Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Welcome to enchanting Kenya – the land of the Big Five.

Arrive in Nairobi, the capital & largest city of Kenya.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be met by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel. He / she will provide assistance during Check-in and also discuss the program for the next few days.

The largest city in East Africa, with a population of over 1 million, Nairobi  started life as a simple railways depot in 1899, linking Mombasa to Uganda, the town quickly grew to become the capital of British East Africa in 1907 and eventually the capital of a free Kenyan republic in 1963. During Kenya's colonial period, the city became a centre for the colony's coffee, tea & sisal industry.

The city lies on the Nairobi River, in the south of the nation. Today, the city skyline is dominated by modern high rise buildings and is a tourism & trade hub. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" & is surrounded by several expanding villa suburbs. The people of Nairobi are popularly nicknamed 'Nairobians'. A vibrant city with a mix of races & cultures, providing the visitor with several sightseeing options such as museums, a national park, golf courses, resorts & posh night clubs.

Dubbed the “Safari Capital of the World” cool, clear and cosmopolitan Nairobi is the natural departure point for most safari itineraries. A city of contrasts, it is simultaneously the largest, the youngest, the most modern, the highest (1700m) & the fastest growing city in East Africa. High-altitude Nairobi enjoys a pleasant tropical climate all year round.

Check-in at the hotel.

Balance of the day free to relax or optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Full day at leisure to relax or optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Early morning, depart across the plains to Amboseli National Reserve. 

Arrive by lunch time & Check-in at the Lodge.

Amboseli National Reserve, one of the most popular of Kenya's national parks, is located very close to the Tanzania border, at the foot of Africa's highest mountain, 5895-meter Mount Kilimanjaro in the Rift Valley. 

The snow- capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above a saucer of clouds dominates every aspect of Amboseli. The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro, white & crystalline, form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya's most spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo & hosts of plains' game, creating Kenya's most sought after photographer's parades. Amboseli covers only 392 square kilometers but despite its small size & fragile ecosystem, supports a wide range of mammals, well over 50 of the larger specie & birds species of over 400. Park rangers have often noticed birds that have migrated from as far as Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The ecosystem is mainly savannah grassland spread across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants among other wildlife species. There are estimated to be around 650 elephants, the largest number in all of Kenyan parks & reserves per square kilometer. The swamps & springs have encouraged the hippos to stay around. Other animals also seen are Wildebeest, Antelopes, Zebras, Giraffes, Gerenuks, Gazelles, Wild Dogs Plains Game, Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, & Nocturnal Porcupine.

Other attractions of the park include opportunities to meet the Masai and observe the contemporary Masai culture & indigenous lifestyle. Amboseli National Reserve's best game runs are around the swamps and there is a fine lookout on Observation Hill, which offers views over the whole of the Amboseli National Reserve and beyond.

Enjoy a bar-be-que lunch

Shortly after, accompanied by the Ranger, venture out for an  afternoon game drive.

Return to your lodge to watch a spectacular African sunset. 

Evening at leisure.

At dawn, proceed for an early morning game drive in the area of Lake Amboseli, a wide salt pan, consisting of permanent swamps.

Come back in time for breakfast. You may wish to cool off at the swimming pool from the mid-day heat before lunch.

Afternoon, enjoy another game drive.

Return to the Lodge by sunset.

After dinner, continue the viewing.

Take a seat overlooking the waterhole and saltlick to watch the procession of animals come to drink.

Enjoy a final game drive at dawn.

Come back to the Lodge for Breakfast.

Depart for Tsavo West National Park, driving past the Chyulu range of extinct volcanoes.

Arrive in time for lunch & Check-in.

At nearly 22,000 km², Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya & one of the largest in the world. Due to its size the park was split into two - Tsavo West & Tsavo East - for easier administration.  Tsavo is the ideal destination for people who seek solitude & privacy as well as the chance to explore the wilderness.

The Tsavo West National Park is covered in volcanic cones, rocky outcrops and lava flows. The northern part of Tsavo West is the most developed in terms of lodges & infrastructure and has spectacular scenery with a rolling volcanic landscape carpeted in long grass & dense bush.

Tall vegetation makes game spotting here a little trickier than in some of the other parks. The Big Five can be found in the park along with a fine range of antelope species. The main attractions of the park are the two waterholes, built by the lodges to more or less guarantee that their guests will be treated to fabulous game viewing.

