11D10N Eco-Tourism & Safari Escapade in Kenya and Tanzania

Exceptional Experiences:

• Stay overnight in accommodations that support eco-tourism and sustainability efforts

• Visit leading conservation organizations such as an Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Sanctuary

• Go on game drives in the most coveted vehicles, with open-sided, canopied and customized for photographers

• Complimentary professional Canon camera set and Swarovski binoculars, including a Canon 7D camera body and Canon 100-400mm and 24-70mm lenses at . Photos will be downloaded to a DVD on guest’s departure.

• Each tent comes with a pair of Swarovski binoculars for guest use as well at Mara Plains Camp

• Photographic tuition is available on request, either on company cameras or own guests’ personal cameras

• Go on a private coffee tour of the Ngorongoro estate, learning the ‘bean-to-cup’ process

• Enjoy a private gourmet picnic with sparkling wine hosted within the beautiful gardens.

• Enjoying a delicious camping-style luncheon, served under the canopy at one of the picnic areas in the Ngorongoro Crater

• Embark on a walking safari, which is an incredible way to experience the bush up close and persona

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Itinerary:

Day 1: Nairobi, Kenya

Depart Singapore for Kenya.

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by your local guide and driver holding a sign with your name on it. Then, you will be privately transferred between your accommodation by a professional driver and an English-speaking guide.

Arrive at Hemingways Nairobi, a colonial-style boutique hotel harking back to the days when its namesake writer explored east Africa. It's set in the leafy and secluded suburbs of Karen looking out over the Ngong Hills, with elegant grounds making for a luxurious stopover between dusty safaris.

For decades, the Hemingways group has been investing in the future of Kenya. As an integrated member of the close-knit Karen community, they seek to make a lasting contribution to the benefit of our environment. They operate an ingenious internal eco-system of water and energy conservation and sustainable waste management. All of their produce is locally sourced and they local farmers and growers in support of their enterprise. They also promote expert local craftsmen and artisan boutiques if you are looking for mementos and gifts to take home.

Then, enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.

Alternatively, go for a walking safari in Nairobi National Park in the afternoon. With its raised wooden boardwalk that allows for uninterrupted views of the animals, the Safari Walk is a showcase for Kenya’s Parks and Reserves, allowing visitors to discover what they can expect to see across the country. Visitors can see a sample of the country’s rich animal life including the rare bongo, white rhino, leopard, lion and cheetah.

After which, return to your accommodation for dinner. You may wish to utilize your complimentary 50-minute massage for two in the evening.

Accommodation: 5* Hemingways Nairobi

Day 2: Nairobi, Kenya

This morning after breakfast, meet your local guide and driver and embark on a full-day private tour.

Make a visit to a leading conservation organization in East Africa, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, also known as the Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi.

Watch the keepers bring the elephants to a cordoned area to play, feed at 11 am, which usually lasts for an hour. Additionally, you may wish to adopt an elephant or rhino. For as little as US$50 a year. By adopting an orphaned elephant, rhino or giraffe for yourself or as a gift, you will offer life and hope to an animal in need. If you’re an adopter, you can also visit by appointment at 5:00 pm when the elephants return to the stockades for the night. The evening visit is strictly for adopters only, which is one of the benefits of sponsoring these cute elephants!

When you adopt, the orphanage gives you an adoption certificate and information about the elephant you adopted, and they keep you up to date with its status.  Also, whenever you visit the orphanage, you can visit at any time you can schedule, so you can even see your elephant when it’s ready to go to bed!

Next, we make a visit to a giraffe sanctuary. Your tall friends will lead you right to the browsing area. Here, an Educator will hand you some food pellets that are made of corn, wheat, grass and molasses. Get an opportunity to feed them as you get up close. To get even closer, go up to the Feeding Platform. Don’t leave without getting a kiss!

Then, attend a short lecture at the Information Centre on the giraffe to learn how and why the Giraffe Centre is taking care of this endangered animal. Leave with a whole lot more about wildlife in Kenya. If you would like, you may purchase the artwork for sale on display too, made by students and the proceeds go towards supporting Ecology Trips for the underprivileged.

After the lecture, take a stroll in the serene 1.5-kilometre nature trail and see how many species of bird you can spot – the record in one stroll is 60! Watch out for smaller animals such as dikdik and squirrel. The trail goes down to the snaking Gogo River

Wind down your visit with refreshments, people and giraffe watching and some mingling at the Tea House.

Then, make a stop at Ocean Sole (Flip the Flop), an innovative establishment that recycles flip flops to make multi coloured African animals, large and small, new shoe soles and so much more. You can make a visit to the workshop and purchase some souvenirs here.

Later in the evening, indulge in a scrumptious Beast of a Feast dinner at Carnivore, one of the Top 50 restaurants in the world. With its vibrant atmosphere and myriad of meats including exotic game, this renowned Kenyan food institution promises an unforgettable gastronomical experience.

