Great Migration 2022: July 17-28; Aug 9-20; Aug 20-31
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AFRICA & the Great Migration 2022: July 17-28; Aug 9-20; Aug 20-31 The Serengeti, Masai Mara, Samburu, Ol Pejeta, & Nairobi Why Kenya, East Africa, and the Great Migration? Simply put, there is absolutely nothing like it anywhere else in Africa nor anywhere else in the world. Not in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zaire, Tanzania, not anywhere! You can take a safari in many parts of Africa, but the game parks, adventure, facilities, game viewing, and the sheer number of animals in Kenya is unparalleled. The “Great Migration” is the largest land mammal migration in the world with literally millions of animals on the move through some of the most breathtaking ecosystems on Earth, including the Serengeti Plains and Masi Mara. It is an endless circuit of life in its purest form and a classic survival of the fittest. One million+ wildebeest, half million zebra, and dozens of other animals engage in this one-of-a-kind migration and we will be in the middle of it. Our August safaris are the peak travel dates that take us into the heart of East Africa, the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and The Great Migration. Kenya is the most wildlife rich area in the world. No other place in Africa, or elsewhere, even comes close. There are 50 wildlife parks in Kenya. We visit the most important game parks, including the Serengeti, Masi Mara, Samburu, and Ol Pejeta. Larry’s Note: “My wife Cathy and I recently returned from Kenya and followed the same safari itinerary that you will join us on. The game viewing was beyond anything I imagined. I have done safaris all over Africa, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zaire, and other areas. They were wonderful, but nothing prepared me for the “Great Migration” through East Africa visiting the three best game parks in Kenya. Nothing! I was “blown away” and speechless at times. We saw the “Big Five” (elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion, and leopard) day after day, followed a herd of 60,000+ wildebeest followed by the predators, we saw herds of elephant and cape buffalo, cheetahs, we lost count of the impalas, antelopes, and gazelles, crocodiles, hippos; we saw lions every day, including 28 in a single day; we counted over 50 species of animals, not including birds; and witnessed the daily struggle of life and death with animals on the “hunt” and their search for food and prey. Frankly, it was sensory overload every day. After 40 years in the travel business, I am not easily overwhelmed, but this safari, these game parks, our expert guides, and the sheer numbers of animals was breathtaking. To witness life at its primal level cannot be fully captured by photos. It must be witnessed in person. I am putting together a small group to Kenya to join in on a safari of a lifetime. I can find you a cheaper Africa tour. I can find you a more expensive safari. I cannot, however, find you a more comprehensive, well planned out itinerary, better value, or better Africa safari experience than this tour during the peak of the Great Migration. Please join us! For Reservations Contact Columbus Travel 800-373-3328 The Ultimate Great Migration Itinerary Outline Much more is included. This is a brief outline. We do so much. Sorry, there isn’t room to include it all here, but you will experience it there! In Kenya, East Africa, the Serengeti, Masai Mara, Samburu, & Ol Pejeta. Day 1 USA-Nairobi, Kenya. Or, travel to Europe before our safari and fly to Nairobi to arrive to join our group on Day 2. (In-flight meals) Day 2 Arrive Nairobi. Welcome greeting at the airport. Transfer to our hotel. Balance of the day free. Overnight in Nairobi. (In-flight meals) Day 3 Samburu. After breakfast we bid Nairobi farewell and drive through East Africa, passing through native villages, and untamed wilderness areas to Samburu National Reserve. After getting settled we will enjoy our first game drive. Samburu is situated in northern Kenya bordered by the Ewaso Nyiro River, home to lions, great herds of elephants, crocodiles, giraffe, gazelle, zebra, leopards, buffalo, gerenuk, oryx, and others. Overnight at Samburu Simba Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 4 Samburu. We follow a typical game viewing schedule each day throughout our safari experience including three or more game drives each day, excluding travel days. Early morning game drive, back to the lodge for breakfast and a short rest, then back to out to the savannah for a late morning/early afternoon game drive. We return to the lodge for lunch and a free afternoon at leisure. Optional visit to authentic native Samburu tribe village. We venture back out in the late afternoon and early evening when the animals become active. At dusk we return to our lodge for dinner. Overnight at Samburu