This is the definitive wildlife enthusiasts’ short safari with five days in Kenya’s Masai Mara, plus Lake Nakuru in the Rift Valley, and Samburu in the Northern Territory, all the while enjoying top quality lodging. For forest walks and night viewing we’ll visit Mountain Lodge at the base of Mt. Kenya. Timed at the peak of migration in the northern Serengeti ecosystem, we’ll experience the incredible abundance of African mammals, as the wildebeest, and zebra move into the Mara. The mammal and bird diversity is guaranteed to impress! Two enticing extensions are also part of the safari choices while here in Kenya. Doug & Gail have been leading safaris to Kenya since 1978.

Costs:$5150, all meals included from breakfast on August 11 through lunch on August 21. Single supplement: $930. (Please contact us for details on the pre-safari or post-safari extension to Rwanda for two days of Mountain Gorilla visits, subject to permit availability.)

Airfare:Approximately $1800 east coast USA/Nairobi and $2000 west coast USA/Nairobi.

Deposit: $1500

Leader: Gail and Doug Cheeseman and our favorite Kenyan drivers.

OutfittersRhino Safaris in Nairobi providing four nine-seater minivans with covered poptops and lots of room for photography. Excellent lodging, beautiful surroundings, wonderful food and private baths.

Size:14, plus Gail & Doug Cheeseman.

Conditions: A non-smoking safari. Itinerary updated 11/01/07

August 5   Departure from USA for pre-safari to Rwanda for Mountain Gorilla trekking on 8th and 9th .
August 9   Fly to Amsterdam on KLM or to London on BA.  (Other excellent airlines also available).
August 10   Arrival in Nairobi. Transfer with Rhino Safaris.  Overnight at the Mayfair Court Holiday Inn.
August 11 - 13  The Masai Mara Game Reserve amid vast herds. Simba Lodge in the southeast Mara.
August 14 - 16   Beautiful Kichwa Tembo in the northern Mara in riverine forest (night drive included).
August 17  Nakuru National Park beside beautiful Lake Nakuru.  Lion Hill Lodge.
August 18   Lewa Downs Luxury Camp on the Laikipia Plateau south of Samburu (night drive included).
August 19 - 20   Samburu and Buffalo Springs game reserves.  Samburu Lodge.
August 21 - 22   Afternoon in Nairobi with natural museum visit and dayrooms at the Mayfair and flight from Nairobi homeward or an extension to Rwanda for Mountain Gorilla trekking on 23rd and 24th.

 Itinerary in Full
Saturday – Sunday, August 9 - 10  Flights to Nairobi, Kenya
Depart on Saturday, August 9, to connect with a flight in Amsterdam or elsewhere in Europe on Sunday to Nairobi. Upon arrival in Nairobi, clear customs, then meet our Rhino Safaris “meet and greet” person to transfer to the Mayfair Court Hotel.  Doug and Gail will arrive at the Mayfair by 6 pm on Sunday from a safari in southern Africa and will be delighted to meet you when you arrive this evening, ready for a good night’s sleep.  If you would like to arrive a day earlier, the extra overnight at the Mayfair Court is $160 per room, including breakfast.  Meals on your own or on your international flights. 

Monday – Wednesday, August 11 – 13  The Masai Mara Game Reserve
The Mayfair serves a magnificent breakfast.  We’ll plan to meet for breakfast at 6:30 am.  Our very experienced Kenyan drivers will arrive by 7:15 am.  We’ll introduce our wonderful drivers, Grephus, Zach, Peter, Daniel and John, who are long time friends, as well as very knowledgeable drivers, and Titus Imboma, an outstanding ecologist and ornithologist, who has led six previous Kenya safaris with us.  Depart Nairobi down the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, across the Rift Valley and up the western escarpment into the part of the Serengeti Eco-system with the most rainfall, the Masai Mara.  We’ll have five full days here at the peak of the famous wildebeest/zebra “migration”, the first 3 nights at Simba Lodge in the SE Mara and the last 3 nights in the NW Mara at Kichwa Tembo. 

