Extraordinary East Africa

Jul 15, 2014

We at Hemingways Expeditions pride ourselves on our expertise in planning and leading safaris in East Africa. We love the diversity and excitement that Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania have to offer, and we know how to craft the perfect itinerary to showcase the extraordinary highlights of this region. To that end, we present you with this month's itinerary!

DAY 1 / KIGALI  Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by a Hemingways Expeditions' representative and be transferred to Hotel Des Mille Collines for overnight. -Dinner on own account. Situated in a large exotic garden in downtown Kigali, Hotel des Mille Collines' 112 exclusive rooms and executive suites include a balcony, direct dial telephone, satellite/movie channels, mini-bar and PC hook-up. The top floor 'Le Panorama' Restaurant, with magnificent views over Kigali, offers culinary delights and international cuisine while 'Stan's Bar', offers a wide selection of local and international drinks and cocktails. Other amenities include a swimming pool, fitness room as well as a floodlit tennis court. The Pool Bar is a daily meeting place for locals and international travellers.

HOTEL DES MILLE COLLINES (BB)

DAY 2 / KIGALI - RUHENGERI (HB) After breakfast, proceed on a city tour of Kigali which includes the memorial and craft centres.  The history of Rwanda dates back centuries, Kigali has been a part of it for a hundred years. Founded in 1907 as a German settlement, Kigali did not become the capital until Rwanda's independence in 1962 when it replaced the colonial seat of power in. Since then, the city has seen major economic development resulting in what it is today; a vibrant African city of 1 million with wide boulevards, an international airport, world-class hotels and restaurants, crafts & curio shops as well as a lively, cosmopolitan population. Visit the Kandt Museum, tour old Kigali and the Craft centres, visit the genocide memorial site where you learn about Rwanda's history pre-colonial to 1994 genocide as well as other genocides in the world. Tour more and see the new developments; the recovery has been incredible, a true testament to humankind's resilience.

After lunch at Chez John Restaurant on own account, drive for 2hrs 30mins to Ruhengeri at the foothills of the Virungas to arrive at Jack Hanna's House for dinner and overnight. Jack Hanna is a well known American TV personality (especially as host of the Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures) who came to Rwanda, fell in love with the country and decided to build a home there. For location, he chose the grounds of Gorillas Nest Lodge overlooking the golf course with full view of the volcanoes - the result is the celebrated Jack Hanna's Cottage.

Fully refurbished in 2010, the house is an unpretentious cottage with 2 en-suite bedrooms (one Double and one Twin) plus a dining room leading on from a small and cozy living room with fire place and an own small but functional kitchen. The whole 2-bed room cottage is taken only on exclusive use basis, for a maximum of 05 persons, and comes with its own private house staffers who wait on you, hand and foot. Being in Jack Hanna's house feels like having moved with your own cottage to Kinigi.

JACK HANNA'S HOUSE (FB) 

DAY 3 / RUHENGERI - KIGALI - NAIROBI (BL) After an early breakfast, drive to the Volcanoes National Park to be allocated a gorilla tracking group.  0700 hrs: Briefing by your trackers then drive to the trail head for the start of an amazing adventure. Our exhilarating trek, in the footsteps of the rare and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas, the largest living primate on earth, starts in the cultivated foothills of the Virungas with stirring views in all directions. Upon entering the national park, her paths littered with fresh spoor of the mountains' elusive buffalo and elephant, trekkers will be immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rain forest, alive with colorful bird calls, butterflies, etc. Through gaps in the canopy, the magnificent Virunga peaks, among the highest in Africa yet easily accessible, are glimpsed, beckoning an ascent. Weaving through overhanging vines, moss-covered hagenia and giant lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate, our experienced trackers, they spent their entire lives in or close to this forest, soon bring us up close with the family.

Upon sighting the gorillas, you will stay with them for a magical hour as they go about their daily life, feeding, playing, resting; raising their young. Coming face to face with a giant silverback must truly be one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth!

