DAY 1: ARRIVE CAIRO, EGYPT

Welcome to Egypt! “Egypt welcomes you with its mighty Nile and magnificent monuments, the beguiling desert and lush delta, and with its long past and welcoming, story-loving people.” Arrive at Cairo international airport, meeting & assistance through passport and customs formalities, then you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in and overnight. FOUR SEASONS FIRST RESIDENCE – Deluxe Room

 DAY 2: CAIRO

Meeting at the hotel’s lobby to explore desert antiquities dating from the beginnings of a civilization that arose more than 5,000 years ago.  In the company of our Egyptologist specialist guide, we venture through the countryside to visit some of Egypt’s oldest sights. We first go to visit the necropolis at Saqqara, where King Zoser’s Step Pyramid was “built to last ’till the ends of time.”  This vast site in the heart of a desert plateau is the largest necropolis in Egypt.  Extending for almost 5 miles, the complex forms a collection of pyramids, temples, and tombs that is fundamental to understanding the history of Ancient Egypt.

Lunch will be served during the tour at 9 pyramids restaurant with a panoramic view of the pyramids.

Then we will go to visit the Pyramids of Giza. Nothing evokes Egypt’s long and intriguing history as powerfully as the pyramids.  Rising from the desert, Khufu (Cheops), Khafra and Menkaura seem to symbolize the enigmatic tug of Egypt in our imaginations.  The Great Pyramid of Cheops immortalizes the son of Sneferu and Hetepheres. Though little is known of this pharaoh, his monument, the largest of the three, is comprised of 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons.

Cheops is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to remain largely intact. There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid.   The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen’s Chamber and King’s Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure and enjoy Camel rides.

We shall also visit the colossal statue of the great sphinx, which has stood guard over the pyramids for more than 4,500 years. Carved from an outcrop of rock, the Sphinx remains the ultimate symbol of ancient Egypt with its lion’s body and a human head. The history and the lifestyle of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs come alive right before our eyes through the skilled narrations of our specialist guide. Back to the hotel and overnight. FOUR SEASONS FIRST RESIDENCE – Deluxe Room (B)

DAY 3: CAIRO

After Breakfast, you will meet at the hotel lobby, where your tour begins by visiting The National Museum of Egyptian civilization (NMEC), a large museum (490,000 square meters/5,274.32 sq ft) in the city of Eustat, now part of Cairo, Egypt. The museum partially opened in February 2017 and will display a collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day. Visit the cultural landmarks that span three millennia of Egyptian history. We begin with the Citadel commanding a complete view of the city. Completed in 1183, the Citadel is surrounded by sturdy walls and towers to withstand attacks from Christian crusaders. Inside, we shall see the lavishly decorated alabaster mosque of Mohammed Ali.

Next, visit Coptic Cairo, where we see the famous Suspended Church (Hanging Church). Dating back to the late 4th and early 5th century, this basilica was named “Al-Mu’allaqah” because it was built atop the south gate of the Fortress of Babylon.  Then stroll with your guide through the Khan El Khalili, a bustling warren of shops where you can bargain for rugs, copper and leather crafts, perfumes, and other exotic and familiar goods. Lunch at Naguib Mahfouz restaurant located at Khan Khalili Bazar. FOUR SEASONS FIRST RESIDENCE – Deluxe Room (B,L)

DAY 4: CAIRO / LUXOR

This morning after breakfast, check out and make your way to the main lobby of your hotel, where you are met and transferred to Cairo domestic airport for your flight to Luxor. On arrival in Luxor, you are met and transferred to visit the West Bank. Madint Habu is the name commonly given to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, an important New Kingdom period structure in the location of the same name on the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. Aside from its intrinsic size and architectural and artistic importance, the temple is probably best known as the source of inscribed reliefs depicting the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III.

