Spring Break Itinerary | Kenya | March 2016

An Unforgettable Spring Break Safari in Kenya March 5 – 15, 2016

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ITINERARY

Saturday, March 5, 2016 Upon arrival of Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, after clearing Kenya Customs and Immigration Services, you will be met by your private guide, Edward Arkle, and transferred by road to Giraffe Manor.

Accommodation based on 2 nights.

Accommodation: Giraffe Manor Room : Standard Room Dates : Check in : March 5, 2016 Check out: March 7, 2016 Included : Accommodation on a Full Board basis including all meals, wine, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages (Champagne is excluded), laundry, transfers, sightseeing vehicles, entrance to Giraffe Center and taxes.

Giraffe Manor is one of Nairobi’s most iconic historical buildings dating back to the 1930s and is reminiscent of the early days of Europeans in East Africa. While the building itself resonates with the past, very much present is the herd of resident Rothschild giraffe who tend to visit the Manor in the mornings and evenings to greet guests and sniff out some snacks before venturing out into their sanctuary of 140 acres. From 1974, Giraffe Manor was the home of Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, whose lifelong ambition became the preservation of this beautiful and threatened species of giraffe. When Jock died, Betty decided to open her house to visitors. It is the only place in the world where you can feed and photograph the giraffe over your breakfast table and at the front door, and even from a bedroom window.

Giraffe Manor is an elegant and exclusive small hotel with a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained staff and one of Nairobi’s finest kitchens. Ten double bedrooms, with connecting or adjacent baths, are elegantly furnished - one of them with Karen Blixen’s own furniture. Guests may feed the giraffe and warthogs and wander the adjoining primeval forest viewing dik dik, bush buck and more than 180 species of birds.

During your stay you can stroll across the lawn to the AFEW Giraffe Center to learn about the endangered Rothschild Giraffe or take a guided walk around the sanctuary. The nearby Karen Blixen Museum is dedicated to the Danish explorer and writer; Kazuri Beads sells locally-made jewellery. Visit the acclaimed Matbronze Art Gallery and Foundry and the innovative crafts complex, Marula Studios.

Website: www.giraffemanor.com

Sunday, March 6, 2016 Today you will have the opportunity to spend time with the giraffes, with the option of some local sightseeing. A visit to Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage is also included today. The orphanage was founded by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E, in honour of the memory of her late husband, famous naturalist and founding Warden of Tsavo East National Park, David Leslie William Sheldrick MBE. To date the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has successfully hand-raised

over 150 infant elephants and has accomplished its long-term conservation priority by effectively reintegrating orphans back into the wild herds of Tsavo.

Monday, March 7, 2016 In the morning, you will be transferred to Wilson Airport for the 10:30 AM light aircraft flight to Nanyuki. Upon arrival at the Nanyuki airstrip, you will be transferred by road to Solio Lodge.

Accommodation based on 2 nights.

Accommodation: Solio Lodge Room : Standard Room Dates : Check in : March 7, 2016 Check out: March 9, 2016 Included : Accommodation on a Full Board basis including all meals and drinks (excluding premium brands), mountain biking, horseback riding, game drives and guided walks.

Nestled in a perfect position between the dramatic slopes of the Aberdare Mountains and towering Mount Kenya, Solio Lodge offers superb game viewing along with the chance to visit the private rhino breeding reserve adjacent to the lodge.

The Solio Reserve is part of a private ranch, and is home to an incredible amount of game – white and black rhino are often seen, and the reserve is considered one of the best places in Kenya to see leopard. As a private conservancy, the game viewing is exclusive and game drives will explore a variety of different habitats. As well as rhino and leopard, guests can expect to see lion, elephant, buffalo, the rare giant forest hog and a wonderful variety of plains game.

Activities include day and night game drives in the company of your expert guide, morning bird walks, sundowner walks, horseback riding, mountain biking and helicopter and fishing trips to Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains can be arranged at an additional cost.

The six cozy and luxurious rooms have been built with enormous glass windows to give incredible panoramic views of the rolling hills and Mount Kenya. The rooms all have their own living area complete with a roaring log fire (Solio is high in altitude and can be cold at night) and a huge bathroom. Each room is designed individually so no two are the same. The service and hospitality at Solio Lodge is among the best in Kenya – attentive staff is on hand to cater to your every whim, and meals are a lively affair, with delicious home-cooked food being served.

