Splendours of East Africa

Board your South African Airways flight SA204 departing from JFK airport at 11:15am. (Inflight meals)

On arrival in Johannesburg at 8:00am, connect to South African Airways flight SA040 departing at 10:50am. On arrival in Victoria Falls at 12:30pm, you will be met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel. The balance of your day is at leisure to relax after your flight. (inflight meals)

Overnight at The Kingdom Hotel

No surprise why Victoria Falls is one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World! You'll understand it instantly as we tour the Zimbabwean side, for there are numerous spectacular vantage points along the width of the fall, and the sight of this astounding gift of nature, simply takes your breath away. We'll walk through the permanent, beautifully misty rain forest which flanks the fall, stopping to marvel at the principal sites as it cascades to the depths below: the Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls, the Boiling Pot, Cataract Island and Livingstone Island. We'll stand and watch, feel and listen to the spray and thunderous noise, as millions of litres of water tumble over the Falls into a series of narrow gorges below. The seventh Natural Wonder of the World puts on the most dramatic show for you, and you'll be privileged to have watched it.

Later this afternoon, put your feet up, sip a sundowner as the light gently fades, and let our tranquil wildlife cruise float you along the Zambezi River above the Falls. You'll have the finest vantage point from which to watch hippo, crocodiles and other animals which come down to the river's edge in the early evening, to slake their thirst. You're in the first-class seats, that's for sure, and while you’re sipping your cocktail and enjoying snacks - you'll be captivated by the sun's dying rays as they cast a burnt-orange glow which shimmers on the river. Take another sip in this golden setting - cheers! (B)

Enjoy a full day at leisure. There are plenty of optional activities available such as a helicopter or ultralight flights over the Falls for the optimum viewing experience. Go on an elephant back safari or a game drive in one of the nearby parks.

This evening enjoys an African Boma dinner. It's a Must Do experience, with exuberant cultural songs, dances and an extraordinary traditional meal! This unique dining experience, coupled with a feast of cultural entertainment, is a magical night out to remember. Shangaan and Ndebele dancers and singers will inspire you with their pulsating energy, and we'll soon have to hold you back from the dance floor! You'll also be tucking into traditional Zimbabwean delicacies for dinner… and for the bravehearts among us; we've a few lightly grilled Mopani worms. Yes, it's a night you won't forget. (BD)

Enjoy a leisurely morning before transferring to the Victoria Falls airport. South African Airways flight SA041 departs at 1:20pm. On arrival in Johannesburg at 3:05pm, you will be met and transferred to your hotel right by the airport. (BD)

Overnight at the Protea OR Tambo Hotel

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Nairobi. South African Airways flight SA184 departs at 9:40 am. On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 2:45 pm, you will be met and assisted by our local representative. Transfer to your hotel for check-in and overnight rest. (B, Inflight meals)

Overnight at Hotel Intercontinental Nairobi.

After breakfast, drive to the Samburu National Reserve. Rugged and remote, this wildlife reserve provides some of the best and most colorful game viewing in the country. Arrive for lunch at your lodge. Afternoon game drive until sunset. (BLD)

Overnight at Samburu Lodge.

Full day in Samburu with morning and afternoon game drives.

Samburu is a lava plain with steep-sided gullies and rounded hills - is physically dramatic with the great Ololokwe table mountain in the background. The central feature of the reserve is the winding and looping Ewaso Nyiro river. On either side of the river, a green ribbon presents a gallery of forest acacia, doum palm and Tamarind, which act as host to a multitude of birdlife. Some of Kenya's rarer species like the long-necked gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, beisa oryx and blue-shanked Somali ostrich can be seen here. (BLD)

Overnight at Samburu Lodge

After breakfast, you will drive to the Aberdares region, a beautiful mountain range in the central highlands of Kenya. On arrival at your lodge, you will check-in and have lunch at the Aberdares country club, which serves as the base hotel for Ark lodge. This afternoon after your lunch you will be transferred by the lodge vehicle to Ark Lodge. (BLD)

Overnight at The Ark Lodge

After breakfast, you will be collected for the day’s drive taking you past the Aberdares mountain range to the floor of the Great Rift Valley, the destination Lake Nakuru. Lunch at the lodge. Proceed for an afternoon game drive until sunset.

Lake Nakuru National Park should not be regarded only as a flamingo sanctuary - particularly as these birds migrate from Nakuru to other Rift Valley lakes. It is an outstanding place for watching a variety of birds including other brackish water species and birds of prey. Herds of waterbuck, gazelle, impala and reedbuck graze in the pretty surrounding acacia woods and grasslands of the Lake Nakuru National Park, the environs of which are constantly being extended with the assistance of the World Wildlife Fund. Lake Nakuru is now the home of the numerous leopard and rhino, who have been placed in the park for safety - the park has recently been designated a rhino sanctuary. (BLD)

Overnight stay at Lion Hill Lodge.

