May, 2008 Safari to East Africa

Day 1 & 2 ~ Tue, Wed 20 May - Arrive in Mombasa, Kenya

Arrive and check-in at the Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya. Our first objective is to recover from jet-lag! You are encouraged to enjoy the palm tree gardens and extensive pool area grounds and swimming beach in the warm Indian Ocean before happy hour and dinner. Meet with Jonathan at 4:00pm in the reception area for “tea-time” to review our trip itinerary. The following morning, after a tropical buffet breakfast at the hotel, we will take a tour of the old town of Mombasa seeing the Portuguese built Fort Jesus and go shopping for “kangas” (traditional printed cotton body wraps) on the Biashara Street in the bustling Old Town of Mombasa. We will return for lunch at the Whitesands with an evening dinner out at the lovely Tamarind Restaurant overlooking the old Mombasa Harbor.

Day 3 ~ Thur 22 May - Tarangire

Up for an early breakfast and depart Mombasa on a short flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. After immigration and customs formalities, we’ll be met by your our Tanzanian guides and custom safari vehicles. We’ll drive one hour to the bustling town of Arusha for lunch and and then continue on to Tarangire National Park where we’ll enjoy a bush walk after settling into our accommodation. Before dinner we’ll gather around the campfire listening to the sounds of the African bush.

OVERNIGHT~ Whistling Thorn Tented Camp

MEALS: D- Whistling Thorn Camp

Day 4 ~ Fri 23 May - Tarangire

This morning we’ll get an early start and leave camp after breakfast for a full day’s exploration of Tarangire National Park. We’ll take a picnic lunch and set out through the baobab-studded landscape passing Maasai villages on our way into the park. Tarangire is a sanctuary for elephants and buffalo in the dry season when the only source of water for miles around is the Tarangire River. This park is home to a healthy population of wildebeest and zebra and it’s possible to see more unusual species such as lesser kudu. We’ll return to the camp in time for showers before campfire and dinner.

OVERNIGHT~ Whistling Thorn Tented Camp

MEALS: B,L,D- Whistling Thorn Camp

Day 5 ~ Sat 24 May - Lake Manyara

Today we’ll explore Lake Manyara National Park, a beautiful park with a variety of eco-systems and stunning bird life. There is a ground water forest, soda lake and dry savannah area to name a few of the habitats. This park is home to the blue or ‘sykes’ monkey and is a good place to observe baboon behaviour. There are plain’s animals such as giraffe, buffalo and zebra. The park hosts hundreds of elephant along with giraffe, baboon, several species of monkeys and a myriad of birds. After a full day in the park we’ll continue up the Rift Valley wall to the plantation area surrounding the bustling town of Karatu. Enjoy a delicious dinner and the lovely ambience of the lodge.

OVERNIGHT: Bougainvillea Safari Lodge

MEALS: B- Whistling Thorn Camp, L- Picnic, D- Bougainvillea Lodge

Day 6 ~ Sun 25 My - Ngorongoro

We’ll get an early start today and head for the World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Crater, for game viewing on the crater floor. The crater is home to all of the larger African mammals with the exception of giraffe (who are unable to negotiate the steep descent). Here is one of the few remaining places it’s possible to encounter the highly endangered black rhino. It is also possible to see elephant, contented prides of lion, hippos, a resident herd of wildebeest, zebra, various gazelles, impala, baboon and much more. We will picnic in the crater and we’ll return to the lodge for welcome hot showers and another sumptuous dinner.

OVERNIGHT: Bougainvillea Safari Lodge

MEALS: B- Bougainvillea Lodge, L- Picnic, D- Bougainvillea Lodge

Day 7 ~ Mon 26 May - Oldupai Gorge

We’ll make our way to the Southern Serengeti Plains with a quick stop at the interesting and informative museum at Oldupai Gorge. The gorge is the site of years of research into the anthropology of early man by the famous Leakey family and prominent universities. This museum is set up on the site of archaeological digs taking place through out this and the last century. The site made famous particularly by the Leakey’s and some of the amazing hominid finds such as Australopithicus bosie, or “Nutcracker Man”, because of his very large teeth and jaws and Homo habilis a hominid so named for his handy abilities with tools found around the site. We’ll continue into the wilderness area where we’ll have our picnic before making our way to the lodge in time to enjoy the campfire before dinner.