Website: http://www.thesafaricollection.com/properties/47-solio

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 Enjoy a full day of game viewing and activities at Solio Lodge.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016 At the appropriate time today, you will be driven to Solio airstrip for your private charter flight to Sasaab. Upon arrival of Sasaab, you will be greeted and driven a short distance to camp.

Accommodation based on 3 nights.

Accommodation: Sasaab Room : Tented Room Dates : Check in : March 9, 2016 Check out: March 12, 2016 Included : Accommodation on a Full Board basis including all meals and drinks (excluding premium brands), game drives, guided bush walks, camel walks, fly camping (by prior arrangement) and laundry.

Sasaab is situated on a rocky ridge above the banks of the mighty Ewaso Nyiro River in northcentral Kenya. Here in the heart of Samburu land, Sasaab is the only lodge in the vicinity and the safari experience is all the more spectacular for the location’s wildness. The architecture of Sasaab follows strong Moroccan design principles, in which African heat is of primary consideration. Each of the nine Moroccan-styled rooms is over 1000 ft² with an enormous openair bathroom and private plunge pool. From the veranda, guests can take in the remarkable views across the Laikipia Plateau toward the jagged peak of Mount Kenya. Its position on the river naturally facilitates watching the herds of elephant that come to bathe. Sasaab also has a main swimming pool, built on the hillside overlooking the river itself. Dinner is usually served under the stars. There is Wi-Fi throughout. Baby-sitters are available and special meals are by prior arrangement. Sasaab prides itself on hospitality with friendly and attentive staff that strives to make every guest experience unforgettable.

Sasaab is close to the Buffalo Springs National Reserves, in Kenya’s Northern Frontier District.

It’s a place of rich natural diversity with an astounding number of animals from huge majestic elephant to lion, leopard and cheetah and the ‘Samburu Special Five’: the Beisa oryx, reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Gerenuk antelope and Somali ostrich. Choose to explore this area on a game drive or by camel, which allows for a unique perspective. For a special experience, guests can spend a night or two fly-camping under mosquito net tents in the wilderness. This amazing trip starts with a 4–5 hour walk along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this untamed and romantic part of Kenya. Have dinner with views across the wilds of the northern frontier and sleep under the stars. We recommend a visit with the hospitable Samburu people who are delighted to show you their traditions and way of life. Local Samburu guides speak excellent English and will take children under their wing to teach them how to make of a traditional bow or a toothbrush from the ‘toothbrush tree’.

You can also enjoy guided walks, bird-watching and stargazing or relax at Spasaab – our haven of peace and serenity, purpose built into the rocks with impressive views and tranquil sounds of birds and the river below. Our treatments use Liz Earle skin care products and an assortment of natural ingredients including Kenyan coffee.

Website: http://www.thesafaricollection.com/properties/sasaab

Thursday – Friday, March 10 – 11, 2016 Enjoy two full days of game viewing and activities at Sasaab.

Saturday, March 12, 2016 Accommodation based on 3 nights.

Accommodation: Sala’s Camp Room : Tented Room Dates : Check in : March 12, 2016 Check out: March 15, 2016 Included : Accommodation on a Full Board basis including all meals and drinks (excluding premium brands), game drives, airstrip transfers and laundry.

Sala’s Camp combines tradition with comfort. It is a model of understated, intimate luxury.

Situated in the southern, wild corner of Kenya’s mighty Masai Mara game reserve (close to the confluence of the Sand and Keekerok Rivers) it is an idyllic location that is teeming with wildlife.

With just seven tented rooms, Sala’s Camp first hosted guests in 2004, and it has become justly renowned for combining an authentic safari experience with friendliness, hospitality and fine dining. Typically, after a day’s excursion, you’ll return to meet up for sundowners by the campfire before enjoying dinner with your companions on a long table beneath the stars.

Sala’s Camp location is a big draw. It is so close to Tanzania that guests can enjoy wonderful views of the Serengeti National Park over the border. Sala’s Camp also offers the best of the Masai Mara’s wildlife and birdlife all year round. Knowledgeable guides help you interpret this fascinating landscape as well as point out its flora and fauna. There are a variety of excursions offered. You can see the Big Five on a 4x4 game drive and take to a hot-air balloon for a panoramic aerial safari. Sala’s Camp’s resident big cats give you the opportunity to see these astonishing animals at close quarters. We also offer other experiences including candle-lit

romantic dinners on the riverbank and star-gazing nights where you can learn about the formations in the dark, unpolluted skies. Sala’s Camp offers a special program for children where spotters teach young guests all the secrets of wildlife.

