day 22
Mwanza to the Grumeti |
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The Grumeti is part of the Mara and Serengeti eco-system.
Particularly between June and July the annual great migration
passes through the Grumeti and hundreds of wildebeest,
zebra and gazelle brave the Grumeti River. Entering by early afternoon we camp in the bush before heading out on evening
game drives.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 23
he Grumeti to Seronera, central Serengeti |
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We are up early, rising with the dawn chorus, for the Grumeti
reserve game walks in the African bush. By lunchtime we are
crossing into the Serengeti at Ikoma Gate. The Serengeti
plains are home to an immense array of wildlife - lion,
cheetah, hyena, elephant, buffalo, hippo, topi and giraffe to
name just a few, the vast savannah ecosystem combining with The Mara
as the stage for the migration of the big herds of
wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle who usually start to arrive back in the Serengeti during November. Alternatively we
may camp overnight by Lake Victoria and enter the Serengeti from the western side, via the Grumeti, to do our game drives
in the truck and travel right across this magnificent park.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 24
Serengeti National Park to Simba, Ngorongoro Crater Area |
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It’s an early start for all to take advantage of the time we
have in the park as we head out on morning game drives. On
leaving the park we visit a Maasai boma and also stop at the
Olduvai Gorge Museum. We drive to the Ngorongoro Crater rim
to set up camp and relax around the campfire at Simba
campsite.
Optional excursion: The Olduvai Gorge Museum.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Day 25
Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha |
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Specially designed land cruisers collect us after breakfast and
we head off with local guides for game drives in the world’s
largest extinct volcano, 18 kilometres across and 2,000 feet
deep - the Ngorongoro Crater. This is Tanzania’s most visited
game reserve with a range of different habitats from Lake
Magadi, its rim tinged pink by flamingo, to hippo pools, to the
Lerai Forest, across open plains, abundant game roam the
Crater floor and on hilly outcrops lions peruse the scene on look out for their next meal.
Following lunch we leave the campsite area. Passing
traditional Maasai herdsmen tending their cattle, we stop over
at Mto Wa Mbu to mingle with the locals and haggle for
curios. We can also visit a Maasai village and museum with
displays outlining the social structures of traditional Maasai
life. Finally we enjoy a group barbecue together and reflect on
all the spectacular sights of the past few days in the parks.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Days 26-27
Arusha to Dar es Salaam |
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With a little good fortune we might spy the majestic
Kilimanjaro on our journey south to Dar es Salaam on the
Indian Ocean coast, from where we catch the ferry to the
exotic Spice Island of Zanzibar for our last days on the
sunbleached beaches of Zanzibar.
Meals:
(Breakfasts/Dinners)
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Day 28
Stone Town, Zanzibar Island |
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Arriving in the port of Stone Town, the capital, we can explore
the traditional capital of the island- the winding, narrow streets and colourful bazaars by day and by night, dine out at
the bustling open air market for fresh seafood and snacks on
the harbour front. With the sounds of African jazz, blues and
island reggae, we enjoy fresh seafood and dishes cooked with
home-grown spices. A spice tour introduces us to the
fascinating history of the island during our first day.
Meals:
(Breakfast/Dinner)
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Days 29-31
Kendwa Beach, Zanzibar Island |
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We then spend three nights in beach cottages with time to
relax on miles upon miles of white beaches, enjoy volleyball
on the sand and swimming in azure blue waters. Dolphin boat
trips can be organized to visit Jozani Forest’s indigenous red
colobus monkeys. Zanzibar also offers some of the best
diving and snorkelling in Africa. Amongst colourful corals, a variety of fish species can be seen as well as dolphins, huge
rays and hammerhead sharks. Zanzibar is the perfect island paradise to finish your safari! Further details as to arrangements for your optional time on
Zanzibar Island: We make core arrangements well ahead of time so we are assured our groups are comfortable in popular
beach cottages to the north of the island and for a night in the capital. Other excursions available include snorkelling
excursions to Prison Island famous for its giant tortoise, as well as Mnemba Atoll, dolphin boat trips, a trek in Jozani
forest to see the red colobus monkeys and fishing. Scuba diving can be arranged from the Dive Centre near our beach
cottages.
Meals:
(Breakfasts/Dinners)
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Days 32
Zanzibar Island to Dar es Salaam |
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We end the trip today, with the crew heading back to Dar from
Stone Town on the lunchtime ferry. Extra accommodation can
be arranged for those who would like more time on Zanzibar
Island.
Meals:
(Breakfast)
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