Daily Departures  

This is an easy paced, gorgeous safari program that will impress you with substantial game viewing while meeting challenging standards of comfort and hospitality. At the two posh camps chosen, you'll be hosted by the owner/managers who invite you into camp just as they would invite someone into their home. This personal vested interest in your holiday turns a normal Kenyan safari into a place where you made new friends and acquaintances, even while watching that lion kill!

Kenya's Laikipia is like America's Big Sky country. Many of the exclusive boutique safari camps like the one you will visit were originally large cattle farms. Kenya's Maasai Mara is its finest game viewing area. Together, the two will provide you with the absolute best that is Kenya.

The prices include: ** Meals as detailed in brackets following each day's description below; ** Three local flights: Nairobi to Laikipia, Laikipia to the Mara, and the Mara back to Nairobi; ** All park entrance fees, VAT and other government taxes; ** Comprehensive pre-trip material with discount coupons for travel gear and equipment. Additional expenses not included: - Meals not included; - Some beverages; - Requisite visas and other travel preparations like inoculations; - Tipping.

Contact EWT for the best international air fares and for recommendations on how to use your frequent flyer miles.

The safari begins in Nairobi, East Africa's most important city, a dynamic and colorful metropolis. If you arrive early enough, a number of sightseeing excursions are available, including to the famous National Museum, and to the attractions in the nearby suburb of Karen, including Karen Blixen's homestead and Giraffe Manor. Overnight at the Norfolk Hotel, the city's finest.  [no meals]

Take a morning flight into Kenya's northern frontier followed by a Landrover transfer into an immense private conservation ranch. The "Laikipia" region of northern Kenya has become a model for wildlife conservation and sustainable development the world over. Individual reserves, some as large as 100,000 acres, have been protected from rampant agriculture and cattle farming, to preserve the natural wildlife and outstandingly spectacular bushlands. You'll arrive at the luxurious Borana Lodge in time for lunch, and immediately in the afternoon begin your many varied activities.  [ -l-d]

Laikipia's wildlife includes many animals found nowhere else, including the reticulated giraffe -- the world's most handsome, the blue-legged Somali ostich and the solitary Grevy's zebra. The area abounds with the strange, long-necked impala known as the gerenuk, as well as many of the regulars, including buffalo, common zebra, gazelle, and the great predators. You'll be shown around by the reserve's owners, who all take a personal interest in this fascinating area. In addition to traditional game drives, there are opportunities for foot safaris, evening sundowners and night drives. Meals and overnight at Borana Lodge.  [b-l-d]

Further game drives in this stunning area. Laikipia is remote, beautiful, physically diverse and scenically spectacular. The area near our lodge is composed of open grasslands, basalt hills, lonely kopjes and dense cedar forests fed by the Ewaso Nyiro and Ewaso Narok rivers. This is a sanctuary for elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and a wealth of plains game. Borana Lodge is elevated on a cliff, perched on the edge of a valley meandering out of the Laikipia Plateau. The lodge seamlessly blends into the craggy stone outcrops of the escarpment, with just 8 cottages with warming open fireplaces, dressing rooms and private verandas. The private cottages are clustered around a main building and a peaceful infinity pool that overlooks a waterhole where animals come to drink.  [b-l-d]

Take a morning flight into Kenya's finest big game reserve, the lush and game intense Maasai Mara. You'll arrive in time for lunch in camp, followed by afternoon game viewing. For three nights you'll enjoy the splendor of a very exclusive camp built on the banks of the Mara River, Il Moran Camp.  [b-l-d]

Three game drives are included daily from camp in open Landrovers driven by the country's most experienced guides. The Mara is everyone's dream of Africa come true: gently rolling grassland plains bisected by a number of great rivers. The area is filled with lion and cheetah, and leopards are often found. The plains are filled with wildebeest, hartebeest, topi, eland and much more, and the birdlife is incredible. You can visit a Maasai village and book a hot air balloon ride. Each evening you return to the special luxuries of Il Moran Camp.  [b-l-d]

Full day to further explore the Maasai Mara from your luxurious Il Moran Camp, where every tent is a "honeymoon" tent! The lodge is situated near a deep bend in the Mara River, and at any time of the year this is a hugely popular region because game viewing is always excellent. Frequent sightings include elephant, black rhino, buffalo, plains zebra, hartebeest and some famous families of big cats. The Mara river is home to hippo and crocodiles, and the bird life in the Mara is among the best in East Africa, with more than 450 species.  [b-l-d]

After a full morning of game viewing, fly back to Nairobi, where you'll be returned to your private room at the Norfolk Hotel. The afternoon is free, and your private rerpesentative is available to assist you with shopping or additional sightseeing. This evening your representative will return to take you to the airport for the overnight departures home.  [b- - ]

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