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Arrive at JKIA (Jomo Kenyata International Airport where you are
met by an experience Elida Tours & Safaris representative, you will
be transferred to Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi for overnight.
Be our guests for lunch and afternoon tea on Kiambethu Tea Estate with
a lecture on local history of the area and production of tea and take
part in a guided walk of the nearby forest and the tea plantations.
0800 hrs depart in the morning to Kiambethu Tea Estate located in the
outskirts of Nairobi about 30 km at an altitude of 7000 feet above sea
level with lush acres of tea plantations that seem to vanish in the horizon.
Here two English families Mitchell & McDonnell in the early 1900's
built this estate. These families are said to be the first to have ventured
into the tea business. You will have a lecture on the history of the area
and also about the production of tea. In the afternoon take a walk through
the tea plantations and forests, which display the conditions needed for
the growth of tea. The lecture on growth of tea is a good learning experience.
For instance, you will see tea pickers on the farm plucking the top two
leaves and bud from each plantation. Tea needs good rainfall, which is
plenty in the region so tea is picked all year round. After the tea is
picked, they are sent to the factories to be processed and sold to local
and export markets. Kenya is the third largest producer of tea after Sri
Lanka and India. Afterwards you are transfered back to your hotel in Nairobi
Depart on safari after breakfast. Leave Nairobi, heading north through
a patchwork of coffee plantations and small farms towards Mount Kenya
and the highlands. Gaining altitude, the scenery becomes lusher, the air
cooler and the roadside becomes a fascinating ribbon of small shops and
stallholders. Stop en route at the colorful Karatina market where fruit,
vegetables, clothing and household goods are sold or bartered. Continue
deep into the forests of Mount Kenya for overnight at Mountain lodge.
Safe in the comfort of the lodge, guests can observe the animals gathering
to drink at the floodlit waterhole until well into the night. With luck,
it may be possible to see elephant and rhino vying for the same salt deposit,
while buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, bush buck, dik-dik and perhaps the
rare kudu wait their turn. Dinner and overnight at Serena Mountain Lodge.
As the road leads away from Mount Kenya, cross the equator line where
a demonstration will be given to show how water drains from a bath in
clockwise or anti-clockwise direction north or south of the equator. Descend
from the lush highlands into the rift valley with its stunning volcanic
landscapes before continuing to lake Baringo. Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon
visit to a local school (no fees are charged, just donate a few pens,
pencils, books etc). Dinner and overnight at Lake Baringo Club.
A morning excursion by boat to ol Kokwe Island in the centre of Lake Baringo.
This is home to the small njemps tribe who still live by fishing from
their primitive reed boats, just as they have done for many hundreds of
years. Despite their life-style, the njemps have a very good school on
the island and speak good English. It is possible to meet and talk to
them about their way of life. Lunch at the lodge and afternoon at leisure
to relax by the pool or enjoy a guided bird walk in the beautiful gardens
beside the lake. Dinner and overnight at Lake Baringo club.
From Baringo, a morning drive via Kabarnet and Eldama Ravine to Kericho,
passing through unspoilt villages and stunningly beautiful scenery. The
highlight is a stop at the aptly named "world's end", one of
the most dramatic escarpments in the world where the land rolls away thousands
of meters into the rift valley and the views stretch back to Lake Bogoria
and beyond. Kericho is tea growing country, very fertile and at high altitude.
Lunch at the Tea Hotel followed by a visit to one of the tea plantations
where a guided tour of the tea-processing factory will be given. It may
also be possible to join a local family for "chai" (tea). Dinner
and overnight at the Tea Hotel.
A short drive through the rich and fertile countryside to Kisii, home
of the equally fertile Abagusii people (they have one of the highest birth
rates in the world). Perhaps this explains why they are great athletes
who have won honors in the world and Olympic games! The Abagusii are also
an artistic and enterprising tribe whose famous Kisii soapstone carvings
are renowned throughout the world. A visit to the soapstone quarries will
provide plenty of opportunity to browse and negotiate with the carvers
for one of these finely decorated souvenirs. After lunch, leave the banana
plantations behind and head for the rolling hills of Maasai mara, Kenya’s
finest game reserve. Dinner and overnight at Mara Serena Lodge, situated
in the heart of the park.
A full day game viewing in the Mara, Kenya’s finest wildlife reserves.
Elephant and buffalo abound in the riverine forests, while out on the
grasslands impala and Thompson’s gazelle can be seen together with
their attendant predators including lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal. The
mara is the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem and plays host
to the vast herds of wildebeest and zebra during the months of July to
October. In addition, lesser-known species such as topi, hartebeest, waterbuck
eland and many small mammals create a kaleidoscopic picture. Between game
drives, it is possible to visit a Maasai "manyatta" (village).
The Maasai are a fiercely proud tribe who maintain their nomadic way of
life. Dinner and overnight at Mara Serena lodge.
A morning drive back into the Rift valley, passing the dormant volcano
of Longonot and on to Lake Naivasha. Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon visit
to a flower farm or a vineyard with wine tasting. Naivasha has a thriving
agro-industry and during the European winter more than a million stems
a night are sent by air to Europe. The wine is palatable but not of the
same quality as South African, but they are working on it! Dinner and
overnight at Lake Naivasha Country Club.
An early breakfast and boat trip to crescent island bird sanctuary. Afterwards,
ascend the spectacular Rift valley escarpment to the Nairobi suburb of
Limuru. Lunch at the old colonial style Kent mere club. Afternoon visit
to a Kiambu coffee plantation and a short talk about the coffee making
process. The Kenyan Arabic coffee is considered the best in the world
due to the perfect combination of sun and rain in this part of the country.
Continue to Nairobi for a farewell dinner at Ranger’s restaurant.
Overnight at the Nairobi Serena hotel.
A morning visit to the city fruit, vegetable and curio market, the Nairobi
museum and the snake park. Lunch at the world famous carnivore restaurant
the afternoon is left free for shopping or clients individual projects,
evening transfer to the airport for departure
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