Escorted Tours 2020 & 2021 - 2nd Edition - Mercury Holidays

102 MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA MEAL PLAN: All meals included ACCOMMODATION Nairobi 1 night 4 ★ Eka Hotel Aberdare National Park 1 night Treetops Lodge Lake Nakuru 1 night Lion Hill Lodge Lake Naivasha 2 nights Lake Naivasha Country Club Masai Mara Game Reserve 2 nights Mara Leisure Camp or The Azure Mara Havan Camp Nairobi 1 night 4 ★ Eka Hotel DAY 1: UK TO NAIROBI Depart London on your scheduled, overnight flight to Nairobi, via Doha. DAY 2: NAIROBI D On arrival in Nairobi, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to your hotel, located in the heart of Kenya’s bustling capital. Re-join your group later tonight for a welcome dinner that marks the beginning of your safari adventure. DAY 3: NAIROBI TO ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK B/L/D Travel from Nairobi into the contrasting greenery of the outlying coffee-growing region. The area produces much of Kenya’s ‘black gold’ – the robust coffee beans that are its greatest export. After lunch nearby, embark on a four-hour drive to the tropical Aberdare Highlands. En route tour a local plantation and learn more about its cultivation and harvest processes before sampling some freshly brewed coffee. Next check into the Treetops Lodge and enjoy a guided bush walk of the surrounding trails. Before you end the day with a hearty dinner, at dusk, observe animals gathering for a drink a watering hole located next to the hotel. DAY 4: ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK TO LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK B/L/D After breakfast, set out on a guided bush walk along one of the many trails winding across this wildlife- rich region. Your knowledgeable guide will lead you through lush vegetation in search of elephants, buffalo, rhinos and the unique, red bongo antelopes which inhabit the park. At the end of your trail and a morning of wildlife spotting, depart for Lake Nakuru National Park. Stop en route at Thomson Falls where you’ll witness the mighty roar of this waterfall as it cascades down over 74 metres. Arriving into Lake Nakuru National Park, check into your hotel before embarking on a late afternoon game drive through the wetlands. This bird-lover’s paradise, located in the Rift Valley region, is one of Kenya’s finest safari areas. Amongst others, it boasts white rhinos, the endangered Rothschild giraffe, lions and its best- known residents – vast flocks of pink flamingos perched in a central lake. DAY 5: LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK TO LAKE NAIVASHA B/L/D Observe the park’s wildlife stirring from their sleep on today’s early morning game drive. Return to your hotel for breakfast, then depart for Lake Naivasha. Enjoy a scenic drive, with the chance to spot animals dotted along the passing landscape, before arriving at your final destination in time for lunch. Lake Naivasha is the Rift Valley’s highest lake, renowned for its shimmering expanse of water and the multitude of animals residing along its tree-lined shores. An afternoon at leisure allows you to relax and soak in the beauty of your natural surroundings. DAY 6: LAKE NAIVASHA B/L/D This morning, journey to the private island sanctuary of Crescent Island Game Conservancy, located in the middle of Lake Naivasha. With its flat topography, dense concentration of wildlife and unique island location, the reserve is often referred to as Naivasha’s best-kept secret. Travel into the heart of the island as you search for animals and over 200 species of bird life. Return to the lake’s shores and continue onward to Elsamere Lodge Conservation Centre. Refresh yourself with one of the best high teas in Kenya then visit the adjoining Joy Adamson Museum, dedicated to conservation heroes Joy and George Adamson. Browse through the museum exhibits which depict the Adamsons’ conservation efforts and their experience raising the orphaned lion cub which later inspired the book and movie ‘Born Free’. Later this afternoon, return to the main lake area for a game drive to spot hippos, buffalo, giraffes and colobus monkeys in picturesque Lake Naivasha National Park. DAY 7: LAKE NAIVASHA TO MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE B/L/D After breakfast, depart on a 5.5-hour drive through the savannah as you make your way to Masai Mara Journey through Kenya’s grasslands and open savannah on a wildlife adventure in the birthplace of the modern safari. Search for the Big Five in the tropical highlands of Aberdare and embark on game drives across the Masai Mara. Lion KENYAN SAFARI 11 days from £2,179pp TOUR HIGHLIGHTS ✔ Embark on six fascinating games drive in a 4x4 in search of the Big Five ✔ Enjoy one of the best high teas in Kenya at Elsamere Museum ✔ Witness Thomson Falls, Kenya’s most beautiful waterfall ✔ Visit a traditional village and learn about the Maasai tribe ✔ Visit to David Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre ✔ Embrace the private island sanctuary of Crescent Island Game Conservancy ✔ Kenyas finest exports on a coffee plantation tour ✔ Stay at the rustic Treetops Lodge PACE: To book or for further information visit your local travel agent or call us FREE on 0800 408 0556