You will be met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and transferred to a hotel in the Karen subburb of the city. The rest of the day can be spent at your leisure. A courtesy vehicle and driver/guide will be available for visits to and around Nairobi. Evening briefing with your guide at the hotel.


In the morning, we will depart Nairobi and travel north to the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. We will be driving through some spectacular country as we contour around the valleys of the mountain. In the late afternoon we reach our private camp, which is located at the edge of Mount KenyaÕs rain forest (altitude 6,000 feet).


In the early morning we will meet our porters and begin the hike through the equatorial rain forest. This forest is the home of elephant, Cape buffalo, and leopard. We may also be fortunate to see Colobus monkey on our walk. After a picnic at 8,000 feet, we spend the afternoon hiking up through bamboo forest to our private camp (altitude 10,000feet.) on the edge of the moorlands.


After breakfast, we follow the trail as it leads up through glades of montane forest to our private camp on the shore of Lake Ellis. We arrive at our camp at 11,800 feet in time for lunch. After a short siesta, in the late afternoon we will take an acclimatisation hike to the top of nearby Mugi Hill before returning to camp at dusk.


The day is spent traversing the eastern moorlands of Mount Kenya, along the edge of the Nithi Gorge. We will have our picnic lunch overlooking this great gorge, above Vivienne Falls (named after Vivienne De Watteville), author of Speak to the Earth. In the afternoon we will hike up the ridge of the Nithi to our private camp at Hall Tarns at 14,500 feet. We will also hike the short distance to the edge of The Temple, establishing ourselves on a vantage point that will provide some of the grandest views on Mount Kenya, as the Nithi Gorge plunges several hundred feet below us to the banks of Lake Michaelson.


Leaving our camp at about 4.00 a.m. we leave the vegetation of Hall Tarns behind us, and enter the Alpine Zone - a world of rock, ice, and beautiful mountain lakes. Our destination is Point Lenana (16,355 feet), the third highest peak on the mountain. If the day is clear we can see as far north as Ethiopia, and Kilimanjaro is frequently observed 250 miles to the south. We then descend to the base of The Temple, to our campsite on the shore of Lake Michaelson, 13,500 feet. Our camp will be reached in time for a late lunch. Relaxing afternoon by one of the most beautiful lakes in East Africa.


After an early breakfast we hike down the Gorges Valley, skirting the base of the Nithi Gorge and passing Vivienne Falls. We arrive at our 10,000 feet camp in the late afternoon. A festive dinner awaits.


In the morning we descend through the bamboo and equatorial forest to meet our vehicles for lunch. An afternoon drive takes us around the northern slopes of the mountain, and on to the Northern Frontier District. We arrive in Shaba National Reserve, and our private camp in time for dinner.


Our days in Shaba follow the habits of its wildlife. In the morning we walk or game drive through this rich ecosystem absorbing its rich natural beauty, and return to our camp in time for lunch. After an afternoon siesta, we game drive through the elongated shadows as dusk envelops the hills.


A morning flight to Maasai Mara takes us on one of the most spectacular aerial views of Kenya. This flight was used in aerial scenes for the film Out of Africa, and is the most inspiring sequence of the entire film. After passing the western slopes of Mount Kenya, we fly over the Great Rift Valley, passing the alkaline Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria. Upon arrival in Maasai Mara, we drive to our private camp for lunch. After a siesta, we take our first game drive through Maasai Mara.


Our life in Maasai Mara is a simple one: our aim is to observe the abundant wildlife in this spectacular region of the Serengeti plains. Game drives are in the mornings and late afternoons. We take siestas after lunch to stay out of the mid-day sun - thoroughly disconnected from the modern world.


We go on our final game drive before departing for Nairobi. A scheduled flight from Maasai Mara to Nairobi will reveal the grandeur of the Rift Valley. After freshening up we gather for a farewell lunch. Dayrooms at the hotel, followed by evening departure.

Rates

p/p sharing 01.01.09 - 31.12.09 - 6125 EUR