DAY 04: SHABA – LAKE NAKURU

After breakfast you depart at 0800 hrs for Lake Nakuru with a stopover at the breathtaking Thompson Falls. You arrive in Lake Nakuru in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive looking for black and white rhino, Rothschild giraffe and herds of Cape buffalo. Dinner &  overnight at your camp/lodge.

DAY 05: LAKE NAKURU – MAASAI MARA

Breakfast at 0700 hrs with an 0800 hrs departure for the Maasai Mara National Reserve.  Arrival is in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive.

Sundowner dinner & overnight at your camp/lodge.

DAY 06: MAASAI MARA

Your Balloon Safari adventure begins just before dawn; your butler will wake you up with a freshly brewed hot cup of Kenyan tea, coffee or hot chocolate as per your choice at around 0500 hrs earlier or later depending on the camp/lodge you are staying from the balloon launching site. Thereafter you will be transferred to the natural Balloon launching site within Masai Mara Game Reserve. You will witness flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crews inflate the balloon basket. The first, pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies as the hot air balloon fills, then rises, flying over the great Mara River, swamps, forests, wildlife & the African Savannah grasslands.

Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-colored canopy, you’re off for a wildlife viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective; it’s a relaxing ride which allows you to view wildlife from a unique bird’s-eye view. What amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness, the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Even if you’ve flown elsewhere, this is a unique experience. The flight lasts an hour or so, drifting wherever the air currents take you, and with ample opportunities for photography and video filming.

Upon landing, you toast your return to earth with a surprise bush champagne breakfast, cooked wherever you land, on the open plains of Masaai Mara. Later you can either be transferred back to the camp/lodge with an enroute game drive or  have Lunch. Leisure with an optional visit to the Maasai Boma for cultural and social updates at 1500hrs – 1700hrs. The glimpse to their homestead and cultural activities is a poignant experience.

Dinner & overnight at your camp / lodge.

DAY 07: MAASAI MARA – NAIROBI

Breakfast at 0700 hrs followed by an 0800 hrs departure for Nairobi arriving at about 1300 hrs. On arrival you are dropped at JKIA airport in time for your outbound flight.

Package will include:

• Pick and drop off at your hotel
• Dinner

Package excludes:

• All air tickets & visas
• Driver / guide tips
• Drinks other than those included in itinerary
• Travel / luggage insurance

Wasini Island Dhow

Day 3:The great escape starts early morning when you are picked up from your hotel. You visit Shimoni Caves, the historic caves where Arabs used to hold slaves while awaiting the arrival of ships to transfer them to Zanzibar. 

You proceed to Kenya Wildlife Offices where you view a short movie on marine life and what you will expect to see on the boat ride. You then depart by boat to Kisite Mpunguti as you explore breathtaking scenery of the ocean, playful dolphins and larger marine life. You arrive at a calm beach where your guides anchor the boat to let you dive or swim with the dolphins at a close range.

 At 12:30hrs you break for lunch at Wasini Restaurant. The restaurant is located at Wasini Island right at the beach front with magnificent views. After lunch you top off your tour with a stroll on the board walk along the mangrove forest that borders the sea shore. Later you sail back across to Shimoni Island and your vehicle where your driver/guide will transfer you to your hotel. Accommodation on Half board.

Package includes:

• Minimum 5 persons
• Lunch on Wasini Island with one drink
• Mineral water
• Marine park entry fees
• Pickup from your Mombasa South or North Coast hotel and drop-off at your hotel or airport
• English speaking guides

Haller Park

Day 4: 0900hrs – You are picked up from your hotel and depart for Haller Park, the largest animal sanctuary in Mombasa. Located next to the Bamburi Cement Factory, the park boasts an enormous variety of animals, reptiles and botanical gardens.The pavilion area has a butterfly farm.

A walk along the trail is the ideal way to look at the various animals, and occasionally, holding or feeding a reptile such as a snake is allowed under close supervision of a guide. Educational videos are also shown, with emphasis on the history and continuous improvement of the trail.

The location of the park was previously a barren piece of land that had been stripped of its resources through limestone mining, and was redeveloped through reforestation, conservation and landscaping efforts. It is now a habitat for a large variety of flora and fauna.

Lunch is on self arrangement followed by transfer back to your hotel around 1300hrs.

MT. KILIMANJARO – MARANGU & MACHAME ROUTES

7 Days Mt. Kilimanjaro – Marangu “Coca-Cola” Route

Day 1: Depart Arusha and transfer to Capricorn Hotel based at the foot of the mountain. Dinner & overnight at Capricorn Hotel.

Day 2: Morning walk through the Kilimanjaro forest spending your night at Mandara Hut at 2,700 metres above sea level.

Day 3: You start your trek early in the morning to Horombo Hut at 3,720 metres for dinner & overnight.

Day 4: This whole day trek will take you to Kibo Hut at 5,680 metres for dinner & overnight.

Day 5: For fit climbers this day will be the final ascent to the summit before dawn to the Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres. The night is spent at Horombo Hut.

Day 6: Morning descent to Capricorn Hotel where the afternoon is at your leisure. Dinner & overnight at Capricorn Hotel.

Day 7: Drive back to Arusha.

Security

Normal precautions as in any other destination world-wide should be taken. Visitors are advised not to leave cash and valuables in their hotel rooms but to make use of safe deposit boxes and safes. One should never carry large sums in cash and women should keep a tight grip on handbags in crowds or busy streets.

Jewelry snatching is quite common in city streets. As in all major cities walking alone or in small groups at night should be considered a hazard and avoided. Reliable taxis are available at all the principal hotels. Taking photographs at airports, near military installations, of policeman, the president, the national flag, the State House, state lodges, soldiers, prisons and prisoners etc., is prohibited. Before photographing local people, permission should be obtained and a fixed price agreed. Seek the assistance of your driver/guide in this matter.

Tipping and Porterage

Although hotels and lodges include a service charge, it is customary to tip porters, waiters, taxi drivers and safari drivers/guides.

Language

Swahili is the lingua franca while English is the official language. In addition, most tribes have their own language.

Post and Telephones

Keeping in touch by mail and telephone is generally easy. Direct overseas dialling is possible from major centers and increasingly from remote places such as game lodges. Call home bureaus are in plenty in Nairobi as are the Cyber café for e-mail and Internet access.

Arrivals and Departures

Kenya has two main ports of entry by air: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi. Located 16 km from the city center. Moi International Airport, Mombasa. Located 12 km from the town center. Mombasa is also the main port of entry by sea.

Airport Departure Tax

International Airport departure tax equivalent to US$ 40 per person is payable on departure from the International airports. A local airport service charge is also payable on departure for domestic flights. As this varies from country to country, please check with us on the prevailing amounts payable prior to your flight departure.

Opening and Shopping Hours

Major stores, tourist services, offices and museums open from 8.00 am to 5.00 PM in large towns though offices often break for lunch.

In rural areas and out in the bush small shops can be open at almost any hour. Souvenirs to take back home can include wood and soap stone sculptures and carvings, sisal baskets, beadwork and tribal regalia, masks, textiles and gemstones set in unique jewellery Handcrafted pieces.