Photographic Safari

You will be mesmerised at the sheer number of wildlife species and close encounters that will provide you with what is, without a doubt, one of the richest and most rewarding wildlife photo opportunities on the planet. The quantity and quality of subjects to photograph while on safari, combined with the support and advice of our wildlife photography specialist, Jay Collier will guarantee an unforgettable trip of a life-time.

ITINERARY

Thursday, 04 August
Depart Sydney on Qantas flight to Nairobi via Bangkok.

After collecting your luggage, you will be met by a Representative/Driver and transferred by road to Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel for your overnight accommodation in standard rooms including breakfast.

Saturday, 06 August
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by your Representative/Driver and transferred by road to Lake Nakuru National Park for your two night stay at Lake Nakuru Lodge or Flamingo Hills Camp including all meals, scheduled game activities and park fees.

Situated in the south-east ecological niche of the Lake Nakuru National Park is the Lake Nakuru Lodge, an oasis of comfort and excellent service, with commanding views of the lesser flamingo dotted with the Greater flamingo, for which Lake Nakuru is justly famous. It is another world for the visitor, one where a person easily forgets the hustle and bustle of the city. The Lodge blends well with its surroundings and the animals often browse peacefully close to the Lodge and environs, much to the fascination of the visitors.

Or

Flamingo Hill’s Tented Camp is situated within the famous Lake Nakuru National Park, which lies within the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. Nestled between beautifully landscaped grounds with natural foliage and a variety of indigenous African plants and flowers, Flamingo Hill Camp provides superb, tented accommodation.

Sunday 07 August
Today you will participate in morning and afternoon game drives in the Lake Nakuru National Park.

Sunk deep in the cleft of the Great Rift Valley is one of the earth’s most phenomenal geological features, ringed by shoals of extinct and dormant volcanoes and presided over by one of the largest craters in the world, lies Lake Nakuru National Park. Part of the ancient landscape known as the “cradle of mankind”, the Park offers a wealth of history, unique wildlife, spectacular bird life and some of the most beautiful scenery in Africa. Lake Nakuru National Park is a popular destination. Numerous films and documentaries have featured in this park involving world wide renowned film-makers. Lake Nakuru National Park offers the traveler a rare insight into Kenya’s most diverse flora, fauna and wildlife. It is also home to the host of other mammals such as the elusive leopard, lion and the rare black and white rhinoceros.

Monday, 08 August
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by your Representative/Driver and transferred by road to Masai Mara National Reserve for your two nights accommodation at Mara Sopa Lodge in lodge rooms including all meals, scheduled game activities and park fees.

Located on the slopes of Oloongams Hills, Mara Sopa Lodge is one of the first lodges to be built in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Guests are drawn to this lodge built in an ethnic design, surrounded by a rich landscape, covered in fauna, from huge desert cacti to sweet smelling jasmine flowers, all within the fabled Masai Mara game reserve.

Tuesday 09 August
Today you will participate in morning and afternoon game activities in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Masai Mara National Reserve is the northern extension of Tanzania’s famous Serengeti Plains and is usually called “the Mara”. Reachable by road or air from Nairobi, the Mara is Kenya’s premier place for seeing wildlife. Two sizable rivers, the Mara and Talek, wind through the landscape, flanked by gallery forests and seasonal marshes.

Wednesday 10 August
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by a Representative/Driver and transferred by road to Mara Serena Lodge for your two nights accommodation in lodge rooms including all meals and scheduled game activities.

An interpretation of a traditional Masai “manyatta” village of domed huts, Mara Serena Safari Lodge is set on the saddle of a hill where it overlooks the 1,800km2 of rolling plains, woodlands and rivers that make up the Masai Mara Triangle - one of the world’s richest wildlife sanctuaries. No other lodge has such a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape or the game and birdlife that inhabit it.

Thursday 11 August
Today you will participate in morning and afternoon game activities in the Mara Game Reserve.

The Mara hosts resident populations of elephants, hippos, topis, hartebeests, buffalos, giraffes, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, impalas, Kirk’s dik-diks, and a few black rhinos. Predators are plentiful, notably cheetahs, leopards, and unusually large prides of lions.

