Arrive at Entebbe Int'l Airport.
On arrival proceed thru customs and immigration formalities. At this time Uganda requests a negative PCR test not later than 120 hours from the time the sample is taken for both arrival and departure.
Meet your guide in the lobby at 6:00am and transfer to Entebbe airport for your scheduled flight to Kisoro airstrip/Bwindi National Park, which departs at 7:00am.
Upon arrival at Kisoro airstrip you will meet your driver/guide for transfer to Mahinga National Park for a morning golden monkey tracking. The drive is approximately 1 1/2 hours.
Sometimes referred to as a distinctive race of the more widespread blue monkey C.mitis), a little known bamboo-associated taxa primate listed as ‘endangered’ by the World Conservation Union the endangered Golden Monkeys are endemic to the Albertine Rift, and characterized as a bright orange-gold body, cheeks and tail, contrasting with its black limbs, crown and tail end. The local group is very much used to our presence allowing insight into their daily lives. The monkeys dictate how the day is going to be, and no day is ever the same in the forest.
Just like gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking starts with tourists arriving at the Park headquarters for pre-tracking briefing (on the dos and don’ts of tracking the golden monkeys). Hiking through the forests to sight the golden monkeys is not so strenuous like gorilla trekking because golden monkeys live in lower areas, so tourists do not track for more than 3 hours. When tourists encounter the golden monkey family, they are given one hour to spend with them (to take photographs and observe their behavior). With this activity, there is no minimum number of tourists who track each group and age limit is 12 years.
Following your trek, enjoy lunch at Gahinga Lodge then depart for Clouds Mountain Mountain Gorilla Lodge. (The drive back to the lodge approximately 3 hours).
Situated in Nkuringo area in the southern fringes of Bwindi amidst magnificent scenery, guest accommodation comprises 8 en-suite cottages built of local volcanic stone, complete with twin basin bathroom, hot and cold water, electric lighting, plug points and a cozy fireplace. Two of these are family units. Bwindi is most notable for its 340 Mountain Gorillas, about half the world's population of this critically endangered primate. Activities include: Gorilla tracking, Forest walks, Cultural visits with the Batwa people and unbelievable bird watching - this is Africa’s richest country birds-wise with over 1,000 species recorded.
After breakfast, transfer by road 2 hours from Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge to Kisoro Airstrip to catch a scheduled flight from Kisoro/Entebbe (09h10/11h25). (note that the scheduled flight makes two stops at different airstrips before arriving in Entebbe Airport.)
From Entebbe Airport connect to your flight to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
On arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, proceed thru immigration and customs formalities, collect your bags and continue into the arrivals hall to meet your driver/ guide s for transfer to the hotel for overnight and dinner.
After breakfast meet your driver for transfer to Tarangire National Park for game drive with packed lunch
The park is named after the Tarangire River that runs through the center of the park from south to northwest and drains into Lake Burunge Tarangire is known for its large herds of elephant and its many baobab trees and displays many of the large African mammals- The Park is known for its elephant population and gigantic Baobab Trees. The park is also a bird watchers paradise. During the dry season there are vast amounts of animals that migrate from the dry Masai steppe to the Tarangire River.
After your game drive thru the park continue to Maramboi Tented Camp for check-in, dinner and overnight accommodation.
Maramboi Tented Camp
Wildlife calls at the door of Maramboi Tented Camp. Zebras, giraffes, warthogs, gazelles- You could see them appear between the palm trees from the terrace of your exclusive tent, from the swimming pool whilst enjoying a cool drink after a walk with a Maasai guide or whilst you enjoy a delicious dinner under the stars.
For the next two days enjoy breakfast at the lodge then seet out into the Park for a full day game drive with packed lunches. Return for Dinner and accommodation at Maramboi Tented Camp
Wake up for breakfast thereafter depart for Lake Manyara National Park.
Enjoy a game drive with picnic lunch in Lake Manyara National Park. The lush green vegetation, silvery waters and abundant game inspired the writings of Ernest Hemingway and many other travelers. This pocket-sized park has a phenomenal diversity of plants and animals. Lions, giraffe and elephant are plentiful along the lake and the dense woodlands conceal leopards, monkeys, baboons and some 380 species of birds.