After lunch at the lodge, you will drive back to Kigali and be transferred to the Airport for your departure flight to Nairobi, Kenya. On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you will be met and assisted with immigration and customs formalities before being transferred to Hemingways Nairobi Hotel for overnight. Beautiful in its symmetry and flooded with natural light, this plantation-style property is airy and spacious. Its 80 squared metre bedrooms each have a private balcony overlooking the iconic silhouette of the Ngong Hills. Hallmark Hemingway's hospitality, borne out of decades of expertise in welcoming guests to Kenya, makes you the focus of their every design. This hotel is only a 40-minute drive away from Nairobi's international airport.

HEMINGWAYS NAIROBI HOTEL (BB)

DAY 4 / NAIROBI - AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK (FB) Set against the magnificent backdrop of Africa's highest mountain, the glittering Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge enjoys a uniquely privileged position at the heart of this world-famous national park. Secluded within a grove of acacia trees, the lodge looks out over the golden savannah plains, with uninterrupted views of the mountain itself. Close by are a series of emerald green swamps, which are fed by the melting snows of Kilimanjaro. These, the only sources of water in this otherwise starkly beautiful but arid park, attract huge numbers of wallowing elephants, hippos, buffalos and plains game.

Meanwhile, from the prehistoric site of Observation Hill, the sunset over Kilimanjaro is magnificent. At the centre of 'Maasailand', the lodge's décor reflects the brilliant primary colours and iconic shapes representative of these legendary warriors. At the heart of the lodge, shaded by palm trees, is a free -form swimming pool; to either side of which stretch the rooms. Each room is housed in a single story building opening directly on to the grounds, each reflecting a Maasai manyatta theme: each with its own hand-painted wall frescoes. The central dining area is reached by a timbered bridge over a melt-water stream, while the lounge and bar feature a broad terrace and a blazing fire-pit where evening cocktails can be enjoyed. Activities include daily game drives in custom-built traditional safari vehicles, 'sundowners' on Observation Hill, bush breakfasts, bush dinners, Maasai dance performances, visits to Maasai villages and tree-planting programmes.

AMBOSELI SERENA SAFARI LODGE (FB)

DAY 5 / AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK (FB) Enjoy day game drives in the Park and meals at Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge.  Amboseli lies immediately north-west of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. Gazetted as a National Park in 1974, the park covers 392 square km, and forms part of the much larger 3,000 square km Amboseli ecosystem. The National Park embodies the five main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a Pleistocene lake basin, now dry.

Amboseli is a fairly small National Park yet it is so rich in both flora and fauna that it has recently been designated an International Bio-sphere Reserve. The snowcapped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above a saucer of clouds dominates every aspect of Amboseli, providing some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Amboseli has over 80 different mammals to be found in the park, most famously the imposing African Elephant. With over 400 species of birds, the park is truly a nature lover's paradise. Famous for its big game and scenic beauty, Amboseli is truly a memorable area to visit.

DAY 6 / AMBOSELI - NGORONGORO (FB) After breakfast, you are transferred to Namanga Border where you will clear with Customs and Immigrations and later cross over to Tanzania.  Your Tanzanian Guide will drive you to Arusha Coffee Lodge for lunch and later drive to Ngorongoro Serena Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Regularly voted one of the best hotels in the world, this unique lodge clings to the rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, the largest and most perfect volcanic crater on Earth. Long and low, the lodge is built from local river stone and camouflaged with indigenous vines. Designed to blend completely into the landscape, it is entirely invisible from the floor of the Crater 600 metres below.

Known as 'the eighth wonder of the world' the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a unique biosphere, which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Deep within the Crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests of 'the land that time forgot', dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos and lions. Hugging the contours of the jagged Crater rim, the lodge takes its inspiration from the so-called 'Cradle of Mankind', the prehistoric site of Olduvai Gorge, which lies close by. Linked by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its walls are decorated with stylized prehistoric cave paintings and lit by flaring torches. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Decorated with cave paintings, the rooms are strung around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock- enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheatre far below.

