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AFRICAN
KALEIDOSCOPE
Luxurious Journey of the Highlights of Southern
& Eastern Africa |
| LOCATION: South Africa, Zambie, Tanzania & Kenya |
| DAYS:
17 Days |
| FITNESS LEVEL: Easy |
| HIGHLIGHTS: Intra-Continental Travel by Air &
Land * Visit Victoria Falls
* Cruise the Zambezi River *
Mt. Meru * Game Drives * Lake Manyara * Masai Mara/Serengeti * Ngorngoro Crater * Cape Town * Meals as Indicated in
Itinerary are Included * All Accommodations in Luxury Hotels, Deluxe Lodges and Permanent Tented
Camps * Guaranteed Departures * Limited Group
Size * Deluxe Safari Vans & Safari
Cruisers with Guaranteed Window Seats on Game Drives
* Transfers to &
from Airports Included * All Park Entrance
Fees are Included * Membership in Flying Doctors?
Society is Included * Complete Pre-Tour
Documentation |
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"The
days of exploration are now. The place to explore is
here - traversing a quarter of a continent in adventurous
luxury. From urban class to classic safari by way of
breathtaking Victoria Falls, this experience celebrates
the diversity of Africa. An optional journey on
the world famous Blue Train is the perfect addition
to this ultimate African experience."
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Safari Price
| Contact Born Free
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Day 1 - Departure USA / Amsterdam
Depart the United States on your international flight. - Connect in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
KENYA
Day 2 - Nairobi
Today you fly from Amsterdam to Nairobi, Kenya. Upon arrival, your Born Free Representative will meet you and escort you to your hotel for your overnight stay.
Nairobi Serena Hotel
TANZANIA
Day 3 - Nairobi / Lake Manyara
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and board your flight to Tanzania. Upon arrival, meet your private guide and head off by safari cruiser into the Tanzania bush. Lake Manyara National Park lies at the foot of the escarpment of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley. More than two thirds of this small park is covered by a vast lake. Despite its size the park, there are a variety of habitats with the consequence of a spectacular diversity of animals and birds. The highlight of the park's wildlife is the wonderful hippo population. Elephant, giraffe, monkeys, lion and impala are also to be found.
Serena / Sopa Lodge (BLD)
Day 4 - Ngorongoro Crater
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater this morning for brilliant game viewing. The Ngorongoro Conservations area is approximately 3,100 square miles. The Crater itself is about 12 miles across and is the largest, undamaged caldera in the world. Tropical forest extends down several hundred feet from the rim on the outside of the crater. It is estimated that more than 30,000 animals are to be found within the crater walls at any one time. Because the crater floor is mostly flat grassland, with patches of acacia woodland here and there, game viewing is excellent. Game is quite varied and remarkable. Although you will not find giraffe here due to steep walls of the crater.
Ngorongoro Serea / Sopa Lodge (BLD)
Day 5 - Foothills of Mount Meru
Leave Ngorongoro early this morning and head to the foothills of Mount Meru. The main emphasis of the Game Sanctuary is to provide safe haven to a wide variety of African plains game and birds.
Tonight you will stay at Mount Meru Game Lodge. It has a specially designed, enclosed area of the grounds where it houses many animals were once either orphaned or badly injured and were brought to the sanctuary for rehabilitation. By staying at this lodge, you help support these animals since the Sanctuary is supported entirely by the Lodge.
The animals and birdlife at Mount Meru Game Lodge and Sanctuary are certain to delight all of their guests and visitors. The luxurious suites with ensuite private gardens, the Usa River and magnificent views of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru make this a wonderful stop.
Mount Meru Game Lodge (BLD)
KENYA
Day 6, 7, 8 - Masai Mara Game Reserve
This morning, you will fly from Aursha to Nairobi on onward towhere you clear customs and fly on to the Masai Mara National Reserve probably one of the most famous wildlife regions in the world and provides the most diverse game viewing within Kenya. Such a reputation is with good cause as the Masai Mara plays host to the world¡¦s largest mass land migration, with around 2 million animals making the long and arduous journey from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Viewing the migration depends upon your time of travel and it is an awe-inspiring sight. But even outside of the migration season wildlife viewing is still magnificent, with the Mara supporting substantial resident wildlife populations including the Big Five.
The Masai Mara is a remote part of South Western Kenya and benefits from a surprisingly varied landscape. The Eastern Ngama Hills are covered with acacia bush and numerous forested riverines, valleys and plains bushland. It is home to one of the few remaining black rhino habitats. Vast grassy savannah plains dominate the central region and are interspersed with the odd thicket and bush land. It is this dotted covering of trees and shrubs that gave the Masai Mara its name ¡V mara meaning spotted. Such grasslands provide sustenance for the herds of grazing herbivores whilst also giving cover for stalking carnivores.
Mara Intrepids / Kichwa Tembo (BLD)
SOUTH AFRICA
Day 9 - Fly to Johannesburg
Bid sad farewell to the East African bush and fly to Nairobi. Lunch at the Carnivore Restaurant and then fly on to Johannesburg, South Africa for overnight at the Airport Grand Hote
Airport Grand Hotel (B)
ZAMBIA
Day 10 - Victoria Falls / Livingstone
Fly from Johannesburg International Airport to the Zambia side of Victoria Falls. After checking in at your hotel and lunch you will get an opportunity to relax before the Sundowner Cruise on the mighty Zambezi ¡V a delightful way to end the day!
