What to Expect
We will be staying in 3 Kenyan Safari locations - Amboseli's Serena Safari Lodge, Samburo's Elephant Bedroom Camp, and Masai Mara’s Tipilikwani Tented Camp.
Amboseli’s Serena Safari Lodge
The image of elephants wandering across grass plains with the snowy peak of Mt Kilimanjaro in the background is one known even to armchair travellers. This epitomises Amboseli National Park and highlights the stark contrasts Africa has to offer. In Amboseli's case it is big skies and far horizons combined with swampy springs and dry and dusty earth trammelled by hundreds of animals. Amboseli has an endless underground water supply filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro's ice cap, which funnel into two clear water springs in the heart of the park.
Surrounding Amboseli are ranch areas where the Maasai share the land with the wildlife. Wild animals tend to avoid the village areas as it there are far too many people and the grazing has already been eaten by the Maasai's all-important cattle.
ANIMALS & BIRDS
This park is renowned for its elephants, who may be seen in herds over 100 strong drinking from the surface springs. There are so many of them that their penchant for pushing down trees is destroying the habitat that sustains them. Big old bull elephants carry some of the largest tusks to be seen anywhere in Africa and is a renowned feature of this park.
Also happily roaming the grasslands are buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, giraffes, impala and warthog. Attendant carnivores include lion, leopard, caracal, cheetah, jackal, hyena and serval cat. Unfortunately any rhino are long gone from this area after intensive poaching.
Birdlife is extremely good and you can expect to see pelicans, bee-eaters, kingfishers and many types of eagles.
Samburo’s Elephant Bedroom Camp
When you see a camel train walking single file along a dry riverbed, you realise you are in a pretty parched area. The three National Reserves of Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba are at the beginning of the dry north where camels become commonplace. However, it is not a completely parched area as it is watered by the Uaso Nyiro River or 'River of Brown Water' in Samburu. This is an essential and sometimes erratic water source for all the inhabitants, including a considerable amount of wildlife in the reserves and Samburu cattle and goats.
ANIMALS & BIRDS
The reserves are relatively small and animals are easy to find, with a number of weird and wonderful species endemic to this area. Notably the gerenuk - also known as the 'giraffe necked antelope' because of its ridiculously stretched neck adapted for browsing high into the bushes. Another local inhabitant is the Grevy's zebra, which resembles an ass with wide stripes that don't quite go all the way under the belly. Reticulated giraffes are different from their southern cousins in their perfectly arranged pattern. A very common dwarf antelope in these parts is the tiny dik dik, who is devoted to its mate for its entire lifetime.
Many other species exist in these reserves and large crocs and hippos inhabit the river. Leopard, lion, cheetah and hyena are found here and an unusual treat is that leopards are commonly seen in daylight.
Birds are numerous and 365 species have been recorded in Buffalo Springs reserve.
Masai Mara’s Tipilikwani Tented Camp
In a short stay during the wildebeest migration you could see thousands of animals, at other times there are still hundreds. The plains are full of wildebeest, zebra, impala, topi, giraffe, Thomson's gazelle. Also regularly seen are leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetah, jackal and bat-eared foxes. Black rhino are a little shy and hard to spot but are often seen at a distance. Hippos are abundant in the Mara River as are very large Nile crocodiles, who lay in wait for a meal as the wildebeest cross on their annual quest to find new pastures.
Every July (or sometimes August), the wildebeest travel over 600 miles (960km) from Tanzania's Serengeti plains, northwards to the Masai Mara and the Mara River is the final obstacle. In October or November, once they have feasted and the grass has all but gone, they turn around and go back the other way.
The Mara birds come in every size and colour including common but beautiful ones like the lilac breasted roller and plenty of large species like eagles, vultures and storks. There are 53 different birds of prey.
Optional Extension:
There is also an optional add on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera, and has been described as one of the great natural wonders of the world. Almost every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater, including the endangered black rhino, and the densest population of predators in Africa.
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What's Included
1. Specially designed vehicles to give you the best viewing while on safari.
2. Accommodations and most meals.
3. All game drives
4. Park entry tickets to Amboseli National Park, Samburu Game Reserve, and the Masai Mara Game Reserve.
5. Flights: Wilson-Amboseli-Samburu-Masai Mara-Wilson
6. Werner and Myra have chose a local school in Masai Mara to visit
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What's not Included
1. Your international flight
2. Visa Fees
3. Personal expenses such as drinks and gratuity
3. Travel Insurance.
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