Tanzania and Kenya
Southern Primetime Migration Safari
February 11 to March 5, 2011

Leopard

East Africa is Gail and Doug's favorite destination with its vast green savanna habitats vibrant with life, especially in February and March. Zebras, giraffes, and gazelles are nursing young, while thousands of newborn Wildebeest calves run across the plains aside their mothers, attracting many predators. Flocks of storks winter in Tanzania, joining the colorful resident birds. We'll enjoy the seasonal wealth of wildlife in Tanzania's Southern Serengeti and other rich areas in Tanzania, then delight in the diversity of Kenya's highlands, lakes, arid lands, and famous Rift Valley. The stretch Land Cruisers with covered pop-tops are superb for wildlife viewing and with only four participants per vehicle, this safari offers flexibility and fabulous photo ops. When the Cheesemans started leading East African safaris in 1978 they didn't dream that they would still be going in 2011, but with 60 species of mammals, amazing reptiles, and over 300 species of birds, how could anyone resist?

At a Glance

Companion Safaris: We have lots of options for you to extend your stay in Africa! Add 19 days in Ethiopia with Doug, Gail, and Solomon Berhe immediately before this safari. You can also add 23 days of mobile camping in Botswana with Joe Ramsden immediately after this safari. An optional 4-day Mountain Gorilla Extension in Rwanda is available to those traveling to Tanzania and Kenya immediately aferwards.

Cost: $11,600 per person, double occupancy, not including airfare. Review cost details.

Leaders: Gail and Doug Cheeseman have been leading small group wildlife-intensive safaris to East, Central and Southern Africa since 1978.

Size: 18 plus Doug, Gail, and our knowledgeable drivers.

Days: 23

Conditions: A non-smoking safari for people who are very interested in wildlife (mammals, birds and reptiles) and spending the maximum time in the field.

Update: This itinerary was updated in February 2010. View the plain text version, great for printing!

Synopsis:

Return to top

Detailed Itinerary

February 11 - 12, Friday - Saturday Flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania Depart on Friday, February 11 at the latest to connect in Amsterdam with the KLM direct flight on Saturday morning to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania. Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro on the 12th, clear customs and meet our Wildersun Safaris driver. Drive about 50 minutes to Mountain Village Lodge, arriving after 10 pm. Mountain Village, one of the Serena Lodges, is situated by Lake Duluti, 12 km outside of Arusha. We are happy to assist you in booking airport transfers for early arrival or extra nights at Mountain Village Lodge near Arusha or in Nairobi.
Lodging on February 12: Mountain Village Lodge

February 13, Sunday: Tarangire National Park
If you like, join us at dawn for a short walk down to the lake at Mountain Village Lodge. Dawn comes at about 6:30 am all year, as we are very close to the Equator. At this elevation of about 5,000 feet, the temperatures are very comfortable. In fact, this is true of most of Kenya and Tanzania's rich wildlife areas as they are at altitudes above 4,500 feet. After breakfast, we meet our five outstanding Wildersun Safaris drivers and head for Arusha and then on to Tarangire. We'll stop briefly at the Wildersun Safaris office in Arusha to exchange money and leave any extra bags not needed during our safari in Tanzania. Drive west to Tarangire National Park, a beautiful baobab paradise. Arrive in time for a delicious lunch and to check-in at the Tarangire Sopa before game driving along the Tarangire River. The Tarangire Sopa is located in the best wildlife area of Tarangire and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. We can thank the Tsetse Fly, which used to devastate livestock here, for saving this area from cattle and "shoats" (sheep and goats). The flies have been controlled and the land now is protected as a national park. We'll encounter African Elephants, especially in the afternoon, coming from the hills to drink and bathe in the river. This is also excellent habitat for Leopard and other carnivores. The setting is fantastic for late afternoon photography with many mammals and birds. This is the only place where we will see the endemic (found only in this area) Ashy Starling and Yellow-collared Lovebirds.
Lodging: Tarangire Sopa

