SKY SAFARI EAST AFRICA / 13 DAY LUXURY AIR SAFARI

* Land in Nairobi, where we’ll fast-track you through the international airport and deliver you quickly

  to Hemingways Nairobi Hotel

•Dinner at Hemingways NairobiAccommodation - Hemingways

  Nairobi

Day 1:

NairobiKenya’s capital and the tech hub of Africa, with a national park spread beneath its skyscrapers, Nairobi is unique. We’ll whisk you away from the hubbub to Hemingways, a sumptuous haven of calm, built on an old coffee plantation at the foot of the Ngong Hills. It’s ideally placed for exploring – perhaps to feed the inmates at the Giraffe Centre, meet orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or visit the Karen Blixen Museum. Or you might simply feel like relaxing on site, where you can wander the bird-filled gardens, dip in the pool, take afternoon tea on the terrace or sip cocktails in the Hemingways bar.

Options & Enhancements:

Kenya / Tanzania Balloon Safari per adult or child > 8 years, incl. of concession fee$440 / $558
 

Days 2-3:

Day 2 : Nairobi and AmboseliNational Park

Breakfast at Hemingways Nairobi

•Briefing at hotel

•SkySafari private ground transfer to Nairobi – Wilson Airport

•SkySafari flight to Amboseli National Park

•Morning game drive en-route to Tortilis Camp

•Lunch at the camp

•Afternoon game drive

•Dinner at camp
 

Amboseli National Park Amboseli is Africa at its most iconic. This vastness of open plains, swampland, thorn bush and fever trees unfurls below snow-capped Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest freestanding peak and an unrivalled safari backdrop.And what a safari: part of a two million acre ecosystem, crossing from Kenya into Tanzania, Amboseli is one of the best wildlife-viewing locations around. Most notable are its 100-strong herds of elephants – including big old tuskers – but there’s an abundance of other species too, from buffalo and hyena to lion and cheetah as well as over 600 types of birds.The opulent thatched tents of Elewana Tortilis Camp, your Amboseli base, nestled in a private conservancy, gazing across at Kilimanjaro. An ecotourism award-winner, Tortilis delivers high comfort with a low environmental impact. It also employs some of the best guides in the business, who will reveal both Amboseli’s star attractions and its minute, magical details. Set your alarm early for the morning game drives. This is when the plains stir, the animals are most active, and the big cats are returning from a night of hunting. These are also the golden hours for photographers, as dawn light rose-tints the savannah and Kilimanjaro is most likely to be free of cloud. A lavish breakfast, devoured out in the bush, more than makes up for the 5am start.Your days don’t end there. Head out on afternoon drives for more encounters – maybe elephants up-close, giraffes drinking at the waterholes and raptors swooping above. Or strike out on a walking safari for a fresh and exhilarating perspective: follow animal tracks, taste bush herbs, meet the Small Five and be amazed by the antics of insects, while completely (but safely) exposed to the bush.As the day draws to a close, raise a classic African Sundowner: nothing says safari like an ice-cool G&T, sipped as the sun disappears.

Amboseli National Park

*Early morning game drive

•Bush breakfast

•Lunch at Elewana Tortilis Camp

•Walking safari

•Scenic sundowners in the bush

•Private dinner at camp

Amboseli National Park & Loisaba Conservancy, Laikipia

•Breakfast at camp

•Morning game drive 

•Departure to Amboseli airstrip

•SkySafari flight to Loisaba Conservancy

•VIP welcome and briefing about conservancy

•Game drive en-route to Loisaba Tented Camp

•Arrive at camp in time for lunch

•Afternoon game drive

•Dinner and drinks at camp

Days 4-5:

Loisaba Conservancy, LaikipiaGreat game, good looks, high adventure, an exclusive feel and a groundbreaking attitude to conservation make the Loisaba Conservancy one of the most exciting destinations in Kenya. Sitting within Northern Laikipia, it’s a ravishing landscape of rolling river valleys, rich forests and open plains, home to the Big Five, endangered rarities like wild dog and more than 260 species of birds. As the wildlife is varied here, so are your options for getting out among it. The contemporary-luxe Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp – perched on an escarpment, with unhindered views to Mt Kenya – offers excellent game drives, of course. But you can also ride through the bush on horse-back – a thrilling way to get unusually close to wild animals. Or you could bound down the ridges by mountain bike, raft through canyons and take a sundown trek by camel.Or witness Loisaba’s cutting-edge conservation first-hand. Visit the conservancy headquarters to see the extraordinary work being done here and meet the sniffer dogs – Warrior, Machine, Memusi and Nanyokie – and the anti-poaching team to find out how they safeguard the wilderness.For the ultimate unwind, sink into the camp’s infinity pool before a very special night’s sleep... Roll a four-poster Elewana Starbed out onto your deck and drift off to the tweets, snaps, howls and bellows of the bush, with nothing between you and the galaxies above.
 