Ramesseum: King Ramses II called his temple “The Temple of Millions of Years of User-Maat-Ra,” which was one of his titles that meant ‘the Power of the Justice of Ra’. Work in the temple continued from the beginning of the reign of Ramses II until the 22nd year of his reign. But not long after the end of the New Kingdom, hungry citizens stripped the Ramesseum of its wealth, and its buildings were used as quarries to construct other monuments. Tombs for major and minor court officials were put into the bedrock beneath it, small shrines were built from its stones, and a Christian church was built within the ruins. Today, the entrance to the temple is a narrow doorway in the northeast corner of the enclosure wall. The huge First Pylon (now badly damaged) is 67 meters wide and originally about 24 meters high. Similar to the scenes of many other monuments of Ramses II, those of the Ramesseum depict the wars of the King against the Hittites. Deir el-Medina is an ancient Egyptian village that was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom period (ca. 1550–1080 BC). The settlement’s ancient name was ‘Set Maat’, translated as ‘The Place of Truth,’ and the workers who lived there were called “Servants in the Place of Truth.” During the Christian era, the temple of Hathor was converted into a Church from which the Arabic name Deir el-Medina (‘the monastery of the town’) is derived.

After the tour, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. In the afternoon, visit the East Bank. The Temple of Karnak is the largest temple in the world! The complex contains a group of Temples, such as the Great Temple of Amon Ra, The Temple of Khonso, The Ipt Temple, The Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Montho, and the Temple of Osiris. A 20-meter high, mud brick enclosure wall surrounded all of these buildings. This great Temple of Amon Ra was known during the Middle Kingdom period as Ipt-Swt, which means the ‘Selected Spot’. It was also called Pr-Imn, which means ‘the House of Amon’. The name Al-Karnak in Arabic was derived from Karnak, which means ‘fortified village.’ The temple of Luxor is close to the Nile and parallel to the riverbank. King Amenhotep III, who reigned 1390-53 BC built this beautiful temple and dedicated it to Amon-Re, king of the gods, his consort Mut and their son, Khons. This temple has been in almost continuous use as a place of worship right up to the present day. It was completed by Tutankhamun and Horemheb and added to by Ramses II. Towards the rear is a granite shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great. This evening, enjoy a horse carriage ride in Luxor by night. After the ride, you are dropped off at your hotel. SOFITEL WINTER PALACE HOTEL (B)

DAY 5: LUXOR – ABYDOS & DENDRAH – DAY TRIP

Today after breakfast, meet your guide and start your drive to the Sohag Governorate to visit the temples of Abydos & Dendrah. Dendera Temple complex is located about 2.5 km southeast of Dendera, Egypt. It is one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt. The area was used as the sixth Nome of Upper Egypt, south of Abydos. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mud brick-enclosed wall. Dendera was a site for chapels or shrines from the beginning of the history of ancient Egypt. It seems that pharaoh Pepi I (ca. 2250 BC) was built on this site, and evidence exists of a temple in the eighteenth dynasty (ca 1500 BC). But the earliest extant building in the compound today is the Mammisi raised by Nectanebo II – the last of the native pharaohs (360-343 BC).

Abydos is one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, it is located about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) west of the Nile. The city was called Abdju in the ancient Egyptian language meaning “the hill of the symbol or reliquary,” a reference to a reliquary in which the sacred head of Osiris was preserved. Today, Abydos is notable for the memorial temple of Seti I, which contains an inscription from the nineteenth dynasty known to the modern world as the Abydos King List. It is a chronological list showing cartouches of most dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from Menes until Ramesses I, Seti’s father. The Great Temple and most of the ancient town are buried under the modern buildings to the north of the Seti temple. Many of the original structures and artifacts within them are considered irretrievable and lost; many may have been destroyed by the new construction. After the tour, you are transferred back to your hotel. SOFITEL WINTER PALACE (B)

DAY 6: LUXOR

Transfer to the west bank of Luxor to enjoy the balloon ride, followed by breakfast at one of the local restaurants. After breakfast, you will start your tour by visiting more sites on the west bank, including the following. The Valley of the Kings consists of the East Valley, where you can find most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs, and the West Valley, which has only one tomb open to the public, and that is the tomb of Ay, who succeeded Tutankhamun to the Egyptian throne. Tutankhamun was buried in a tomb that was unusually small, considering his status. His death may have occurred unexpectedly, before the completion of a grander royal tomb, so that his mummy was buried in a tomb intended for someone else. This would preserve the observance of the customary 70 days between death and burial. King Tutankhamun’s mummy still rests in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. On 4 November 2007, 85 years to the day after Carter’s discovery, the 19-year-old pharaoh went on display in his underground tomb at Luxor when the linen-wrapped mummy was removed from its golden sarcophagus to a climate-controlled glass box.

