Majestic Kenya: Wildlife and Conservation on Safari

Depart the U.S. on overnight flight. Note: Prices valid July 1st to Oct 31st. If booked Jan 1st to March 31st, there is a $1300 p/p discount. If booked Apr 1st - June 30th, there is a $1400 p/p discount. If booked Nov 1st - Dec 15th, there is an $900 p/p discount.

On arrival into Nairobi, after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met by a representative and transferred to the hotel. Check in starts at 12:00 pm. Note: This is an international travel day; no meals or program activities are scheduled on this day.

After breakfast, attend a program orientation in the hotel conference room. Just thirty minutes from the hotel, Sheldrick Foundation will give us our first encounter with African elephants. Here, young orphaned elephants are nursed back to health and rehabilitated in preparation for their return to the wild. Upon arrival, receive an introductory lecture on the Sheldrick Foundation. Top the morning with a visit to the Giraffe Center to learn about a successful breeding strategy that is helping to increase the numbers of endangered Rothschild's giraffes in Kenya. From a viewing platform, interact with resident giraffes and connect with them, eye-to-eye. Head to the Ngong Hills to have lunch and explore Karen Blixen's house and gardens. Now a museum, the plantation house was once the home of Baroness Karen von Blixen Finecke, who ran a coffee plantation in Kenya. Her struggles are immortalized in her autobiography, "Out of Africa," which she authored under the pen name of Isak Dinesen. Return to the hotel for an evening lecture giving an overview of Kenya, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

Transfer to Amboseli National Park (4 hours), located near the border with Tanzania. In 1980 the park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in recognition for its diversity of wildlife and ecological zones. Amboseli's wide open spaces make it easy to observe wildlife, while a snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, provides a stunning backdrop for photos. Kilimanjaro is literally the lifeblood of the park; its snow and glaciers feed two large swamps, providing water to this semi-arid region. The swamps are the congregation point for a wide variety of animals including lions, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and 420 bird species. Arrive at the lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive focusing on elephants as target species. Amboseli is synonymous with large elephant herds. Recent changes in weather patterns and long droughts have forced park elephants to modify migration routes and feeding behavior in search of food and water. The plight of the Amboseli elephants will be a hot topic during game drives in the park. Have dinner at the lodge.

Start the day with an early morning game drive focused on observing Amboseli's lesser-known animals. Then enjoy a late breakfast at the lodge plus a bit of down time to recharge your batteries. After lunch, meet a local park warden for a lecture on the history of Amboseli National Park. As the day winds down, fit in one more game drive before returning to the lodge to have dinner.

After breakfast, spend the morning on a game drive in search of local wildlife. As animals begin to shelter from the rising sun, make your way back to the lodge and break for lunch. Then, attend a lecture by your guide on current issues affecting Kenya from a land, social, and cultural perspective. Continue the afternoon with a nature walk on the hotel grounds before joining in a tree planting activity to support water and habitat conservation. Trees play a vital role in the water cycle that helps control temperatures, soil moisture, and rainfall. They also serve as food and shelter to myriad wildlife in Amboseli including giraffes, leopards, elephants, and birds. Enjoy dinner at the lodge. (Guide/Drivers will leave after the first activity so that they can meet you at Nanyuki airport the next day).

After breakfast, fly from Amboseli to Nairobi and connect with a flight to Nanyuki. Upon arrival, pay a visit to the Ol Pejeta Weavers Cooperative (Nanyuki Spinners & Weavers) to learn about its members and inspiring history. The cooperative is a successful self-help project that teaches poor, widowed, and single women from nearby communities how to spin, knit, and weave so that they can become financially self-reliant. Journey westwards to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and arrive at Sweetwaters Serena Camp in time for lunch. At the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, sustainability is more than a marketing catch; the private nature reserve is part of a not-for-profit group that ensures all of its profits from tourism and farming are spent back on conservation and community projects at the reserve. This afternoon's game drive will focus on eland - the largest species of antelope - and some of the rarer animals such as Jackson's hartebeest and Grevy's zebra. Although the "Big Five" tend to draw all the attention, keep watch for some of the 300 bird species found at the reserve including Secretary Bird, Grey Crowned Crane, Pin-tailed Whydah, and Kori Bustard. Make your way back to the camp for dinner.