NGORONGORO SERENA SAFARI LODGE (HB)

DAY 7 / NGORONGORO CRATER (FB) After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch boxes to the Crater floor for full day game drive.   The Ngorongoro Crater is often called 'Africa's Eden' and the '8th Natural Wonder of the World,' a visit to the crater is a main draw card for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. Within the crater rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater's ridge, tall Maasai herd their cattle and goats over green pastures through the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as they have for centuries.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes its eponymous famous crater, Olduvai Gorge, and huge expanses of highland plains, scrub bush, and forests that cover approximately 8300 square kilometres. A protected area, only indigenous tribes such as the Maasai are allowed to live within its borders. Lake Ndutu and Masek, both alkaline soda lakes are home to rich game populations, as well as a series of peaks and volcanoes and make the Conservation Area a unique and beautiful landscape.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact caldera in an exceptional geographical position, forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometres with sides up to 600m deep, the stalking ground of around 20,000 to 30,000 wild animals at any one time. The crater floor consists of a number of ecological environments that include grassland, swamps, forests and Lake Makat, a central soda lake filled by the Munge River. All these various habitats attract various wildlife to drink, wallow, graze, hide or climb. Although animals are free to move in and out of this contained environment, the rich volcanic soil, lush forests and spring source lakes on the crater floor tend to incline both grazers and predators to remain here throughout the year. The Ngorongoro Crater and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are without a doubt some of the most beautiful parts of Tanzania, steeped in history and teeming with wildlife. Besides vehicle safaris to Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and surrounding attractions, hiking treks through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are also available.

NGORONGORO SERENA SAFARI LODGE (HB)

DAY 8 / NGORONGORO - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (FB) After breakfast, collect picnic lunch boxes and drive to Serengeti.  Arrive at Kirawira Tented Camp for late check in,  dinner  and  overnight.    A  member  of  the Small  Luxury  Hotels  of  the  World  group,  Kirawira  Serena Camp offers the epitome of classic 'Out of Africa' safari camp luxury. Styled to replicate the elegant hunting camps of such legendary 'white hunters' as Denys Finch Hatton and Baron Bror Blixen, it is located adjacent to the famous western corridor of the Serengeti National Park - arena of the 'Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth', the annual migration of over one million wildebeest.

Designed in typically Edwardian style, this exclusive camp features an elegant central meeting tent evocatively furnished with a tasteful selection of chintz-covered chaises longues, Persian rugs, antique escritoire, wind-up phonograms, leather-bound travelling cases, brass shooting sticks, carved rocking chairs, and stud-backed smoking chairs. In keeping with the theme of colonial opulence, the elegant twin dining tents feature Edwardian- styled dining furniture, sprung floors, crisp-starched napery, delicate blue and white china and weighty silver accoutrements, whilst the staff are attired in classical colonial 'mess' uniform of white Swahili robes. The camp has just 25 widely-spaced luxury tents, raised on timber platforms, each with a glorious view of the plains. Each tent has a spacious furnished deck leading to a bedroom furnished in antique Edwardian style with steamer-trunks, writing desk, brass lamps, rugs, sepia photographs and four-poster bed with patchwork quilt. Each tent has its own personal valet.

KIRAWIRA SERENA TENTED CAMP (HB)

DAY 9 - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (FB) Enjoy two days of game viewing in the vast Serengeti National Park.   The Serengeti region encompasses the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. It's unique ecosystem has inspired writers from Ernest Hemingway to Peter Mattheissen, filmakers like Hugo von Lawick and Alan Root as well as numerous photographers and scientists.

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves It is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back. The Wildebeest travel through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat.

KIRAWIRA SERENA CAMP (FB)

DAY 10 / SERENGETI - MAASAI MARA GAME RESERVE (FB) After breakfast, you are transferred to the airstrip for your scheduled flight to Maasai Mara Game Reserve.  The flight departs Grumeti airstrip at 0905 hrs and arrives Maasai Mara at approximately 1130 hrs.   On arrival at Masai Mara, you are met by Mara Intrepids Camp's driver guide who will transfer you to the camp for lunch.