Continue to the Ngorongoro conservation area and your hotel for checkin, dinner and overnight
Ngorongoro Farmhouse
Farm House Valley was built on a 500 acre plantation with a main central building with a restaurant and leisure area. Every afternoon a fire is lit and drinks and snacks are available for guests whilst they share their experiences of the day and compare the different animals they have seen in the park.
Dinner and accommodation at Farm House Lodge.
Enjoy breakfast at the lodge before departing for a game drive in the Ngorongoro crater.
The Ngorongoro Crater was once a gigantic volcano, perhaps taller than Kilimanjaro. Today – its peak long since collapsed and eroded – it is now an extensive highland area with the famous Ngorongoro Crater as its focal point. This natural amphitheater covers an area 260 sq. km and has approximately 25,000 large mammals, almost half consisting of Zebra and Wildebeest. The wildlife within the Crater is one of the world’s wonders and the Crater itself has been declared a World Heritage Site.
Enjoy a picnic lunch then this afternoon your visit includes a visit to the Oldupai Gorge and mysterious shifting sands.
Oldupai is the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, which grows in the Gorge. Brought to the worlds attention by the Leaky family with their early hominid discoveries during the 1930’s. Oldupai Gorge, located in the Ngorongoro Conservation area in northern Tanzania, is 30 miles long and 295 feet deep which holds a treasure chest of fossils spanning over 5 million years. Major fossil findings include Australopithecus Zinjanthropus (Boisei), Australopithecus Afarensis (like Lucy), and Homo Habilis (tool guy/handyman). The “Laetoli footprints” were perfectly preserved in a rock bed 30 miles from Oldupai. They distinctly show two upright bi-pedal hominids, out for a stroll more than 3.5 million years ago.
There is a mysterious and beautiful volcanic ash dune of Shifting Sands situated near Olduvai Gorge. These crescent-shaped mounds are a remarkable phenomenon. Technically they are known as barkan, and they are created when there is sufficient dust on the ground and a unidirectional wind to blow it. The dust collects around a stone, and continues to accumulate until it literally forms a small dune. The process continues and the dune moves. In this case, the Shifting Sands move around 10 meters every year.
Return to the Farm House for dinner and overnight.
This morning take a leisurely drive into the Serengeti and Kati Kati camp for the next three days.
For the next three days explore northern Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Known for its massive annual migration of wildebeest and zebra. Seeking new pasture, the herds move north from their breeding grounds in the grassy southern plains. Many cross the marshy western corridor’s crocodile-infested Grumeti River. Others veer northeast to the Lobo Hills, home to black eagles. Black rhinos inhabit the granite outcrops of the Moru Kopjes
Durning your stay here you will be collected early one morning (about 4AM) for transfer to the balloon site for your sunrise Hot Air Balloon Safari.
Hot air ballooning is arguably the best way to take in the landscapes of this beautiful country. Floating high above the ground, you have a spectacular, uninterrupted view of the gorgeous countryside below. Described as a somewhat magical experience, hot air ballooning is one of the oldest forms of flight known to man.
Make your way to Katikati, a mobile tented camp located in Central & Southern Serengeti, strategically located to cover the vast Serengeti Plains. The camp offers comfortable accommodation and a unique opportunity to enjoy a real safari camp experience. A cozy mess tent is located in the centre of the camp where meals are served. The campfire is ready every evening for appetizers and snacks before dinner. The 10 large tents with en suite facilities and private verandas will be refreshing when you are brought your morning coffee before your morning game drives.
Dinner at the camp this evening.
For the next two days take game drives in the Serengeti National Park with your driver and either a packed lunch or return for Lunch at the camp returning for an afternoon game drive.
OPTIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON SAFARI: A hot air balloon trip will usually begin just before sunrise. You’ll gently lift off the ground to a height of approximately 10-20m and leisurely float along with the wind. At this height you’re able to have a glorious view of the sunrise as well as keep on the lookout for animals on the ground below. The panoramic views that you are privy to from this height leave many speechless as they witness the sunrise and the spreading light extending to the opposite horizon.