Elephants in Tarangire

February 14, Monday: Tarangire and Lake Manyara
Enjoy a game drive before breakfast at Tarangire as dawn is the best time for action and outstanding photography. After breakfast, take some free time in the incredible setting of this safari camp, which looks down on the Tarangire River. Depart in time for lunch and check-in at Manyara Serena Lodge, then drive the very short distance to Lake Manyara National Park at the base of the dramatic Great Rift. This famous fault system travels from the Red Sea through Kenya and Tanzania to the Orange River in South Africa. Beside Lake Manyara we pass through the town of Mtu Wa Umbu, which borders the park. Olive Baboons frequently cross the park boundary to steal bananas from the trees along the road, where they can quickly run back across the road into the park with the wonderful bananas that people grow in this area. Rice is also grown here at the base of the Great Rift escarpment. In Lake Manyara National Park, we'll be immersed in unique habitats including the alkaline lake, the amazing "ground water forest," the meandering river, the beautiful savannas on the lake edge, and the Rift escarpment dotted with Baobabs. The source of water for this region is the Ngorongoro Forest Reserve above the escarpment, where frequent precipitation percolates through the porous volcanic soil. Water hits the granitic basement rock at the bottom of the escarpment, where it flows out of springs, providing enough moisture for large figs and tamarind trees in the ground water forest.

We'll have a full afternoon game drive before driving back up the escarpment to our spectacular lodge at the top for dinner. The views from the lodge and the abundant bird activity around the grounds make it a wonderful site. We also choose these lodges because they are environmentally responsible, especially with their water treatment system. Most of the Serena lodges were built by the Aga Khan in very beautiful locations inside or along side reserves and parks. The Aga Khan family also built many hospitals and schools in both Tanzania and Kenya, giving them a very good relationship with the governments of both countries.
Lodging: Manyara Serena Lodge

Secretary Bird

February 15 - 16, Tuesday - Wednesday: Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro
At dawn, a lovely sunrise is often visible from the top of the Great Rift escarpment. We'll have breakfast early and take our bags, as we won't be returning to the lodge. Enter Lake Manyara National Park at the best time of day, just as the Olive Baboons are grooming themselves along the forest road and the Blue Monkeys are becoming active in the trees (different race but same species as the Sykes Monkey at Mountain Lodge in Kenya). If it has rained recently, the forest at the base of the escarpment is vibrant with Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, nesting Pink-backed Pelicans, and other species.

By mid-morning, we'll drive back up the escarpment and into the Highlands to Ngorongoro through an extensive agricultural area belonging to the Mbulu people. We continue on higher through the Ngorongoro Forest Reserve to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater at approximately 8,000 feet. As we drive along the rim, we will stop for an extraordinary view of this miraculous ecosystem 2,000 feet below. The Crater encompasses 110 square miles, a perfect caldera ten to eleven miles across. Arrive in time for lunch at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and check into our rooms before descending into the Crater for a beautiful afternoon. Black Rhinos are still regularly seen in Ngorongoro Crater, especially near the acacia woodlands on the plains. Containing fresh and alkaline lakes within its walls, the Crater is abundant with both water and land birds. Lion prides, hyena clans, and jackal families carry on their interactions uninhibited by vehicles while Wildebeest are calving on the calving grounds. Male Lions of Ngorongoro, famous for their black manes, might be found in consort with a lioness in estrous.

We'll stay two nights at the wonderful Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, located on the Crater rim. There is a chance that people will be allowed only 6 hours per day in the Crater to try to limit the number of vehicles. This was proposed three years ago and has not yet been implemented. If this restriction becomes official, we will still have two days in the Crater. If not, we will have the full day on February 16, as well as the afternoon of Feb 15 and morning of Feb 17. On Wednesday after an early breakfast, we will descend into the Crater with a picnic lunch. If we can only stay half the day in the Crater, we will have time to explore the Crater rim near the lodge, walking on the trails with the resident naturalist. This walk is especially interesting if you enjoy forest birds. It is also possible to arrange a visit to a Masai manyatta near the lodge.
Lodging: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

