23rd October: Nairobi to Tsavo East National Park

On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta Airport on Kenya Airways (KQ003) at 11h05, you will be met by a representative from Tradewinds and escorted through immigration & customs and out to your East African Air Charters private aircraft to fly straight to Tsavo East National Park (to arrive approx 12h30), where you will be greeted by a driver from Galdessa and transferred to the Lodge.

23rd to 26th October: Galdessa Little, Tsavo East

The first thing you might notice from the air when you are approaching the airstrip in Tsavo is the grand size of this park. These are big expanses and very wild country.

Fringed with doum palms and overlooking the Yatta Plateau, Galdessa offers a luxurious yet wild experience for travellers seeking to immerse themselves in a hidden and untouched corner of Tsavo East National Park. Enjoying a position on the Galana river, wildlife sightings are frequent, whether you enjoy a game drive or stay at the camp watching hippos, elephants and more as they come to cool off in the river. Galdessa Little has just three tents and is exclusive to your family for the next three nights.

The Sheldrick Trust that runs Galdessa Camp as well as the Elephant Orphanages at Voi, Nairobi, Ithumba, Kibwezi is a not for profit organization that has done more to relieve elephant suffering in Kenya than any other conservation operation on earth. The trust was begun by Dame Daphne Sheldrick who pioneered not just the physical methods of raising an elephant but also the emotional investments that these social animals require to survive. All the orphan elephants within the Sheldrick Trust’s care underwent severe trauma when they became separated from their mothers and herds. Many experienced violence and cruelty that is hard to imagine. To see the beaming happiness of these same animals as they wallow in their ponds, interact with their keepers, or roll in the mud is genuinely reaffirming and brings tears to many a visitors eye. To hear directly from the keepers their latest elephant stories and to understand how these young animals are learning to fend for themselves in Tsavo, gives a far deeper understanding of their beautiful and complex intelligence.

26th October: Tsavo East to Lewa

This morning you will be transferred back across to the nearby airstrip to meet your East African Air Charters aircraft (departing at 10h00) for your private charter flight north, up to the well renowned, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

26th to 29th October: Sirikoi House, Lewa

On arrival at Lewa airstrip at 11h25, you will be met by a guide from Sirikoi and taken on a short game drive through the conservancy and across to the Lodge. Here you will have time to settle into Sirikoi House, your private accommodation for the next three nights, before enjoying a delicious lunch on the dining deck overlooking the often plentiful wildlife which may be visiting the wetlands and waterhole in front of the lodge.

Sirikoi is surrounded by 68,000 acres of the pure wilderness of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and the location of the lodge is truly exceptional. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an award-winning model for community conservation. Today there are 89 black and white rhino protected on the conservancy, as well as other endangered species including Reticulated giraffe and the largest resident population of Grevy’s zebra in the world. Lewa Conservancy is a vital wildlife corridor connecting Kenya’s wild and arid north with the lush Mt Kenya ecosystem, and wildlife is abundant here.

You will spend the next three days enjoying this spectacular lodge and the many activities they have to offer.

29th October: Lewa to Tumaren

This morning at 10h00 you will meet your Tropic Air private charter aircraft at the Lewa airstrip to fly the short distance to Tumaren.

29th to 31st October: Tumaren Camp, Laikipia

Set on the edge of a wide plain this beautiful camp looks west towards granitic inselbergs that define our local landscape. Each tent is furnished uniquely and all the tents offer sweeping verandas from which most of our plains game can be spotted. The grasslands are rich with wildlife and you can spend hours watching animals wander by or photographing the huge variety of birds coming to the bird bath.

Tumaren is rich in wildlife and our Samburu and Masai guides provide a great perspective on not only the game but also the local cultures of Northern Kenya. Our guides will plan the days according to your desires, wildlife and the local calendar. Each day can include guided walks, camel rides, visits to the camel creche, game drives, birdwatching, picnics, tracking, visiting a local manyatta or market (if the day is right), visiting a school and rock climbing.

31st October - Tumaren to Masai Mara

This morning you will be transferred back across to the nearby airstrip to meet your East African Air Charters aircraft for your private charter flight south to the Masai Mara, departing at 10h00 and arriving at 11h05.

31st October to 2nd November: Angama, Masai Mara

The Masai Mara is located in South Western Kenya & together with Tanzania’s Serengeti it forms one of the world's most diverse and spectacular eco-systems. With riverine forest and short grass plains, this area is renowned for the most exceptional big game viewing worldwide.

Angama’s remarkable setting overlooks what many safari travellers deem the finest game reserve on the continent, Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Angama Mara’s tented suites stretch out over two kopjes on the edge of the escarpment. The third kopje is immediately recognisable as the site where many of the most memorable scenes from Out of Africa were filmed.

For the next couple of days you will be able to relax and enjoy all the daily adventures on offer, including game drives amongst the abundant wildlife, walking on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, or beading with the Maasai. You may also like to take a magical sunrise hot-air balloon safari (please note that this an extra activity and will need to be booked in advance),

2nd November: Masai Mara to Nairobi

This morning you will be collected from the airstrip at 10h00 by East African Air Charters to fly to Wilson Airport, Nairobi, where you will be met on arrival at 10h50 by a driver from ‘Airports & Beyond’, and transferred across to the hotel.

2nd to 4th November: Giraffe Manor, Nairobi

Giraffe Manor is an exclusive boutique hotel, often referred to as one of the most instagrammed properties in the world, it is set in 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of indigenous forest in the Langata suburb of Nairobi. The historic manor house has extraordinary appeal, that harks back to the 1930s when visitors first flocked to East Africa to enjoy safaris. With its stately façade, elegant interior, verdant green gardens, sunny terraces and delightful courtyards, guests often remark that it’s like walking into the film Out of Africa: indeed, one of its twelve rooms is named after the author Karen Blixen. One of the most fascinating things about Giraffe Manor is its resident herd of Rothschild’s giraffes who may visit morning and evening, poking their long necks into the windows in the hope of a treat, before retreating to their forest sanctuary. As well as enjoying the giraffes, there is lots to do in Nairobi if you wish to explore. You may wish to visit the baby elephants at the Sheldrick Orphanage in Nairobi National Park to see where the Tsavo elephants start out on their rehabilitation journey. There are also some fantastic local restaurants, and craft centres to explore if you wish.

4th November: Depart

This morning you will need to check-out of your rooms at Giraffe Manor by 10h00, and move across to The Retreat at Giraffe Manor

The Retreat Day Pass is valid from 10h00 to 22h00. Together with the All Inclusive Supplement, it includes complimentary water, luggage space and use of The Retreat's facilities (pool, gym, steam room, sauna and hot tub) and Giraffe Centre access, as well as lunch, dinner and house drinks. (NB day room use, spa treatments, excursions and access to Giraffe Manor are excluded). 

This evening at 20h30 you will be collected by your ‘Airports & Beyond’ drivers to transfer across to Jomo Kenyatta Airport for your Kenya Airways flight (|KQ002) departing at 23h35.

CONTACT NUMBERS:

Kerry +254 721 836792

Kennedy +254 722 738228