Wings Over Kenya


Enjoy Kenya’s top wildlife reserves on this 11 day Flying Safari. Highlights include the Elephants of Amboseli, night game drives and guided walks in the Loisaba Wilderness and of course the famous Maasai Mara. Accommodations are in luxurious, small permanent tented camps and your wildlife activities are led by camp guides and trackers who have intimate knowledge of the areas you will visit.

 
Day 1 - Nairobi
Arrive into Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport today. After clearing customs you will be met and transferred to Nairobi’s famous Norfolk Hotel. Dating from Kenya’s colonial days, the Norfolk is a landmark in Nairobi, rich in history, enhanced by up-to-the-minute facilities and amenities including a heated swimming pool, health club (fully equipped gym, aerobics room, sauna & steam rooms), salon, news-stand, and gift shops. Spend the rest of your day relaxing or venture into downtown Nairobi for some shopping. Dinner is on your own tonight. Overnight - The Norfolk Hotel (FB basis)

Day 2 - Amboseli National Park
This morning you will be transferred to Wilson Airport for the scheduled 7:30am flight to Amboseli National Park. You will be met at the airstrip and depart on your first game drive en-route to Tortilis Camp. Tortilis is a luxury tented lodge situated on the edge of the Amboseli National Park. The 15 tents are large and luxurious, with king-sized beds and en-suite facilities sheltered. Each tent has a huge thatched roof that extends over a large verandah. The camp has magnificent views of Mt Kilimanjaro and is know for it wonderful food. After lunch there will be an afternoon game drive until dusk.
Amboseli National Park supports a wide range of wildlife particularly elephants roaming in large herds. With Mt Kilimanjaro in the background it is the scene of many classic African safari shots. A section of the park is a seasonal lake the remainder being swamplands, fed by melting snow from Kilimanjaro, and savannah woodland. Overnight - Tortilis Camp (all meals & activities)


Days 3 -4 Amboseli National Park
You have two more full days available for wildlife viewing in the National Park. In between game drives you may wish to take a guided game walk outside the park or relax at the swimming pool. Overnight - Tortilis Camp (all meals & activities)

Day 5 - Loisaba Wilderness Conservancy
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airstrip for the scheduled 8:30am flight to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport where you will connect with the 9:15am flight north to Nanyuki. After you land you will be met and directed to your short charter flight over the Laikipia Plateau to the Loisaba Wilderness Conservancy. Loisaba is a private wildlife conservancy that sits on the edge of the Laikipia Plateau, 40 miles (70 km) from Mount Kenya. The Laikipia wilderness area is larger than many of Kenya's principal National Parks and once consisted of numerous farms and ranches. Today it is made up of private wildlife reserves and all the fences have been removed. The Loisaba Wilderness Conservancy itself covers over 90 square miles (150 sq. km). To the north lie the grassy plains of the plateau; to the south the plateau breaks into valleys, cliffs and escarpments that frame astounding views up to the snows of Mount Kenya. At their base lies a different riverine ecosystem fed by the banks of two major rivers - the Ewaso Ngiro and the Engare Narok.
This wilderness is a haven for more than 250 species of birds and 50 species of wildlife. Alongside all the more usual types, elephant, buffalo, Grevy's Zebra and Greater Kudu, the area is also rapidly gaining a reputation for exceptional big cat sightings; even Wild Dog, thought for many years to be extinct in the region are now being regularly sighted. Situated in the very heartland of the nomadic Samburu and Laikipia Maasai people, Loisaba also offers a rare insight into people cultures, traditions and a way of life that has stood the test of time.

Your accommodations at Loisaba will be in one of the “skybed” tented cabins that are unique to Loisaba. Each skybed is a raised, handcrafted wooden platform sculpted high into a kopje of rocks and semi-covered with a thatched roof. Homemade natural futon beds can either be moved out onto the uncovered area for a night under the stars, or left under the shelter of the roof and drop down canvas walls. The skybeds are normally reached on foot or by horse or camel. Food is prepared in traditional camp style over a fire at the open walled, central dining area. The dramatically situated skybed site, accommodates 8 people on 4 platforms. Each platform has a flush toilet, sink and large camp-style drum showers and is sited to ensure complete privacy.

After lunch and time to get settled you can spend the remainder of the afternoon getting acquainted with the lodge and perhaps after dinner take a night game drive in search of bushbabies, aardvark and other nocturnal animals. Overnight - Loisaba Skybed ( all meals & included activities)


Days 6 - 7 - Loisaba Wilderness Conservancy
You have two more days to enjoy the many activities available at Loisaba. Along with day and night game drives in open safari vehicles, you can take walking safaris accompanied by traditional Samburu guides; go swimming and river rafting ( easy and more like floating) ; bird watching; play tennis; and even do some painting and drawing (equipment included). Horseback riding and camel safaris are also available for an additional fee. You’ll have plenty of wonderful adventures at Loisaba. Overnight - Loisaba Skybed ( all meals & included activities)

Day 8 - Maasai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast you depart Loisaba on a short charter flight to Nanyuki, where you will connect with your flight to the Maasai Mara. When you arrive at the airstrip a Kicheche Camp vehicle will meet you as you view wildlife on your way to the camp. Kicheche Mara Camp is a luxury bush camp hidden away in a grove of trees on the Aitong plains of the Maasai Mara. There are a maximum of 20 guests, all staying under canvas in this intimate camp situated in prime wildlife habitat. Meals are often taken outside with all guest dinning at a long table.
The famous Maasai Mara game reserve, has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in all of Africa, providing for wonderful wildlife viewing year round. Known as home of the “big five”, with the rolling Mara grassland plains, woodlands and the Mara and other rivers, the reserve covers an area of 1500 sq. km. The Mara is well known for the part it plays in the seasonal (July/October) migration from the Serengeti of 200,000 Zebra, 300,000 Thomson Gazelle and 1.3 million Wildebeest following the annual rains. In all 95 mammal, amphibian and reptile species plus 485 species of birds inhabit the Mara eco-system. Overnight - Kicheche Mara Camp (all meals & activities)


Day 9 -10 - Maasai Mara National Reserve
You have two more days to enjoy game drives, walks or visit one of the local communities. Each evening return to camp for drinks around the campfire with the enormous African sky overhead and the sounds of an African night. Overnight - Kicheche Mara Camp (all meals & activities)

Day 11 - Nairobi / End Of Safari
Depart on an early morning game drive, returning to camp for breakfast. Afterwards you will be driven to the airstrip to catch the schedule 11:00am flight back to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. Upon arrival you will be met and taken to the Norfolk Hotel where you will have use of a day room. The remainder of the days is yours to relax. After dinner you will be met and transferred to JKIA airport to catch your International flight home. Dayroom – The Norfolk Hotel (B, L)




Safari includes

Private airport transfers
Wildlife viewing in 4WD vehicles with professional, resident camp based safari guides
Other activities such as nature walks, horse back riding, etc as per itinerary
Scheduled flights: Nairobi - Amboseli RT / Nairobi - Nanyuki / Nanyuki- Maasai Mara / Maasai Mara - Nairobi
Charter Flights: Loisaba - Nanyuki RT
All accommodations and meals as per itinerary
Membership in Flying Doctor's service
All National Park and Wildlife Reserve entrance fees


Safari Excludes

International airfare & flights
Drinks and Alcoholic beverages
Laundry (can be done for a small fee)
Gratuities for guides and staff
Visa and visa fees
Travel Insurance
All items of a personal nature
Airport departure taxes