Explore breathtaking Kenya on this luxury safari through Lake Nakuru, Lake Elmenteita and the Maasai Mara.
DAY 1 – DEPART USA
From the moment you board your Ethiopian Airlines flight, you will feel the warm African hospitality the continent is known for. Ethiopian Airlines received the Airline of the Year Award for the fourth year in a row from AFRAA in November 2015.
Your flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa departs from Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport.
DAY 2 – ADDIS ABABA/NAIROBI
On arrival in Addis Ababa connect with your flight to Nairobi. At Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you will be met by a Lion World Travel representative and transferred to the 5-star Nairobi Serena Hotel, a Member of the Leading Hotels of the World and well known for its exceptional standards of efficiency, service and hospitality.
The elegantly sophisticated Nairobi Serena is a member of the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ group and is consistently voted ‘Best Hotel in Nairobi’. This hotel offers an oasis of serenity amidst the bustle of one of Africa’s most vibrant capital cities.
All of the rooms are air-conditioned, and offer Internet (Wi-Fi and hard-wire connection), mini bar, digital safe, tea/coffee making facilities, LCD flat-screen satellite TV and 24-hour room service and are decorated in a fusion of international and pan-African styles. Offering a wide range of dining experiences, The Nairobi Serena is renowned for its ‘Mandhari’ fine-dining restaurant. The Nairobi Serena Hotel also offers the exclusive ‘Maisha’ Health Club and Spa.
ACCOMMODATION: NAIROBI SERENA HOTEL – STANDARD ROOM
DAY 3 – NAIROBI/OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY
After breakfast transfer to Sweetwaters Serena Camp located in a private conservancy with a higher wildlife-to-area ratio than any of Kenya’s national parks making this camp one of the most exclusive tented safari camps in Kenya.
A sheltered oasis, clustered around a water hole and set in the pristine calm of the private Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Sweetwaters Serena Camp offers a charming blend of under-canvas ambiance and Kenyan safari luxury.
Your accommodation will be in upgraded Morani luxury tents, each with its own private veranda overlooking the water hole. The tents are spacious with exquisite design and furnishings complemented by fantastic views of Mount Kenya. All tents come complete with modern amenities including an ensuite bathroom, WIFI connectivity and safes.
Host to all the members of the ‘Big Five’ (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard), the conservancy is one of only four private game conservancies to have been founded in Kenya.
At the forefront of the Kenyan conservancy program, the conservancy claims to have the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, hosts the only chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya, and shelters large numbers of rare and endangered species.
Within the Ol Pejeta Conservancy you may enjoy a variety of activities, from game drives to visits to the Chimpanzee and Rhino Sanctuaries.
This afternoon you will enjoy a visit to the Jane Goodall Chimpanzee Sanctuary during your game drive.
ACCOMMODATION: SWEETWATERS SERENA CAMP – MORANI TENT
DAY 4 – LAKE ELMENTEITA
After breakfast transfer to Serena Lake Elmenteita Luxury Camp. Enjoy an afternoon game drive, returning to the camp for dinner and overnight.
The exclusive, 5-star Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp is situated on the shoreline of sapphire-blue Lake Elmenteita where hundreds of thousands of birds congregate. Thoughtfully styled to echo the area’s rich history, the camp blends elegance with modern luxury. Each lake-facing tent at Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp has been designed to take you back to a bygone era of travel. Furnished with large double beds with draped canopy netting for a sense of seclusion and a private veranda gives you the chance to sit back and soak up the views.
This is an area of breathtaking beauty and is home to many rare species of animals. Bird watchers will enjoy the sight of thousands of flamingos and pelicans feeding in the lake’s shallow waters, but this spectacular region is home to a wide range of wildlife.
Enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Soysambu Conservancy. On the way back to the camp for dinner there will be a half hour open bar cocktail stop.
