ITINERARY
Day 1- Day 4: MASAI MARA
Pick up from Nairobi CBD, the airport or your hotel by our driver/ Tour guide and drive for 3 hours towards Rhino Wildlife Camp. The Camp is located in the Maasai Mara Game reserve, 3 km from Sekenani gate. The entire camp is spread out over 100 acres of tranquil surroundings and where acacia trees whistle through the night. Offering superb plains scenery, unmatched safari activities and diverse wildlife, Masai Mara National Reserve is considered Kenya’s best park and one of Africa’s highest wildlife density region for predators. The reserve covers 583 square miles (1510 square kilometers) of outstanding wilderness in southwest Kenya. The location, wildlife, activities and comfortable moderate climate puts Mara at the top of the list, even for the most discerning Africa Safaris Adventure Limited traveler to Kenya. The Masai Mara is a critical part of the route used by wildebeests and zebras during the Great Migration that traverses the Masai Mara via the Serengeti National Park during the year with a climax between the months of June – October approximately. Recognized as one of the most spectacular wildlife events on the planet, the migration is a continuous route that is followed by an over 1.5 million wildebeests and thousands of zebras, gazelles and elands. In their never-ending pursuit for the finest grazing and watering grounds, the gnu relocate on an almost constant basis. The perseverance of these wildebeests is demonstrated in their ability to mate while on the move, and many cows are pregnant during part of the migration. Additionally, even the youngest wildebeest calves are expected to keep up with the herd. Standing and walking within minutes are critical to its survival. Additionally, the Masai Mara offers year-round game viewing. The reserve and surrounding conservancies offer diverse resident species experiences during your safari excursions. You will frequently see impalas, topis, giraffes, elephants, zebras, buffalos, warthogs and other grazing herbivores. With so many prey animals, Masai Mara is a veritable bonanza for large predators, such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, crocodiles and other stealthy, powerful hunters. The abundance of terrestrial animals is enhanced by the presence of more than 450 winged species, including 57 birds of prey.
Masai Mara Reserve Accommodation
Set in the heart of Masai Mara National Reserve is Rhino Camp, a secluded, premium accommodation for your customized East African plains tour. As a guest at the camp, you receive impeccable service and utmost privacy in a splendid setting. Because the camp is sited within a natural forest, you will feel completely immersed in this natural bounty of Kenya’s outback country. Rhino Camp offers only 10 luxury semi permanent tents with an average of twenty beds; therefore, expect to receive the individualized attention you desire for your safari holiday in Masai Mara Reserve. Each tent is tastefully designed to evoke the yesteryear romance and adventure of the African bush. Lanterns, native wood furnishings, ethnic rugs and other design elements evoke the romance and adventure.
Overnight Accommodation: Rhino Camp
DAY 6 – 9 LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK
PARK OVERVIEW
Lake Nakuru National Park is a must for your central Kenya tour of the Great Rift Valley with ASAL! Seasonally, see firsthand one to two million lesser and greater flamingos dip their curved bills into the warm, alkaline water of the lake to extract their favorite food – special algae that are found in abundance in this unique water outback. Established in 1961, the park has gained global recognition as an ecologically significant region having been named a RAMSAR Site and Important Bird Area. Lake Nakuru is also part of the Great Rift Valley Lake System that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park covers 73 square miles (188 square kilometers) that not only includes the lake, but also savannah, forests and swamps, and the southern end of the park also encompasses the Makalia Falls. The most prominent wildlife in the park includes 56 mammals and 450 bird species. Tour exploring Nakuru Park with an expert guide offers an opportunity to see and engage in many of East Africa's most prized fauna in a natural and beautiful setting. The lake itself is frequently dotted with the pink tones of flamingos that are joined by pelicans, herons, storks and other wading birds. Overhead, you see the distinct brown, black, white and bright yellow coloration of an African fish eagle looking for meaty carcass of flamingos while gliding on wings that span six to eight feet. One of the most colorful birds at Nakuru Lake is the African pygmy kingfisher. As one of the smallest in the kingfisher family, this little insect-eating bird is about five inches long, but the brilliant plumage more than makes up for the small size.
