Itinerary for the Students Safari

Students Safari 8 Days takes you to visit our favorite Destinations: Crater Lake and Crescent Island Sanctuary and Hell’s Gate National Park — easy to see game such as Giraffes, Waterbucks, Elands, Zebras and various Gazelles. Masai Mara is the Africa that everyone dreams of — enjoy 3 glorious Days of the Safari viewing Elephant's, Lion's, Leopard's, Cheetah's, Topi's, Hippos and much more. Never will you feel more a part of the splendor of Africa than on a Bush Walk guided by local Masai and Game Rangers.

Day 1 Nairobi Arrival

Arrival at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport, met and greeted in our traditional style by our uniformed African Spice Safaris representatives, transfer to the La Mada Hotel or Milimani Backpackers & Safari Centre. Overnight at the La Mada Hotel or Milimani Backpackers & Safari Centre Meal Plan: {Bed & Breakfast}

Day 1 Nairobi Arrival

Arrival at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport, met and greeted in our traditional style by our uniformed Chaz tours representatives, transfer to the La Mada Hotel or Milimani Backpackers & Safari Centre. Overnight at the La Mada Hotel or Milimani Backpackers & Safari Centre Meal Plan: {Bed & Breakfast}

Day 2 Crescent Island Lake Naivasha

After breakfast, a Safari briefing is conducted by an Chaz tours Director. By 0830 Hours, we leave Nairobi via the Nakuru road to the Rift valley. We arrive at the Lake Naivasha Country Club, our base for three days, in time for lunch. Lake Naivasha Country Club is located in The Great Rift Valley which is 100 km from Nairobi. The hotel offers a wonderful mix of tranquility in serene surrounding and a varied number of sporting activities both for energetic and more laid back. Lake Naivasha is just over an hour's drive from Nairobi, and is a haven for bird watchers, nature lovers, artists and a peaceful scenic retreat. In the afternoon we enjoy our first game viewing walk at the privately owned Crescent Island conservancy. Up front this is not a man made zoo, it is a peninsula on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha. The terrain is flat, making it easy for students of all abilities to enjoy themselves. There is a lot of easy to see game e.g. giraffes, waterbucks, elands, wildebeests, zebras and impalas. It is also a heaven for birds with +200 species recorded. The lake has a lot of hippos, which you can easily spot from the island which is a peninsula on the Eastern shore of Lake Naivasha. We return to the Lake Naivasha Country Club in time for afternoon tea. Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Country Club or Sawela Lodge Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 3 Visit Hell's Gate National Park

We wake up for breakfast with the sun giving a wonderful effect over the lake. An early morning here should not be missed by anyone with an eye for birds since the lake boasts a wide variety of water and woodland birds. After breakfast we do a short transfer to the Hells Gate National Park. This is a unique Park where walking is done in the middle of wildlife. Giraffes, zebras, warthogs and many types of gazelles are found here. The first part of this walk is done in typical flat African savannah in a volcanic area with huge rock boundaries. There are camphor and acacia trees all over and this is where to look for the giraffe as they mainly feed on them. A picnic lunch provided by the hotel will be at the Rangers post. The second part of the walk is done in the Hell's Gate Gorge by descending into a steep canyon with running water from geysers and wild vegetation. The climax of the day is in walking in the Side Gorge where the rocks have split to leave only a walking path. We climb back to the rangers post for the transfer back to the Lake Naivasha Country Club. Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Country Club or similar Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 4 Visit Crater Lake Game Sanctuary

An early rising will ensure that one gets another magical display of the various birds. After breakfast we do a transfer by road to the nearby Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Crater Lake Game Sanctuary is great fun to explore on foot with a local guide. This area is alive with hundreds of species of birds and many mammals, large and small. While walking through the conservancy you can spot gazelle, giraffe, zebra, eland, baboon and black and white colobus monkeys - just to name a few. You can also take the short walk to the rim of the beautiful volcanic crater with views down to the emerald-green lake in the crater. Depending on the water levels of other Rift Valley lakes, there are sometimes large populations of flamingoes on the lake. Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Country Club or similar Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 5, Day 6 & Day 7 Masai Mara Game Reserve

We now take a break from walking to put all our attention to watching wildlife. To see the best of Kenyan wildlife, Masai Mara is the place to be. Masai Mara is Africa`s Greatest Wildlife Reserve, situated in Kenya is without a doubt Africa’s most famous safari destination. The Mara is the Africa of our reveries—a place where nature’s drama unfolds on a legendary natural stage. The Mara offers the finest game viewing in Kenya—even better from a hot-air balloon—in a stunningly beautiful setting of gently rolling grasslands and acacia trees. We also visit a Masai village, taking in the culture of this proud people who have long shared these lands with their animal neighbors. Later, we sip cocktails as the sun sets gently over the Great Rift Valley. The search for great predators and perhaps even cubs continues today and tomorrow during extensive game runs. On the plains are enormous herds of grazing animals plus the elusive cheetah and leopard hiding amidst acacia boughs. Overnight at the Simba Lodge or Mara Sopa Lodge Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 8 Kiambethu Tea Farm & To Nairobi For Outbound Flight

Depart Masai Mara in the morning for Nairobi. Lunch will be served at Kiambethu Farms, a lush and lovely tea estate in the Limuru Highlands hosted by Fiona Vernon, granddaughter of the original settler. Kiambethu still produces tea leaves of the same variety that her grandfather grew when he was the first to plant tea in Kenya almost one hundred years ago. Situated at 7200ft in a truly magnificent garden with views of the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngong hills, Kiambethu is a farmhouse to four generations of the first family to plant and make tea in Kenya. Students are served with a pre-lunch drink as the process of making tea is formally explained followed by an opportunity to tea fields. After a sumptuous lunch, a walk in the virgin forest to see Colobus monkeys and to learn about the flora and fauna follows. A cup of tea/coffee is served upon return at the house. Transfer to Nairobi for the evening flight out. Meal Plan: {Breakfast & Lunch}