After breakfast, drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve offering wonderful scenery and plenty of game. It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago. En route Boat Ride at Lake Naivasha and lunch at Lake Naivasha Country Club. (BLD)

Overnight at Siana Springs Tented Camp.

(Early morning optional balloon ride with champagne-style breakfast. At extra cost)
Whole day spent in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives.

The Masai Mara National Reserve (1,812 sq Km) offers wonderful scenery and an abundance of big game. With its rolling plains and grasslands, it is reminiscent of "Hemingway Country". There are very large herds of buffalo, wildebeest and various antelope. In addition hippo, giraffe, elephant, cheetah, and leopard are frequently seen. The Mara is renowned for its magnificent black-maned lions with their large pride who spend most of the day sleeping in the shade of the Acacia trees. The Mara is also the scene of the spectacular Wildebeest migration, which passes through the Mara between June and September on their annual trek from the southern plains of the Serengeti. (BLD)

Overnight at Siana Springs Tented Camp.

After breakfast, morning game drive. Lunch at your camp. After lunch proceed to Nairobi and drop off at your hotel for dinner. (BLD)

Overnight at Hotel Intercontinental, Nairobi.

After breakfast, drive to the border town of Namanga where you will clear customs and immigration formalities. Proceed in Tanzanian vehicles to Arusha for lunch. After lunch, drive to the Tarangire National Park, named after the Tarangire River which rises in Tanzania's central highland. The river lures thousands of plains game to its banks. Afternoon game drives en route to the lodge.

Tarangire's unrivalled landscape of open plains, dotted with thousands of baobabs, is unforgettable. Tarangire rivals the Serengeti for the size of the game herds that congregate here at peak season (June to November). This is when many of the animals crowd around the only source of permanent water in the park, the Tarangire River. This is also the best place in Tanzania to see really big herds of elephants - up to 300 at a time. Tarangire is one of Africa's little-known gems and should be on the itinerary of all lovers of wilderness and solitude. (BLD)

Overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.

After breakfast proceeds to Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. Enjoy lunch at the incredibly scenic Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. After lunch, we proceed to the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact caldera in the world with abundant wildlife permanently resident on the crater floor. (BLD)

Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

After breakfast, depart for a half-day tour of the crater floor. Return to your lodge for lunch. Afternoon at leisure.

Designated as a World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact volcanic crater, has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. An estimated 30,000 animals make it the principal attraction on the Northern Tanzanian Safari Circuit. This cross-section of wildlife is as diverse as you will find, dispersed amongst an amazing array of ecosystems within the Natural Amphitheater. It is home to one of the few remaining populations of Black Rhino in Tanzania and just about every other East African mammal. Another distinct phenomenon of the Ngorongoro region is the successful co-existence of the Maasai tribe with the wild animals. It is not uncommon to see Maasai Moran (young male warriors) walking their cattle herds to the waters of the crater carrying a spear for defense against the animals. (BLD)

Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

After breakfast, drive to Arusha for lunch. After lunch, we drive to the border town of Namanga where you will clear customs and immigration formalities. Proceed in Kenyan vehicles and transfer to Nairobi. (BLD)

Overnight at Hotel Intercontinental, Nairobi.

After breakfast, enjoy a morning tour of Nairobi including visit to Giraffe Center, Karen Blixen Museum and the bead factory.

This sightseeing tour takes us to the Giraffe Centre, in the suburb of Langata, where the Rothschild giraffe was saved from extinction. At the facility, you can feed the giraffes and learn all about these unique and lovable animals. Our tour also includes a visit to the former home of Karen Blixen (author Isak Dinesen, who wrote Out of Africa). Blixen's farmhouse, which was presented to the Kenyan government by Denmark, is now a museum—it's located next door to the Karen College. Continue to the nearby Kazuri bead factory. Karuzi which means "small and beautiful" in Swahili began in 1975 as a tiny workshop experimenting on making handmade beads. The factory is located on what used to be part of the Karen Blixen Estate. They started with 2 Kenyan women and soon discovered that there were many other women in the villages around Nairobi, most of whom were single mothers, who were in great need of regular employment. Driven by the desire to provide such opportunities, Karuzi has grown and today has a large workforce skilled in the making of beautiful handmade jewelry.

Return to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your departure flight back home. Our local representative will re-confirm your onward flight, and assist you at check-in. South African Airways flight SA185 departs at 3:35 pm. On arrival in Johannesburg at 6:50 pm, connect to SA203 departing at 9:25 pm for New York. (B + Inflight meals)

On arrival at New Yorks's JFK airport at 6:40am, proceed through US customs and immigration. Welcome home! (Inflight meals)