The Mara has great habitats: riverine forest, acacia woodland, grasslands, croton bush (a favorite hideout for Black Rhino), termite mounds, marshes, escarpments and rocky outcrops.  The Mara receives more than 20 inches of rain per year and has the greatest concentration of mammals anywhere in the world at this time of year when the eastern Serengeti in Tanzania is at its driest.  The Mara's lush grasses, especially the Red Oats Grass, sustain the herds during the dry season.  Even into the 1960's the Mara was bushland, not savanna, and the grazing antelopes did not migrate into the Mara as they do today.  Back in  the 1950's hot fires and elephants browsing on trees began cutting the bush back.  In the 80's and 90's the Mara became almost entirely savanna, except for the few remaining riverine forest areas along the Mara River and tributaries.  It will be interesting if the cycle of change brings the Mara back to bush.  The "Migration" will be in huge numbers in the Mara by now, as the Burchell’s Zebras come first from Tanzania feeding on coarse grass followed by Wildebeest, then Thomson's Gazelles.  The number of species in the Mara is an incredible reminder of "The Glory of the Pleistocene".  Not only mammals, but birds are abundant and very visible here and easily photographed.  Explore on foot in certain areas where allowed, such as the hippo pools at the Mara bridge near the Tanzania border and on the lodge grounds.

Thursday - Saturday, August 14 - 16   The Masai Mara Game Reserve
On these three night we will stay at Kichwa Tembo, a delightful luxury tented camp whose name means “Head of the Elephant” in Swahili.  Kichwa Tembo is situated on the northwestern corner of this very rich game reserve. The tented camp is enchanting and the lodge grounds are extensive, secured with electric fencing, so it is a great place for walking.  It’s located in lush riverine forest, home to Greater Galago and Tree Hyrax, on the Sabaringo River, a tributary of the Mara River. We have included a night game drive on the plains near Kichwa Tembo, a great opportunity to see some of the creatures, which stay hidden by day, only to come out under the cover of night.  Possibilities are Bat-eared Fox, White-tailed Mongoose, Lesser Galago (the smaller of the two bushbabies), Hippos out grazing on grass, nightjars, owls and maybe even a hunting predator, such as a Leopard. Before breakfast walk or game drive in the beautiful riverine area of Kichwa Tembo.  Today we’ll travel along the base of the east/west escarpment that borders the Mara.  This escarpment is a major fault line that runs all the way across the Serengeti Eco-system to Lake Victoria, although we won’t go that far! Some beautiful scenes in “Out of Africa” were filmed near Kichwa Tembo looking down into this paradise from the top of Oloololo Escarpment.

A bit of luck will have us watching a true wildlife spectacle: the movement of thousands upon thousands of Wildebeest in one of the greatest remaining wildernesses in the world. The African Lions and other predators, which follow the “migration” will be in action as well.  In August the “migration” concentrates throughout the Mara. We’ll take picnic lunches and spend time close to the Tanzania border and the Mara River in what is know as the “Mara Triangle”, where we are allowed to drive off-road.

Sunday, August 17   Nakuru National Park
We’ll game drive across the Mara and drive down the western escarpment into the Great Rift Valley.  Arrive by late afternoon at Lake Nakuru, the most famous alkali lake of the Rift Valley, pink with flamingoes, both Lesser and Greater.  Nakuru is very well protected now as a refuge for Lion, Leopard, Black Rhino and the introduced White Rhino.  Overnight at Lion Hill Lodge inside Nakuru National Park. We have found a colony of Green Wood-hoopoes, several cuckoos and many other woodland species on the lodge grounds.  Rothchild’s Giraffe, one of the most beautiful sub-species of this most photogenic of mammals, is a highlight along with many other mammals, including a pride of Lions in the woodlands and along the lake edge. The flamingo photography is spectacular at Lake Nakuru in the late afternoon or when the morning light is just right.  In the evening back at Lion Hill Lodge, the chefs feature excellent Indian food on their outstanding international menu.