ACCOMMODATION: LAKE ELMENTEITA SERENA CAMP – STANDARD TENT
DAY 5 – LAKE ELMENTEITA
A short drive takes you to Lake Nakuru for a full day of game viewing with a stop for lunch. Lake Nakuru is world famous for its stunning flocks of lesser flamingo which literally turn its shores pink, and was created as a National Park to protect them. Its bird-life is world renowned, a beacon for leading ornithologists, scientists and filmmakers.
The park spans an attractive range of wooded and bush grassland around the lake, offering wide ecological diversity, from lake water, woodland to the rocky escarpment and ridges. Notable game within the lake includes hippo and clawless otters. On the shores roam waterbuck, Bohr’s Reedbuck and Zebra. The woodlands and forest are now home to both black & white rhino.
After a stop for lunch you will be taken on a short game drive back to Lake Elmenteita where you will take part in an interactive cooking class. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the camp.
ACCOMMODATION: LAKE ELMENTEITA SERENA CAMP – STANDARD TENT
DAY 6 – LAKE ELMENTEITA/MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
After an early morning breakfast, drive to the Maasai Mara National Reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where you may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed centuries ago. Lunch will be served at the lodge.
Mara Serena Safari Lodge is the ringside seat for the greatest show on earth. Located at the very Center of the famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, the 4-star Mara Serena Safari Lodge is the ultimate safari destination. Set high on a bush-cloaked hill with long views over the savannah and down to the winding hippo-filled Mara River, it stands center-stage to one of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife arenas.
Styled to echo the circular motif of a traditional Maasai manyatta, the lodge blends international sophistication with raw African beauty, with each room having its own view of the famous Mara River. Each room is its own stand-alone modular unit, with uninterrupted views, private balcony and spacious seating area. The dining areas offer spectacular views, along with the rock-surround swimming pool.
Take an afternoon game-drive in this magnificent game reserve.
ACCOMMODATION: MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE – STANDARD ROOM
DAY 7 – MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
Leave the lodge after an early morning cup of tea and enjoy an exhilarating game drive in the crisp morning air to view the abundance of wildlife in the Mara. For the ultimate Mara experience a superb breakfast has been arranged for you, at the local Hippo Pool.
Arriving on the banks of the world-famous Mara River you will be met by a traditionally clad Maasai warrior who will lead you along the river where countless hippos wallow. Reaching a clearing you will be offered a glass of chilled sparkling wine or fresh juice before being shown to your table, which is located in a shady grove immediately alongside the hippo pool. Beneath the trees you will find a full display of a sumptuous breakfast.
Breakfast is a leisurely experience after which your Maasai warrior guide you back along the riverbank to your vehicle. You can then experience another game drive on your way back to the lodge.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is an extension of the world-renowned Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. Named for the Maasai tribes people (the traditional inhabitants of the area) and the Mara River which divides it, the reserve is famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of the wildebeest. Masai Mara offers wonderful scenery of breathtaking vistas, panoramas of vast rolling plains, hills and woodland groves all watered by the lovely Mara River.
The waters of the Mara River are home to crocodiles and pools of hippo, while the woodlands and forests are favored by leopard and elephant. The open savannah areas play host to the plains game.
After a relaxing day at the camp, you will head out on another game drive in the late afternoon.
ACCOMMODATION: MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE – STANDARD ROOM
DAY 8 – MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
Another day of game drives in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
All of the “Big Five” – Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant and Leopard – are here, as well as cheetah, hippo, hartebeest, gazelle, topi, antelope, zebra and many other animals. The Mara is also noted for its abundance of lions – particularly the superb black maned males.
ACCOMMODATION: MARA SERENA SAFARI LODGE – STANDARD ROOM
DAY 9 – MAASAI MARA/NAIROBI/DEPART
After breakfast depart the Maasai Mara and head across acres of rolling wheat and barley farms. Cross the vast plains on the floor of the Rift Valley whilst keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle before heading up the rift escarpment.
You will be dropped off at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your scheduled flight to Washington via Addis Ababa.
DAY 10 – ARRIVE USA
Arrive in Washington, D.C. (Dulles) via Addis Ababa on your Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Return home with a lifetime of memories!