The case was designed to prevent the heightened rate of decomposition caused by the humidity and warmth of tourists visiting the tomb. The tomb of Seti 1 is the longest tomb in the valley, at 137.19 meters. It contains very well-preserved reliefs in all but two of its eleven chambers and side rooms. One of the back chambers is decorated with the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth, which states that the mummy’s eating and drinking organs were properly functioning. Believing in the need for these functions in the afterlife was a very important ritual. A very long tunnel, corridor K, leads away deep into the mountainside from beneath the location where the sarcophagus stood in the burial chamber. Recently, the excavation of this corridor was completed. It turned out that there was no ‘secret burial chamber’ or any other kind of chamber at the end. Work on the corridor was just abandoned upon the burial of Seti.

The valley of the queens is located near the better-known Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile across from Thebes (modern Luxor). This barren area in the western hills was chosen due to its relative isolation and proximity to the capital. The kings of the 18th dynasty, instead of the traditional building of pyramids as burial chambers (perhaps because of their vulnerability to tomb robbers), now chose to be buried in rock-cut tombs.

The tomb of Nefertari, QV66, is one of the largest in the Valley of the Queens. It is 520 square meters and covered with pictures of Nefertari. Her husband, the pharaoh, is not represented in any of the pictures. Nefertari can be seen wearing Greek silver earrings in one of the portraits. These would have been sent to her as a gift for diplomatic reasons. The tomb was robbed in antiquity. In 1904 it was rediscovered and excavated by Ernesto Schiaparelli. Several items from the tomb, including parts of gold bracelets, shabti figures, and a small piece of an earring or pendant, are now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Additional shabti figures are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The temple of Queen Hatshepsut of Dynasty XVIII was built just north of the Middle Kingdom temple of Mentuhotep Nebhepetre, in the bay of cliffs known as Deir el-Bahri. In ancient times, the temple was called Djeser-djeseru, meaning the ’sacred of sacreds’. It was undoubtedly influenced by the style of the earlier temple at Deir el-Bahri, and Hatshepsut chose to site her temple in a valley sacred to the Theban Goddess of the West, but more importantly, it was on a direct axis with Karnak Temple. The Colossi of Memnon are two huge, ruined statues, around 17m high, once stood at the entrance gate of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, though very little of the temple behind them remains today. They were cut from two massive granite blocks, brought from quarries near Cairo, and carved to represent the pharaoh Amenhotep III of Dynasty XVIII. After the tour, you are transferred back to your hotel. SOFITEL WINTER PALACE (B)

DAY 7: LUXOR – ASWAN – OVERLAND DRIVE

Today after breakfast, you are driven from Luxor to Aswan, making stops at the Edfu temple and Kom Ombo temples. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most well-preserved, and the only one we know to have been completed. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller earlier temple, oriented east to west, towards the river. Visit the Temple shared by two gods Sobek & Haeroris, in Kom Ombo. The Temple of Kom Ombo stands on the east bank of the Nile, right next to the river, about 4Km from the town. It was dedicated to two Gods, Horus and Sobek, although the Temple was mainly dedicated to the God Sobek, the crocodile God, together with his wife, in another form of the Goddess Hathor. The Temple is of Greco-Roman structure, dating back to the year 119 BC, when Ptolemy VI, who started the construction, built it out of limestone. Upon arrival in Aswan, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. SOFITEL OLD CATARACT ASWAN – (B, Boxed Lunch)

DAY 8:  ASWAN / CAIRO / DEPART                                                                     

Today after breakfast and check out, you will be met at the hotel lobby, where you will be transferred to Aswan domestic airport for your flight to Cairo. You will be transferred to your hotel upon arrival at Cairo domestic airport. KEMPINSKI ROYAL MAXIM

Meet in the hotel lobby this evening, where you will then be transferred to Cairo International Airport for your departure flight. Board your scheduled flight to Entebbe via Nairobi

DAY 9:  ARRIVE ENTEBBE, UGANDA                                                                          Welcome to Uganda!

