ELEPHANT FOOTSTEPS TO MAASAI MARA EXPERIENCE

DAY 1: 

You arrive Nairobi with your flight ***Preferable PM flight***. You will be met by an Absolute Vantage representative who will then facilitate your transfer to your Bed & Breakfast accommodation – Karen Gables in the suburbs of Karen for overnight

Karen Gables is a characterful Cape Dutch style private home that sits peacefully off the road in its own verdant gardens. A true home from home, there are numerous private spots to sit and unwind. Karen Gables has 7 Rooms in total: 4 Standard rooms, 2 Junior Suites and 1 Master Suite which is downstairs with a bathtub and office space. This cozy home, built initially as the private residence of the owner, is fully furnished with Wi-Fi, backup generator guaranteeing 24/7 electricity supply, a solar heated swimming pool and fresh borehole water. Delicious freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and evening meals are available to all guests.

DAY 2: EXPLORE NAIROBI

Awake, have a sumptuous breakfast courtesy of the Karen Gables and make your way to the Giraffe Centre for an up-close and personal touch with the endangered Rothschild’s Giraffes. The Giraffe Centre also known as African Fund for Endangered Wildlife have played a pivotal role in breeding the Rothschild Giraffes and re-introducing them back into the wild ever since the late 1970’s and double up as a Conservation Education centre for the Kenyan Youth. A 1 hour stay here is enough to be followed a visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – which starts out journey with Elephants on the safari. This visit puts you in touch with elephants under the age of 2 years who have gone through traumatizing near death situations, lost their families and parents and are now orphaned – thanks to the Trust for having given them hope, a new home and family for them to grow and later own will be introduced back into the Wild. The Trust is only open between 11am and 12 noon for public viewing and there is another 5PM visit for individuals who have fostered elephants. You will have lunch and souvenir shopping at recommended agreed spots in Karen Area (Mat Bronze Wildlife Art Gallery, Utamaduni Artisans, Talisman or Karen Blixen Coffee Garden). Later on indulge in shopping for your Galdessa Visit. 

DAY 3 - 5: EXPLORE GALDESSA 

On Day 3, you will have an early breakfast after which you will be transferred to the Railway station where you will catch your 3-hour train ride to Mtito Andei Station where you will be picked and driven to Galdessa Camp in Tsavo East which will be your home for the next 3 nights. Galdessa Camp is Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s newest property composed of two separate camps: Galdessa Camp and Galdessa Little. With its safari-style setting and front row view of all the wildlife activity on the Galana River, Galdessa Camp invites guests to immerse themselves in the untouched corners of Tsavo. Foster parent guests also have special access to the SWT’s Voi Reintegration Unit with prior written permission from Nairobi office, you will have a firsthand look at SWT’s work raising and rehabilitating orphaned elephants. Galdessa was originally built in the early 1980s, but it was later purchased by SWT. It was completely rebuilt in 2018, incorporating luxury touches while preserving the integrity of the property and the old-world charm it evokes 

ACCOMMODATION:

Each of Galdessa’s Five tented bedrooms feels like its own private oasis. Shaded by doum palms and offering stunning views of the Galana River, each tent is elevated and situated under thatch roofs. Take advantage of the breathtaking vistas from your bedroom’s front deck or enjoy a shower under the stars. The rooms are a combination of twin and double beds, and each includes an en suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers. Sitting under a thatched roof, the airy mess area provides a large, communal space for guests to gather and immerse themselves in Tsavo’s natural beauty. The combined living and dining room gives way to wooden decks perched on the river’s edge. The terraced swimming pool, which sits in the shade of doum palms, offers basking beaches and uninterrupted views of the Galana River and beyond.

***Galdessa Camp is a self-catering location and thus you are required to come with your own food and drinks*** They have an excellent Chef on site who can assist you prepare your meals. 

