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| Masai Mara Serengeti Migration Safari |
| 31 October - 15 November 2009 |
When one hears the word safari, Kenya comes to mind. The word alone conjures up visions of acacia-dotted landscapes stretching as far as the eye can see, covered with vast herds of elephants, zebra, and wildebeest. And there are tribal people who have called this part of Africa home for thousands of years and whose very survival has depended on their ability to life in harmony with nature. It is this part of Africa that most paleanathropologist believe that approximately 35,000 years ago the first Home sapiens walked north (probably because of a change in the climate) and began a journey that has resulted in close to seven billion of us inhabiting one small planet, of which few live in harmony with nature. This is the time of year that the wildebeest and zebra migration occurs when the herd returns from Kenya's Masai Mara and crosses the river to return to the Serengeti. If we are lucky, we might be able to photographic one of natures greatest spectacles. Most of the Masai Mara and all of the Tanzania parks prohibit off-road driving. This is very frustrating for photographers. We have received special permission to drive off-road on this safari. |
| Maximum Participants: 12 with a maximum of four photographers in each 7-passenger Land Cruiser |
| Photographer Leader: Alison Jones |
| Our Itinerary |
| Saturday, 31 October 2009 |
| Nairobi |
| We arrive in Nairobi this evening and are met and transferred to our hotel in the suburb of Nairobi named after Karen Blixen. |
| Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens (B) |
| Sunday, 1 November 2009 |
| Nairobi |
| After a late breakfast, we will be met by our driver/guide and taken on a city tour of Nairobi that will include the Daphane Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Giraffe Center and the Karen Blixen home and Museum. The mind and body need time to rest after our long journey so our first day in Africa will slower paced. |
| Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens (B) |
| Monday - Thursday, 2 - 5 November 2009 |
| Nairobi - Masai Mara Game Reserve |
| This morning we transfer the airport for our short flight to the Masai Mara. During our five days, we explore this great reserve in depth. We see elephant, giraffe, prides of lion and thousands of impala, topi, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle. While in the Mara, we will have the opportunity to float above the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem on board a hot air balloon followed by a champagne breakfast. There is also an optional day trip to Lake Victoria where we can visit a village and fish for giant Nile perch. We may visit a Maasai village and photograph the proud Maasai. |
| Karen Blixen Camp (BLD) |
| Friday - Saturday, 6 - 7 November 2009 |
| Masai Mara - Isibani - Lake Victoria - Serengeti National Park |
| We rise early as we have a very long, but exciting day ahead of us. After breakfast we will drive to the Kenya/Tanzania border at Isibania where we meet our Tanzania driver-guide. We continue to Speke Bay Lodge where we have lunch on the shores of Lake Victoria. We then continue our safari with a game drive to our first camp in the Serengeti. We will have two days to explore this part of the Serengeti. |
| Kirawira Camp (BLD) |
| Sunday - Monday, 8 - 9 November 2009 |
| Serengeti National Park |
| We leave our camp this morning on a game drive that will end at our lodge in the central Serengeti. Serengeti National Park is the largest of Tanzania's national parks, and arguably Africa's premier game park, The Serengeti is the setting for the most awesome wildlife spectacle on earth. Each year, more than two million wildebeest and zebra begin their great circular migration across the open plains and acacia woodlands. Huge columns of advancing zebras and ungainly wildebeest stretch as far as the eye can see with the predators following alongside. Serengeti means "endless plains" in the Maasai language. The extensive grasslands are interspersed with "kopjes", islands of rocky outcrops which are home to their own wildlife communities which include cheetah, leopard, and hyrax, to name a few. The Serengeti landscape leaves the visitor with images of vastness and breathtaking beauty. We have four days to explore the park. |
| Serengeti Serena Lodge (BLD) |
| Tuesday, 10 November 2009 |
| Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater |
| We depart our lodge with a picnic lunch for a full day on the Serengeti Plains. Our morning game drive takes us past Olduvai Gorge, the site of the first discovery of early man. We then continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. |
| Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (BLD) |
| Wednesday, 11 November 2009 |
| Ngorongoro Crater |
| Millions of years ago, Ngorongoro may have rivaled Kilimanjaro in size, but as its volcanic activity subsided, it collapsed inward, forming a caldera. On the floor of the 102 sq. mile Crater, an African paradise is found. The Crater is a perfect haven for lion, elephant, hyena, wildebeest, gazelle and some of the last remaining rhino in Tanzania. The Crater's lake is home to thousands of flamingo, carpeting the area with the glow of their pink plumage. Your day in the Crater begins with a decent 2,000 feet down the wall of the Crater to the Crater floor. You have a packed picnic lunch in order to maximize your time game viewing, spending the entire day in this "Garden of Eden. |
| Ngorongoro Farm House (BLD) |
| Thursday, 12 November 2009 |
| Lake Eyasi - Bushman Day |
| You rise early this morning because you are going to go on an excursion to the nearby Lake Eyasi in the Rift Valley, still inhabited by a tribe of hunter-gatherers, the Hadzabe, a relic of ancient times who still follow a style of life similar to the humans who inhabited the Earth before the discovery of agriculture. This afternoon, you will visit a school and an orphanage in the town of Karatu. |
| Ngorongoro Farm House (BLD) |
| Friday - Saturday, 13 - 14 November 2009 |
| Tarangire National Park |
| This morning you drive to Tarangire National Park. Wide panoramas of open acacia woodland and grassy savannah studded with large baobabs mark Tarangire, a lesser-known scenic gem located in southern Masailand. In the June-October dry season, huge herds of elephant and other big game species move peacefully toward the blue gleam of Tarangire's namesake river. This is not to suggest that Tarangire is a seasonable park, it is not. One can expect good game viewing throughout the year. Fringe-eared Oryx and lesser kudu are among the unique resident species and lion and leopard are common. This un-proclaimed jewel is also an ornithologist's paradise. |
| Maramboi Tented Camp (BLD ) |
| Sunday, 15 November 2009 |
| Tarangire National Park - Arusha |
| You drive through the park and continue to Arusha where you have the afternoon to shop and prepare for your flight home. You depart this evening or you can continue your safari with a visit to the exotic island of Zanzibar. |
| Photographic Expedition Price |
| (Per Person, Double Occupancy) |
Non-Photographer Traveling with a Photographer Price: $7,995 per person
Early Booking Bonus: Book by 28 February 2009 and Deduct $600 per person |
| Safari Options |
| (Per Person) |
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| Safari Price Includes: |
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| Not included: |
| Not included are international airfare and personal expenses such as personal insurance; excess baggage fees; phone calls; gratuities to camp staff and driver/guides; airport departure taxes; passport and visa fees, and beverages, and any additional nights in Nairobi or Arusha, which are not noted in itinerary. |
| Carbon Offsets: |
| Focus on Planet Earth understands that air travel contributes to increased green house gases and global warming. Therefore, we encourage our expedition participants to assist us in making each Focus on Planet Earth expedition carbon neutral. You can offset your air transportation carbon impact by purchasing carbon off-sets. To offset the emissions from your flights go to Carbon Off-Set Calculator. Use NBO (Nairobi) or JRO (Kilimanjaro) as your destination. |
| International Air Transportation: |
| You are responsible for booking your own international air transportation. The best routing is on KLM through Amsterdam. To assist you, we have provided you with the airport codes and the dates you need to arrive or depart. |
| Arrival Airport Code: NBO on 31 October |
| Departure Airport Code: JRO on 15 November unless continuing to Zanzibar |
For the lowest airfares, we recommend you visit: www.davidanderson.worldventures.com |
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