Friday 12 August
After your early morning breakfast, you will depart from Mara Serena Safari Lodge and your Driver/Guide will transfer you by road to the Kenya/Tanzania Border at Isebania where you will clear immigration formalities to exit Kenya and enter Tanzania.

After clearing immigration formalities, you will be met by your Tanzanian Driver/Guide will transfer you by road to Serengeti National Park for your two nights accommodation at Serengeti Sopa Lodge in lodge rooms including all meals, scheduled game activities and park fees.

Looking out over the seemingly endless Serengeti plains, the Serengeti Sopa Lodge is a tranquil oasis set in over 14,000 sq kilometres (5,000 sq miles) of National Park. The Serengeti plains are host to a dramatic annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and numerous other species of animals indigenous to the area.

Saturday 13 August
Today you will participate in morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti National Park.

The Serengeti is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania's protected areas, which altogether make up some 14% of the country's land area, a conservation record that few other countries can match.

Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and scientific value.

With more than two million wildebeest, half a million Thomson's gazelle, and a quarter of a million zebra, it has the greatest concentration of plains game in Africa. The wildebeest and zebra moreover form the star cast of a unique spectacular - the annual Serengeti migration.

Sunday 14 August
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by a Representative/Driver and transferred by road to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for your two nights accommodation at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge in lodge rooms including all meals, scheduled game activities, park fees and a visit to Oldupai Gorge en route.

Oldupai Gorge is located in northern Tanzania, and is an archaeological site of great importance. It features the remains of the earliest human beings, who were discovered by Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey in the earlier part of the 20th century. The gorge is en route to the Serengeti from Ngorongoro, and the road passes through a spectacular mix of savannah grassland and volcanic hills where red-robed Maasai graze their cattle, before it drops steeply down into the gorge itself. Other findings include hunting weapons, basic tools and remains of dead animals, clearly killed by humans.

Monday 15 August
This morning after breakfast, you will descend down the Ngorongoro Crater Floor by your 4 x 4 vehicles for your wildlife viewing.

The Ngorongoro conservation area is dominated by the massive crater, which has formed the focal point of so many television documentaries. The crater floor itself is alive with game, particularly around Lake Magadi, which is also well known for its flamingo population. Elsewhere on the crater floor, predators roam freely, terrorising the vulnerable plains game that huddles in groups as the dusk settles. The views from the rim are spectacular and the fever tree forest, which characterises the area, is alive with elephant, leopard and buffalo, most of which descend into the crater to feed. To explore this forest with an armed guide in search of smaller craters, Mountain Rivers and waterfalls is one of Africa's real treats. After your crater visit, you will return back to the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge in time for a hot lunch.

Tuesday 16 August
This morning after breakfast, you will depart from Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and your Driver/Guide will transfer you by road back to Arusha where you will arrive in time for lunch.

After lunch your Driver/Guide will transfer you by road to the Namanga Border where you will clear immigration formalities to exit Tanzania and re-enter Kenya.

After clearing immigration and customs formalities, you will be met by your Kenyan Driver/Guide who will transfer you by road to Amboseli National Park for your two nights accommodation at Amboseli Sopa Lodge in lodge rooms including all meals, and scheduled game activities.

Wednesday 17 August
Today you will participate in morning and afternoon game activities in the Amboseli National Park.

Amboseli National Park is located in south-east Kenya with its southern boundary bordering Tanzania. It lies under the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. Amboseli attracts thousands of visitors each year, drawn by the mountain and Africa’s largest elephant herds.

This is a splendid place to view elephants. Some 55 other mammal species roam the land, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, impalas, Grant’s gazelles, elands, fringe-eared oryxes, gerenuks, buffalos, and a few black rhinos. Many wildebeests, zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles leave the park during the rains but return to be near the swamps in the dry months. More than 425 species of birds live here, with the Taveta golden weaver a highlight, and ostriches, vultures, eagles, bustards, sandgrouse, hornbills, and larks common in the grasslands.

Thursday 18 August
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by a Representative/Driver and depart from the Amboseli Sopa Lodge for your road transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Nairobi in time to check in for your Kenya Airways flight to Sydney via Bangkok.

Departure Date: 04 August 2011

Detailed Itinerary

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