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport. You will need your vaccine card and a test on arrival, which they do to protect the gorillas. The entry rules change regularly, so, please be flexible. You will be met by a representative as you exit the aircraft and assist through Immigrations and Customs formalities. Upon exit, you will be met by a representative from Big Five Tours and transferred to your hotel.

The word “Karibu” means “Welcome” in the Swahili language, and this is how you will find yourself when you arrive. Nestled in the leafy suburbs of Entebbe is your stylish boutique hotel. HOTEL #5 

All tourists for primate tracking activities should carry at least two N95 masks, surgical masks, or double-layered cloth masks with filters. These are not provided for guests; you must bring your own from home. Please also bring a refillable water bottle. In an effort to reduce single-use plastics, our vehicles carry drinking water jugs with taps to refill guests’ bottles. Neither CAS nor any of the lodges provide guests with a complimentary water bottle, so we ask that you bring them from home.

PLEASE NOTE: the following weight limits apply on the flights to/from Kisoro:

Max body weight per person 85kg / 187lbs  and Max baggage/camera gear per person 15kg / 32lbs

DAY 10: ENTEBBE / BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST

This morning, you are transferred to the local airport for your flight to Kisoro, in the south of Bwindi. You are met on arrival and transferred to your lodge. Set on a forested ridge near the entrance to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge boasts eight spacious cottages built from volcanic stone. Spectacular views stretch all the way to the Virunga Volcanoes of Rwanda and across the border into the Congo, where the glow of Nyiragongo Volcano can be seen on a clear night. Warm and welcoming, each cottage features a bedroom, an ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower, and a separate lounge. Comfortable chairs on the outdoor verandas provide the perfect vantage point to admire the unforgettable vistas of the forest below. Blazing fireplaces create a cozy glow as evening falls. Meals are prepared using the freshest local ingredients and served in front of a roaring fire in the dining area or in the privacy of your stone cottage.

The lodge is situated within easy walking distance of the trail, where guests can begin their gorilla trekking adventure. Guided forest walks and birdwatching expeditions explore the surroundings, while local community visits give a glimpse of traditional life. You have the afternoon at leisure and time for lodge activities. We recommend doing a community walk. CLOUDS MOUNTAIN GORILLA LODGE (B,L,D)

DAY 11: BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST

Gorilla Tracking Day

These days will likely be the highlight of your Uganda adventure, for today, you set out in search of the critically endangered mountain gorillas. After breakfast, take a short drive to park headquarters to meet with excellent local guides and trackers who present a talk on the etiquette of gorilla trekking. Bwindi forest is a magnificent luxuriant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley. This ancient rainforest – one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age – is considered one of Africa’s most biologically diverse forests. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has at least 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, and is ranked as one of the best in Uganda for forest birding, with 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics. Bwindi is renowned for its Mountain Gorilla population. Slightly more than half the world’s mountain gorilla population is resident in Bwindi: an estimated 408 individuals living in 11 groups. Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these gentle giants is an extremely special privilege and an encounter unparalleled in most likely the whole of Africa.

On the day of trekking, clients take a short drive to Park Headquarters and meet with excellent local guides and trackers who give a talk on the etiquette of gorilla trekking. Thereafter clients hike into the forest where the gorillas were seen the night before and track from that point. The trekking can take from 1 to 6 hours and climb to altitudes not more than 7,500 feet. The terrain is rough and, at times, muddy. Although the hike is physically demanding, the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthwhile.

Once the gorillas are located, all fatigue is forgotten, as the experience is often described as the world’s most profound natural history experience. Picnic lunches are provided, and it is important to take plenty of water. It can rain at a few minute’s notice; hence waterproof clothing is a good essential, including zip-lock bags for cameras and film.  Afterward, you return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. CLOUDS MOUNTAIN GORILLA LODGE (B,L,D)

DAY 12: BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST

Gorilla Habituation Experience.

