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Jambo!

Kenya is famed for its striking wildlife bounding across the acacia-studded savannah of game parks, such as Amboseli, the Masai Mara, Samburu and Tsavo. It is truly a safari-fanatic’s dream; vast national parks and reserves encompass one-tenth of Kenya’s surface, spanning desert, grasslands and dense mountain forest. Explore these opportunities on this Women’s Only Tour and find the Big 5 in Kenya.

At A Glance:

Itinerary:

DAY 1 NAIROBI, KENYA

Jambo na Karibu! Hello and welcome to Nairobi, or in the Maasai language, “place of cool waters”. You are welcomed at the airport, by our Gutsy Woman Travel Representative and then driven to your hotel in downtown Nairobi.

Accommodation Fairmont Norfolk Hotel

Included : Dinner, Bed, and Breakfast

The famous Norfolk, first built in 1904 and now known as the “country hotel” of the city has been linked with Kenya’s history since the very beginnings of “Enkare Nyarobe – the place of the cool waters”.

The hunting safaris of Winston Churchill and U.S. President, “Teddy” Roosevelt, left from the Norfolk verandah, a meeting place still frequented by adventurers from all walks of life. Yet for all its ghosts and flamboyant past the Norfolk remains as delightful as ever. It stands in its own private tropical gardens on the same site upon which it was first built, just a five minute walk from the city center.

Each of the 167 rooms and suites at the Norfolk is furnished with air-conditioning, satellite television, radio, mini-bar, telephone, overhead showers and/or bath-tubs, and guest safes in most rooms.

Hotel recreation facilities include a heated swimming pool, a modern health and fitness center featuring a well-equipped gym, and the services of fully qualified health experts and masseurs. Guests can enjoy the tranquility of the Norfolk gardens that feature interesting plants and birds; besides the collection of antique modes of transportation in the gardens.

This evening meet your local Tour Manager and enjoy a get together ‘”Welcome Dinner” for a briefing.

DAY 2 NAIROBI / SAMBURU

Accommodation Samburu Intrepids for 2 nights Included : Full board

After breakfast you will drive via Nanyuki to Samburu. Coffee, tea and pineapple plantations give way to the lush foothills of Mount Kenya before you descend into the Northern Frontier District. You will arrive in the afternoon and have time for a short game drive before dinner and overnight at Samburu Intrepids.

Samburu Intrepids is renowned as a pioneer of luxury camping in one of the world’s last truly great wilderness areas. Situated on the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River in the arid heart of Samburu National Reserve, Samburu Intrepids looks out over riverbanks where herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra come daily to drink – together with the rarer ‘northern species’ of reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx and long-necked gerenuk antelope. Samburu Intrepids will show you this dramatic wilderness from a world of fascinating perspectives: through stirring early morning game drives, walking safaris with skilled Samburu guides, sedate camel rides, and raft trips when the river is high. Our acclaimed Adventurers’ Club offers a uniquely educational safari for children of all ages, under the expert guidance of Kenya’s most famous Samburu guide, Sammy Leseita. Guests are accommodated in 27 regal tents, with luxurious and elegant furniture crafted in African mahogany. The ensuite bathrooms have a marble finish with steaming showers. Each tent has a private secluded terrace with reclining chairs and an all day bar service. A sparkling swimming pool adds to the cool and comfortable ambiance A breezy thatched dining area overlooks the river, and the lounge and bar offer nightly talks and slide shows. The freeform ‘oasis’ swimming pool offers guests the chance to unwind after an early morning game drive.

DAY 3 SAMBURU

Samburu National Reserve is situated at the southern corner of Samburu district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It is bordered to the south by the Uaso Nyiro River, which separates it from the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. Covering an area of 165 square km, it lies approximately 350km from Nairobi and is accessible by road and air. The river plays a central role in the parks daily life, attracting wildlife from the surrounding savannah plains.

The reserve is rich in wildlife with an abundance of rare northern specialist species such at the Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the beisa oryx. The reserve is also popular with a minimum of 900 elephants. Elephant roam the gaunt hills which punctuate the scrubland seeking solace and contentment in the shallow waters of the river and from time to time a visitor finds herds bathing and drinking in a spectacle of unconscious pleasure. It is further from the river in the bleached grasslands scattered with umbrella Acacias that the real interest of the area lays. Large predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and buffalo are frequently seen. Also common to the area are the rare African Wild Dog sightings. With over 450 species recorded, birdlife is abundant, with a concentration of arid northern bush country birds and riverine forest species. Five species categorized as vulnerable have also been recorded in the reserve.