Across the highway from Tsavo West is Tsavo East. Famous for its large numbers of elephant & spectacular herds of up to 1000 buffalos, Tsavo East has more open savannah than its western sibling. The scrub-covered hills of the southern park have a very remote feel & the park, despite its great game, does not attract large numbers of tourists. The best game viewing is along the watercourses & at the Kanderi swamp, which is not far from the main Voi gate. Thirty kilometres from the gate is the Aruba Dam and lion are commonly spotted around here.

Tsavo National Park is renowned for being home to the world's only red elephants & whist they do sometimes appear to be red, the colour of their skin is no different than that of other elephants, it is just down to the red soil that much of Tsavo is covered in & which the elephants use to cover themselves with, during their dust baths. At one time there were around 50000 elephants in Tsavo, which were having a detrimental effect on the vegetation & there was talk of culling to decrease their numbers, but before this was put in place, there was a severe drought during the late 1960's & early 70's, during which time the vast numbers of elephants ate pretty much all the edible vegetation & eventually nature took it’s course as many starved to death, along with many other animals including black rhino.

You will encounter scores of these baffling creatures wandering by. Not just the odd one but upwards of 11,600 red elephants.

Part of the charismatic "Big Five" that also include lions, buffaloes, leopards & rhinos, your first encounter with these large-than-life herbivores is bound to make a lasting impression on you.

Tsavo National Park is home to large hippo herds. "But so does Masai Mara.," I hear you say... Fair enough. Tsavo though, is special because, thanks to an underwater viewing chamber, you can observe hippos walking on the riverbed in the company of schools of primeval fish. To do so, head to the crystal clear Mzima Springs early in the morning before these huge herbivores seek shelter from the heat of the sun.

Rhinos the world over have been poached to near extinction and Tsavo is not an exception. Indeed, the rhino population has plummeted from nearly 9,000 4 decades ago. In order to protect rhinos in the least obtrusive way, the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, a fenced-in haven in Tsavo East was established. This 90 sq km sanctuary, which is under 24-hour surveillance, is now home to dozens of black rhinos.

If you would like a goose-bump attack, go in search of Tsavo's numerous crocodiles. The best places for spotting these vicious scaly reptiles with bulging eyes are Mzima Springs & near Lugard's Falls (really rapids) on the Galana River. While they are in the water, you will only see the top of their heads as their bodies are submerged. The thrill of observing full size crocodiles crawling around on their bellies, basking & jockeying for a vantage position on the sandy Galana River banks is indescribable. Crocodile Camp located in Tsavo East is, as the name suggests, your best bet for observing crocodiles. Here, you can gaze at dozens of these reptiles for hours on end while enjoying a sundowner at a campfire.

Because Tsavo is huge and consists of diverse habitats, it is an ornithologist's paradise. Indeed, over 500 species of Kenya birds have been recorded here. Tsavo is also located on the southern migration route of European birds so many of the visiting species can be sighted around Ngulia Lodge every November & early December. Lakes Jipe & Chala are home to several water birds such as the rare African Water Rail & Lesser Jacana while the park's riverine forests & scrub and hills host the relevant species. The Taita white-eye & the Taita white thrush, which is endemic to Kenya, can also be spotted in the Tsavo area. 

Later in the afternoon, proceed for a game drive.

Evening at leisure.

After breakfast, transfer to the Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Mombasa. (NOTE: Maximum baggage allowance on the light aircraft flight mentioned in the itinerary is 15 kg per person in soft side bags only plus a reasonable amount of camera equipment.)

Meeting on arrival at Mombasa Moi International Airport by a Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort and transfer you to the hotel. He / she will provide assistance during Check-in & also discuss the program for the next few days.

Mombasa, with a population of 900,000, is no sleepy seaside village. Its beachfront hotels appeal to travellers in search of sun, sand & surf, while its Arab, Indian & colonial European heritage makes for a wide variety of sights to see.

A city of salt & of spice, of dreams & of battles, of poetry, of seafaring stories & of wave upon wave of traders from faraway lands. 'It does not reveal the great secret it holds,' wrote the classical Swahili poet Muyaka about his hometown. 'Even those who are well-informed do not comprehend it.'

Indeed, the city dubbed Kisiwa Cha Mvita - the Island of War - in Swahili has many faces. It is muttered chants echoing over the flagstones of a Jain temple, the ecstatic passion of the call to prayer, the teal break of a vanishing wave and the sight of a Zanzibar-bound dhow slipping over the horizon. It's row upon row of purveyors of herbal medicine. It's cows dozing outside hair-braiding salons, it's birds swooping low over great piles of smoking trash & buildings so scorched by the sun their burnt skin has peeled away, just like ours.