Return to your accommodation to rest for the night.

Accommodation: 5* Hemingways Nairobi

Day 3: Maasai Mara, Kenya

This morning after breakfast, meet your local guide and transfer to airport for scheduled flight to Maasai Mara.

Upon arrival, meet your local guide and driver and head to your lodge. Mara Plains Camp is a one-of-a-kind, seven tent camp located in the private 35,000-acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy, just on the northern boundary of the Masai Mara National Reserve. This intimate camp blends the finest wildlife viewing with the absolute best of safari hospitality and guiding. No other camp offers the extensive traversing area of Mara Plains Camp, with access to a total of 100,000 acres of private conservancy land as well as the world-renowned Masai Mara, home to the Great Migration.

Each guest at Mara Plains contributes considerably to the success of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy’s flourishing ecosystem; conservation fees paid to safeguard this habitat while supporting over 1,000 Maasai families. This partnership agreement ensures the survival of an astounding volume and variety of wildlife. As you arrive at the camp, you cross a bridge and climb a few giant steps, you are greeted by an endless horizon with a single, flat-topped acacia, the quintessential shape of East Africa.

Sustainability is at the heart of the Great Plains Conservation ethos and sustainable technologies and systems are in place throughout their camps. In Kenya, Mara Plains and Mara Expedition each have a Gold rating from EcoTourism Kenya.

Then, head out for an afternoon game drive. Game drives take place in some of the Mara’s most coveted vehicles. Each of the four Toyota Land Cruisers is open-sided, canopied and customised for photographers (fold-down screens, raised roofs, photographic bars, multi-plug invertors). With just four to six guests each, the Cruisers also have fully-stocked fridges stocked with drinks and snacks. No two days are the same on safari.

Each of Mara Plains’ guest tents has a professional Canon camera set, including a Canon 7D camera body and Canon 100-400mm and 24-70mm lenses. Photos will be downloaded to a DVD on guest’s departure. Each tent comes with a pair of Swarovski binoculars for guest use as well. Photographic tuition is available on request, either on company cameras or own guests’ personal cameras.

Accommodation: 5* Mara Plains Camp

Day 4: Maasai Mara, Kenya

No two days are the same on safari. This morning, head out during sunrise deep into the Reserve or Conservancy on a game drive with pack breakfast and lunch to catch some Wildebeest, black rhinos, “Big Five,” antelope.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can opt for additional night game drives, walking safaris, river fishing, meals in the bush.

Accommodation: 5* Mara Plains Camp

Day 5: Maasai Mara, Kenya

Fill your days at Mara Plains Camp with early morning and late afternoon game drives. Today, try and look out for Cheetahs, zebras, Maasai giraffes, ostrich, hippos, crocodiles.

For those looking for a little something extra off the classic safari circuit, pepper your itinerary with hot-air balloon adventures and visits to the local Maasai village.

Accommodation: 5* Mara Plains Camp

Day 6: Ngorongoro, Tanzania

This morning, set off for a morning game viewing activity before transferring to the airport for the scheduled flight to Lake Manyara Airport.

Then, make a private transfer to your accommodation at Elewana the Manor at Ngorongoro.

African safaris come with a cup of fresh-brewed arabica at Elewana the Manor at Ngorongoro. This beautifully restored, Cape Dutch–style farmhouse reigns over a rolling 1,500-acre working coffee plantation with commanding views of the adjacent Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Excursions to the Crater and nearby Lake Manyara are augmented with horseback rides and picnics in the fields, massages in the spa and croquet on the manicured lawn. It’s all about old-world elegance in the 19 cottage suites with double-sided woodburning fireplaces, clawfoot bathtubs, and private, garden-enveloped terraces.

All of Elewana’s camps and lodges have been designed to have as little impact as possible on their surrounds. Many of our camps employ state-of-the-art power systems, with solar and power storage technology to ensure minimal emissions and fuel use. All camps and lodges employ strict recycling systems, ensuring that all recyclable waste is just that- recycled! In Tanzania, this includes sending glass waste to the Shanga workshop in Arusha, where disadvantaged Tanzanians turn the glass into amazing works of art.

Elewana has significantly reduced our single-use plastic waste. In 2018, Elewana implemented the ‘Ban the bottle’ initiative. Each guest receives a branded Elewana aluminium reusable bottle that they can fill up at filling points within the property, thus eliminating the use of plastic water bottles. 

Elewana also employs approximately 50-75% of its staff from the local community ensuring many families, who were previously reliant on only livestock and agriculture, enjoy a steady income. And wherever possible, food and supplies are sourced locally to ensure the surrounding communities feel the benefits of tourism on a commerce level. So enjoy that delicious lunch-time salad, knowing the vegetables come from a local farmer!