February 17 - 18, Thursday - Friday: Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti Kopjes
We'll have another early breakfast and full morning in the Ngorongoro Crater, then drive into the heart of Serengeti National Park. In the afternoon, drive through the short-grass plains, where the large female Wildebeest herds come for calving and where we will return to Ndutu in two days. The soil is alkaline with a hardpan below, highly rich in calcium. Frequent light rains and close grazing stimulate these grasses, so they provide tremendous nutrients to sustain the huge number of Wildebeest. As Richard Estes writes, "1.5 million Wildebeest, plus a million other ungulates, in the Serengeti ecosystem represent the world's greatest remaining aggregation of large land mammals." Continue over the plains past Naabi Hill at the Park Headquarters, through the incredible kopjes (pronounced "copies"), then along the Seronera River to our lodge. Kopjes, meaning "big heads" from the word "kop" for head, are ancient granitic boulder outcroppings in the Serengeti, which harbor many species of predators and are fascinating to gaze upon. We'll explore areas around Seronera, famous for both kopjes and cats and end the day in a magnificent location at the top of a wooded hill at the Sopa Lodge near the Moru Kopjes.
Lodging: Serengeti Sopa

February 19 - 24, Thursday - Friday: The Serengeti Plains at Ndutu
After breakfast, we game drive our way to the Gol Kopjes on the east side of the Serengeti short grass plains, where vast herds of Wildebeest and Thompson's Gazelles often graze in February if the "short rains" (normally in Dec and Jan) have been good and it is a particularly lush year. A picnic at the Gol Kopjes is our idea of dining in paradise! The wildlife will be abundant throughout our drive to Ndutu. We stay at Ndutu Safari Camp for six nights, our favorite lodge in all of East Africa at this season!

Cheetah Mother and Cub at Ndutu

The great ungulate herds will be congregating on the plains at Ndutu. Photograph and observe the Wildebeest's amazingly successful reproductive strategy. The larger and denser the female herd, the better the calf's chances of avoiding detection. Some 80-90% of the calves are dropped during a three-week birth peak. The large female herds and the short calving season insure that most of the newborns are protected from pursuit. Short grasses, so favored by the Wildebeest with its broad muzzle and wide row of incisors, are the basis of the Serengeti ecosystem. It is a miracle that this ecosystem still exists. It is thanks to two or three people with the foresight to take measures to save it in its natural state, a true conservation success story. Read Serengeti Home by Kay Turner (out of print, so look for it in a library) and other books on the Serengeti to understand how so much was accomplished by so few people. Doug calls the Serengeti the "glory of the Pleistocene" with so many species of mammals still surviving today. Wildebeest calving is a highlight this time of year, but Ndutu has other incredible attractions, including marshes, lakes, and beautiful acacia woodland. The cat population around Ndutu is one of the best in all the Serengeti, with Serval, African Wildcat, and even the possibility of Caracal, as well as Cheetah, Leopard, and Lion. We will see many wildlife species, including fascinating birds, in this very rich wildlife area. A family of Common or Small-spotted Genets frequent the lodge dining room late in the evening. Many Fischer's Lovebirds come in the morning to drink. Steinbuck, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, and Chestnut-banded Sand Plover are specialties of the Ndutu area. All species of animals exhibit fascinating behavior as they go about their daily survival strategies in the habitats that sustain them.

On some mornings, we'll head for the plains at dawn to have breakfast on the Serengeti Plains, then return to our lodge for lunch and a break before heading out in the afternoon for more action. Sometimes wildlife walk onto the plains right in front of our camp between the lodge and the lake, so there is never a dull moment at Ndutu! One day we'll drive slowly through the Ngorongoro Conservation Unit, over Serengeti short-grass plains, to Olduvai Gorge on the eastern boundary of the Serengeti Ecological Unit. This is where the Leakeys found the hominid remains Australopitchecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, plus many other fossils. Some are exhibited in the small museum at Olduvai. Drive down to Bed 1 where Mary Leakey found the Australopithecine "Zinjanthropus." If you do a little searching on your own along a wash in Bed 1, you may find small fragments of bone fossils. On the day at Olduvai, we'll take a picnic lunch and game drive on the plains near Olduvai Gorge in fantastic habitat on the return to Ndutu. It will be an unforgettable six days at Ndutu.
Lodging: Ndutu Safari Camp

February 25, Friday: Ndutu and return to Lake Manyara Serena
Depart from Ndutu after a beautiful morning in the woodlands and on the plains. Return via the rim of Ngorongoro Crater and Ngorongoro Forest Reserve to Manyara Serena Lodge, atop the escarpment formed by the Great Rift.
Lodging: Lake Manyara Serena