OVERNIGHT: Ndutu Safari Lodge

MEALS: B- Bougainvillea Lodge, L- picnic, D- Ndutu Lodge

Days 8 & 9 ~ Tue, Wed 27 & 28 May - Ndutu

Ndutu is the home of many famous wildlife film-makers and photographers. The Ndutu area is a wildlife lovers dream. Our days are spent exploring the varied eco-systems surrounding the lodge. There are the marshes, soda lakes, acacia woodlands and short grassy plains. The annual migration of wildebeest and zebra find their way to this area between December and May. While residing, they travel over the vast area always on the search of the sweet new grass. The smell of rain even miles away will cause the herds to move in that direction. The full time resident wildlife includes giraffe, cheetah, lion, elephant, various species of antelope and exciting smaller cats such as the caracal. Striped hyena is also seen regularly. Our days will be full of game driving in the region and in-search of the endless species that make the Serengeti their home. We may also spend the entire day out with a picnic lunch or choose to return to the lodge for lunch and an afternoon siesta.

OVERNIGHTS: Ndutu Safari Lodge

MEALS: B,L,D- Ndutu Lodge

Day 10 ~ Thu 29 May - Serengeti

We say goodbye to Ndutu and continue to a different region of the Serengeti in search of the great migration. From our own private corner of wilderness we’ll be able to plan our days and choose our options embarking on an evening game drive or any possibility that may present itself.

OVERNIGHT: Private Tented Camp

MEALS: B- Ndutu Lodge, L- picnic lunch D- in our camp

Days 11 & 12 ~ Fri, Sat 30 & 31 May - Serengeti

These two days will be spent exploring the Serengeti National Park. The vast Serengeti is one of the most stunning wildlife sanctuaries on the planet. The name comes from the Maasai “siringet”, referring to endless plains. This vast savannah hosts the world’s largest surviving concentration of plains game. In addition to the short grass plains there are beautiful rocky out-cropping called kopjes (pronounced ‘copies’) and thousands of acres of bush and acacia woodland. The Seronera area has permanent water and therefore is an excellent area to spot the big cats and elephant in the dry season.

OVERNIGHTS: Private Tented Camp

MEALS: B,L,D- Camp

Day 13 ~ Sun 01 Jun - Fly to Zanzibar

We’ll leave camp and drive to Seronera Airstrip where we’ll say goodbye to our guides and take a small aircraft to Zanzibar where we’ll continue your Tanzanian adventure.

Day 14 & 15 ~ Mon, Tue 2&3 June - Our Zanzibar Adventure…

We will have many options and opportunities on Zanzibar enjoying the architectural wonders and historic sites of this amazing island in addition to taking in spice tours and traveling to different scenic locations on the island for swimming and beach time and/or just relaxing in this beautiful tropical paradise. We will also have some fabulous food adventures including fresh seafood meals and rooftop dinners complete with local traditional music entertainment and dancing.

On Wednesday morning, June 4th, some of us will return on a flight from Zanzibar to Mombasa and stay on at the Whitesands Hotel for other planned East Africa adventures while others in our group will fly directly to Nairobi to catch their international flights home and say a big ‘Kwaheri’ to East Africa!

TRIP COST INCLUDES:

• Sharing Double Accommodation at above specified lodges and camp
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on departure Day 15 (also includes some picnics)
• All drinks except champagne in private tented camps
• Services of a professional safari guides and local escorts
• Exclusive use of expedition outfitted 4WD vehicle (maximum 6 clients per vehicle)
• Game drives and excursions as indicated (unlimited game drives)
• Park entrance and camping fees
• Scheduled flight & relevant van or taxiesservice
• Bottled water and soft drinks in vehicle
• Flying Doctor’s Membership coverage (emergency evacuation to a Nairobi hospital)

TRIP EXCLUDES:

• International flights and departure taxes
• Visas
• Trip cancellation and medical insurance (required: trip cancellation & full coverage medical insurance)
• Items of a personal nature and gifts
• Alcohol drinks and laundry at lodges
• Gratuities (tips for good service)