The Best of Kenya (luxury air and ground Safari)

This safari will highlight three of Kenya’s most famous national parks and will include air transfers between parks to allow for more time on game drives in the parks. The parks we will explore during this safari are Amboseli National Park, the Samburu National Park and Masai Mara. All of these areas are incredibly rich with wildlife and are very different from each other, making this safari one of the most diverse experiences in Africa.

Highlights
• 12 day premiere safari in Kenya’s Amboseli, Samburu and Masai Mara Reserves during the peak of the Wildebeest migration
• 21 Game drives in 4x4 vehicles with pop-up roofs for photography
• World Class safari guides with at least 10 years experience.
• Hot air balloon safari to experience the vast Masai Mara from above without the noise and distractions of a motorized aircraft.
• Luxurious accommodations at very reputable lodges
• Short flights between destinations allow for us to spend more time in the parks and breathtaking views from the air.
• Optional visit to authentic Masai village to photograph an entire village in their own hand-crafted homes

Ratings
Wildlife: Outstanding (5 stars)
Landscape: Outstanding (5 stars)
Accomodactions: Luxurious (5 stars)
Cultural Experience: Very Good (3 stars)
Difficulty: Easy (1 star)

Day 1
You will be met at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport by Jon Moyer and our ground team. You will then spend the rest of the day relaxing and exploring the grounds of the Windsor Hotel and Country Club were you will spend your first night in Kenya. The Windsor is a cluster of impressive Victorian style buildings with 130 deluxe rooms comprising twins, doubles, studio suites and cottages all overlooking our spectacular 18-hole championship golf course and are tastefully decorated with five-star amenities in each room. After a delicious dinner prepared by internationally trained Kenyan Chefs, we will enjoy some drinks together and have our first team meeting to prepare for our extraordinary safari.

Day 2
After a good nights rest, we will take a short one hour flight into Amboseli National Park. Our Ground crew will meet us in Amboseli and transfer us to Amboseli Serena Lodge. After lunch we will have our first game drive at the base of the majestic, mount Kilimanjaro.

Day 3
Today we will focus on photographing the famous elephant herds of Amboseli. It was here where the Imax Elephant movie was filmed and the spectacular terrain of the park make it the best place in Africa to photograph elephants. We will enjoy three game drives today along with delicious meals in the dining room at the lodge.

Day 4
The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro, white and crystalline, form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya's most spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo and other game of the plains. This makes it one of Kenya's most sought after photographer's destination. With 3 more game drives today we are sure to get some outstanding photos. 

Day 5
After an early morning game drive and a delicious breakfast we jump on a short one hour flight back to Nairobi and connect to another flight, across the equator to Samburu National Reserve. Samburu is situated on the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River in the dry northern reaches of Kenya.. We will enjoy the rest of the afternoon around Larsens Camp and soak in the spectacular views of this northern Kenya reserve.

Day 6
Today we will enjoy three game drives in the park which has excellent game viewing along the shady trees of the Uaso Nyiro
river. Lion, leopard and cheetah are also quite easy to spot, thanks in part to the lack of grass cover. Samburu is also home to large herds of elephants, and the reserve is well known for providing the opportunity to see wildlife that only lives in the dry
north of Kenya.

Day 7
After a morning game drive and a delicious breakfast we will catch our flight back to Nairobi and transfer to our short flight to Masai Mara National Reserve which is the northern end of the Serengeti plains. Our grounds crew will meet us at the airstrip and transfer us to our five-star luxury lodge, Mara Intrepids. Sitting above a sweeping bend in the Talek River, at the confluence of the Maasai Mara’s four game-viewing areas, the camp enjoys one of the most spectacular locations in the entire Mara ecosystem. Intrepids is a short drive from the Mara River, where up to one-and-a-half million wildebeest and zebra make their perilous migration crossing. This afternoon’s game drive will give us a preview of the spectacular wildlife that the Masai Mara has to photograph.

Day 8-9
With three game drives a day, at the best location of the reserve during the best time of year, we will focus on photographing the great wildebeest migration that is widely known as the most spectacular wildlife show on Earth. This is also the location where Animal Planet’s “Big Cat Diary” was filmed. In fact many of the big cats that we will be following are the same cats that appeared on the show.

In order to get a completely different perspective of the vast plains of Masai Mara, we will also take a hot air balloon safari. This truly is an amazing experience where we will float silently above Africa’s most impressive wilderness. After landing we will have a Champagne breakfast out on the plains of the Masai Mara.

Day 10
We will enjoy one last early morning game drive before catching our flight back to Nairobi. We will transfer back to the Windsor Hotel in Nairobi where we can relax and prepare for the trip home to share our incredible photos and stories.

Day 11
After exchanging contact information with our new friends, we will transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch our flights home.

The Cost
The cost for this all-inclusive trip is $8,490 per person based on double occupancy. Space is limited on this trip due to high demand and the effort to keep the groups small. This cost is significantly less than other trips of this caliber, however the quality and overall experience exceeds a comparable high end safari. With a lifetime of experience traveling in Africa Jon is able to negotiate and partner with the best tour operators and lodges in Kenya at a much lower rate than most U.S. tour operators.

What’s Included
• All Accommodations on a sharing double occupancy basis
• All air and ground transportation within Kenya
• World class, professionally trained guides
• All ground and balloon game viewing excursions
• All meals and non-alcoholic beverages
• Park entrance fees

What’s Not Included
• International airfare from your home to Nairobi, Kenya (although we will be happy to assist you with these bookings)
• Passport and Visa fees and airport taxes.
• Alcoholic beverages
• All personal purchases
• Travel Insurance
• Cell phone rentals and calls
• Additional gratuity for game drivers and lodging staff

Dates to Remember
Now: Deposit of $2,000 per person to reserve your space
May 15th, 2009: Second payment of $4,000 due
July 1st, 2009: Final payment of $2,490 due

If we need to cancel this trip for any reason on our end, you will receive a full refund, including your deposit. If you need to cancel the trip for any reason on your end before January 15th your deposit is not refundable. If you need to cancel the trip after January 15th your first payment is not refundable and if you have to cancel after April 1st the entire trip is not refundable unless you can find a replacement for you to go on the trip. Note: Travel insurance is highly recommended because it will pay reimbursements for safari costs for qualifying instances such as terminal illness, death in the immediate family etc. Please consult the terms on the Insurance package for exact details.

Reserve your space on this trip by emailing reservations@kenyajon.com