You are Cordially Invited to Join Janelle Coleman Executive Vice-President, External Affairs and the On an Exciting Flying Conservation Safari to KENYA June 11 to June 20, 2020 Parker Travel Associates, Inc. 1959 S. Power Rd., Suite 103-111 • Mesa, AZ 85206 Phone: 800-743-7644 email: [email protected] CST # 2096269-40 OUR HOST – JANELLE COLEMAN “Now, looking back on my life in Africa, I feel like it might altogether be described as the existence of a person who had come from a rushed and noisy world, into a still country... So lovely as if the contemplation of it could itself be enough to make you happy all your life.” – Karen Blixen Karen certainly sets the stage for an adventure in Africa and for me, the image it creates is magical. If it stirs your imagination, I invite you to join me for a trip of a lifetime to Kenya. While the Zoo has offered itineraries in Kenya previously, this one is unique. We will fly between some of the country’s most famed wildlife reserves and spend much more time on safari! Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, Amboseli National Park is known for its large elephant herds and varied wildlife including giraffe, zebra, cheetah, hundreds of bird species and much, much more. Samburu National Reserve sits on the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River and, on the other side, lies Buffalo Springs National Reserve. Several small and large game species are found in abundance at Samburu -- gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, oryx, reticulated giraffe, baboon, warthog, gazelle, dik-dik, impala, elephant, Cape buffalo and hippopotamus, along with the three big cats -- lion, cheetah and leopard. We will see Grant’s zebra, giraffe, African buffalo, the big cats, hyena, crocodile and Somali ostrich at Buffalo Springs. Speaking of lions and zebra, our journey will be highlighted by visits with two of the Columbus Zoo’s conservation partners. The Ewaso Lion Project, formed to ensure a future for lions and other large carnivores in northern Kenya, uses scientific research and community-based outreach programs to promote co- existence between lions and people. A game drive featuring Grevy’s zebra will be fascinating, as we travel with scouts from the Grevy Zebra Trust and learn about their efforts to conserve this endangered species and its fragile habitat. Last, but certainly not least, is one of the most celebrated wildlife reserves in Kenya – the Masai Mara. We’ll travel its grassy plains and rolling hills and along the Mara and Talek rivers in search of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, hippos, wildebeest and many other animals. The Big Five -- lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – and a magnificent flying safari await you. Come along! Janelle Coleman Executive Vice President, External Affairs For further information contact: Patti Cattey at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium at [email protected] or 614-724-3558 or Terry Caldemeyer at Parker Travelat [email protected] or 800-995-4422 OUR DESTINATION – KENYA Resting in the magnificent Great Rift Valley and presided over by the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya is characterized by hauntingly beautiful natural landscapes of forested hills, patchwork farms, wooded savanna, and vast forests brimming with an extraordinary abundance of wildlife. The nation’s diverse range of traditional African cultures is influenced by over 70 unique ethnic groups from the Maasai, Samburu, Kikuyu, and Turkana tribes to the Arabs and Indians that settled on the coast. This flying safari takes us to three key wildlife destinations – Amboseli, Samburu & Maasai Mara. OUR ITINERARY June 11 – Depart Columbus fish eagle and pygmy falcon! Morning departure from Columbus and fly to New York/JFK Airport, where we connect with a non-stop Kenya Airways Animal species include elephant, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, flight bound for Nairobi, Kenya. impala and leopard. We’ll also plan to visit the Amboseli Trust for Elephants June 12 – Arrive in Nairobi (ATE) where Cynthia Moss, the noted Mid-day arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International American naturalist Airport. Upon arrival we will be met and escorted to the and author, has Tamarind Tree Hotel for dinner and overnight. conducted one Tamarind Tree Hotel. (Meals aloft, D) of the longest- running studies on elephants. We might even see some of the elephants that Cynthia immortalized in her books and award- winning film Echo of the Elephants. We enjoy an afternoon game drive in scenic Amboseli National Park before returning to our lodge for dinner and overnight. June 13 – Nairobi to Amboseli National Park Amboseli Serena Lodge. (B,L,D) After breakfast we will be transferred to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to board a morning scheduled flight to Amboseli Amboseli National Park National Park, located on the plains below Mt. Kilimanjaro, Located in the southern reaches of Kenya, the Amboseli where we will spend the next two nights. Check-in at the