Mombasa has more in common with Dakar or Dar es Salaam than Nairobi - its blend of India, Arabia & Africa can be intoxicating. But it is also grimy & sleazy, with deep ethnic tensions & security concerns that threaten to boil over. But what would you expect from East Africa’s largest port? Cities by the docks always attract mad characters & Mombasa’s come from all over the world.

Perhaps it is best to let the Swahili people themselves describe their city in their native tongue with an old line of poetry and proverb: 'Kongowea nda mvumo, maji maangavu. Male!' (‘Mombasa is famous, but its waters are dangerously deep. Beware!’).

Check-in & relax.

Balance of the day free to relax or optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Full day at leisure to relax at the beach or for independent exploration (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Full day at leisure to relax at the beach or for independent exploration (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

After breakfast, you would be transferred to Mombasa Moi International Airport for your scheduled flight to Masai Mara.

Meeting on arrival at one of Masai Mara Airstrip & transfer to the Camp.

Check-in & relax.

Dream of Africa & chances are that you dream of the Masai Mara. This huge expanse of gently rolling grassland - specked with flat-topped acacia trees & trampled by massive herds of zebras & wildebeest - is the ultimate African cliche. But for once the reality lives up to the image & the Masai Mara, which comprises not just the famous reserve but also around a dozen community conservancies, several group ranches & numerous Maasai villages, is for many people not just the highlight of their Kenyan adventure but the very reason they came in the first place.

Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya's finest wildlife reserve. Everything about this reserve is outstanding. The wildlife is abundant & the gentle rolling grasslands ensure that animals are never out of sight.

The climate is gentle, rarely too hot & well-spread rainfall year round. Rain, when it falls almost always chooses the late afternoon or night. Between July & October, when the great wildebeest migration is in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, the sensation is unparalleled. Masai Mara is one of the best plains' game reserve where you can actually encounter a live Discovery Channel, a haven for viewing a congregation of all sorts of animals in a five-mile radius: A pride of lions can be spotted ready to make a run for a gazelle, a cheetah & its cub taking a nap on a rock, a pair of ostriches walking the open stretches of the savannah or a gazelle giving birth.

Afternoon, accompanied by the Naturalist, jump on an open 4×4 Land Rover & proceed for a game drive to witness nature’s greatest wildlife spectacles. The knowledgeable Masai Rangers will introduce you to life in the savanna & share their infinite knowledge about African wildlife.

The Masai Mara Ecosystem is renowned for its abundance of wildlife! From large herds of herbivores which include the wildebeest, zebra & Thompson’s gazelle to the famous “Big Five”. During the game drive safari, you most certainly will encounter the big five lion, cheetah, rhino, leopard & elephant as well as numerous other wildlife animals & birds. As you drive into the wilderness, you will be captivated by the vast beauty of the savanna, with its rolling hills & infinite horizon.

The reptile population in Mara River includes hippos that submerge at the approach of a vehicle, only to surface seconds later to snort & grumble their displeasure. It is also home to the Nile crocodile, the continent’s largest reptile. On several occasions you will spot drowsy crocodiles sunbathing on the riverbanks, mouths agape, waiting for prey at which to strike with lightning swiftness.

Birds, too, are prolific. Including migrants, well over 450 species have been recorded, among them, 57 species of birds of prey.The smaller species are also well represented they include dik-diks, bat-eared fox, caracals, aardwolf, a variety of mongoose, baboons, monkeys, warthogs.

Return to the Lodge.

Balance of the day free to relax.

.

Enjoy dinner beneath the star studded African sky.

Morning, proceed for another full day of game viewing & exploration in this part of the Northern Serengeti Ecosystem where the great wildebeest migration takes place.

Months before the actual migration the herds ‘assemble’ in Serengeti in readiness for the crossing into Maasai Mara. The plains are dotted by the hundreds of thousands of these animals. Territorial fights are commonplace. The Migration, now declared the Seventh Wonder of the World is best seen in the Masai Mara between June & November.

Return to the Lodge.

Balance of the day at leisure.

Full day of game viewing.

Evening at leisure.

After breakfast, transfer to the Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Nairobi.

On arrival at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you would be met by the Journeys Rep & transferred to the hotel.

A day room is reserved for your comfort. 

Later in the evening, you would be transferred back to the Airport for your onward journey.   B 

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