Your African Safari Begins!

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This morning you will meet up with your guide and set out on a game drive  through Amboseli Park, a land famous for its great herds of elephants.  African elephants are distinguished from their Asian counterparts in several ways, the most noticeable being their ears, which are much  larger. The African elephant is typically larger than Asian elephants  and also feature a concave back. Both African males and females have  external tusks and are usually less hairy than their Asian relatives. With any luck, today you will witness these incredible creatures  firsthand as you track through Amboseli Park, in addition to a wide  range of  fascinating animals both large and small.

With the sun high in the sky, set out with your guide into Amboseli National  Park for an afternoon game drive. Although the region is visited by  travelers primarily aiming to sight great herds of free roaming elephants, the park is also home to many other animals including cheetahs, lions, baboons, wildebeest and buffalo, to name only a few. On  today’s afternoon adventure, you will track through Amboseli National  Park in search of these impressive and less commonly seen animals.

Where you’ll be staying

• Ol Tukai Lodge (or similar)
• Chalet Room

An experienced tracker-guide and private vehicle will accompany you today while exploring Ngorongoro National Park.

Today, discover one of the most remarkable wildlife conservation areas in  Tanzania; the Ngorongoro Crater. Departing from your camp in a privately  driven vehicle alongside a local expert guide, make your way to the entrance of the park, then drive a further 20 minutes to reach the rim  of Ngorongoro Crater: the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled  volcanic caldera. This geological marvel was formed as the result of a  gigantic explosion which caused the volcano to collapse on itself,  thereby creating the massive crater. Roughly 12 miles wide and some  2,000 feet deep, the trip from crater rim to floor takes approximately 45 minutes by vehicle. The extremely fertile crater floor has attracted  incredibly dense populations of wildlife, and at present over 25,000  large animals call the crater home, including some of the world’s last remaining black rhinos. The crater floor is also host to some of the  highest concentrations of carnivores in the world, featuring large  prides of lions, packs of hyenas and solitary predators like cheetahs  and jackals. A keen eye paired with expertly procured search patterns  from your guide is sure to help you spot a wide range of wildlife and  perhaps some of the more elusive species like leopards, servals, and  bat-eared foxes.

Where you’ll be staying

• Ngorongoro Farm House (or similar)
• Standard Room

This  morning, your African adventure begins with an exploratory game drive  through Tanzania’s oldest and most recognized National Park, the Serengeti. A land of unparalleled game viewing, from great herds of  grazing herbivores to tactically cunning packs of carnivores, life on the plains of the Serengeti truly epitomizes the “circle of life.” A paradise for photographers and wildlife enthusiasts alike, it is all but guaranteed that you will spot giraffes and elephants feasting on shrubbery, impalas, gazelles and buffaloes traipsing carefully through the plains to avoid being noticed by on-looking lions, cheetahs and  hyenas, and a spectacular range of birdlife flitting through the sky.

Spend  the afternoon searching for and tracking the impala, one of Africa's  most beautiful and graceful animals. Previously thought to be a  sub-species within the gazelle family, impalas have been found to be so  different that they are now classified as their own species. When  frightened or startled, impala herds begin to leap randomly so as to  confuse predators and can jump distances of more than 33 feet and  approximately nine feet high. Leopards, cheetah, lions and wild dogs are the primary predators of the impala, however, with a top speed of 55 miles per hour, impalas are often times able to escape prowling hunters.

Where you’ll be staying

• Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge (or similar)
• Suite Tent

Just like the wildlife, your day’s adventure will begin bright and early this  morning. Alongside an experienced tracker-guide, set out for the day’s  first game drive and discover the dazzling bio-diversity of the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The most recognized animals are known worldwide as  the African Big 5, and this group includes the African elephant, Cape buffalo, rhinoceros, leopard, and the king of the beasts, the lion. The  term “Big 5” was first coined by big-game hunters as a way to  acknowledge that these species were the most difficult and dangerous to track and hunt, however, in subsequent years the term has been adopted  and re-purposed by the tourism industry and painted in patently positive  light, focusing now on the preservation and protection of these  magnificent creatures. Numerous other species of bird and wildlife also  inhabit this dynamic region, including hyenas, gazelles, impalas,  giraffes, zebras, vultures, cranes, eagles, falcons, and ostriches, many of which you’ll spot on this morning drive through the Masai Mara Game  Reserve.

Head out this afternoon on an exciting game viewing adventure. The locations  visited will be determined by your expert guide as they have an  intimate understanding of the daily routines of animals and how best to  track them. On this afternoon excursion, visit several wildlife hot-spots with an aim to espy elusive animals such as the leopard. These spotted cats blend almost seamlessly into the tall grass and shrubbery,  and are even more challenging to spot when in their favorite hangout,  the trees. Exploring the region, your guide will take you to nearby watering holes where on a hot day you’ll spot many birds and mammals,  including, with luck, the elusive leopard. After a thrilling afternoon  game drive, you will be returned to your lodge in time to freshen up for  a delicious safari dinner.

Where you’ll be staying

• Mara Engai Wilderness Lodge (or similar)
• Tent

Your guide will pick you up in the morning where you will travel to the nearby airstrip for your return to Nairobi. This  short domestic flight departs from Masai Mara and arrives at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. Approximate flight duration is 45 minutes.

Please note, strict luggage restrictions apply to this flight: 1)  Maximum weight allowance of 32 lbs (15 kg) is permitted per person. 2)  Baggage must be soft-shelled. 3) Additional baggage allowance can be  arranged at additional cost, please speak to your Destination Expert for  more information.

When you arrive in Nairobi, you will have the opportunity to explore the local markets and shops so you can interact with the local vendors in search for the  perfect handicraft or souvenir for yourself or your loved ones. Your guide will let you know what time you will need to be prepared to depart for the airport. Traffic can get tricky so it is recommended to be prepared to arrive at the airport early!

When you are ready to depart your hotel for the airport, a private transfer between your hotel and the airport is provided. Your guide will help you navigate the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to ensure that you have stress free and timely departure. Remember to take plenty of pictures and share them with us!