Day 1: Arrive in Nairobi, Kenya                                                                Karibu ni Kenya!  Welcome to Kenya! Upon arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a representative will meet you as you exit the aircraft, and VIP will assist you through the arrival immigration process. Afterward, you are met by your local guide and transferred to your five-star luxury boutique hotel—Hemingway’s Nairobi, one of the finest hotels in Africa.  The 45-suite boutique hotel elevates the standard of luxury for travelers in the region. Each room features a seating area and a private terrace. Large en suite bathrooms feature walk-in closets, double vanity units, and separate baths and showers.

Hemingways supports One Horizon, a humanitarian, non-profit organization focusing on poverty alleviation and the pillars of sustainable tourism. Founded in 2007, it operates over 20 child rescue centers around Nairobi that feed more than 2,000 children daily and supports a sustainable women’s empowerment program.  Relax this evening. Hemingways Nairobi

Day 2: Nairobi

This morning is at leisure to recover from yesterday’s long flight. Then you will meet your private guide and proceed to the Karen Blixen House and Museum. For anyone with an interest in Karen Blixen’s book Out of Africa or the subsequent film, this museum is a must-see.  The author lived on a coffee estate in a house known as Bogani from 1914 until 1931. This area has now developed into the modern suburb of Karen on the outskirts of Nairobi. The house is now a National Museum and is maintained for visitors in its original condition. Those who have read the book or seen the film (which was filmed on location here) will recognize the house with its sprawling tropical garden and views of the nearby Ngong Hills. Efforts have been made to decorate all the house’s rooms in their original style. The house itself is furnished with a mixture of original decor and props from the 1985 film production. The grounds contain displays of farming equipment from the plantation.

There will also be time to visit some local markets and the Kazuri Beads Factory in the Karen district. Followed by hand-feeding some giraffes at The Giraffe Centre an African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (A.F.E.W. Kenya). Afterward, we return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Hemingways Nairobi (B,L,D)

Day 3: Nairobi / Lewa Wildlife Conservancy 

After breakfast and a final morning game drive, you are transferred to the airstrip for your flight to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya’s Northern Frontier District. Upon arrival at the airstrip, you will be met and transferred to your game lodge. The splendor of Lewa is the open space, its privacy, and its dramatic scenery. With sweeping views to Mt. Kenya in the distance, this highland ranch is one of Kenya’s original cattle farms and the homestead of the Craig family since 1924. Lewa is both a private ranch and a wildlife conservancy that claims sanctuary to several endangered species, including over fifty black and white rhinos and 17% of the world population of Grevy zebra. Herds of eland, elephant and common zebra flourish here in addition to reticulated giraffe, leopard, wild dog, and plains animals make game drives on this splendid property among the most treasured memories of any safari. The protected 45,000 acres of grasslands of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is considered among the most successful and progressive conservation efforts in Africa. Sirikoi Lodge – Luxury Tent (B,L,D)

Day 4 & 5:  Lewa Wildlife Conservancy 

Begin the day with an early morning horse ride or bird walk with one of the resident naturalists. Afternoons are for relaxing, after high tea, there will be game drives for those who wish and for others another guided walk. After dinner, a lighted game drive enables you to go in search of bush babies, aardvarks, bat-eared foxes, caracals, leopards, and a host of lesser cats and mongooses. Sirikoi Lodge – Luxury Tent (B,L,D)

Day 6: Lewa Conservancy /  Masai Mara Game Reserve / Olare Motorogi Conservancy

Today will be met and transferred to the local airport for your scheduled charter flight to the Masai Mara. On arrival, you are met by your private guide and transferred to your luxury camp. The Masai Mara is in southwestern Kenya on the border with Tanzania. The reserve is situated in the Rift Valley, with Tanzania’s Serengeti Plains running along its southern end. The Mara River runs through the reserve (north to south), hosting plenty of hippos and crocodiles and making the annual migration of over a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras an extremely dangerous undertaking. Most of the Masai Mara is made up of hilly grassland which is fed by plentiful rain, especially during the wet months between November and June. The areas bordering the Mara River are forested and are home to over several hundred bird species. Activities are centered on vehicle safari and balloon safari, with possibilities for gentle walking safari and cultural visits.