DAY 6 - 7

On day 6, you will awake early, have breakfast, freshen up, park and embark on a 5-hour drive to Amboseli National Park where you will stay for the next 2 nights. This is where you get to see elephants in the wild, living in harmony with other animals. Amboseli National Park is an open ecosystem boasting huge herds of elephants, zebras, buffaloes, hyenas, lions, giraffes, gazelles and numerous bird species not to forget the magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro. Here you will indulge in mostly morning and late afternoon game drives as this is when you get action of the elephants getting into and leaving the swamps and crossing the park roads from or to where they call home. There is an opportunity to visit the Amboseli Elephant Trust to get enlightened about the work of Cynthia Moss highly recognized by her work researching elephants from the 1980’s. The talk and visit to AET must be pre-arranged early and pre-booked early along with a donation of $800 for the entire group. 

While at Amboseli, you will stay at the Kibo Villa 

Kibo Villa is secluded in five acres of gardens, lawns and a little forest of indigenous tortilis acacia trees. Its tranquil atmosphere combines luxuriant comfort with the ethereal bush appeal of its rugged surroundings. Built in natural stone and elegant gum pole structures, Kibo Villa has three large master ensuite bedrooms, a lounge, a fully facilitated kitchen, a barbeque area, and a dining area that stretches onto a large veranda. The master bedroom occupies the top floor, which opens onto a terrace that overlooks Mt. Kilimanjaro. The spacious villa is designed to accommodate up to six adults, extra beds can be added for children. A personal chef and buttler are at hand at all times to cater for any special requirements. Your stay at the Kibo Villa in Amboseli is inclusive of full board accommodation and drinks, game drives within Amboseli National Park (exclusive use of the game-drive vehicle), option of a bush dinner, a sundowner or a guided walk, Optional half-hour massage, Laundry services and a cultural presentation by the resident naturalist

DAY 8 - 11: EXPLORE MAASAI MARA 

After your Amboseli experience, On Day 8, we will fly you to via Nairobi to the Maasai Mara where you will stay for 4 nights. The Maasai Mara is well known for the annual wildebeest migration in which we have crossings take place in the Mara river between the months of July and September thereabouts. As a result, the Mara is home to the Big cats and a range of herbivores not to forget the big five. Some of the famous wild animals in the park you are likely to encounter include: lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffe, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, buffalo, leopard, cheetah, many kinds of birds, antelopes and elephants.

On one of the days you have the option of per taking an early morning balloon ride over the Mara plains that will be crowned with a champagne bush breakfast. As you ascend aerially, beautiful features unfold before your eyes – gentle rolling hills, meandering rivers and lush grasslands. From this vantage point, you realize that you can locate wildlife with little guidance – giraffes, elephants, gazelles, hippos and many other grazers and foragers. If you are lucky, you may even spot the lordly predators like lions, hyenas, cheetahs and other hunters You also have the option of visiting a Maasai Village to get enlightened about the Maasai Culture

While in the Maasai mara, you will be accommodated at the Entim Mara Camp. 

Entim is designed to give you the friendliest, most intimate, luxury safari camp experience and the best wildlife safari in the Masai Mara. Its prime location along the Mara River is unrivalled for seeing and photographing animals all year around, but particularly to observe the greatest wildlife show on earth; over a million wildebeest, zebra and antelopes migrating from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara (July-October). The Camp has 12 new luxury en-suite guest rooms raised on wooden decks overlooking the Mara River. Handsomely decorated using earthy tones, there’s a seamless flow from inside to outside and down to the river. Watch animals moving to and from the river from your private lounge and veranda, or during scrumptious meals at our open-fronted dining deck.

DAY 12: 

Today you awake at leisure, have breakfast and bid Entim Mara Camp and the Maasai Mara farewell. A drive to the airstrip to catch your scheduled 1-hour flight back to Nairobi. Arrive Wilson Airport and head for Lunch – perhaps at the Talisman Restaurant in Karen. Thereafter you will be transferred to the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel where you will have a day room to re-group and relax awaiting your transfer later on to JKIA terminal to catch your flight back home