Monday, August 18   Lewa Downs Safari Camp on the Laikipia Plateau in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Enjoy a before breakfast game drive at Nakuru, the best time for lovely light on the wildlife around the lake.  After breakfast depart from Nakuru for the journey north to the Laikipia Plateau.  Going up the side of the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, agricultural lands, especially tea cultivation, are prominent.  It is important to note that East Africans are very conscious of their land problems and have embarked on tree planting to help restore woodlands and slow down erosion problems, which we will see during our drives between reserves.  Look down on a spectacular view into the Rift Valley from where we have just come as we ascend the escarpment, then continue east across the northern tip of the Aberdare Mountains to Nyaharuru (Thompson’s Falls) with a stop for our picnic lunch.  Along the southern edge of the Laikipia Plateau we’ll meet the vehicles form Lewa and bid kwaheri to our Rhino Safaris drivers until tomorrow morning when we’ll meet up with them again. Drive to Lewa Safari Camp, situated on a private ranch and reserve on the Laikipia Plateau. One of Kenya’s early ranches, Lewa Downs, has been home to the Craig family since they moved from Scotland and began raising cattle in 1924.  Lewa Downs is one of very few private ranches in the world where you can see such a remarkable variety of mammals and birds and their interaction with each other in a natural habitat.  This reserve is extremely well patrolled and protects African Elephant, two species of rhino, Reticulated Giraffe, many species of antelope, including Greater Kudu, and Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. Two species of zebra graze the plains: Burchell’s and the rare Grevy’s.  In fact, this reserve is essential to the continued survival of the Grevy’s.

Do a night game drive in custom four-wheel-drive open-top vehicles owned by Lewa Safari Camp. The experienced guides know all the best areas for spotting game and enjoy sharing their knowledge with us.  Look for Springhare, Zorilla, Leopard, Lion, Lesser Galago, owls, nightjars and other nocturnal species.  The small nocturnal primate that looks like a lemur, the Lesser Galago or Lesser Bushbaby, is closely related to the Greater Galago that we should have seen at Kichwa Tembo, but much smaller as the name implies.  Lesser Bushbabies live most of their lives in one or two trees, foraging at night among the high branches.  At night their glowing red eye shine flashes back and forth.

The accommodations include 12 safari tents with private baths and a charming dining lodge situated inside this large private reserve.  At Lewa the Anna Merz’s Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary for endangered Black Rhinos encompasses a total of 61,000 acres - all of the Lewa Downs Ranch plus the neighboring forest reserve. The Craig/Douglas family first came to Lewa Downs in 1922 and managed it as a cattle ranch for over 50 years. Unlike many other ranchers in the area, they had always valued the wildlife that shared the land with the cattle and developed wildlife tourism as an additional activity. By the early 1980s it was uncertain whether any Black Rhinos would survive in Kenya. Poaching for horn had reduced Kenya's rhinos from some 20,000 in the mid-1970s to a few hundred by 1986. It was clear that the only way to prevent their complete extinction was to create high-security sanctuaries. In 1983 the Craigs and Mrs. Anna Merz - who funded the project - decided to establish the fenced and guarded Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary at the western end of Lewa Downs. The rhino sanctuary was stocked partly with animals from other reserves and partly from isolated individuals from northern Kenya, whose likely survival in the wild was a matter of months at most. The Black Rhino that were caught settled down and bred and White Rhino were added. After ten years it was clear that the rhinos needed more space and the sanctuary was expanded to cover the rest of the ranch and the adjoining Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve. The perimeter was almost entirely fenced for security and to ensure that elephants did not raid crops in neighboring farms, but the ecological connections between Lewa and neighboring wildlife areas to the north with Samburu were maintained by leaving gaps in the fence for animal movements. At the same time the entire property was converted to a wildlife sanctuary, as the Craig family handed over the management of the ranch to a non-profit organization, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