There is no known actual definition of the Gorilla Habituation Experience. However, it can simply be known as the act of training wild gorillas to become used to the sight of people. It involves different groups of people like trackers, conservationists, researchers, and rangers, among others, who take a period of about two to three years to complete this habituation experience. It is a learning experience that has just recently become a stable activity presented by the Uganda Wildlife Authority on a small scale. This experience only restricts the persons to a maximum of 4 each day. This allows you to spend up to four hours with these magnificent creatures and is only available in Rushaga, in the southern part of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On this experience, you’ll get a deeper understanding of gorilla tracking and behavior than on a normal trek, and you’ll have more time to observe and photograph the gorillas. CLOUDS MOUNTAIN GORILLA LODGE (B,L,D)

DAY 13: NKURINGO / ENTEBBE / NAIROBI, KENYA

After breakfast, you are transferred back to the local airstrip for your flight back to Entebbe. You will be met on arrival and taken for lunch in town. Afterward you are transferred back to Entebbe airport for your onward flight to Nairobi.

Welcome to Kenya!

Late afternoon arrival in Nairobi.  You will be met by a representative as you exit the aircraft and are assisted through Immigration and Customs formalities. You are then met by a representative from Big Five Tours and transferred to your hotel overnight. Hemingway’s Nairobi is a 45-suite luxury boutique hotel. Beautiful in its symmetry and flooded with natural light, this plantation-style property is airy and spacious. Each suite has a private balcony overlooking the iconic silhouette of the Ngong Hills, a magical view that can also be enjoyed over sundowners at the bar. HEMINGWAYS HOTEL (B,L)

 Please Limit Luggage While On Safari To One (1) Per Person,/ Max. 32 Lbs., Plus Reasonable Carry-On Camera Equipment.

DAY 14: NAIROBI / SATAO ELERAI CONSERVANCY – AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

This morning you will transfer to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, where you will board your flight to Amboseli and your exclusive camp. Located on the Eastern side of Amboseli National Park in its own private conservancy, the Satao Elerai Conservancy protects more than 5,000 acres of the natural wildlife area. The camp was built to ensure the local Maasai community benefit from the economic incentives to set aside their land for wildlife conservation.  The Satao Elerai Conservancy forms a critical wildlife corridor linking the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve in Tanzania and the Amboseli National Park.

The Conservancy is a project between the private and community-owned camp, the African Wildlife Foundation, and the local Maasai Elerai community.  The camp is comprised of five luxury suites and nine charming canvas tents.  The gorgeous lodge-style suites feature gently sloping organic walls built with natural rocks, acacia wood, and a carefully constructed thatched roof; large sliding doors open to a private veranda overlooking the plains of Elerai Conservancy and the Amboseli National Park. Satao Elerai – Luxury Tent (B,L,D)

DAY 15: SATAO ELERAI CONSERVANCY – AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
Enjoy the activities around your camp.  Morning and afternoon game drives are within the conservancy area to ensure a private and exclusive safari experience with a very low vehicle density.  Head into the Amboseli National Park to see the vast herds of elephants.  Night game drives offer a whole different atmosphere and feel of the bush, searching for the more secretive and elusive nocturnal animals.  Walking through the African savannah with a Maasai tracker offers another new dimension to game viewing.  Come close to the different species of flora and fauna that are part of the Amboseli ecosystem while slowly approaching plains game such as zebra, impalas, or even the great eland, and you may catch a glimpse of a warthog running away faster than you’d think on its short, stubby legs. Satao Elerai – Luxury Tent (B,L,D)

DAY 16: SATAO ELERAI CONSERVANCY / LAIKIPIA – Ol PEJETA CONSERVANCY

This morning we are dropped at the airstrip and fly to Mt. Kenya via Nairobi. You are met on arrival and transferred to the camp. Nestled amongst fever trees in the shadow of Mount Kenya, Sanctuary Tambarare delivers the perfect balance of adventure and serenity. The camp looks out across the grassy plateau of the award-winning Ol Pejeta Conservancy, 90,000 acres of the unspoiled African landscape, where the Big Five roam, including the last two northern white rhinos on earth. With just 10 luxurious guest tents, Sanctuary Tambarare is a peaceful haven that reflects its surroundings – with a generous helping of indulgence. The individually decorated canvas tents have a boutique-meets-bush style that harks back to the golden age, updated with contemporary style, from teak floors to unique touches that reflect the local culture.

