Aug 31st- Sept 13th, 2012
8 participants (FULL)
31 Aug NAIROBI
On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to your Hotel. Dinner on own arrangements. Overnight accommodation at STANLEY HOTEL (bed & breakfast)
01 SEP AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, depart for a four hour drive to Amboseli National Park. It is famous for its big game and scenic beauty with the landscape dominated by the Mt. Kilimanjaro. It offers an interesting contrast in appearance with its dry and dusty appearance, which can be attributed to the volcanic ash that came out of Mt Kilimanjaro when it last erupted. In spite of the appearance, there is a continuous supply of water that gets filtered through volcanic rocks from Kilimanjaro's melted snow. These streams flow underground, creating lush green areas, and converge at two clear water springs in the park. All meals and overnights at the Amboseli Serena Lodge.
02 SEP AMBOSELI
Spend a further day in the park on morning and afternoon game viewing drives. Wildlife here includes the zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, caracal and serval cat, lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, wild dog among others. There are also over 400 species of birds, including the bee-eater, kingfisher, African fish eagle, marital eagle and pygmy falcon. Visitors mainly come to watch the huge herds of elephants. The bull elephants have some of the largest tusks in all of Kenya. Visitors can also enjoy excellent views of Mt Kilimanjaro and Meru. All meals and overnight at Amboseli Serena Lodge.
03 SEP AMBOSELI
After breakfast, proceed for the morning game drive to return in time for lunch. In the afternoon, you will proceed for a Nature Walk with the resident Naturalist to return as the sun sets for dinner and overnight accommodation at Amboseli Serena Lodge.
04 SEP SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE
After breakfast, you will be transferred by your Host in a Shared vehicle to the Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Nairobi where you will connect with your flight to Samburu. Upon arrival, you will be met by your driver guides and proceed for a game drive enroute to your lodge to arrive in time for lunch. Samburu National Reserve which lies 325 km north of Nairobi in the hot and arid periphery of the vast northern region of Kenya. The Reserve is within the lands of the colourful Samburu people, close relatives of the Masai, and harbours a number of wildlife species found only north of the equator; these include Grevy's zebra, the reticulated giraffe and the Beisa Oryx. Samburu Reserve offers unique vistas of rounded and rugged hills and undulating plains. The mix of wood and grassland with riverine forest and swamp is home to a wide variety of animal and birdlife. Later you will proceed for the Afternoon game drive until sunset. Dinner and overnight at the Samburu Simba Lodge.
05 - 06 SEP SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE
Spend a further two days in this park where game viewing and visibility is excellent in the. Bird life is superb with over 380-recorded species and game includes reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, elephants, Oryx, Somali ostrich, hippos, crocodiles, gerenuk, buffaloes, lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas. The long-necked gerenuk is a graceful antelope which spends much of its time in a bi-pedal stance seeking succulence among the withered scrub which dots this harsh terrain. Scenically, for most of the year Samburu is under the unsympathetic equatorial sun. But relief comes from the Ewaso Ng’iro River which rises some hundreds of kilometers to the west on the foothills of the Aberdares and which vanishes beyond Samburu in the recess of the Lorian swamp. All meals and overnight accommodation at Samburu Sopa Lodge.
07-SEP SAMBURU/LAKE NAKURU
After early breakfast check out and drive approximately five hours to Lake Nakuru National Park; created for the protection of its huge flocks of the lesser flamingo with over 1 million flamingoes literally turning the shores of the Lake pink. Notable game within the lake includes hippo and clawless otters. On the shores roam waterbuck, Bohor's Reedbuck and zebra. The woodlands and forest are now home to both black and white rhino. In 1987, only two black rhinos remained following the ravages of poaching. By creating a rhino sanctuary within the park and reintroducing a breeding herd from Laikipia, the K.W.S. has now successfully re-established rhino in the park. Game viewing is relatively easy and will be until sun set. Buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild's giraffe, Black and White Colobus monkey are plentiful in the forest. The bush lands offer eland, steinbok, impala, Chandler's reedbuck and dik dik, whilst rock hyrax and klipspringer occupy the cliffs and escarpment. The Park is also home to the largest euphorbia forest in Africa. All meals and overnight at the Lake Nakuru Lodge.
08 SEP LAKE NAKURU
Spend a further day on morning and afternoon game drives. All meals included and overnight accommodation at the Lake Nakuru Lodge.
09 SEP LAKE NAKURU/MASAI MARA
After breakfast, check out and drive five hours to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, so named to mean the “spotted plains” in the Maa language. This is home to the greatest concentration of large mammals and is widely recognized as Africa’s ultimate wildlife reserve. The park is the northern annex to the vast Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, famous for its annual migration of wildebeest. You will arrive for lunch at your Lodge. Afternoon game drive until sunset in this spectacular place of breathtaking sceneries, never-ending plains and the most abundant variety of wildlife remaining anywhere in the world. The landscape is made up of rolling savannahs dotted with patchy shrubs and bush thickets. Dinner and overnight accommodation at Mara Serena Lodge.
10 - 12 SEP MASAI MARA
Spend three more days of game watching with morning and afternoon game drives. Wildlife is abundant in the Reserve with the gentle grasslands ensuring that animals are never out of sight. Birds are prolific including immigrants, 450 bird species have been recorded among them 57 birds of prey. Every year the Mara plays host to the world’s greatest natural spectacle; The Great Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti. From the months of July to October, the promise of rain and fresh life giving grass in the north brings more than 1.5 million Wildebeest together into a single massive herd. They converge across the border into the Mara, making a spectacular entrance in a surging column of life that stretches from horizon to horizon. The big cats - lion, leopard, and cheetah - follow the wildebeest, essentially their main source of food, into the Mara. So the Mara at this time is literally packed with wildlife, providing lucky visitors on safari with superb sightings of game. Mara Serena Lodge
13 SEP Depart
Following an early morning game drive and breakfast you will be transferred to the Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Nairobi. Upon arrival, you will be met and proceed for lunch at the Carnivore restaurant and later transferred to the JKIA for your out bound flight.
Above costs include:
Accommodation as stipulated in the itinerary.
Transport in a chauffeur driven 4X4 Land Cruiser or 4X4 mini-van with pop-up roof.
Services of an English speaking driver-guide.
Game viewing drives and parks entrance fees as indicated in the itinerary.
All Government taxes and levies.
All meet and greet services.
All arrival and departure transfers.
24 hours stand-by contact number.
All meals as indicated in the itinerary.
Above costs exclude:
All items of personal nature e.g. telephone call bills, fax/email bills etc.
Tips and gratuities to hotel, lodges, camp staff and driver- guide(s)
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Any local or international flight and departure taxes.
Laundry services.
Any other item(s) not included in our itinerary.
Fee: (Workshop limited to 8 Participants)
Per person sharing $8,995.00 (3 passengers per 4X4 land cruiser)
Single room Supplement $1,995.00
DEPOSIT REQUIREMENTS $1,250.00 per person to confirm touring/accommodations arrangements.
Deposit methods accepted; check made payable to Shoot the Light (address below), Pay Pal to info@shootthelight.com, and credit card via a phone call to our office.
To sign up contact us at;
Charles Glatzer, M.Photog
Shoot the Light
Po Box 987
Horse Shoe, NC 28742
office 828-891-4082
e-mail info@shootthelight.com
url www.shootthelight.com
blog www.shootthelight.com/blog
http://500px.com/Chas