Stretching to the horizon and occasionally broken by mountains, Samburu is an arid and exciting land of scrub and semi-desert, sparsely populated by proud nomadic people of the same name. Scenically and faunally dramatic, large populations of crocodile can be seen at almost every bend of the river, which is fringed by giant acacias, doum palms and fig tree’s which provide welcome shade from the equatorial sun.

DAY 4 SAMBURU / FAIRMONT MOUNT KENYA SAFARI CLUB

Accommodation based on 1 night Accommodation Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club Included : Full board

This morning you will drive to Nanyuki to visit Spinners and Weavers. This worthy enterprise was started with the main aim of training poor, widowed and single women living in the surrounding villages of Nanyuki town in the craft of Spinning, Knitting and Weaving with the main objective of making them self reliant. Nanyuki town was targeted because it is one of the major wool producing areas in Kenya, its weather being favourable for sheep rearing and raising.

It was agreed from the beginning of the project that half of the proceeds acquired would go directly to the women under the project and the other half would be retained at the centre. Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers have been able to train over 282 women in the craft of Spinning, Knitting, Dyeing and Weaving with some venturing into private projects and earning their living for themselves & their family. Most women have been able to move from being squatters in the villages where they lived to acquiring their own pieces of land and building their homes. Most of the women have been able to educate their children through Primary schools to High schools, and some have taken their children to University level from their share of proceeds.

Continue to the Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki. With magnificent views of majestic Mount Kenya, the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club Resort’s 120 luxuriously appointed hotel rooms, set in over 100 acres of landscaped gardens, offer a unique blend of comfort, relaxation and adventure. Originally the retreat of movie star and Club founder, William Holden, the Club’s illustrious former members have included Winston Churchill and Bing Crosby. There are many recreational activities available: horseback riding, golf, croquet, a bowling green, table tennis, swimming, a beauty salon, an animal orphanage and much more. To be able to relax and appreciate the superb setting, the personal attention lavished on all our visitors, the numerous activities and superb cuisine, one night is just not enough. Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club is the ideal base for a truly superb holiday in Nanyuki, Kenya. With some of the country’s finest attractions on the doorstep, visitors to the resort can enjoy an enormous range of excursions and activities without spending hours and even days travelling between each.

DAY 5 FAIRMONT MOUNT KENYA SAFARI CLUB / SWEETWATERS GAME RESERVE

Accommodation based on 1 night Accommodation Sweetwaters Tented Camp Included : Full board

Depart for Sweetwater after breakfast. A sheltered oasis, clustered around a waterhole and set in the pristine calm of a private wildlife conservancy, Sweetwaters Tented Camp is in a class of its own. Abounding with wildlife, unfettered by the more rigorous strictures of the Kenyan National Parks and designed to offer a charming blend of under canvas ambiance and uncompromising luxury, it has long been the preferred retreat of wilderness and safari lovers alike. Ol Pejeta Conservancy excels in the provision of privileged seclusion and private game viewing.

There are a total of 39 luxuriously appointed tents composed of 12 doubles and 27 twins, the majority of tents face a large waterhole and beyond, command magnificent views of Mount Kenya. The Rhino restaurant provides alfresco and Table d’Hôte dining, whilst the waterhole bar and Kashoggi bar offer commanding views over the waterhole. The outside swimming pool offers guests a chance to unwind.

Thanks to its private status it also allows such unforgettable pleasures as the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary (the only place in Kenya to see these highly endangered animals), night game drives, guided bush walks and camel-trekking across game-teaming plains.

DAY 6 SWEETWATERS GAME RESERVE / MASAI MARA

Accommodation based on 3 nights Accommodation Mara Intrepids Included : Full board

This morning you will be transferred to the Nanyuki airstrip for your flight to the fabulous Masai Mara, Kenya’s premier game reserve. On landing you will be met and transferred to Mara Intrepids. Located in the centre of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, on the banks of 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 every July and August.

With a maximum capacity of only 60 persons, the accent is on exclusivity and comfort. The Mara Intrepids Club sets new standards for luxury tented camps. Newly designed tents easily accommodate twin or full size four poster beds and include refinements not provided in other camps. The furnishings reflect the “Grand Safari” style of bygone days, coupled with modern amenities. The full bathroom, an integral part of each tent, includes private flush toilet, shower and electricity. The tents face the river and pathways lead from the rear to other parts of the camp, providing additional privacy.

