Think: Mount Kenya looming majestically over savanna as far as the eye can see, the fierce tussle of wildlife playing out in Meru National Park, the dramatic migration of more than two million animals and some of the most luxurious and beautiful lodgings you can ever find in nature. If this sounds like your kind of adventure, look to Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours for a Kenya tour package customised to your requirements.
Born free in Meru National Park
It's a charming tale: A couple adopts an orphaned lion cub, raises it like a loving domestic pet, and teaches the lion survival skills before releasing into the wild. It's the subject of a book and movie titled Born Free, and completely true. Elsa the lioness' grave is still located in Meru National Park, where she was set free by George and Joy Adamson, but that's not all the park is known for. Opened in the '60s, the popular park went into decline in the '80s because of poaching. With its relaunch, Meru National Park's unspoiled expanse of bush, woodland, grassland and meandering waterways once again offers an unrivalled game-viewing experience – apart from predators like lions and cheetahs, you'll find gazelles, buffaloes, crocodiles and an abundance of birdlife, not to mention the black and white rhinos in the famed Meru Rhino Sanctuary.
The circle of life – the great wildebeest migration Imagine tens of thousands of wildebeest slowly gathering at the banks of the swollen Mara River. The numbers increase as the creatures try to determine where to cross the turbulent waters. They have to avoid the vicious snap of crocodile jaws. On the other side, hidden predators wait in anticipation. Every July to September, two million animals, including about 1.5 million wildebeest make the move from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Kenya's Maasai Mara in search of greener pastures, quite literally. It's unpredictable, since no migration follows the same pattern. The only guarantee is that with patience, your vacation photos are going to be incredible.
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After the safari What's a holiday without some good sleep? Kenya has plenty of accommodation options, from the quirky to the ultra luxe. Elsa's Kopje, located in Meru National Park, offers elegant safari-style, open-front cottages overlooking the landscape of the park, and is a romantic favourite. At Loisaba Cottage in northern Kenya, sleep under a mesmerising blanket of stars on open-air beds that leave you at one with nature – but with mosquito netting. For something with a royal connection, the exclusive Lewa Safari Camp is where Prince William and Kate Middleton stayed before he popped the question in a remote log cabin in nearby Rutundu. If you'd still prefer to stick to animals, Giraffe Manor in the Langata suburb of Nairobi is a beautiful 1930s manor and there, giraffes roam the grounds. Feed them through your window while you breakfast.
Nairobi, the perfect base The bustling city is a commercial hub that serves as a convenient base, no matter what Nairobi holiday packages you have opted for. The slopes of Mount Kenya are just two hours away, for those who wish to conquer Africa's second highest mountain. The Rift Valley, with its numerous out-of-this-world lakes, is similarly accessible. What's most remarkable about Nairobi is that you'll be able to rub shoulders with hyenas, elands, lions, zebras and black rhinos a mere 20-minute ride from the city centre, in Nairobi National Park. Rolling plains with scattered acacia and a highland dry forest exist against the backdrop of urban architecture. Good for a day trip, the park has seen more than 80 species of animals and over 400 species of birds.
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To customise your own Kenya tour package and experience the grandeur of Meru National Park for yourself, Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours has a customised Kenya tour package to suit your taste. Call 6212 9935 or email privatetours@chanbrothers.com.sg for details.
Highlights
Every itinerary can be fully customised according to needs, special interests, personal preferences and defining style of just about anyone who wants to travel privately and exclusively.
Assemble at Singapore Changi Airport for your flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Upon arrival at the airport, meet your driver and enjoy a private transfer to your hotel.
After breakfast, proceed to Amboseli National Park, famous for its stunning views of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. The park offers photographers the rare opportunity to snap photos of elephants, lions, zebra and giraffes against the startling backdrop of Africa's most famous mountain.
Mt Kilimanjaro
This morning, head out for an unforgettable sunrise game drive within the park. Kilimanjaro never looks quite as beautiful as she does 1st thing in the morning and you will also get to see predators such as leopards, lions, and cheetahs out on the prowl in the cooler morning air. After your morning game drive and a late breakfast, relax at the lodge for a few hours before heading out into the park again in the afternoon. With the animals largely inactive during the warm midday hours, you can get some rest before catching them out and about in the cooling afternoon air.
Game Drive
After breakfast, depart for Aberdare National Park and check in to Ark Lodge. From the viewing decks at the lodge, you get to see elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, monkeys and myriad water-birds coming to drink from the flood-lit waterhole in front of the lodge.
Game Drive
After breakfast, proceed to Aberdare Country Club and reunite with your safari driver. Next, enjoy a short ride to the foothills of Mt Kenya. The forests surrounding this famous mountain offer great bird-watching experiences with some notable species such as lesser kestrel, jackson’s widowbird, abbots starling, jackson’s francolin, hunter’s cisticola, crowned eagles, African grass owls and cape eagle owls all living in the forests. Thereafter, proceed to Ol Pajeta Conservancy and pay a visit to the park’s famous chimpanzee sanctuary to meet its adopted residents.
Game Drive
Today, head over to Lake Nakuru National Park, internationally known for its animal sanctuary which includes both black and white rhino species. You will also discover the park’s population of many bird species including the spectacular pink greater and lesser flamingos. It is also home to large flocks of pelicans, waterbuck, leopards and the endangered rothschild’s giraffe.
Game Drive
After breakfast, enjoy a scenic drive down south towards Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya’s most famous park. En route, pass through the famous Great Rift Valley and Narok. Next, arrive at Maasai Mara National Reserve, an extension of the vast Serengeti ecosystem which is known for some of the most spectacular game migrations in the world. Every year, over a million animals including wildebeest, zebras and gazelles migrate from the Serengeti in northern Tanzania across the Mara River and into Kenya in search of fresh feeding grounds.
Game Drive
This morning, witness the sunrise out on Maasai Mara National Reserve. As the sun rises on the savannah, you will have the chance to watch predators such as leopards and lions out on the hunt while the air is still cool. Witness the natural behaviours of the wildlife where you may spot lions hunting and killing, cheetahs chasing their prey, elephants grazing and birds forming nests. Spend the rest of the day at leisure at your lodge.
Game Drive
Today, return to Nairobi for your overnight stay.
Enjoy a private airport transfer from your hotel to the airport for your flight home.