SAFARI IN T
Prepared for the Borras Family
Day 1 - 3: Borana Wildlife Conservancy
Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where you will be met by a Tradewinds representative to help you through customs and find your bags. Here you will meet your pilot and helicopter for the trip.
Fly to the Borana Wildlife Conservancy situated in Laikipia, home to a number of endangered species including the Black and White Rhino and the Grevy's Zebra. Enjoy time out in the bush, trekking for rhino, horse riding and on game drives.
Arijiju Retreat, 3 nights.
Day 4 - 5: Lake Turkana
Set off early in the morning with a picnic breakfast to fly up through the Mathews and Ndotos mountain range. Arrive at Koros camp for lunch. Spend the afternoon out on the quadbikes.
The following morning set off into the Chalbi desert to land by the Karole springs and watch Sand Grouse. Next we fly over Mount Kulal to South Island in the middle of Lake Turkana. Here we meet the fishing boat and have lunch out on the boat. Return to camp for dinner.
Koros Camp, 2 nights.
Day 6 - 8: The Maasai Mara
We fly south through the stunning Suguta Valley and over the Rift Valley lakes. Then over the coffee plantations until we reach the Mara plains, where you will start to spot lots of wildlife from above.
Game drives and bush walks.
Richard's River Camp, 3 nights.
Day 9 - 10: The Chyulu Hills
On route to the Chyulu Hills we will land next to Lake Magadi, an alkaline lake often red in colour. Next we will reach the Chyulu Hill's, home to the big tusker elephants.
Evening flight to the Mzima Springs, where the water is so clear you can see hippos swimming from the surface.
Ol Donyo Lodge, 2 nights.
Day 11 - 12: Tsavo East
Our final destination is Ithumba Hill, this is a Sheldrick Wildlife Trust property, so is in very close proximity to the elephant orphanage and where the elephants are released. Spend time watching the elephants as they enjoy a mud bath.
Ithumba Hill Lodge, 2 nights.
Day 13: End of Safari
Fly up to JKIA where a tradewinds representative will help you through customs to your international flight home.
LAIKIPIA
There is no landscape in Kenya, outside of National Parks, more crucial for the future of elephants than Laikipia. 7,000 elephants are protected by private and communal landowners and a network of inspiring conservation organizations.
MOUNT KENYA
Iconic in shape and size, Mount Kenya is situated in the heart of Kenya, on the equator - its highest point ‘Batian’ reaches 5,199 meters. The snowy peaks can be seen on clear days from as far as Mt Kilimanjaro some 300 kilometers away. As you spend time at Arijiju, Mount Kenya will become a daily view, which makes it even more exciting to explore.
We will fly around the peaks of the mountain and land at Lake Alice or Lake Michaelson for a picnic breakfast. Almost inaccessible and well off the beaten track, they offer an exciting morning of fly fishing.
ARIJIJU RETREAT
To the north and east of Arijiju lie snow-capped mountains, dense forests and sprawling deserts, while to the south looms Mount Kenya. Whichever way you face, it is towards adventure.
The architecture of the house is bulilt with the Kenyan tradition of grouping rooms together, with three suites in the main house and two generous cottages along a stone pathway. All have indulgent copper bathtubs, outdoor showers and vast arched windows, while open fireplaces and slouchy, crumpled linens nod to old-world safari. A constellation suite on the roof offers unbridled views of the expansive night sky.
The pool is a 65-foot infinity pool, where you will often see elephants drinking in the mornings and evenings.
LAKE TURKANA
The largest desert lake in the world lies in Northern Kenya. One of the most remote and hostile places on Earth, with black volcanic rocks and soaring daytime temperatures, yet so scenically spectacular. The collapsed volcano of Nabuyatom lies at the southern end of the lake. Surrounded by jade waters, this is the most iconic feature on the lake’s shore.
CHALBI DESERT
Chalbi means bare and salty, believed to be a dried up lake. The hottest and most arid place in Kenya. This desert stretches 100,000 kilometers squared to the Ethiopian boarder. On the northern edge of the desert lies an area of oases with groves of palm trees that attract sand grouse and other birds looking for food and water.
The Karoli Springs are a lifeline for the Rendille people who roam the Kaisut Desert. The water is slightly sailine, and only livestock can drink here. The Rendille are semi-nomadic camel herders that traditionally live in the deserts of northern Kenya. Strikingly colourful with traditional fabrics, beaded jewellery and immaculate head-dresses, the lives of the Rendille revolve around the natural cycle of the seasons, traveling en-masse with their enormous herds of livestock, following the rain in search of new pasture and water.