The camp’s colors are inspired by nature, from ‘sun-bleached’ wood and wicker lampshades to intense bursts of color in the exuberant fabrics, like wildflowers dotted around the landscape. The tented ceiling and soft lighting create a sophisticated ambiance. Each luxury guest tent is large and airy, with a private veranda overlooking the grassy plains. Gently billowing white curtains add to the romance, with Masai-inspired art in traditional blue – representing the sky and precious rainwater. Enjoy floor-to-ceiling cinematic views of the landscape from the super king beds.

The ensuite boasts a walk-in shower, double basin, and sumptuous towels. After adventurous days tracking lions, riding horses with rhinos or spotting giraffes, elephants, gazelle, and zebra in this stunning wildlife retreat, guests can retire to the secluded tented camp for sundowners, relaxation, and attentive five-star service. SANCTUARY TAMBARARE CAMP Deluxe Tent (B,L,D)

DAY 17: LAIKIPIA – Ol PEJETA CONSERVANCY

This morning before breakfast we set out in search of rhino and the other unusual game that thrives here. Get up close and personal with the last two northern white rhino on earth and hear their incredible story.

At this early hour, Mt. Kenya stands clear in the first rays of the morning sun. Elephants browse among the whistling acacia trees, and mother rhinos feed in the long grass with their young. We return to camp for a hearty breakfast and, perhaps, a second coffee is taken on the terrace, watching colorful yellow weavers and iridescent starlings at the bird feeder just feet away from the shaded porch. Later, a short, guided hike can be arranged. SANCTUARY TAMBARARE CAMP – Double Tent (B,L,D)

DAY 18: Ol PEJETA CONSERVANCY / MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE

Today we transfer to the airstrip and fly over the Great Rift Valley to one of the stellar events of our safari – the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya’s most precious wildlife sanctuary.  Here plains game is found in staggering numbers and, in turn, supports a tremendous predator population. In the afternoon, we’ll have a game drive.  Tonight, we’ll recall the gently rolling grasslands stretching to the horizon, intersected by dark green veins of rich acacia woodland.  It was here that the beautiful footage for “Out of Africa” was filmed. LITTLE GOVERNORS CAMP – Luxury Tent  (B,L,D)

DAY 19-20: MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE

During our morning and afternoon game drives, we travel across the savannah to rendezvous with the Mara residents: herds of buffalo, wildebeest, hartebeest, impala, and 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 in the masses in and around the Mara River.  A host to the country’s largest predator population, this reserve is renowned for lion prides up to 20 strong. LITTLE GOVERNORS CAMP – Luxury Tent (B,L,D daily)

DAY 21: MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE / NAIROBI

Take a game drive before breakfast, then we fly over the Great Rift Valley back to Nairobi and transfer to our welcoming hotel, where you have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. HEMINGWAYS HOTEL – (B,L,D)

DAY 22: NAIROBI / DEPART 

This morning, your tour continues by visiting the Daphne Sheldrick elephant orphanage. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a small flexible charity established in memory of David Sheldrick, famous Naturalist and founder Warden of Kenya’s giant Tsavo East National Park, which he served from 1948 until 1976. Helping save the lives of orphaned Elephants and Rhinos who are ultimately released back into the wild is just some of the many wildlife commitments The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is involved in. The trust is still run by the Sheldrick family, and Big Five believes in and champions this mission. By fostering an orphan in your name, you visit the orphanage when it is open only to fellow foster donors and not the general public.

Today you’ll visit the estate of Baroness Karen von Blixen (Isak Dinesen).  This home-turned-museum tells her story wonderfully. When you enter the three-bedroom cottage, you’ll see her artifacts and personal memorabilia are all lovingly displayed as they were in her lifetime. The museum resonates with remarkable intimacy and historical significance. Then it’s a warm welcome from the long-legged beauties at author Bette Melville’s exclusive Giraffe Centre here, you’ll have a close-up chance to photograph the Rothschild giraffe.

Then it’s Kwaheri (a Swahili goodbye) as we transfer you to the airport for your departing flight to your next destination. HEMINGWAYS NAIROBI – (B,L,D)

Call for rates. Per Person, Land only