National Park is renowned for its excellent variety of wildlife Amboseli Serena Lodge and have lunch. An afternoon such as Maasai giraffe, elephant, lion and cheetah, and game drive allows us to view some of the many species not surprisingly it is here, including zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala and one of Kenya’s most popular parks. The leopard. Return to our lodge for dinner and overnight. landscape of Amboseli Amboseli Serena Lodge. (B,L,D) is dominated by the majestic snow cap of June 14 – Amboseli National Park Mount Kilimanjaro, Enjoy a full day of activities today in the Amboseli National as well as open plains, Park area. During a game drive we’ll have the chance to see acacia woodland, birdlife here including pelican, bee eater, kingfisher, African swamps and the massif of Ol Doinyo Orok. The birding is excellent, especially National Reserve is remote, hot and arid. The reserve spans closer to the lakes and swamps. The park is famous for being over 60 square miles of spectacularly scenic landscape, the best place in Africa to get close to large herds of elephants featuring rugged hills, undulating plains and riverine forests. among other wildlife species. Other attractions of the park The park is home to abundant wildlife including a variety of include opportunities to meet the Maasai people and soak rare species such as the reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra. up spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free- Samburu was one of the homes of ‘Elsa the Lioness’, star of the standing mountain in the world. best-selling book and award-winning movie ‘Born Free’. Amboseli means ‘the place of water’ in the Maasai language. The park has an endless supply of water, which is filtered through thousands of yards of volcanic rock from Mount Kilimanjaro. Amboseli is one of the most popular parks in Kenya - a home of massive African Jumbos and the rooftop of Africa - Mt Kilimanjaro. Amboseli is the site where writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark set their famed stories of big-game hunting in the wilds of Africa. June 15 – Amboseli to Samburu National Reserve June 17 - Samburu National Reserve After breakfast we to Maasai Mara Game Reserve will be transferred to After breakfast we will be driven to the airstrip for a the airstrip to board scheduled flight into the Maasai Mara where we will be a scheduled morning met by our driver/guides. From the moment we land in the flight via Nairobi to Mara, we will be captivated by the sights and sounds. Settle Samburu National in at our lodge and have lunch, before embarking on our Reserve. We will be first game drive. We should get to see a host of ‘Lion King’ picked up from the animals, including ‘Zazu’ and his fellow red-billed hornbills, airstrip and transferred gatherings of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion, and cheetah, to the Ashnil Samburu alongside wildebeest and zebra. Near the camp there are Camp and check in. After lunch, we have a game drive, many resident warthogs, so look out for ‘Pumba.” including a visit to the Ewaso Lion Project, a program supported by the Columbus Zoo. A local organization, Ewaso Choose from a wonderful range of excursions over the next Lion works with local people to solve the big conservation of two days: game drives, nature walks, or Maasai community the landscape and the lions themselves. visits (community visit at an additional cost). Catch the Ashnil Samburu Camp. (B,L,D) moment when the sunrise spills over the plains, lighting up the flat-topped acacias: the landscape that inspired the June 16 - Samburu National Reserve unforgettable opening movie scene. Dinner and overnight. Spend a full day in Samburu, with early morning and Ashnil Mara Camp (or similar). (B,L,D) afternoon game drives. Samburu is beautiful and game includes long-necked June 18 - Maasai Mara Game Reserve gerenuk, Somali ostrich, Spend the entire day in Maasai Mara, Kenya’s most popular Grevy’s zebra and the beisa game sanctuary where we will have the best opportunity oryx (only found north of of spotting the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and the equator). A highlight elephant). You can opt to go out with picnic lunch boxes to of today’s activities will spend most of the day include a visit to the Grevy’s in the park, coming Zebra Trust – another back to the lodge program supported by the late afternoon; or you Columbus Zoo. Conserving can have an early this endangered species morning pre-breakfast and its fragile habitat in partnership with communities is game drive, and their goal. another in the late Ashnil Samburu Camp. (B,L,D) afternoon. The Mara has its own resident Samburu National Reserve herds, and shelters Resting on the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River and many of Africa’s neighboring the Buffalo Springs National Park, Samburu most popular wild animals including lion, epitomizes Africa for many, then add a Maasai warrior and elephant, leopard, black some cattle to the picture, and the conversation need go no rhino and hippo.