Elephants roam beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, lions chase zebra across the grasslands, and vast wildebeest herds are on the move as Amboseli and the Masai Mara are home to some of Africa's most iconic safari images. These fabled destinations offer an excellent first-time African safari to combine exceptional game viewing with the raw wonders of the landscape. This 9-day safari reveals it all and culminates in a private conservancy that enhances the exclusivity of the Masai Mara.
Upon arrival you will be picked up by your safari guide and transferred to Emakoko. A small boutique lodge with only ten rooms and one private house, The Emakoko is uniquely positioned on the southern boundary of the Nairobi National Park. Home to, and hosted by Emma and Anthony Childs and their small family, it is the ideal place to start or end a safari within the wildlife environment that guests come on safari to experience. The drive time from both the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the domestic Wilson airport is only forty five minutes, the majority of which is spent game driving through Nairobi National Park. Within twenty minutes of clearing Customs and Immigration one can be game driving through Nairobi National Park to get to The Emakoko.
Kenya’s first and oldest National Park, Nairobi National Park is surprisingly deceptive. The Park is over 100 sq km in size and has one of East Africa’s most successful black rhino breeding population. A bird lovers paradise the Park has a spectacular abundance of fauna and flora and is home to four of the Big Five. The proximity of Nairobi, albeit on the other side of a National Park, gives The Emakoko’s guests an unrivaled flexibility in daily choices. Game drives in the Park are incredibly productive while excursions and forays into the Karen and Langata area to visit The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum and other local attractions are popular. The Emakoko can also take guests to nearby art galleries, local shops and cafes.
After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Wilson airport for your maiden flight to Amboseli National park. Upon landing you will be assisted and transfer to Ol Tukai Lodge. Located about a four-hour drive (240 km or 150 miles) southeast of Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is well known for its herds of big tusked elephants. A scenic park in its own right, Amboseli is synonymous with two particular things – majestic herds of elephant and glorious views of Mount Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania. Kenya’s second most popular national park after the Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli was declared a UNESCO-Mab Biosphere Reserve in 1991. During heavy rains, the basin at the centre of the park floods, attracting hordes of wildlife. The reserve is an excellent place to view the Big Five, as well as lesser known and rarer wildlife species.
With spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro and the golden plains, Ol Tukai Lodge is a charming, contemporary retreat situated within the pristine Amboseli National Park. Imbued with a quintessential African atmosphere and set amidst beautifully manicured lawns, the lodge’s luxury chalets offer uninterrupted views of the tranquil wilderness of the park or the snow-capped mountain in the distance. Beautifully appointed and inviting, the chalets boast private terraces where guests can make the most of their spectacular surroundings. Delicious meals are served al fresco on the main veranda, where guests have the opportunity to spot game just metres away, while the stylish Elephant Bar offers a variety of refreshing cocktails. In between game drives, guests can relax in a comfortable sitting room and play board games or browse through the wildlife library or art gallery. A range of rejuvenating treatments is available in the beauty spa.
After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Wilson airport for your maiden flight to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. You will pass volcanic mountain domes, cruise over a rolling band of green hills, then watch the landscape open onto uninterrupted plains. The Maasai Mara comes into view as the expansive grasslands that are speckled black by large wildebeest and zebra herds. From the air, you will sense the enormity, and as soon as you land, you will savor the intimacy. Elephants and giraffe are seen from the airstrip, and there's a mythical rumbling of hooves, with tens of thousands of mammals on the move.
Your safari starts straight away as your transfer from the airstrip to Angama Mara, you will have immediate encounters with most of the Big Five. Big tuskers watch you pass, and bushy buffalo herds will stop and stare as a lion pride drapes itself across clumps of rock. After you check into camp, you can continue to watch the animals as your verandah provides a near mythical view over the Mara grasslands. A dedicated game drive will start in the middle of the afternoon, and you will be quickly acquainted with the iconic animals. As a first-day safari, it is hard to rival the Maasai Mara as the plains showcase both mammal diversity and big game abundance.
The Maasai Mara overflows with wildlife regardless of the month you visit. On all drives, you will find large clumps of wildebeest and zebra, even if it is not the great migration season of July to October. Lion pride is another constant as the landscape's kings prefer to lounge in the open. Leopards and cheetahs are more furtive than the lion, but their profusion makes sightings likely over these first three days. These days of game drives are partly about your adventure on a rough journey across these famous plains that teem with life yet they also bring serenity as the wilderness quickly wraps its blanket around you.
Situated in the heart of East Africa, Angama Mara, named after the Swahili word for ’suspended in mid-air’, is a five-star family owned luxury safari lodge providing you with a dreamlike experience of being caught somewhere between heaven and earth. With two totally separate camps, both with 15 tented suites, the rare beauty of Angama Mara will enchant you with its unrivalled exclusivity, breath-taking views and spectacular year round “Big 5” wildlife. Serviced by a private hardtop airfield, from the moment guests arrive at Angama Mara they are welcomed into spacious architecture that stresses expanses of open glass and decking from which to appreciate the spectacular views.
You will have one last chance to witness the wilderness surrounding camp before you pack up. In the morning, before the sun has risen above the horizon, you will set off with a ranger to view lions, cheetahs, and leopards hunting during these early hours. Blessed with open plains spreading endlessly in all directions and punctuated with forests climbing towards the sky, you will have no shortage of diverse environments to spot the curious creatures living within the bush. After your adventure, you will return to camp to collect your things and transfer to the airport.
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