SAFARIS IN KENYA AND TANZANIA

Below you will find an example of a 9 night safari.

OL DONYO WUAS - RICHARD’S CAMP -BORANA – 9 nights, 10 days.

DAY 1
Welcome to Kenya – after clearing immigration and customs at Nairobi International airport, you will be met by your courier, who will accompany you to Wilson airport for your private charter to the Chyulu Hills. This is a fifty minute flight over open plains and forested hills. On arrival at the airstrip you will be met in an open four by four vehicle and driven up to the lodge – Ol Donyo Wuas.

Ol Donyo Wuas is situated on the slopes of the Chyulu Hills, with exclusive access to a quarter of a million acres of one of the few remaining wilderness areas of East Africa. The open plains, rolling Chyulu Hills and snow capped peaks of Kilimanjaro invoke images of Africa as it was in the earlier part of the last century; abundant game and Maasai herdsmen living as nature determined they should in this unspoilt corner of Kenya. Ol Donyo Wuas in Maasai means ‘The Spotted Hills’, and is the name given by the Maasai to the Chyulu Range which runs between Amboseli and Tsavo national park.

The lodge consists of seven individual thatched cottages and a beautiful centrally positioned mess/dinning room. All the cottages have en-suite bathrooms, electric lighting, an open fireplace and a verandah with panoramic views of the plains and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Here you will find a manager and a friendly crew of Kenyans to organise the daily activities, to ensure everything runs smoothly, and to provide high standards of cusines and personal service.

DAY 2
Today you are woken with a cup of tea or coffee, and as the early morning sun glistens of the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro you head out either on horseback, on foot or in one of specially converted open-top Land Rovers. This is generally the best time of day for game-viewing; oryx, gerenuk, zebra, eland, giraffe and wildebeest roam the grassy plains, always on the lookout for cheetah and lion.

A wonderful bush breakfast awaits you – and then later you can either leisurely walk, ride or drive back to the lodge arriving by midday. After lunch an afternoon ‘siesta’ – sleeping, reading or just catching up on your diary. Then after a cup of tea you can head of back to the bush. This is a perfect time for observing predators in action, and as the sun slips over the horizon we find a suitable spot to reminisce on the day and enjoy a ‘sundowner’ cocktail. A hot shower, a candlelit three-course dinner, a sky full of stars, and the ever-present ‘noises-off’ as the animals keep track of each other, further enhance this magical wilderness environment.

DAY 3
You can horse-ride, walk or ride in the vehicles to game watch. Also perhaps today you would like to stop by a local Maasai ‘Manyatta’ or village.

DAY 4
After breakfast you head down to the airstrip where you charter flight will take you over the stunning Rift Valley – with its lakes appearing like gems from the air. The land at Ngerende airstrip in the Maasai Mara. On arrival you will be met by your hosts Richard Roberts and Liz Fusco – a fun loving couple who own and run Richard’s Camp.

The Maasai Mara is one of the world’s most favourite spots to view the animals of Africa. Time it right and you can witness the breathtaking Migration of the Wildebeest. From here in the Mara you will see not only giraffe, antelope, zebra, elephant and buffalo but also have the opportunity to spot many from the cat family – lions, cheetahs and leopards.

This was originally built as the Robert’s home whilst carrying out conservation work in the Mara. Richard’s Camp is a tented camp where the pioneer traditions of hospitality and comfort continue. Located on the edge of the small forest, elephant and plains game are regular visitors to the camp’s perimeter and bird life abounds. Here at Richard’s camp guests have the opportunity to experience the real Africa of Kenya’s earliest settlers – days of heart-stopping game viewing and evenings enjoying aperitifs by a cozy fire, delicious meals, digestives taken outside gazing at the awe-inspirinjg canopy of stars, and falling asleep to the whooping of hyena as the prepare to hunt. A truly traditional experience yet enhanced by modern day amenities – flush loos, heated showers, reliable, open four-wheel drive vehicles, fresh produce flown in daily from Nairobi and breads baked in camp.