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, Mara Intrepids 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

Inclusions at Mara Intrepids Camp: Game drives in shared camp based 4 x 4 safari land cruiser Full board accommodation Water during game drives Park entrance fees

MARA INTREPIDS CAMP (FB

DAY 11 & 12 / MAASAI MARA GAME RESERVE (FB) Enjoy two days of uninterrupted game viewing. The Masai
Mara Game Reserve is Kenya's finest wildlife 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. Amongst the list of easy-to-view species are: gazelle, elephant, topi, buffalo, lion (Kenya's largest population), black rhino, hippo, hyena, giraffe, leopard and mongoose. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well-spread rainfall year round. 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.

MARA INTREPIDS CAMP (FB)

DAY 13 / NAIROBI (BB) After breakfast, drive to Nairobi.  This is a 4 hours' drive though the beautiful rift valley.  Arrive at Hemingways Nairobi Hotel in the late afternoon and after lunch, drive to the Giraffe Centre.

The Centre was established in order to protect the endangeredRothschild giraffe, giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi by Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, when he and his wife Betty captured a baby giraffe to start a programme of breeding giraffe in captivity at their home in Langata - home of the present centre. Since then the programme has had huge success, resulting in the introduction of several breeding pairs of Rothschild Giraffe into Kenyan national parks. 

In 1979, Leslie-Melville added an education centre to his (then still private) giraffe sanctuary. By 1983 he had raised enough money to establish the Giraffe Visitor's Centre as a tourist destination in Nairobi. The main attraction for visitors is feeding giraffes from a raised observation platform. The centre is also home to several warthogs warthogs which freely roam the area along with the giraffes.

After spending time with the Giraffes, drive across the road to Daphne Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage located in the Nairobi Game Park, Kenya. It was originally started by David Sheldrick, and the work was taken over by his wife after his death. The park itself is too small to sustain any adult elephants, but they take in orphaned baby elephants from all over Kenya. Unfortunately, due to the rise in ivory poaching, most of the elephants are there because their mothers have been killed by hunters, but some have just been separated from their mothers for some reason.

The elephants are raised with the intention of gradually re-integrating them into the wild. The age range of the elephants can vary from a few months up to three years. Each elephant is assigned its own keeper, who acts as a surrogate mother and will stay with the elephant until it is released back into the wild. Being orphaned is obviously a very traumatic experience, so the keeper spends as much time as possible with the elephant in the first few days to lavish attention on it. Looking after the elephant involves feeding it, providing shade so that it doesn't get sunburnt, and, as the elephant gets older, taking it for walks in the park. Once the elephant is old enough, it is transferred to Tsavo Game Park to begin the final part of its release back into the wild.

Your visit is scheduled between 1700 hrs and 1800 hrs to see the elephants being fed and playing and is only open to foster parents, thus treated as a private view. In addition, there is a keeper there who will give a talk about the elephants, where they came from, how they are getting on, and how some of the previous orphans are progressing. Usually there are no more than 25 to 30 people there, so you can get really close to the elephants. They also take in rhinos as well, so if you are lucky you will get the chance to see a young rhino.  Later drive back to Hemingways Hotel Nairobi for overnight.

HEMINGWAYS NAIROBI HOTEL (BB)

DAY 14 / NAIROBI - DEPART Depending on your departure flight, you are transferred to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.  Check out time at Hemingways Nairobi Hotel is at 10:00 hrs.

END OF SERVICE

INCLUDED ON YOUR SAFARI: Meet and greet in Nairobi and Kigali Round transfers in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania Private transport in safari 4 x 4 land cruiser in Amboseli and Tanzania Transport in shared Camp vehicle In Maasai Mara Mineral water in the vehicles during game drives Bed and breakfast accommodation in Nairobi and full board accommodation on safari - picnic lunches where applicable Internal air including taxes: Kigali - Nairobi, Serengeti - Maasai Mara & Maasai Mara - Wilson Park and conservation fees including all applicable taxes Gorilla Permit (Currently at $ 750 ) Flying Doctors Evacuation membership (conditions apply)

EXCLUDED ON YOUR SAFARI: International air Visa fees Items of personal nature Soft and alcoholic drinks at all hotels, camps and lodges

Source: Unique Safari ExperiencesKenyaRwanda & Uganda