The camp’s interiors are elegant and comfortable, offering crisp white sheets, African throws and silken cushions. All rooms have olive-wood beds and en-suite bathrooms with hot showers, running water and flushing toilets. There are complimentary cleansing products include shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and mosquito repellent. Also, you’ll find white towelling robes, a flashlight and other thoughtful touches. The electricity is solar-powered and there is a standby generator for refrigeration and charging devices. Outside, you can relax in your hammock and watch the sun go down over the Mara. There is also Wi-Fi internet access in the main area.

Website: http://www.thesafaricollection.com/properties/salas-camp

Sunday – Monday, March 13 – 14, 2016 Enjoy two full days of game viewing and activities at Sala’s Camp.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 This morning at a time to be advised by the camp manager, you will be transferred to Keekorok airstrip for the Safarilink scheduled flight to Wilson Airport.

Upon arrival of Wilson Airport, you will be met and transferred to the House of Waine where a dayroom will be reserved on your behalf. Spend the afternoon at leisure or perhaps do some shopping or sightseeing.

After an early dinner, you will be transferred to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and assisted to check-in for your international flight home (commercial flight costs not included).

Accommodation based a dayroom.

Accommodation: House of Waine Room : Standard Room Dates : Check in : March 15, 2016 Check out: March 15, 2016 Included : Accommodation based on dayroom use only.

The House of Waine is a boutique hotel located in a residential suburb to the North West of Nairobi known as Karen. This district is so named after the famous author Karen Blixen who had her coffee plantation here. The hotel is exclusive and private, comfortable and luxurious and has 11 en suite bedrooms. The house was built in the 1970s as a private home and then renovated recently to create a relaxing atmosphere for weary travellers. The hotel is located on 2.5 acres of serene grounds. Each room has a television with satellite channels, direct dial telephone and Internet access. There are a variety of delectable dishes (served in various locations on the property), which reflect the diversity of flavors found in Nairobi. There are also two bars, which are exclusively for the use of guests, and a welcoming heated swimming pool.

House of Waine is a family owned and run property. Originally a family house, it was lovingly converted to a boutique hotel and eventually opened in 2004. The interior design takes its cue from the Matriarch of the family and is imbued with a timeless elegance much like her. House of Waine is the realization of a generation’s long dream that all started with the maternal Grandfather, an entrepreneur who started a “mkahawa” or coffee shop in Mwiria Village in Meru in the 1950’s.

Website: http://www.houseofwaine.com/

Edward Arkle Guide Bio: “Eddie” was born in Kenya and raised in the Shimba Hills where he inherited a love for the outdoors and wildlife from his father, who was an honorary game warden based at Shimba Hills National Reserve and the founder of Shimba Hills Lodge. From those beginnings and throughout his life, Eddie has been passionate about wildlife and has attained guiding qualifications in both South Africa, with the Field Guide Association of Southern Africa, and in Kenya with the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association to Silver Level and a qualified First Aider! Furthermore, Eddie is a qualified mountain guide with the British Mountaineering Council and enjoys leading treks up East Africa’s mountains. He has a wealth of experience having grown up in the bush and has spent the last ten years guiding in Kenya’s national parks and reserves as well as managing various camps in the Masai Mara, Amboseli and Lake Victoria. His enthusiasm for nature is infectious and he enjoys nothing more than sharing his knowledge and experience with those who come to visit this wonderful part of the world.

Cost based on 8 passengers including all internal and charter flights Adult: $9,110 per person Child (under 16 sharing with an adult): $7,240 per person Single Supplement: $1,475 per person Cost based on 6 passengers including all internal and charter flights Adult: $9,740 per person Child (under 16 sharing with an adult): $7,870 per person Single Supplement: $1,475 per person Included in total safari cost:  Accommodation in the best available twin/double bedded rooms with meals as specified;  Exclusive use of vehicle throughout;  Emergency medical evacuation to nearest major hospital in Nairobi;  Services of a professional safari guide throughout;  Visit to Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant orphanage;

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Airport/lodge transfers throughout; Scheduled and charter flights as indicated; Specific inclusions at lodges and camps as specified; All Park and Conservancy fees.

Excluded from total safari cost:  Travel Protection;  International air transportation to and from the destination;  Airport departure taxes;  Kenya Visa fees;  Gratuities;  Charges for telephone calls or faxes sent;  Optional excursions while on Safari;  Curio shop purchases and any other items of a purely personal nature;  Any services not indicated in the itinerary;  Meals, drinks and laundry at House of Waine.