Return to top

February 26, Saturday: From Manyara to Arusha to Nairobi
You may choose to relax this morning or join us for a walk along the trails on the top of the escarpment at Lake Manyara Lodge. We'll depart by 9 am to head back to Arusha with time to stop for an hour at a large local craft shop. There you may choose to purchase some lovely cotton kanga cloths and even tanzanite, a gemstone that is mined in Tanzania. In Arusha, enjoy an early lunch with the Wildersun Safaris family, Pervin and Merwyn Nunes, their daughter, Jervin, her husband, Alan, their son, Ervin, and his wife, Lillian. We'll then bid "Kwaheri," or goodbye, to our Tanzanian hosts before departing Arusha soon after 1 pm. From there, it's on to the Kenyan border at Namanga, then to Nairobi up the Athi Plains to arrive by 6:30 pm at the Mayfair Court Holiday Inn. The Athi Plains is an area that is "owned" by Masai, but some of their land is now being leased or sold for farming purposes, such as the Ostrich farm we pass by that belongs to former President Moi. The Athi Plains is also a peneplain that stretches from Nairobi, at an elevation of 5,500 feet, down to the coast. It was formed by the massive amounts of lava, which flowed from the Kenya Highlands all the way to the coast. We'll arrive at the Mayfair in time for dinner this evening and a good rest. Dinner is on your own this evening.
Lodging: Mayfair Court Holiday Inn

February 27, Sunday: From Nairobi through the Kenya Highlands to Samburu
A wonderful breakfast is served at the Mayfair, beginning at 6:00 am. By 7:00 am we'll meet our five Kenyan drivers and head for Samburu. Drive through the Kenya Highlands between Mt Kenya to the east and the Aberdare Mountains to the west. In the Kenya Highlands perhaps Long-tailed Widowbirds will be in breeding plumage, displaying their amazing nuptial tail feathers and flying around at a lek (display area) located close to the highway. From the Kenya Highlands descend into the arid Northern Frontier in the rain shadow of Mt Kenya. Continue north through the arid lands of Isiolo. The town of Isiolo is a converging point of many tribes, plus others driven south by drought and strife. We will cross over lands belonging to several different tribal groups as we journey north today. The abrupt contrast between the green Highlands to the south, which is the rolling fertile countryside of the Kikuyu people, and the arid Northern Frontier to the north is striking. Enter the Samburu Game Reserve and arrive in time for lunch at our lodge. The open dining room here is a marvelous experience, both the setting on the river, and the wonderful food. Enjoy an afternoon game drive in either Samburu or the adjacent Buffalo Springs reserves, which are famous for a remarkable variety of arid adapted mammals and birds. Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves are well patrolled and protect African Elephant, Gerenuk, Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, the endangered species of zebra, the Grevy's Zebra, Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. These reserves and privately owned reserves to the south are essential to the survival of the Grevy's Zebra. There are so many species that we will only see at Samburu and Buffalo Springs and no where else on the safari, including the mammals, Gerenuk, Beisa Oryx and Grevy's Zebra, and an abundant number of birds.
Lodging: Samburu Serena Lodge

Reticulated Giraffe in Kenya

February 28 - March 1, Monday - Tuesday: Samburu and Buffalo Springs Game Reserves
Beside the lodge runs the Uaso Nyiro River, always attractive to wildlife, especially to African Elephant, Beisa Oryx, Impala, and other mammals and birds that must come to drink. Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves are home to Somali Ostrich, Vulturine Guinea-fowl, Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow Weaver, and Black-capped Social Weavers, usually only seen in Kenya's Northern Territory. "Gerenuk" is the Samburu word for an animal that does not need to drink water. Others say it means "giraffe-neck." The Swahili name "Swara Twiga" means giraffe-like antelope. Gerenuk are very adept at standing on their hind legs and reaching up to browse on vegetation at a height of 4 - 6 feet. This animal is a favorite of all people who like to watch animal feeding behavior. Samburu has many drought adapted animals, which get metabolic water from leaves and other food sources. Some plant species that look dry and unappetizing during the day are quite the reverse at night, when they soak up night moisture, an important source of water for herbivores. Explore along the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River, the life-line for elephants and other wildlife that must drink daily. We'll offer three game drives each day, including mid-day when the river is the place to find the wildlife in action.