There are few physical requirements for hot air ballooning, besides being able to stand or lean for about an hour and being able to climb in and out of the basket. You can expect to spend about 4 or 5 hours out with your organizers from the time of arrival. The actual hot air balloon flight will last approximately an hour and most hot air ballooning companies will close off your ballooning experience with a champagne breakfast once you’re back on terra firma. Because of ballooning’s reliance on the weather, most bookings are provisional until a few days before the event to ensure that the weather is ideal for your journey.
Your guides will collect you following brunch for a game drive or transfer back to the lodge
Following breakfast transfer to the Seronera Airstrip for lite aircraft flight via Arusha departing at 10:45am to Zanzibar Island. On arrival collect your bags and look for a sign with your name by our local representative who will provide transfer to your lodging for the next four days.
Bluebay Beach Lodge
One of the world’s most exotic destinations, the Spice Island of Zanzibar is simply the perfect Indian Ocean getaway. Steeped in history and characterized by an enchanting fusion of cultures, Zanzibar boasts a palm-fringed coastline with perfect white beaches and warm, clear waters. Bluebay offers guests a choice of two beautiful resorts on the unspoilt eastern coast: Bluebay Beach Resort & Spa and Sultan Sands Island Resort. The two sister properties share an idyllic 500m of pristine Indian Ocean coastline.
Over the next three days enjoy relaxing at the beach. The following day tours have been included:
Island Spice Tour
After breakfast the Guide will come to pick you for spice tour - Have a walking tour for almost two hours. You will be shown all the interesting spices such as nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, turmeric, lemongrass and other types of spices and fruits endemic to Zanzibar. Your guide will explain how to grow spices and the various dishes they're suited to. Watch a 'coconut climber' climbs up a coconut tree and bring down coconuts for you to sample. There are also some seasonal tropical fruits for you to taste at the end of the tour and of course spices are available to purchase. Then return to the resort for dinner and accommodation.
Walking City Tour
After Breakfast your driver will then take you into Stone Town (a world heritage site) where your guide will meet you to take you on the walking tour of Stone Town and talk you through its history. You will be taken along many of the town's narrow streets where you can get a feeling for the old colonial & Arabic architecture, that are so prevalent throughout. You will visit landmarks such as the old fort, the House of Wonders, the fish market and the former slave market site where your guide will tell you the history of slave trade in Zanzibar. After the tour there is an opportunity for guests to do some shopping in their own time.
Breakfast, Dinner and accommodation are included.
Enjoy and early breakfast before your transfer to the Zanzibar Airport for your flight to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport Airport. On arrival you will be met for transfer by the hotel for an exciting afternoon at this special lodge.
Giraffe Manor
Giraffe Manor is owned by The Safari Collection and is an exclusive boutique hotel, set in 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of indigenous forest in the Langata suburb of Nairobi. As one of Nairobi’s most iconic buildings, Giraffe Manor has extraordinary appeal, that harks back to the 1930s when European visitors first flocked to East Africa to enjoy safaris. With its stately façade, elegant interior, verdant green gardens, sunny terraces and delightful courtyards, guests often remark that it’s like walking into the film Out of Africa: indeed, one of its six suites is named after the author Karen Blixen.
However, the most fascinating thing about Giraffe Manor is its herd of resident Rothschild giraffe who may visit morning and evening, sometimes poking their long necks into the windows in the hope of a treat, before retreating to their forest sanctuary. Giraffe Manor can be booked for the night or as part of a complete tailor-made safari with The Safari Collection.
Visits to the local Karen sites such as the Karen Blixen house and museum are available this afternoon as well as spending time at the Giraffe Center.
This morning depart early for Wilson Airport and your lite aircraft flights to the Ol Donyo / Tsavo airstrip. On arrival you will be met for transfer to the lodge.
OL DONYO
Located on the slopes below Chyulu National Park is Ol Donyo Lodge. With views of Kilimanjaro, over the open savannahs that make Kenya famous the lodge has only ten sumptuous and spacious suites. Eight ‘Pool Suites’ have private swimming pools while the two ‘Standard suites’ are similar in design and comfort but without private pools. All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms with a view, including indoor and outdoor showers and a romantic bath. Above each bedroom is the secluded ‘star-beds’ sleep-out area upstairs where guests can, on request, have beds set up for the night. Also, the Lodge has four suites that can be booked out as private villas or family suites.