Game viewing is provided in open four-wheel drive vehicles to enhance the experience. Drivers are well schooled in the art of avoiding high density mini-bus circuits and navigating the less accessible unspoiled areas of the reserve. Three game drives are provided each day, and for relaxation there is a swimming pool overlooking the bend in the river which has a bar and river-stone terrace

DAYS 7 & 8 MASAI MARA

Two full days spent in the Masai Mara, arguably Kenya’s finest game reserve. Everything about this reserve is outstanding. The wildlife is abundant and the gentle rolling grasslands ensure that animals are never out of sight. Birds, too, are prolific. Including migrants, well over 450 species have been recorded, among them, 57 species of birds of prey. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well-spread rainfall year round. The Masai Mara National Reserve lies about 270 kilometers from Nairobi and boasts about 1672 square km of unspoilt wilderness. The first sight of this natural wonderland is breathtaking.

Throughout the year the Masai Mara is a place of natural drama, a kaleidoscope of colour and life. Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, Topi and Eland and many more species of plains’ game offer a rich choice of food for the dominant predators; lion, leopard and cheetah which hunt in this pristine wilderness. Here the great herds of shuffling elephants browse among the rich tree-studded grasslands with an occasional sighting of a solitary and ill-tempered rhino. In the Mara River, Hippo and Crocodile are commonly found. But for all this richness of fauna, the profusion of winged beauty and the untouched fragility of the landscape are all subordinate to the Mara’s foremost attraction, the mighty march of the wildebeest. Culminating in the most spectacular annual migration in the world, with over a million and a half wildebeest and zebra making the crossings over the grand Mara River from Tanzania into Kenya, this spectacle offers one of the most fabulous opportunities in our time.

Although July, August and September are the months when the Masai Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is a huge amount of resident wildlife year round. Apart from the better-known species there are numerous opportunities to add some of the rare and less frequently seen animals to the visitor’s checklist. In the south western sector, you may be lucky enough to see roan antelope, a handsome creature regrettably rare countrywide. Bat-eared foxes peer from their burrows and there are thousands of Topi, an antelope not found in other major parks save Tsavo National Park. The combination of a gentle climate, scenic splendor and untold numbers of wildlife makes the Masai Mara Kenya’s most popular inland destination park.

Tonight enjoy a “Bush Banquet” — “Farewell Dinner”, with a demonstration of Masai Dancers and entertainment.

DAY 9 MASAI MARA / NAIROBI

Time for one final game drive this morning before you bid “kwaheri”, (farewell), to the friendly camp staff and fly back to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. Transfer to the Norfolk Hotel where dayrooms are reserved for you until 18:00 hours this evening.

Remainder of day free to shop and admire the local sights of Nairobi.

Optional tour to the Karen Blixen Museum and Giraffe Center.

Transfer to the airport for your final departure flight.

Pricing:

Single $5,820 USD one person, travelling solo in single accommodation

Double $4,610 USD two people, travelling together in same accommodation

Shared $4,610 USD one person, travelling solo who would like to share with another passenger and pay the per person “Double” price (Shared rate is guaranteed if booking is made at least 90 days prior to departure date.)

Highlights & Inclusions

Luxury Tented Camps under Canvas

Open 4-wheel Safari Vehicle in the Grand African Style

Track the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino) with your experienced Game Trackers. Take guided bush walks and camel-trekking across game-teaming plains.

Thrill to the visit of an Animal Orphanage and Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary – the only place iln Kenya to see these highly endangered animals.

Experience a real African “Boma” (barbeque) and warm hospitality of the Masai

On route to Nanyuki visit the ‘Spinners & Weavers, a woman’s self help project. Watch over 280 women in the craft of Spinning, Knitting, Dyeing and Weaving creating beautiful African designs.

Enjoy shopping opportunities in the colorful African Markets for collectable’s to take home.

Toast new friends at a gala ‘Farewell Bush Dinner” featuring local cuisine and wines accompanied by the dancing and entertainment of the Masai.

Inclusions

Open 4-wheel Safari Vehicle

Bottled water daily & wine with dinner

Locally Escorted

Flying Doctor Membership

Day room day of departure

8 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, and 8 Dinners