Simba Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 5 Samburu & Ol Pejeta. After breakfast and a morning game drive, we pack and leave for Ol Pejeta Conservancy Park, one of the richest animal viewing game parks in all of East Africa. Upon arrival we enjoy lunch (by the way, all our meals are really good, but the dining at Sweetwaters Lodge is exceptional!). Our afternoon is at leisure to get settle in, then venture out late in the afternoon for our first Ol Pejeta game drive. Upon our return dinner is served. Located within the sprawling Ol Pejeta Conservancy, one of Kenya’s most noteworthy conservancies and home to the ‘Big Five’ (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard), the deluxe Sweetwaters Lodge offers an African safari experience unlike any other. Overnight at Sweetwaters Serena Camp Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 6 Ol Pejeta. We start today with an early morning game drive followed by breakfast. After breakfast we visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary and then back to the lodge for lunch. Late this afternoon we head back out to view the many herds of animals in the area, including the elusive black rhino, of which only 2,000 of these magnificent animals still live in the wild. Every day and every drive brings a new excitement and adventure. We also visit the Ol Pejeta Conservancy at Laikipia to observe the last two remaining Northern White Rhinos on earth. Unfortunately, both are female and when they die, this species will be extinct…forever. Sadly, many animals, including the Northern White Rhino, have been decimated by poaching. Overnight at Sweetwaters Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 7 Ol Pejeta, Serengeti, & Masai Mara. Following a morning game drive and breakfast, we leave for the Serengeti and Masai Mara. We fly from Ol Pejeta to the “Mara” by Otter Bush Plane with sweeping, panoramic views en route. The Masai Mara is located on the great Serengeti Plains, grassy plains and rolling hills crossed by the Mara and Talek rivers. We will take our first Masai Mara and Serengeti game drive late this afternoon. “Maa” is the native language of the Masai tribes that live here. “Mara” is a Maa words meaning “spotted”. “Serengeti” is a Maa word that means “endless plains” and “safari” is a Swahili word translated as “journey”. Flying over the Mara, we continue our “journey” (“safari”). You will see the “Mara” (“spots” or groves of trees and bush) that dot the “Serengeti” (“endless plains”)…this is wild, untamed East Africa at its best! Overnight at Ashnil Camp Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 8 Serengeti & Masai Mara. Full-day game drive with a picnic lunch on the Mara that take us to the Mara River crossing points where the wildebeest and zebra migration take place. It is a gauntlet run with crocodiles waiting in the river and lions hiding in the bush forming an ambush on the opposite side where life supports another life. Lunch is served near the hippo pools. We return to the lodge at dusk. FYI, the Ashnil Camp Lodge is located on the Mara River and provides great animal viewing lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffe, wildebeest, zebras, crocodiles, hippo, buffalo, and the rare black rhino, are particularly plentiful in the Mara. Overnight at Ashnil Camp Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 9 Serengeti & Masai Mara. An early morning game drive takes to the Mara as animals become active. We return to our lodge for breakfast followed by a second morning game drive. Our afternoon is at leisure with an optional Masai village visit after lunch. Late afternoon and early evening game drives tend to be particularly exciting as animals tend to rest and sleep during the warm afternoons, but become quite active and mobile in the late afternoon. Overnight at Ashnil Camp Lodge. (B, L, D) Day 10 Serengeti, Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, & Nairobi. Following our early morning game drive on the Serengeti and Masai Mara, we pack and leave for Lake Naivasha. We enjoy a boat ride to see the hippos that inhabit the lake, along with herds of giraffe and zebra in abundance along the lake shores. This really is a beautiful area. We continue our fascinating drive through local villages and townships to Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi. Overnight in Nairobi (B) Day 11 Nairobi. After breakfast we spend the day in and around Nairobi. Today we visit the Elephant Orphanage, Giraffe Center, Crocodile Farm, and the Karen Blixen home from “Out of Africa”. Tonight, we enjoy a special farewell dinner at Carnivores, Nairobi’s most popular restaurant. After dinner we transfer to the Nairobi International Airport for our return flights home. Late evening departure. (B, L) Day 12 Nairobi-USA. Arrive home. Or extend your holiday in Europe, New York City, the East Coast, or elsewhere on your way home.