ELEPHANT FOOTSTEPS TO THE BIG FIVE SAFARI EXPERIENCE

Day notes

DAY 01: FLY INTO NAIROBI, KENYA

You will  fly into Nairobi, Kenya where you will be met by your designated Absolute Vantage safari guide who will then facilitate your transfer to your Bed & Breakfast accommodation – Tamarind Tree Hotel 

Day notes

DAY 02 - 03: EXPLORE ITHUMBA   

On day 2, you will awake early have your breakfast and bid Tamarind Tree farewell embarking on a leisurely 5.5-hour drive to Ithumba – Tsavo East which will be your home for the next 2 nights. Ithumba is one of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant re-introduction locations located in the Northern Area of Tsavo East for elephants who have graduated from the Nairobi Nursery.  This experience will give you exclusivity of elephants, keepers, and a lush, lax tented home all to yourself, having early morning/evening visits to the elephant stockades and 11am mud baths session topped up with amazing sundowners at their infinity pool.

Day notes

DAY 04 - 05: EXPLORE ITHUMBA   

On day 4, you will awake early to go and bid farewell to the elephants and keepers, return for breakfast, freshen up, pack and embark on a leisurely 2.5hour drive to Umani Springs Lodge which will be your home for the next 2 nights. Umani Springs is one of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant re-introduction locations for elephants who have graduated from the Nairobi Nursery.  This experience will give you exclusivity of elephants, keepers and a lush, lax home all to yourself, having early morning/evening visits to the elephant stockades and 11am mud baths sessions topped up with amazing sundowner settings at Umani Springs Sundowner deck.

Day notes

DAY 06 – 08: EXPLORE AMBOSELI

On day 6, you will awake early, have breakfast, freshen up, pack, and embark on a 3-hour drive to Amboseli National Park where you will stay for the next 3 nights. This is where you get to see elephants in the wild, living in harmony with other animals. Amboseli National Park is an open ecosystem boasting huge herds of elephants, zebras, buffaloes, hyenas, lions, giraffes, gazelles, and numerous bird species not to forget the magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro. Here you will indulge in mostly morning and late afternoon game drives as this is when you get action of the elephants getting into and leaving the swamps and crossing the park roads from or to where they call home. There is an opportunity to visit the Amboseli Elephant Trust to get enlightened about the work of Cynthia Moss universally recognized by her work researching elephants from the 1980’s. The talk and visit to AET must be pre-arranged early and pre-booked early along with a donation for the entire group.

Day notes

DAY 09 - 11: EXPLORE LEWA CONSERVANCY 

On Day 9, you will have an early breakfast after which you will be transferred to the Amboseli Airstrip to catch your flight to Wilson Airport connecting onto another flight to to Lewa Conservancy where you will stay for the next 3 nights. Visitors to Lewa are privy to some of the most spectacular wildlife viewing that Kenya has to offer lion, leopard and jackal thrive on the rich diversity of prey that inhabits the area. The Wildlife Conservancy is home to the largest concentration of Grevy’s zebra in the world, and its range of habitats attracts diverse birdlife and hosts over 200 Black and White rhinos.

While at Lewa, you will stay at the Lewa House

Day notes

DAY 12 - 15: EXPLORE MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY 

After your Lewa experience, On Day 12, you will be transferred to Lewa Airstrip where we will fly you to the Mara North Conservancy for a 4 night stay. 

Mara North Conservancy (MNC) is a beautiful private wilderness area of more than 27,500 hectares (~67,954 acres). It is a vital part of the Maasai Mara ecosystem as it forms the north-western zone, bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve in the south of Kenya. 

Mara North Conservancy is a not-for-profit entity established in January 2009. The conservancy is a partnership between 12 Tourism Partner members (6 camps, 3 lodges and 3 riding outfits) and over 900 Maasai Landowners. The aim is to create a best practice, world-class conservancy with long-term commitments to the environment, wildlife, and local communities. 

MNC strongly believes in low bed density tourism and aspires to an ideal minimum ratio of 142 ha per bed (350 acres per bed) so as to guarantee an exclusive safari while minimizing the impact on the environment.

Day notes

DAY 16:

Today you awake at leisure, have breakfast, and bid the Maasai Mara farewell. A drive to the airstrip to catch your scheduled 1-hour flight back to Nairobi. Arrive Wilson Airport after which you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for a day room/refresh moment at Four Points Sheraton Airport Hotel where you will re-group as you await your transfer to the terminal to catch your international flight back home