KENYA MIGRATION SAFARI

Dingle Peninsula Kenya Migration Safari
September 26th - October 12th, 2003

On this safari you will visit the premier parks and game reserves of Kenya. First you will head north to the lush forest of the aberdare moutain range, where you will spend your time obverserving the many forest species that come to the waterhole.

From the aberdares you will head north to the famous Samburu / Buffalo Springs game reserves. Here you will experience the beautiful dry northern country, which is home to wildlife only seen north of the equator: namely grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx and reticulated giraffe. Other residents are gerenuk gazelle, the somali ostrich, ”big five”, and the more common savannah game.

From Samburu the journey now heads back south with one night spent at sweetwaters luxury tented camp situated on the equator and one night Lake Nakuru national park famous for its spectacular bird life.

The last part of your safari takes you to Masai Mara, where the wildebeest migration will be taking place. Literally, millions of wildebeest and zebra move north from the plains of Tanzania’s Serengeti savannah during July and August in search of the lush grass. As the vegetation and water holes dry, the herds start the trek north. Following the rain pattern they cross the Tanzania/Kenya border to the rich Kenyan Masai Mara in search of the 4,000 tons of grass they eat each day. By September and early October they start winding their way back to Tanzania.

The sight of the mass migration is awe-inspiring. The warning of the visitors’ arrival is millions of hooves pounding the earth when the herds sweep across the plains. Many do not survive this trip as they expire from exhaustion and injury or fall prey to hungry crocodile in the strugle to cross the Talek and Mara rivers. As the migration unfolds, the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle are trailed by the predators- lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and scavenger birds.

Your tour leader on this safari will be Hanne Lindeman. Not only is she a very exprienced tour leader, but she is also a wildlife biologist who has lived, worked and travelled extensively in Africa over the last 30 years. Her knowledge of Africa’s wildlife and people is very extensive and her ability to share this with others is bound to contribute towards making this migration safari a trip of a lifetime.

Mountain Lodge – Samburu- Lake Nakuru - Masai Mara

Day 1– Saturday 27th September – Fly Canada to Amsterdam

Day 2– Sunday 28th September – Fly Amsterdam to Nairobi
Met on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by a representative of African Horizons Travel and Safaris. The airport is located 20kms from the capital city, Nairobi. The temperatures are warm and moderate. More than 2,000,000 people of all races, offering a wide variety of different cultures, inhabit Nairobi. Drive to Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages for overnight (BB).

Day 3 – Monday 29th September – Mountain Lodge
Commence your safari at 9:00 am and drive north to Mountain Lodge arriving in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon game viewing as the animals come to the waterhole. Dinner and overnight at Mountain Lodge.

Day 4 – Tuesday 30th September - Samburu Game Reserve

After breakfast continue north to Samburu Game Reserve arriving in time for lunch. Afternoon game drive in the area. Samburu Game Reserve lies in the lower curve of the dry northern Kenya region. The main water source, the Uaso Nyiro River, feeds the riverine forest and swamps. The patches of forest and doum palm dotting the landscape provide an ideal setting for primates, hippo and crocodile. Elephant families visit the river’s shallows to immerse in the cool water. Other animal life includes game only seen on the north of the Equator namely Grevy’s zebra, Beisa oryx and reticulated giraffe. There are also gerenuk gazelle, the Somali Ostrich, elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and the common savannah game. Dinner and overnight at Samburu Serena Lodge (FB).

Day 5– Wednesday 1st October - Samburu Game Reserve

Full day in Samburu with game drives in the morning and afternoon. All meals and overnight at Samburu Serena Lodge (FB).

Day 6 – Thursday 2nd October - Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast depart for Lake Nakuru National Park arriving for late lunch. In the afternoon proceed on a game drive along the lakeshores. Lake Nakuru National Park was created in 1961, and since then the park has increased considerably in size and now covers an area of 200sq km. The lake lies in the park and has been given the conservation world’s Ramsar Site designation. A shallow soda lake, it is the most famous of the Great Rift Valley lakes with “the world’s greatest ornithological spectacle”. There is an opportunity of viewing thousands of flamingos along with tens of thousands of other bird species. It is a magnificent sight. The lake is very shallow and the level fluctuates by up to four metres annually. When the water is low the soda crystallises out along the shoreline as a blinding white band of powder. There are areas of grassland, bush, forest and rocky cliffs and there are many other animals to be viewed, white rhino, the rare Rothchild’s giraffe, waterbucks, warthogs, large herds of buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, leopard, hyrax, hippos and many more animals. Return for dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge (FB).

Day 7 – Friday 3rd October - Lake Nakuru National Park

Full day Lake Nakuru with morning and afternoon game drives. All meals and overnight Lake Nakuru Lodge.

Day 8– Saturday 4th October - Masai Mara Game Reserve

Depart after breakfast and drive across the floor of the Great Rift Valley to Masai Mara Game Reserve. Arrive for lunch and afternoon game drive. Masai Mara is justifiably one of the most famous reserves in Africa, with good reason, as this is the Kenyan section of the Serengeti Plains, and wildlife abounds. It is also traditionally the land of the Maasai people. The Mara is 1,510sq km of open grassland dotted with the distinctive flat-topped acacia trees. It is watered by the tree-lined Mara River and it’s tributary the Talek River. The western border of the park is the spectacular Oloololo Escarpment. It is also a difficult part of the Mara to access because of the swampy grounds. The concentration of game is at its highest in the months of July through October when the Mara is the host to the annual migration of more than two million wildebeest. Dinner and overnight at Mara Fig Tree (FB).

Day 9 &10 – Sunday 5th & Monday 6th October - Masai Mara Game Reserve

Spend the next two full days in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives. All meals and overnight at Mara Fig Tree (FB).

Day 11 – Tuesday 7th October - Masai Mara Game Reserve

After breakfast, leave Mara Fig Tree and drive to Mara Serena Lodge with game drive and picnic lunch en-route. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at Mara Serena Lodge (FB).

Day 12 & 13 – Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th October

Masai Mara Game Reserve
Spend the next two full days with morning and afternoon game drives in the Masai Mara. All meals and overnight at Mara Serena Lodge.

Day 14 – Friday 10th October – Nairobi

After breakfast transfer to the Mara airstrip for your flight departing at approximately 11:00 am. Met on arrival at Wilson airport Nairobi at approximately 12:15 pm. Proceed to the Karen Blixen Museum for visit. Transfer to the Nairobi Hilton Hotel to check in and freshen up. Pick up at 7:00 pm and transfer to the Carnivore Restaurant for dinner. Overnight at the Nairobi Hilton (BB).

Day 15 – Saturday 11th October – Departure Nairobi to Amsterdam

Day rooms at Hilton Hotel until transfer to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your departure flight.

Day 16 – Sunday 12th October – Fly Amsterdam to Canada

From Vancouver $6169 including airfare

Single Supplement: $1020

Other Canadian cities on request, included airfares are subject to change.
Prices are per person and are based on minimum 10 participants.

Price includes: meals indicated, transfers, park fees, game drives, accommodation in 4 star hotels & lodges, wildlife biologist tour leader, international airfare.

Not included: Kenya Visa, Laundry, tips, drinks, insurance, domestic & international airport taxes, all expenses of a personal nature.

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