Take a complimentary coffee tour of the estate, learning the ‘bean-to-cup’ process, followed by a private gourmet picnic with sparkling wine hosted within the beautiful gardens.

Accommodation: 5* Elewana the Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 7: Ngorongoro, Tanzania    

Following an early morning breakfast, and leaving in plenty of time to capture the best views of the Crater as the mist begins to lift, your Ngorongoro Crater Tour will be certainly a day to remember.

A large, unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera is the pride of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The crater, which formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago is "a natural enclosure" for a very wide variety of wildlife, there is a resident population of Ngorongoro lions, as well as wildebeest, buffalo, zebra and rhino.

The Ngorongoro Crater, a large, unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera is the pride of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The crater, which formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago, is 610 m (2,000 ft) deep and its floor covers 260 km2 (100 sq mi). Estimates of the height of the original volcano range from fifteen to nineteen thousand feet (4500 to 5800 metres) high.

Your full-day safari experience would not be complete without enjoying a delicious campaign-style luncheon, served under the canopy at one of the picnic areas in the Crater. Surrounded by game and the crater rim beyond, this is the most dramatic and beautiful picnic lunch you ever likely to take.

Surrounded by game and the ever-present Crater rim, this is the most dramatic and beautiful picnic lunch you are ever likely to take.

Accommodation: 5* Elewana the Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 8: Serengeti, Tanzania

This morning, embark on a morning game drive before transferring to Lake Manyara airport for the scheduled flight to the Serengeti.

Meet your driver upon arrival and transfer to your lodge, Singita - Singita Grumeti.

One of Africa's most prolific wild areas, Singita Grumeti is a dream come true for safari lovers. Choose from five distinct lodges: Singita Sasakwa Lodge for awe-inspiring hilltop views; live an Out of Africa dream at Singita Sabora Tented Camp; Singita Faru Faru Lodge lends a contemporary style to your safari. For complete exclusivity, book Serengeti House, a villa-style home, or Singita Explore, a private-use tented camp set up according to wildlife movements, which includes a private vehicle, guide and full staff. Singita’s enduring purpose is to preserve and protect large areas of African wilderness for future generations.

Singita Grumeti, situated adjacent to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, is an integral part of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, the home of the Great Migration.

The reserve was created by the Tanzanian government in 1994 in order to protect the path of the annual wildebeest migration and the indigenous biodiversity of this vast and important ecosystem.

Singita is part of the international network of organisations using Bioregional’s One Planet Living framework, which is based on ten guiding principles of sustainability. Their team strive to operate their lodges and urban offices in a sustainable manner, applying the two focus areas of Care for Planet and Care for People.

Tonight, go for a stargazing experience. There is perhaps no more transcendent experience than looking up at a full sky of sparkling stars. With very little pollution and no city lights to detract for the stars, your view of the heavens here will be crystal clear – nothing between you and the vast African sky above.

Accommodation: 5* Singita - Singita Grumeti

Day 9: Serengeti, Tanzania

Daily game drives provide the perfect opportunity to get up close to Africa’s incredible animals, while evening drives reveal the elusive magic of nocturnal Africa.

Today, embark on your game drive in the morning and afternoon are all conducted in state-of-the-art Land Rovers, each accommodating a maximum of six guests. During your stay at Singita, you are likely to spot a great variety of wildlife including leopard, lion, rhino, large herds of buffalo, elephant, reedbuck, hyena, hippopotamus, nyala, cheetah, wild dogs and many species of birds.

Accommodation: 5* Singita - Singita Grumeti

Day 10: Serengeti, Tanzania

Today after breakfast, embark on a walking safari, which is an incredible way to experience the bush up close and personal. Your expert guide and tracker will accompany you as you track animals on foot through the wilderness and explore the magnificent plants and landscapes around you.

Note: We suggest a minimum age of 15 years for this activity, but participation is at the discretion of your Field Guide

Then, reconnect with nature and enjoy the luxury of time and space and unwind at Singita’s spa. Their massage menu honours Africa’s most healing rituals and ingredients, and each of the holistic treatments – which can be enjoyed in-room or on your private veranda – is a sensory experience. They are specifically designed to restore a sense of balance, connect guests with the beautiful and peaceful surroundings, and offer nurturing and nourishing benefits while soothing and revitalising both body and soul.

Accommodation: 5* Singita - Singita Grumeti

Day 11: Serengeti, Tanzania

This morning after breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for a scheduled flight to Arusha.

Then, make a transfer to Kilimanjaro airport for departure flight back to Singapore.

Note:

• Kenya is a Muslim country, no pork will be served

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Please note: This itinerary is designed to give you an idea of what to expect on the tour but is not set in stone. What we actually do on a given day is flexible and can be tailored based on the interests of the group.

This itinerary and its package inclusions might be changed later in time, subject to availability.

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