Enjoy the next three days at Ol Donyo.
Traditional safari activities are on offer, including day and night game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, guided mountain bike rides across the wildlife filled plains and morning or afternoon game-viewing horseback safaris. Foot safaris and wildlife tracking with our Maasai trackers and interacting with our anti-poaching team are activities not to be missed, as are visits to remote Maasai villages that offer guests an authentic cultural experience. Sleep-outs under the stars out on the plains on ‘Seduction Rock’ will remain with guests’ memories forever. A safari highlight for many are the close up encounters with the enormous elephant bulls that frequent the camp’s waterhole just a few meters from the safety of our open-air ‘log-jam’ hide.
Ol Donyo forms the core of a new, sustainable model for conservation which ensures protection of the area’s wildlife through an innovative sharing-of-benefits scheme with the local community and the creation of conservancies.
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning, then meet your driver for transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Mara North (via Wilson). Meet your driver guides from Mara Expedition for the drive to your camp and home away from home for the next four days.
Mara Expedition Camp
Located a few kilometers from Mara Plains, Mara Expedition Camp has been built on a small bend in the Ntiakitiak River, where a thick riverine forest meets the unending savannah in the north-central section of the Maasai Mara. It’s a perfect hideout for this small, intimate camp, which has been constructed in the spirit of mobility and non-permanence out of deference to the wilderness, which surrounds it. There’s an air of yesteryear in Mara Expedition Camp’s design, which draws stylistic reference from the old, authentic expedition camps of the colonial era. Temporary and transient in atmosphere, there is nonetheless a perfect blend of comfort, adventure and harmony in the camp’s five, custom-designed tents.
Mara Expedition Camp can accommodate up to 10 guests sharing in five tents. Set at ground level and shaded by the forest canopy, the tents forego fancy amenities but still leave you wanting for nothing. With flushing toilets, bucket showers and hot-and-cold running water, each tent is decorated with an eclectic yet coordinated assembly of what early explorers may have carried with them – brass chandeliers, old Indian campaign chests, rich leather and hardwood furniture – combined with rich textiles and soft cottons. But it’s out on the plains of the Maasai Mara and the adjacent Mara North Conservancy that guests really connect with Africa and live the explorer experience, surrounded by wildlife.
The camp is in prime leopard territory and the annual wildebeest and zebra migration passes literally in front of your tent, offering you the chance to witness one of the miracles of nature first-hand from the comfort of your verandah. This is a place where lions own the night and hippos stake claim to vast territories, where we submit to the supreme power of wild Africa and take our lead from Mother Nature… It’s a place of learning, where Africa teaches lessons that will change the way you view the world in one of the most incredible classrooms on the planet – the incomparable Maasai Mara. Early morning and afternoon game drives in open 4×4 vehicles within the Maasai Mara Reserve. Hot air balloon flights are at an additional cost.
This morning wake to the early morning sounds of the African bush and enjoy breakfast before your transfer to the airstrip for flight to Nairobi. On arrival at Wilson Airport, you will be met with a vehicle and driver for afternoon visit to the Nairobi National Park or other activity of your choice ( Park entry fees are not included). This would be an excellent time to visit the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
Time Permitting – Nairobi National Park – Daphne Sheldrick (Transfer and park fees are not included)
The National Park, despite its extraordinary proximity to the capital city of Kenya, boasts a spectacular assortment of birds and wildlife, with over 400 species of bird recorded in one day. With an excellent possibility of spotting four of the Big Five (no buffalo but close to 100 black and white Rhinos), many Nairobi residents find the park and the lodge a perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of city life. Enjoy sun-downers on the Nairobi plains
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust with its population of baby elephants is conveniently situated across the park from the lodge – Private viewing options are available with advance booking and group viewing at 5PM is also available.
Transfer to the hotel for overnight. Dinner on own.
Transfer to the airport for international flight departure.