Mahali Mzuri is Sir Richard Branson’s 12-tented luxury safari camp in the Kenyan Bush. At Mahali Mzuri you will have a front row seat, not just for the migration but also for the abundant game you can see all year round. The camp is situated in the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy in the wider Maasai Mara ecosystem. The name means ‘beautiful place’ in Swahili and the camp is located in the world-famous Maasai Mara ecosystem and right in the path of the great annual migration. The super stylish tented suites make for the perfect retreat during your stay. There are endless opportunities for game viewing, so all you need to do is sit back and let the wildlife come to you. During our twice-daily game drives, you will have the opportunity to see lions, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes, and cheetahs, among many other species. Mahali Mzuri – Luxury Tented Suite – (B, L,D) Fully Inclusive

Day 7 & 8: Masai Mara Game Reserve 

Morning and afternoon game drives are filled to the brim with exciting wildlife sightings as well as romantic scenery and dramatic views. Travel across the savannah to rendezvous with the Mara residents: herds of buffalo, wildebeest, hartebeest, impala, and the gazelle. Dense thorn bush may reveal browsing black rhino, and near the riverine woodland, large numbers of giraffes and elephants can be seen.  Hippos cavort, en masse, in the Mara River.  A host to the country’s largest predator population, this reserve is renowned for lion pride up to 20 strong. Mahali Mzuri – Luxury Tented Suite – (B, L,D) Fully Inclusive

Day 9: Masai Mara Game Reserve  / Nairobi

Enjoy a morning game drive followed by breakfast. Afterward, board your private charter aircraft and fly over the Great Rift Valley back to Nairobi. You are transferred to the Kempinski hotel on arrival, where you have the remainder of the evening at leisure. Your local private guide and vehicle are available at your disposal for some last-minute sightseeing or shopping. Hemingways Nairobi (B,L,D)

Day 10: Nairobi / Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

This morning you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight to Victoria Falls then it’s Kwaheri to Africa (a Swahili goodbye). After check-in, there will be some time for last minute shopping at the Duty-Free Shops near the departure gate. On arrival in Victoria Falls you clear Immigration and Customs, proceed to baggage claim and then you are met by our representative for your transfer to your lodge. The Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is a sight not to be missed. Especially when the Zambezi River is in full flow (April to June/July) when over a mile of unbroken surging water plunges into the Zambezi gorge below. The pleasant town is compact enough to walk around and the Falls are within easy walking distance. The Victoria Falls is bordered by Zimbabwe and Zambia and each country offers a different viewing perspective, towards the end of the dry season, from late September to January, the spectacle is best seen from the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls.

A host of activities centered around the falls themselves, the magnificent Zambezi River, and the Zambezi National Park. Enjoy guided tours of the Falls and then a languorous sunset boat cruise. The helicopter ‘Flight of Angels’ is essential to gain an overall impression of the Falls, in addition, a microlight ride and bungee jumping are available for the more daring. The wide gentle river above the Falls is the perfect place for canoeing and fishing, while below the Falls, serious white-water rafting or jetboating are offered. Just upstream is the Zambezi National Park, where game drives and horse riding are a great way to view the elephants and buffalo, or you can take a day safari to nearby Chobe National Park.

Open plan in design and positioned just back from the water’s edge, in view of the elephants’ natural evening route, the main lodge building blends effortlessly into the natural landscape of the Zambezi National Park. Relax in the airy lounge area, under the shade of the immense crescent-shaped thatched roof, and indulge yourself while drinking in the serenity of their surroundings. The peaceful reverie offered by its quiet sanctuary, enriched by the gentle iridescence of the sun’s rays, as they skip across the surface of the mighty Zambezi, and a soothing soundtrack of Cicadas and rustling foliage, is truly a cool escape from the African sun. Zambezi Crescent Victoria Falls River Lodge – Luxury Tented Room, (B,L,D) Fully Inclusive

Day 11: Victoria Falls

Enjoy the activities available by your lodge or have the day at leisure to explore making use of the lodges included activities or venture into Victoria Falls for other optional adventure activities in the area.

Inclusions: an optional daily transfer from camp (typically departing at 10:00 am and returning at 3:00 pm) to Victoria Falls town, a tour of the Falls (part of the daily transfer to town) – the entry fee into the Rainforest is for guests to settle direct, transfers to/from National Park Gate / Jetty for 3rd party activities, two game activities – i.e. a choice of either a morning/afternoon game drive in the Zambezi National Park and a sunrise/sunset river cruise – per person per day. Snacks & drinks are included on the game drives and/or the sunset river cruises, high tea, bird watching on Kandahar Island, National Park Conservation Levy. Zambezi Crescent Victoria Falls River Lodge – Luxury Tented Room, (B,L,D) Fully Inclusive

Day 12: Victoria Falls / Johannesburg/ Depart

This morning is at leisure, then you are transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Johannesburg from where you connect with your onward flight home later this evening. (B)

Price starts at Peak season $1850. Low starting $1600. per diem Land per person, per day, double occupancy.