KOROS CAMP
What started as a simple family base, has evolved into a unique 6 bed camp for the ultimate private retreat. In a remote and unspoilt spot, Koros Camp is nestled away amongst acacia trees and semi arid scrubland at the northern end of the South Horr valley.
Take the quad bikes out for an afternoon, exploring the area as you drive through dried up river beds. You might even be lucky enough to spot an elephant on your journey. Spend the day out on Lake Turkana on the fishing boat, have a go at catching Nile Perch.
MAASAI MARA
The Maasai Mara is one of Kenya’s most acclaimed wildlife reserves, renowned for its open savannahs, wildebeest migration, prides of lion and vast herds of plains game. Game viewing in the Mara is unrivaled. Your day can be as active or relaxing as you please. Game drives - day and night, bush walks, cultural visits, and picnic lunches are just some of the activities.
No where in the world is there a movement of animals as immense or impressive as the wildebeest migration. Over two million animals migrate from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the greener pastures of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya between July and October.
The Mara is home to one of the world’s highest densities of lion, with 15 lions per 100 kilometers squared– and some impressive black manned male specimens!
RIFT VALLEY LAKES
RICHARD'S RIVER CAMP
Richard's River Camp offers a luxury tented camp in the very heart of the Masai Mara. Designed with privacy, exclusivity as well as adventure in mind ensuring a warm and memorable safari.
The camp is perfectly situated on the banks of the Njageteck River in the private Mara North Conservancy, the camp allows for total privacy and exclusivity. The Ngoyanai springs provide permanent water, drawing in large numbers of animals to the area around camp. This camp is also particularly known for its resident lion pride which can often been seen hunting right in front of the camp, and almost always can be heard roaring during the night.
CHYULU HILLS
Rolling hills, wild running game and a backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro are the key features of the Chyulu hills.
The scenery is stunning, rounded hills fold into black rivers of solidified lava creating ideal habitats for the impala and eland that can be seen gathering among the rocky outcrops. Eagles soar overhead and giraffe lope down the hillside as the sun dips below the horizon.
The Mzima springs are clear water pools, where you can see crocodiles and hippos swim below the surface.
OL DONYO LODGE
Ol Donyo Lodge is located on over 111,000 hectares of private land in the heart of the Chyulu Hills, between Kenya’s Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks. The property, honed from the ancient lava rock spewed out of Kilimanjaro 360,000 years ago, creates a timelessness that touches everyone visiting us. Safari experiences include horseback safaris, mountain bike safaris, guided walking safaris and open vehicle game drives.
The Lodge comprises of eight deluxe suites, each with their own plunge pool. These look out on to the rolling plains scattered with game, and finally Mount Kilimanjaro. The beds are star beds which can be rolled out on to the verandah where you can sleep under the canopy of stars. There is a sunken hide which watches over the waterhole, allowing guests to get up close to the animals.
TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK
Tsavo East National Park is a gem among the world’s wild spaces. Spanning 13,747 square kilometers of pristine wilderness, it is the most extensive protected area in Kenya. It is also host to greater biodiversity than any other park in the world, as it is here that the northern and southern forms of fauna meet. David Sheldrick was the founding Warden of Tsavo East from 1949 to 1976. Under his leadership, the park was transformed from an inhospitable land into what is today Kenya’s largest and most famous National Park.
David regarded Ithumba, in the northern area of Tsavo East, as “the jewel in the crown.” The 3,000 square kilometer expanse is completely devoid of the human footprint, giving way to a vast array of wildlife. Ithumba is home to some of Kenya’s most spectacular species, both large — elephant herds wallowing in the mud, giraffe striding across the plains — and small — hyrax peeking through the rocks, dik-dik scampering through the bush.
ITHUMBA LODGE
Ithumba Hill sits perched above Tsavo National Park, giving guests a unique vantage point into one of Kenya’s most remarkable wild spaces. All rooms are interconnected by impressive elevated walkways and the mess area includes a dining room and lounge offering fabulous views over Tsavo’s northern area. The beautifully designed private swimming pool and terrace is curved into the rocks where in blissful seclusion and gazing upon miles and miles of Africa one can relax and unwind. The lodge is set under giant baobabs, providing shade in the heat of the day.
Whilst at the lodge you will have special access to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Ithumba Elephant Reintegration Unit.
MANDA BAY
Manda Bay is a small privately owned boutique lodge located on the northern tip of Manda Island in the Lamu archipelago on Kenya’s coast. An unspoilt, secluded location where you can switch off from the rest of the world, take your shoes off and enjoy simplistic beauty in palm thatched cottages and open living spaces. Manda Bay combines the ultimate bush and beach experience with miles of soft white sand on a private beach and Coconut palms mixed with Doum palms, Acacia Tortilis and a variety of wildlife.