Itinerary Expand all Day 1 Start Nairobi; to Lake Naivasha; optional afternoon nature walk This morning all clients should be at Eka Hotel by 7am in Nairobi to commence your tour. It is recommended to either book a flight with a very early morning arrival into Nairobi this morning or alternatively book 1 night pre-tour accommodation at Eka Hotel in order to meet the group at 7am this morning. After meeting your fellow travellers, local leader and RCGS guide, we then drive north to the edge of the escarpment over the Rift Valley before descending into the valley and to Lake Naivasha, where we will enjoy a boat ride. We will continue for a further 1.5 hours to Lake Elementaita, where we will check into our lodge and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, there will be an optional ( at additional cost) guided nature walk available. Accommodation: Sunbird Lodge Elementaita or similar Meals included: Lunch Dinner Day 2 Morning and afternoon game drives in Lake Nakuru N.P. Early start today for a 30 minute drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. We will enjoy a full day of game drives today, with a packed lunch from our lodge to maximise game viewing time. We hope to see many plains game including gazelle, impala and giraffe and we will also be on the look-out for predators as well as unique bird life. The national park (285 km sq) is world-renowned for its (dwindling) flamingo population made famous by Denys Finch Hatton's flight over it in the film 'Out of Africa'. Nakuru is also the best place in East Africa for White rhino, and it is not unusual to see at least a dozen in a day. Coupled with this, there is a healthy buffalo population, many other plains game and frequent leopard sightings. Accommodation: Sunbird Lodge Elementaita or similar Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Days 3-5 Masai Mara A long (approx 5hrs including comfort stops), beautiful and bumpy drive to the Mara. We will arrive in the Mara early afternoon, in time for lunch ( not included today, for your own account) and check in afterwards. This afternoon we will enjoy the first of several game drives in this remarkable game area, departing at 4 pm. Returning to the lodge for dinner, you can enjoy a relaxed evening in beautiful surroundings. During time off you can rest in your private tents, the lounge tent or watch game go by from the deck of your tent. If you fancy a lie-in one day or an optional nature walk, this can easily be arranged. The Masai Mara is one of the most famous ecosystems in the world. This vast grassland is teeming with life; plains game including wildebeest, gazelle, topi, zebra and buffalo abound in the rolling savannah, and never far away lay the predators; cheetah, lion and hyena. Between mid-August to late October one of the greatest spectacles on Earth takes place in the Masai Mara - the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra trampling their way across the long grass. Nothing is guaranteed on safari, but with the help of our brilliant guides you should see and learn a huge amount about the Masai Mara's resident wildlife during our game drives.As a climax, there is the also the option of taking a sunrise balloon ride over the African plains (subject to the weather conditions and availability). Accommodation: Basecamp Masai Mara or similar Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch (except Day 3), Dinner Day 6 Early morning game drive or optional walk; transfer to Nairobi. After a final early morning game drive, we leave after breakfast heading back towards Nairobi. A picnic lunch will be taken en route. We spend our last night in Nairobi. Accommodation: Eka Hotel or similar Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Day 7 End Nairobi. The trip ends today in Nairobi after breakfast. Meals included: Breakfast
Kenya Most nationalities do now require a visa for Kenya, including Britons, most EU nationals, Australians, New Zealanders, Americans and Canadians. From the 1st January 2021 Kenyan entry visas will be exclusively issued electronically, with passengers required to obtain their e-visas before departure. For the latest information please contact your local Kenyan High Commission or Consulate. For information about the online application process please visit http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html.The cost of the visa is US$50 for a single entry visa and US$100 for an East Africa visa (valid to travel in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda).You will need to first register to the ecitizens website (including needing a photo 500px x 500px) before you can start applying. For the application process itself you will need details of the accommodation used (which we will send you) and itinerary as well as a photo 5.5cm x 5.5cm and a scanned or photographed copy of your passport’s bio/photo page. If after visiting Kenya you will also travel to Uganda and Rwanda, you may apply for East African Visa that will cover all three countries. Please contact the Kenyan High Commission to obtain more information about the combined visa from Kenya.
Kenya There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. Malaria prophylaxis is essential and we suggest that you seek advice from your GP or travel health clinic about which malaria tablets to take. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Lodge, Luxury Tented Camp and Hotel Our first two nights are spent near Lake Elementaita and our last night is spent in a comfortable hotel in Nairobi. In the Masai Mara we generally use Basecamp Masai Mara. Bordering the Masai Mara Game Reserve, this luxury, eco-friendly camp is perfectly situated along the Talek River providing panoramic views of the surroundings and local wildlife. The camp consists of only 17 tents with all tented rooms set up overlooking the river, raised up slightly on wooden platforms with thatched roofs and verandah. All tents include en suite bathrooms with solar-heated showers. Our last night is in a comfortable hotel in Nairobi.
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