Day 5: Loisaba Conservancy, Laikipia

•Morning – choice of game drive, horse/camelback exploration or bush running/trekking

•Breakfast in the bush

•Spa treatment

•Lunch at camp

•Afternoon game drive 

•Dinner at camp
 

Day 6: Loisaba Conservancy, Laikipia & Masai Mara National Park

•Breakfast at camp

•Game drive en-route to Loisaba airstrip

•SkySafari flight to the world-famous Masai Mara

•Game drive en-route to Sand River Masai Mara Camp

•Lunch at Sand River Masai Mara

•Afternoon game drive

•Sundowners in the bush

•Dinner at camp

Days 6-7:

Masai Mara National ReserveNowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant than the magnificent Masai Mara. Creatures galore roam these sweeping, acacia-dotted plains. And while the seasonal migration of two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle crossing from the Serengeti is one of Mother Nature’s greatest spectacles, the profusion of wildlife here – from 450 species of bird to the Big Five – makes it one of the best safari spots year round. The Mara will never disappoint. The animal encounters – often so close you hardly dare breathe – are just too good. But at Elewana Sand River Masai Mara, it goes above and beyond. You’ll feel a little bit movie star at this opulent 1920s-style camp, with its dark wood, draped four-posters and antique furnishings adding bygone glamour to the bush.Even better is the camp’s location, on the banks of the serene Sand River: you might spot herds of ungulates crossing from the comfort of your own verandah. Head further afield, in the camp’s custom-designed 4WDs, with expert Maasai guides, to look for roaming elephants and lions on the hunt. Then return to base for the most dazzling of endings: a private table, set up in the wilderness, for dinner under the stars. The area is culturally fascinating too. Much of the Greater Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem falls under the ownership of Masai communities, and a village visit – to see traditional Maasai homes and rituals, or even (for the kids) to try warrior training – makes for an eye-opening afternoon. There’s also the chance to visit a local school supported by Land & Life Foundation

Day 7: Masai Mara National Reserve

•Early breakfast at camp

•Full day game drive

•Picnic hamper lunch served in the bush

•Farewell dinner under the stars at camp

Day 8: Masai Mara & Serengeti National Park

•Breakfast at Elewana Sand River Mara

•Transfer to Keekorok airstrip

•SkySafari flight to Kisumu and clear the Kenyan Customs

•Fly from Kisumu to Musoma to clear the Tanzanian Customs

•Fly Tarime/Musoma to Lobo or Seronera (depending on the season)

•Drive to the Elewana Serengeti Pioneer/Migration Camp 

•Lunch at camp 

•Afternoon game drive 

•Dinner at camp
 

Days 8-10:

Serengeti National ParkIt’s hard to sum up the epic Serengeti. At 14,763 sq km, its scale is too great. And while you can revel in the bigger picture, it’s also the place to embrace the individual moments: the will-they-won’t-they tension of a lion pack on the hunt; the shock of a crocodile bursting from the river; the white-knuckle charge of an angry bull elephant; the dazzle of the sun subsiding into plains with no end. The Serengeti is abundant with game – from the Big Five and cheetah to huge plains herds. You might time your visit for the dramatic peak of the Great Migration, when more than a million animals cross the rivers in the Serengeti’s north. But the animals are always on the move: there is plenty to see, all over the park, year round. Your accommodation in the Serengeti depends on the season. You might experience the luxurious bygone-style tents of Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp perched on a kopje in the southern Serengeti. As well as being surrounded by immense wildebeest herds for most of the year, the area is rich in unusual rock formations and prehistoric paintings while nearby Lake Magadi is flush with flamingos.Alternatively, bed down in the sophisticated stilted tents of Elewana Serengeti Migration Camp, further north. This peaceful part of the park sees few other visitors; you’ll feel you’ve arrived in your own private wilderness. The variety of wildlife here is remarkable, the drama intense – especially when the migration passes through: the camp is perfectly placed for watching the herds run the gauntlet of the Mara River.

Day 9: Serengeti National Park

•Breakfast at Serengeti Pioneer/Migration Camp

•Game drive in Serengeti National Park

•Lunch in the bush

•Dining under the stars

Day 10: Serengeti National Park

•Early breakfast

•Full day game drive

•Picnic hamper lunch served in the bush

•Sundowners in the bush

•Dinner at Elewana Serengeti Pioneer/Migration Camp

Day 11: Serengeti National Park & Lake Manyara

•Breakfast at camp 

•Game drive en-route to airstrip

•SkySafari flight to Manyara airstrip 

•Lunch and game drive at Lake Manyara

•After lunch drive to The Manor

•Check-in and settle into the rooms

•Spa treatment

•Dinner and overnight

Days 11-12:

Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro CraterOver 20km wide and 600m deep, Ngorongoro is a geological marvel and a festival of wildlife. This natural volcanic amphitheatre, lined with grasslands, acacia thickets, riverine forest and sparkling lakes, throngs with a cast of around 30,000 animals: the highest density of wildlife in Africa. Safaris here can be overwhelming, in the very best way.There’s no need to rough it to enjoy this ‘festival’ though. Your home is Elewana The Manor, quite possibly the most lavish address on the safari circuit. From your elegant Cape Dutch-styled cottage, tucked into the Tanzanian highlands, you can make forays through the surrounding coffee plantations and over the rim to explore the crater bottom: watch zebra and buffalo, lounging lions, spotted hyena and good numbers of black rhino, stopping for a gourmet picnic under the acacias. Lake Manyara – according to Ernest Hemingway, the ‘loveliest in Africa’ – is also nearby; join a game drive here to see hippos chortling in the shallows and baboons bounding amid the giant fig trees and a flamboyance of flamingo on the lake!

Day 12: Ngorongoro Crater

•Early breakfast at Elewana The Manor

•Full day Ngorongoro crater tour

•Picnic lunch in the crater

•Dinner at Elewana The Manor

Day 13: Arusha

•Breakfast at The Manor

•Drive to Airstrip

•SkySafari flight to Arusha Airport 

•SkySafari private ground transfer to Arusha Coffee Lodge

•A day room will be available depending on your outbound flight

•Road Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport and Departure

Day 13: Ngorongoro-ArushaTime for one last breakfast, breathing in the cool, highlands air, before lifting off for Arusha; time for one last look at Africa spread out below the window. We’ll deliver you to the laid-back embrace of Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge, where you can relax in your own day room, stroll amid the plantations, perhaps have one last cup of smooth Kilimanjaro java before it’s time to bid farewell to the bush and take your flight home.