Tuesday - Wednesday, August 19 – 20   Samburu & Buffalo Springs Game Reserve
Enjoy a before breakfast game drive and a great breakfast, then rejoin our Rhino Safaris drivers and drive to Samburu to Samburu Lodge. The abrupt contrast is striking between the rich Rift Valley, green Kenya Highlands and the more arid Northern Frontier to the north, where the Uaso Nyiro River is the lifeline for the many species of wildlife that must come to drink.  Cross over lands belonging to several different tribal groups.  The town of Isiolo is a converging point of many tribes, including many driven south by drought. We’ll take a picnic lunch to enjoy at Buffalo Spring Game Reserve, where much wildlife congregates at this season. The Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves are divided by the Uaso Nyiro River. These two adjacent reserves and the Laikipia Plateau are the only areas where we will see Beisa Oryx, Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk, and Somali Ostrich. "Gerenuk" is the Samburu word for an animal that does not need to drink water.  Others say it means "giraffe-neck" and the Swahili name "Swara Twiga" translates as “giraffe-like antelope”.  The Gerenuk is very adept at standing on its hind legs and reaching up to browse on vegetation, which is 4 - 6 ft. high.  This antelope is a favorite of all people who like to watch feeding behavior.  The mating behavior of the Gerenuk is also incredibly graceful.  Samburu has many drought-adapted animals.  All these species 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, soaking up the night moisture, and providing an important food source for herbivores. The beautiful Vulturine Guinea-fowl, Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow Weaver, and Black-capped Social Weavers are also only seen here in Kenya's Northern Territory.

Check in at Samburu Lodge right on the Uaso Nyiro River by mid-afternoon in time for a rest, then along the Uaso River for a late afternoon game drive. Explore along the banks of the river, where African Elephants and other wildlife that come to water are active throughout the day. By dusk massive Nile Crocrodiles come ashore at the edge of the lodge grounds, due to the longtime practice of feeding them a leg of goat meat.  Leopard is also often seen at the platform across the river if a piece of goat is hung there in the evening. Scavengers also sometimes come to check if any pieces have fallen to the ground, a chance to see Striped Hyena, which is a nocturnal, very shy smaller relative of the Spotted Hyena.  Also in the morning if the goat meat is still hanging there, a Palmnut Vulture will arrive and show its acrobatic skills, as it dangles from the meat with its talons and rips the meat with its beak.  Birding on the lodge grounds is fantastic and during one game drive you may take the option of joining Titus and the Samburu Lodge resident naturalist for a two hour walk.  The open dining room at the lodge also is a marvelous experience, both the setting and the cuisine with diverse cuisine, Indian, Kenyan and European.

During our stay, there’s time on Wednesday to attend an optional Samburu tribal dance at the lodge before venturing out into the reserve again for the late afternoon.  We do not encourage stopping along the roads to the park to photograph Masai and their close relatives, the Samburu.  The reason for not stopping along the roads is simply that it encourages begging, certainly beneath the dignity of these wonderful people.  Children hold out their hands along the roads, a practice that both the government and tour operators do not wish to encourage.  In many cases money from tourism is now an important source of income for nomadic people whose lands are fast becoming victim of overgrazing and desertification.  We will pass by many “cultural manyattas” outside the boundaries of the Masai Mara and in this area outside Samburu and Buffalo Springs.  By staying on their land, the Masai and Samburu have a far better existence than going to a city where unemployment runs very high.  However, there is one big problem with the “cultural manyattas”.  The money from manyatta visitors ($100 per vehicle) goes right into buying more livestock, which accelerates overgrazing and competition with wildlife.  The Masai and Samburu people do not use banks to store their money.  When they need cash, they sell a cow.  There is one famous manyatta beside the Samburu gate that is different, in that the women collect the money from tourist visits and use it for their families, especially for education, so if you would like to do a cultural manyatta visit during the mid-day game drive at Samburu, let us know by Tuesday, so we can reserve a visit at this special Samburu manyatta.We'll do before-breakfast game drives when the predators are most active, another sortie before lunch and an afternoon game drive until 6:30 pm (dusk) on Wednesday.  Samburu and Lewa Downs are definitely highlights of the safaris, as well as the Masai Mara! Overnight two nights at Samburu Lodge.