After an early wake-up call with tea and coffee, take a guided safari walk around the camp to track wildlife and learn about local flora and fauna. Enjoy breakfast at the camp and prepare for a morning trip to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The sanctuary was founded in 1993 in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and the Jane Goodall Institute as a refuge for orphaned and abused chimpanzees. Once the chimpanzees are nursed back to good health, they are given a permanent home in the sanctuary's protected lands. Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a chartered member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, a league that cares for hundreds of chimpanzees through its network of sanctuaries in 12 African countries. Conclude morning activities with a game drive en route to the tented camp. Break for lunch, and then attend a lecture by a resident naturalist to learn about history of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy and its various conservation efforts including the black rhino project. This afternoon's game drive will pay special attention to rhinos. On your way back to the tented camp, make a stop at the Morani Information Center to become further acquainted with the natural habitats and myriad species that thrive in the reserve, including the endangered black rhino. Enjoy dinner at the camp.

After breakfast, transfer to Lake Nakuru (4 hours). Today's drive will be broken up with stops for a water demonstration at the equator and a visit to a local tea and coffee cooperative. Meet one of the plantation owners for a brief introduction to the cooperative before exploring the plantation on foot and learning about tea farming and processing. Tea was successfully introduced to Kenya in 1903 and quickly became a cash crop during the colonial period. Kenya remains among the top five producers of tea in the world and is a primary exporter to Britain. Continue your scenic journey to Lake Nakuru, with lunch en route. After a late afternoon arrival at the lodge, settle into your accommodations and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at your leisure. Take a dip in the pool, relax in a comfortable chair and admire views of the national park, or maybe use the time to catch up on your reading. Although Lake Nakuru National Park is probably best known for its flocks of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, the park is also a sanctuary for a large variety of plant and game species including Rothschild giraffes, black and southern white rhinos, lions, leopards, hippos, and more. Have dinner at the lodge.

After breakfast, search for target species during a morning game drive, and then stop at a Lake Nakuru lookout point to admire stunning views of the valley. Stop at a covered picnic area in the park to enjoy a light lunch and make use of the bathroom facilities. Next, listen to a lecture on Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru, flamingos, and Rhinoceros during an introductory lecture by a local expert then meet a local women's group for a bead-making activity and cultural interaction. Drive back to the lodge in time for dinner.

Start the day with an early morning wake-up call with cookies, coffee, and tea. Then, enjoy one final game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park before returning to the lodge for a late morning breakfast and check-out. Transfer to the airport with a box lunch en route and fly to the Maasai Mara. Check into to Mara Serena Safari Lodge, then have some time at leisure to settle in. Take the opportunity to relax by the pool, or maybe pamper your tired muscles with a soothing massage treatment. Eat dinner at the camp.

Early this morning enjoy some coffee/tea and cookies before embarking on a game drive. Big cats will be the focus of this target species game drive. The open savanna grasslands of the Mara are a favorite habitat of big cats such as lions and cheetahs. Return to the tented camp for a late breakfast and some down time. The camp grounds are on the banks of the Mara River, an ideal spot for game viewing. After lunch, attend an informative lecture on the rituals and culture of the Maasai, and learn about their deep connection to the land. Later in the afternoon, interact with members of a Maasai community during a visit to a local village. The Maasai live along the Great Rift Valley in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. These semi-nomadic people are herdsmen who live under a communal land management system, as they've lost most of their lands to national parks and reserves. Livestock is still the main source of income and nourishment for the Maasai, though farming and the selling of crafts is increasingly used to supplement their income. Restricted by government and no longer able to herd freely and access water sources, they are slowly being forced to adapt to modern ways, renouncing long held traditions in an effort to survive. Drive back to the camp and break for dinner. In the evening, gather around the fire to participate in an old time safari tradition: campfire stories.

Today, enjoy a full day of game drives in the Maasai Mara Reserve. The timing of the migration of two million wildebeest and zebra in the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem is impossible to predict as it is directly related to the seasonal rains. Despite common perception, the Great Migration is not one single event, but a yearlong cycle of animals searching for water and grazing. At the low point of the migration, the grasslands of the Mara are dotted with thousands of grazing animals. At the height of the migration, long lines of animals in single file appear to stretch to the horizon. Stop for a picnic-style lunch in the Maasai Mara Reserve and then continue with game drive activities. As the day winds down, make your way back to the camp. Celebrate your final evening in the Mara with a farewell dinner at the camp.

Take part in an early morning game drive in the Maasai Mara Reserve followed by breakfast at the camp. After checkout, transfer to the Mara airstrip and catch a flight to Nairobi's Wilson Airport. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and enjoy lunch before settling into your dayroom. Make use of your hotel dayroom (6:00 pm check-out) to rest, finalize your packing, or freshen-up before heading to the airport for evening flights to the U.S. A light snack will be provided at the hotel before transferring participants to the airport.

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