DAY 4 (contd)
Richard Roberts was raised in the Maasai Mara and it is his intimate knowledge of the bush and the Maasai people, together with his family’s traditional warm hospitality, which ensures guests a very special experience. Richard helps design your day to be as relaxing or exciting as you wish. There is a cornucopia of activities from which to chose – bush walks, game drives, sundowners, cultural visits and picnics in the very heart of the bush – tailor-made to ensure a rewarding safari of a life time.

Accommodation is in five spacious en-suite tents with flush toilets, shower and veranda both twins and doubles. At the end of the day guests can indulge in a Victorian bathroom situated inside the forest where the canopy of trees opens to reveal the breath taking African night sky whilst surrounded by flickering candles and the sounds of the bush.

DAY 5
You can plan your day to walk, game drive spotting animals or just taking it slower and looking at the bird life.

DAY 6
This day is planned to suit you.

If you like you can also have an early morning Balloon ride or a day’s fishing on Lake Victoria – to prevent disappointment in not being able to find space for these options we would recommend you book this before you arrive for your safari.

DAY 7
Today after breakfast you return to Ngerende airstrip and your charter flight will take you up to the Laikipia area – landing at the Borana airstrip.

Borana Lodge is set on the edge of The Samangua valley with panoramic view of Mount Kenya, the Borana plains and Ngare Ndare forest. Borana is a luxurious, family hosted lodge, situated on a 35,000 acre ranch 16 miles from the equator, adjacent to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy – a haven for a wide diversity of wildlife, lion, elephant, Jackson’s hartebeest, buffalo and great herds of antelope roam the plains while the cool forest shelters bush buck, colobus monkeys and leopard.

The ranch is home to over 300 species of bird-life, supplemented throughout the year by a multitude of migratory visitors. Small and exclusive, you are encouraged to treat Borana as your home. It is also home to Fuzz and Bimbi Dyer – your hosts at the Lodge.

Borana has six guest rooms decorated in unaffected but luxurious up-country style. All rooms are spacious and have an open fireplace, private verandah, en-suite bathroom with bath and shower.

(...Continued in next column)

DAY 7 (contd)
Activities here are game drives in the company of rangers and trackers with a broad local knowledge of the area; night game drives to see the nocturnal species can be arranged.

There are also game drives with experienced guides who point out the telling details of the bush, bringing the tracks and wild signs of Africa to life. Relax in a blind and let the wildlife come to you. You can horse ride – exploring the ranch like the early settlers did 75 years ago. Then there is the opportunity to visit the cultural area nearby – Mokogondo Maasai village.

There is a lovely pool to relax by too.

DAY 8
Today you can visit to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy – where you will have the opportunity to see the black and white rhinos plus a myriad of other animals.

DAY 9
Another day to arrange to do the things that suit you.

DAY 10
After breakfast you head down to the airstrip for your charter flight to Wilson airport and Nairobi. On arrival Sharon will meet you and you have the day to sightsee and shop. A dayroom is held for you at the Norfolk Hotel to rest up and shower before your flight home in the evening.

In Nairobi there is lots to see and do – you have the opportunity to visit the David Sheldrick Trust – which caters for orphaned elephant and rhino which are later reintroduced into the wild; or a visit to the Giraffe Center a place where you can feed the once endangered Rothschild Giraffe right out of your hand!; or a brief stop at the home of Karen Blixen (the author of Out of Africa); or perhaps a visit to the National Museum or local Snake Park.

For the ardent shopper – there are lots of great places to visit – stores that carry a variety of local art work – some excellent wooden carvings, jewelry stores that deal exclusively in local stones like the Tanzanite (which will soon be very difficult to come by) and Tsavorite (a stone from the Emerald family) – plus more, beautiful local jewelry, clothes and gifts can all be obtained at reasonable prices – and for those who want to bargain a stop at the local market can be organised.

You can stop for lunch at a nice restaurant during the day’s expedition. The in the evening you can try a different restaurant before heading to the airport for your departing flight from the International airport.

HOME - OL DONYO WUAS - A TYPICAL DAY - ABOUT US - MAP - GALLERY - SAFARI IDEAS - MAASAILAND TRUST - CONTACT US

OTHER RESOURCES - DISCLAIMER & PRIVACY POLICY
All rights reserved - Richard Bonham Safaris Ltd. - Design