Thursday – Friday , August 21 - 22  From Samburu to Nairobi and homeward
After an early breakfast, we’ll slowly game drive out to the Samburu Gate, then head south back through Isiolo and Nanyuki through the Kenya Highlands along the flanks of Mount Kenya. Much of the land south of Nanyuki is wheat, flowers and fruit agriculture, as well as the hillside cultivation of the Kikuyu in the Kenya Highlands between Mt Kenya to the east and the Aberdare Mountains to the west. Before reaching Nairobi we pass by Thika in the rich Kikuyu lands described by Elspeth Huxley in “Flame Trees of Thika”.

We’ll arrive in Nairobi with time to visit the newly remodeled National Museum of Natural History. Titus Imboma works at the Bird Department here and has spent much time preparing the new exhibits, along with being a full time student at the University of Nairobi in the biological sciences. The museum also has a gift shop with a good selection of books and crafts, which benefits their very worth-while ongoing projects.  Throughout the safari, the lodge gift shops are excellent, but you may have some shopping to do here.  Return by late afternoon to the Mayfair.  Dinner on your own this evening and transfer to the airport by 6:30 pm for evening flights or overnight for a morning flight on Friday.  If you wish to stay longer in Nairobi, extra overnights at the Mayfair are $160, including breakfast, per double or single. Airport transfers are included on Thursday evening or Saturday morning.  Separate transfers at other times are $40 per vehicle.  Gain back 8 hours to the East Coast and 11 hours to the West Coast of the USA from Kenya with arrival home on the 22nd or 23rd, depending on your departure date.  If staying one night in Amsterdam, the Hotel Ibis, located very close to the airport, provides a free shuttle every half hour and is reasonably priced.

Reservations and payments: Please send a check for $1500 per person to:

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070

Telephone: (800) 527-5330
Locally (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358

For questions, comments or reservations,
e-mail us at: info@Cheesemans.com

Payments & Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit of $1500, we will send trip materials, including a travel guide, reading list, species lists, and maps. The final payment is due on May 1, 2008. Until that date, deposits are refundable except for $150. This may go toward another tour if reservation is made within six months of the tour departure date. There are no refunds given after the final payment. Trip insurance applications are available.

Not Included:  Tips to our drivers are not included. Our drivers give us many extra hours in the field viewing wildlife.  We recommend a gratuity of approximately $10 to $12 per day, collected at the end of the safari.  Bottled beverages, laundry services and personal expenses are not included.

Reading and Field Guides: Some favorites are Craig Packer’s Into Africa, describing his lion research in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and Cynthia Moss’ Elephant Memories and Portraits in the Wild.  We recommend that you consider buying a book on mammals of East Africa and a field guide to the birds. Jonathan Kingdon’s field guide to the mammals is the most complete one and the most up to date.  Excellent East Africa bird books, one by Terry Stevenson and one by Zimmerman and Turner, are available.  Ian Sinclair’s Birds of Africa is also a good choice.

Travel Insurance: Additional information on travel insurance will be provided at the time you register for this trip.  If you have any questions about trip insurance, please give us a call.

Conservation: You may be interested in joining an African conservation organization:
1.) East African Wildlife Society, PO Box 20110, Nairobi, Kenya, has a publication called “Swara” with many articles on animals, etc. Check with us for membership information.
2.) African Wildlife Foundation is excellent at 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036, funding wildlife research, education and patrolling parks.

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.

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