You might wish to visit a Samburu manyatta (extended family home), where you may photograph Samburu in their traditional dress. In many cases this is now an important source of income for nomadic people who are trying to stay on their lands although their lands are fast becoming victim of overgrazing and desertification. It's a far better existence for them to try and remain instead of going to a city where unemployment runs 80% or more. On the other hand, their livestock, purchased to a large part from money received from tourism, has an adverse impact on wild mammal populations, having to share grazing habitat. The Masai and Samburu do not deposit money in a bank; they buy livestock. Cows are used for dowries. Status is determined by the number of cows owned. The Masai and Samburu warriors are nomadic, due to the cows needing grazing, which takes them far from their manyattas. The cost to visit a manyatta is approximately $25/per person ($100 per vehicle).
Lodging: Samburu Serena Lodge

Lappet-faced Vultures Devouring a Kill

March 2, Wednesday: Samburu to Mountain Lodge in the Kenya Highlands
Drive back south through Isiolo and arrive by lunchtime at Mountain Lodge in the Kenya Highlands. Surrounded by Podocarpus forest, Mountain Lodge is in a beautiful setting on the SW slopes of Mt. Kenya. After lunch enjoy a walk into the forest, led by the resident naturalist and escorted by a forest ranger. We'll hope to see Black and White Colobus Monkeys and many forest birds, including one of our favorites, the Hartlaub's Turaco, whose underwings flash bright scarlet as they fly about in the trees. At night a spot-lit water hole gives us an opportunity to see Giant Forest Hog, Greater-spotted Genet, Bushbuck, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo and White-tailed Mongoose, plus other mammals as well.
Lodging: Mountain Lodge

March 3, Thursday: Nakuru National Park
This morning at dawn from the high vantage point of the flat roof at Mountain Lodge, we should see Mt Kenya very clearly and many brilliant forest birds, perhaps Red-fronted Parrot, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Montane Oriole, Ruppell's Robin-Chat, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Yellow-crowned Canary, and others. Black and White Colobus Monkeys will be vocalizing to advertise their territories. After breakfast drive across the southern end of the Laikipia Plateau to Nakuru. On the way we'll cross the Equator several time from east to west and the northern tip of the Aberdare Mountains at Nyaharuru (Thompson's Falls) in the highlands. Then we'll descend through tea cultivation to the edge of the Rift Valley where we look down on a spectacular view. We will arrive at our lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park in time for lunch and stay one night at Lion Hill Lodge inside Nakuru National Park. The chefs at Lion Hill Lodge feature excellent Indian food on their outstanding international menu.

Lake Nakuru, the most famous alkali lake of the Rift Valley, is pink with flamingoes, both Lesser and Greater. The flamingo photography is spectacular here when the afternoon light is just right. The lake is very well protected now as a refuge for Leopard, Black Rhino, and the introduced White Rhino. The birding is excellent. Rothchild's Giraffe, one of the most beautiful sub-species of this photogenic mammal, is a highlight along with many other mammals both in the woodlands and along the lake edge. On the afternoon game drive in the beautiful late afternoon light, we will be near flamingoes and other water birds and we'll look for action from predators. On the lodge grounds in the Yellow-barked Acacia forest, we have found Dik-dik, Green Wood-hoopoes, mongoose, several cuckoos, sunbirds, and many other woodland birds.
Lodging: Lion Hill Lodge

March 4, Friday: From Lake Nakuru to Nairobi and homeward
Throughout the safari you will have choices to either maximize time in the field for photography and wildlife viewing, take time for walks in the lodge vicinity (an excellent way to find the many small birds that are so exceptional in East Africa), or simply enjoy relaxing at the lodge. Today at Lake Nakuru, decide how to most enjoy your final morning on safari in Kenya. Choose a before-breakfast game drive, a walk on the lodge grounds, or a chance to relax before leaving the national park. At midday, we'll drive back to the Mayfair Court in Nairobi. On the way south through the Rift Valley, pass by Lake Elementaita, then up the Eastern Rift Wall to Nairobi. We'll check into our dayrooms at the Mayfair and then visit the outstanding Museum of Natural History with bird, mammal, and cultural exhibits. The museum also has a gift shop with reasonable prices for books and crafts, which benefit their very worthwhile ongoing projects. Return to the hotel by 4:30 pm, then depart for the airport if flying out this evening. If you'd like to stay overnight, please let us know so we can make arrangements in advance.
Dayrooms and optional overnight lodging: Mayfair Court Holiday Inn

March 5, Saturday: Flight connections and arrive home
Arrive in Amsterdam or the airport where you are connecting for your flight homeward. There is also a KLM flight departing this morning if you prefer to overnight in Nairobi and have a day flight with an overnight in Amsterdam tonight.