Your hotel, The Royal Livingstone, stretches luxuriously along the banks of the Zambezi River. The Hotel consists of a series of 17 colonial-style buildings, with deep verandas, set amidst indigenous trees and plants. The main hotel is a sequence of thatch-roofed buildings, mostly African in their influence, and incorporates the lounge, restaurant and bar. A classic swimming pool visually links the waters of the river with the terraces of the hotel, with a sweeping timber deck planted in the swirling water of the Zambezi.
The Royal Livingstone Hotel (B)
Day 11 - Livingstone / Victoria Falls
After breakfast you will be met for a walking tour of the Falls. We highly suggest taking one of the air flight seeing tours either a fixed wing or by helicopter for an additional fee.
A natural phenomenon and one of the seven natural Wonders of the World, the Victoria Falls are an immense curtain of water cascading over 328 feet. Around the Falls is a rainforest sustained by the spray of the Falls with some plant species rarely found elsewhere in Zambia or Zimbabwe. Another interesting perspective is deep within the gorge into which the Falls descend - "The Boiling Pot." It¡¦s quite a steep climb, but well-worn steps make it a fairly easy descent. Returning up is, of course, a little more strenuous, but the view from below of the wide Zambezi thundering over the cliff, then compressed into the deep thin crevice turning into the Batoka Gorge, crashing and swirling over rapids, is quite spectacular.
The Royal Livingstone Hotel (B) SOUTH AFRICA
On a modified itinerary we can add BLUE TRAIN or ROVOS RAIL. Request prices and availability.
Day 12 - Cape Town
Fly to Johannesburg and then connect for your flight to Cape Town arriving late in the day.
Arrival in Cape Town International airport you will be met by our local hosts and driven to your hotel. The remainder of the evening is yours to relax and acclimatize to your new surroundings.
Cape Cadogan Hotel is situated in the beautiful Gardens area of Cape Town. It was originally a farmhouse which was 'Victorianised' in 1912 and declared a national monument in 1984. It is well known for its comfortable, luxurious atmosphere. The Cape Cadogan Hotel public areas comprise of a comfortable lounge with an open fireplace, a garden and pool area, and a library where you can relax and read or research your itinerary from the computer terminal provided for your convenience. Breakfast is served in the dining room that overlooks the pool and the garden. There is a choice of either a continental or cooked breakfast. Evening meals can be arranged on request. Lunch and dinners are on your own during your stay in Cape Town. There are a wide variety of international cuisine available around the Cape.
Cape Cadogan Hotel (B)
Day 13 - Cape Town
This morning, after breakfast, your private driver guide will meet you in the lobby for a half day of private sight seeing excursion of Cape Town. Even though we have outlined a general touring itinerary, you can select the places that truly interest you and then we will organize the trips to meet your special interest.
Cape Town is the city on everyone's lips. Where Sydney and San Francisco were once rated the new world's most desirable destinations, Cape Town with its scenic beauty and vibrant lifestyle has now taken over.
Your introduction to this vibrant city begins with an orientation tour which will take you past sites such as the Cultural History Museum, St George's Cathedral, the Company Gardens and the South African Museum. Then proceed to the Malay quarter and optionally up Table Mountain for a panoramic view of the ocean and city. The afternoon is on your own to visit the Waterfront or perhaps take an optional trip to Robben Island.
Cape Cadogan Hotel (B)
Day 14 - Cape Town
Enjoy a full day Cape Peninsula tour along one of South Africa's most scenic routes. Take in the dramatic views from Chapman's Peak Drive before reaching Cape Point where, typically, two marine ecosystems and oceans meet. Take the funicular to the old lighthouse overlooking this dramatic coast. The Good Hope Nature Reserve with its diversity of fynbos flora covers 7,750 unspoiled hectares of the southern most tip of the Cape Peninsula. Drive through the historic naval base, Simon's Town, with a visit to the penguin colony at Boulders, continuing through Fish Hoek and Muizenberg to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Kirstenbosch was established as a centre for the preservation and study of the indigenous flora of southern Africa and has over 5000 species. All year round one can enjoy glorious living displays of wild flowers and the magnificent collection of cycads, silver trees and other shrubs, plants and trees. The Shona sculptures are also intriguing.
Cape Cadogan Hotel (B)
Day 15 - Cape Town
There are so many things to see and do in Cape Town that we will leave the next day and half free. For those who would like tours arranged ¡V we will listen to your interests and suggest the best the area has to offer.
We would also like to suggest an overnight in the WINE COUNTRY.
Cape Cadogan Hotel (B)
Day 16 - Departure
Time to shop in the many wonderful art galleries and explore the city market for those last minute gifts. Bid ?Kwa Heri? to Africa as you board your connecting flight home.
Day 17 - Arrival USA
Arrival back in the United States this afternoon.
SERENGETI MIGRATION TOURS - Alternate itinerary
Day 01 - Departure from the United States
Day 02 - Arrival in Amsterdam and connect to flight to Arusha, Tanzania
Day 03 - Lake Manyara
Day 04 - Karatu and to Ngorongoro Crater
Day 05 - Ngorongoro Crater
Day 06 - Serengeti National Park - accommodations will depend on season/wildlife locations
Day 07 - Serengeti National Park
Day 08 - Serengeti National Park
Day 09 - Fly to Arusha and then to Nairobi - Johannesburg
Day 10-17 - Per Above Itinerary
How
about extending your stay in Africa with a breathtaking exotic retreat
to one of our Jewels Of The Indian Ocean? How about adding a Gorilla Trek through the Uganda rain forests to discover the wonders and brilliance of the
elusive mountain gorillas, up close and very personal? They are both perfect extensions to any safari!
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