AAKY30 Honeymoon Safari – 9 Nights (SP80)

Day 1 Nairobi (D)

Arrive Nairobi where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Tonight enjoy a special welcome dinner at the Ibis Grill.

Nairobi is a city that never seems to sleep. The entire town has a boundless energy, and is a thriving place where all of human life can be found. This is a place of great contrasts where race, tribe and origin all become facets of a unique Nairobi character.

Overnight at the Norfolk Hotel in a studio suite.

No other hotel in Kenya captures as much of Nairobi's splendid past and exciting present, and few hotels anywhere can claim a more romantic history.

Day 2 Nairobi – Aberdares (BLD)

Drive to the Aberdare Mountain Range and your tree lodge. This evening watch for animals as they come to the flood-lit waterhole to drink.

The Aberdare wildlife is awesome, the rich forest sustains populations of elephant, buffalo, warthog and several species of antelope, a healthy population of black rhino and also offers the chance to see some of the typical forest species, such as the giant forest hog or the shy and beautiful bongo, perhaps the rarest and most splendid of all Kenyan antelopes. Regarding the felines, lions show their mountain adaptation, tree-climbing behaviour and a longer and speckled coat.

Overnight at Serena Mountain Lodge.

The only ‘tree hotel’ ever to be built on the slopes of Kenya’s legendary Mount Kenya, Mountain Lodge offers a matchless game viewing opportunity whilst combining a glorious panorama of mountain vistas with the primordial splendours of an ancient rainforest.

Day 3 Aberdares – Meru (BLD)

Drive to Meru National Park, arriving in time for lunch. Meru National Park is a luxuriant forest area, supported by the permanent streams originating in nearby Mt. Kenya. Enjoy an afternoon of game viewing in the park.

Of all the Kenya parks Meru presents the widest variety of landscapes. The varied habitats contain a wide diversity of wildlife species including elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, some of Kenya's largest herds of buffalo and a variety of antelopes including waterbuck, oryx, lesser kudu, duiker and dik-dik. The rivers abound with hippo and crocodiles. Birdlife is also abundant especially during the northern migration (October-March).

Overnight at Elsa’s Kopje Lodge.

Elsa's Kopje blends in to the rocky crags and bush, built close to the site of George Adamson's original camp where George and Joy Adamson released Elsa the lioness into the wild.

Day 4 Meru (BLD)

Morning and afternoon game drives are included today. Buffalo, giraffe, eland and oryx are common in the park. This area is most famous for being Joy and George Adamson’s base for raising Elsa, their famous lion.

Overnight at Elsa’s Kopje Lodge.

Day 5 Meru – Lewa Downs (BLD)

Drive to Lewa Downs, one of Kenya’s oldest family ranches. Spend the afternoon relaxing on your private verandah. Enjoy a night game drive tonight, possible because the ranch is private property.

In 1995 the Craig family turned their entire farm on the northern slopes of Mt Kenya into the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, with a mandate to protect and conserve the wildlife of Kenya. They had to convince the local communities to stop seeing animals as competition for their cattle's grazing and instead see them as a source of income. This was achieved and many fences were taken down and old migration routes were re-opened to the animals.

Overnight at Lewa Downs.

Lewa Downs is now an area of outstanding natural beauty with the Lewa River giving life to dense woodland and patches of open savannah providing the perfect habitat for a whole range of Kenya's animals.

Day 6 Lewa Downs (BLD)

A full day at Lewa Downs includes game viewing, walks or just relaxing poolside. A highlight is dining with the Craig Family, original owners of the ranch.

Lewa Downs is an area of outstanding natural beauty with the Lewa River giving life to dense woodland and patches of open savannah providing the perfect habitat for a whole range of Kenya's animals.

Overnight at Lewa Downs.

Day 7 Lewa Downs – Naivasha (BLD)

Drive into the Great Rift Valley today, arriving at your private home on the banks of Lake Naivasha. Take an optional trip on the Lake this afternoon or spend the afternoon at leisure.

Spread out over 110 square kilometres, a pearl in the bosom of the Kenya Rift, the waters of Lake Naivasha glisten silver as the sun slopes swiftly towards the west. Purest and highest of all the Rift lakes, Naivasha is also a bird sanctuary without peer. Over 400 species have been recorded here.

Overnight at Loldia House.

Set in manicured lawns on the green shores of Lake Naivasha, the Great Rift Valley's highest and purest lake, Loldia House was built during the Second World War and has breathtaking views of the dormant volcano, Mount Longonot.

Day 8 Naivasha – Nairobi – Masai Mara (BLD)

Drive to Nairobi and enjoy lunch at the Delamere Restaurant. Take the afternoon scheduled light aircraft flight to the Masai Mara.

Probably the most famous of the reserves, the Masai Mara boasts an astonishing amount of game. Gazelle, wildebeest and zebra graze in large numbers and where prey is found so are predators. Not only is this a great place in which to find game, but the wide greeny-gold savannahs spotted with thorn trees make it ideal for photography.

Overnight at Governors Camp.

The setting is magical. So much so that almost a century ago it was reserved, exclusively, for Kenya's colonial governors and their royal visitors.

Day 9 Masai Mara (BLD)

A full day in Kenya’s most famous reserve allows time for both morning and afternoon game drives. Bird life is prolific in the Mara, and all the big cats are preset.

The famous black-maned Mara lions are possibly the stars of the Mara show, but cheetah, elephant, kongoni, topi, Thompson's gazelle, waterbuck, hyena, and primates are all here too. As with the rest of Kenya, the birding is good.

Overnight at Governors Camp.

Day 10 Masai Mara – Nairobi (B)

After a final game drive this morning, return by light aircraft to Nairobi where day rooms are available until 18:00.

Day room at Norfolk Hotel.