Optionally, you can continue on our four-day Mountain Gorilla Extension in Rwanda.

Return to top

Costs

Costs, Payments and Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit, we will send trip materials and travel insurance information. Until the final payment date, payments are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person. This fee may go toward another tour if reserved within six months of the departure date of the cancelled trip.

Not Included:

• Airfare - Please let us know if you need help arranging your own air flights. Approximately $2,000 to 2,200 roundtrip from USA, depending on origin (quoted November 2009).
• Dinner in Nairobi on February 26 and March 4 are not included; all other meals are included.
• Bottled beverages, laundry services, and other personal expenses are not included. Each lodge provides one half-liter bottle per person of drinking water in your room daily. Bottled water is an extra charge at meal times, except at breakfast, when water is often available to fill your water bottle.
• Gratuities: Tipping is, of course, discretionary, however we suggest budgeting $12 to $15 per day per participant (a total of $240 to $300 per participant) to be distributed among all the resident naturalists and drivers. Doug and Gail also contribute their share. The gratuity will be collected at the end of the safari.

Return to top

Sign-up

To Make a Reservation: Please contact us to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. Then, print our reservation form, fill it out, and post it to us in the mail with your deposit:

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070

Toll Free: (800) 527-5330
Local: (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358
Email: info@cheesemans.com

Other Details

Leaders: Doug and Gail Cheeseman have found leading safaris to be a fresh way of blending a desire to observe nature with a wish to inspire travelers towards the values of conservation and education. Doug turned on biology majors with zoology and ecology at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, during his long career. Gail is an avid birder and naturalist, plus a meticulous coordinator of trip logistics. Gail and Doug have specialized in East African safaris since 1978 when they led their first safari to East Africa.

Flights: Please let us know if you would like help arranging your own flights. Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania no later than the evening of Saturday, February 12. For most, this means departing on Friday, February 11 at the latest to connect in Amsterdam with the KLM direct flight on Saturday morning to Tanzania. Flights are also available via Nairobi, but plan to depart on February 10 to make the connection from Nairobi to Arusha. Your departure flight from Nairobi should depart no earlier than the evening of Friday, March 4.

Travel Insurance: Emergency Medical Insurance is optional, but encouraged, for this tour. Read about travel insurance and our recommendations and requirements.

Outfitters and Lodging: Our outfitters are Wildersun Safaris in Tanzania and Rhino Safaris in Kenya. We'll travel in five Land Cruisers in both Tanzania and Kenya with our favorite Tanzanian and Kenyan drivers. The vehicles seat eight, but we'll have only four participants in each. They are pop-top vehicles with roof covers providing shade and ease of viewing. We will stay in excellent lodges in beautiful surroundings, with wonderful food, private baths and laundry service.

Non-smoking Policy: We have a strict non-smoking policy - smoking is not permitted at any time during our tours.

Mailing List: If you would like to be on our mailing list or request information, please use our online information request form or contact us to give us your name, address, email address and phone number. Please note we will never share your personal information with anybody!

Responsibility: Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. All rates are based on current tariffs, exchange rates and fuel prices and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner's risk.

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is registered as California Seller of Travel #2063050-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC). In event of a client canceling where a refund is applicable in accordance with the schedule above, or in the event that CES needs to cancel the trip, all payments for transportation or travel service not provided to the client shall be promptly refunded, unless the client instructs us otherwise in writing. All client payments are deposited into a trust account in accordance with California law. If for any reason a valid refund is not forthcoming, the client may request reimbursement from the TCRC within six months of the scheduled end of the tour. Please feel free to ask us for more information.

Return to top

All material © Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris.
All photos © Doug or Ted Cheeseman, unless otherwise credited.
Home | Current Trips | Site Map | Contact