Explore beyond the lake, and you will find a world of forest dwellers, plains game and other creatures – large and small. Three species, though, have found the greatest solace at Lake Nakuru, and these animals are the reason that you will see an electrified fence around the park. The white and black rhinos, as well as the Rothschild's giraffes that you see in the park have been rescued from the threat of poaching in other areas of Africa and also Kenya. ASAL guests who seek a thrilling Kenyan adventure safari will have plenty to write home about when they see one of the park's most sought-after and elusive predators – the leopard. Although demanding to locate, these spotted carnivores are most often found lounging in the trees of the acacia forests that are set back from the shores of the lake. Your game drives take you into the woodlands where you may catch sight of the colobus and vervet monkeys. Enjoy watching these primates, but be careful not to stand under them as they are known to be quite messy eaters, a habit that helps propagate the forest trees and vegetation. Thomson's gazelles, impalas, Grant's gazelles, waterbucks, reedbucks, buffalos and hippos are just some of the other herbivores found in the park. Keeping a constant watch over some of these prey animals are striped hyenas, lions, the rare wild cats, golden cats and other highly elusive predators.
TOUR OVERVIEW
Although Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya's smaller parks, there are still plenty of territories to explore and discover! A lovely cup of morning tea or coffee and biscuit awakens your senses to the wildness of Africa that awaits you! You prepare to spend your 4 full day and nights on game drives, one of most exhilarating ways to explore this unique bush outback during your adventurous Lake Nakuru vacation in East Africa by driving across the terrain in a custom safari vehicle with a knowledgeable and experienced ASAL guide. Following the well-maintained coarse roads in the park, your guide takes you to places with the highest concentrations of fauna, whether the animals are gathered around isolated watering holes or scattered throughout the park. Foragers, grazers, hunters and scavengers all play their roles in the natural existence that is found only in the most remote areas of the planet, and your dream travel in Kenya gives you a front row seat! Spotted hyenas hunt down flamingos and then proceed out to clean the remaining morsels from an impala carcass left by a leopard, and their cackling, high-pitched sounds indicate an ongoing fight for the finest pieces of boney meat. At a distant, a small group of zebra drink from a watering hole while the rare black rhino intently watches the approaching vehicle. Your guide points to hyenas, and suddenly a lioness appears. The hyenas reluctantly retreat, and the lioness drags the carcass back to her pride! This is only a sampling of the non-stop excitement that you have during your morning and afternoon game drives in the park. You may also sight white rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes, hippos, baboons, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, colobus monkeys, impalas, buffalos, reedbucks, waterbucks and other herbivores, as well as highly elusive golden cats, wild cats, bat-eared foxes and other carnivores. Your guide will help you see long-eared leaf-nosed bats, rock hyraxes and other smaller denizens, as well as large python snakes coiled around the branches of acacia trees.
With more than 450 bird species having been identified in the park, bird lovers, ornithologists and wildlife seeking guests find so many beautiful feathered avian-life to watch in Lake Nakuru Park. The million mark lesser and greater flamingos are the most publicized, but many other of the park's magnificent birdlife are attention-worthy. With the help of your guide in Nakuru, your birding travel in Kenya is wondrous and fun-filled as you locate, identify and log all the species that you see! Resident species include nyanza swift, grey wren-warbler, d'arnaud's barbet, bronze sunbird, jackson's widowbird, the near-threatened grey-crested helmet-strike, to name only a few of the year-round species. Migratory species include the endangered Madagascar pond-heron, as well as black-necked grebe, gull-billed tern, black-winged stilt and many more. An ornithologist-combo wildlife specialist guide escorts you during your game drives, or you may prefer a boating safari on the lake in Naivasha as an optional trip extension with Africa Safaris Adventure Limited. At the highest point of the hills around the lake is a place known as "Baboon Cliff." This incredible lookout point gives you the best views of the vast expanse of the lake and park. You can unpack a picnic lunch and watch wildlife activity by visually stalking safari vehicles below, or stand at the fence line for a "bird's eye" view of the flamingos, goliath herons, kingfishers, saddle-billed stork and other species. Baboon Cliff is so named due to the baboons that live at the overlook. You may have a chance to observe the social structure of these primates, as well as the antics of baby baboons that frolic and play, and the patience of the adults who watch over the young and protect the group.
END OF AFRICA SAFARIS ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE
WHATS INCLUDED IN THE COSTS ABOVE
1. All meals for the 10 days.
2. Comprehensive game drives.
3. 8 Nights’ accommodation (4 Nights at Maasai mara and 4 Nights at Lake Nakuru)
4. Transport in an open roof 4 X4 tour van.
5. Professional tour guide services.
6. Entry fees of the driver/Tour vehicle.
7. A bottle of drinking water on safari
8. Park entry fees
WHATS EXCLUDED IN THE COSTS ABOVE
1. Drinks
2. Change of itinerary and any service not listed in what is included list above.
