| Serengeti Mara Safari |
| 18 October - 2 November 2008 |
When one hears the word safari, Kenya comes to mind. The word alone conjures up visions of acacia-dotted landscapes stretching as far as the eye can see, covered with vast herds of elephants, zebra, and wildebeest. And there are tribal people who have called this part of Africa home for thousands of years and whose very survival has depended on their ability to life in harmony with nature. It is this part of Africa that most paleanathropologist believe that approximately 35,000 years ago the first Homosapiens walked north (probably because of a change in the climate) and began a journey that has resulted in close to seven billion of us inhabiting one small planet, of which few live in harmony with nature. This safari is designed for the photographer that wants to experience both Kenya and Tanzania and has three weeks to travel, which is David Anderson's recommendation for the minimum time to go on safari. The extra time will allow one to eliminate flights to save time on the road and related costs. Your drives between the game viewing area will be done after your morning game drive and you will arrive at your next destination in time for an afternoon game drive and in time to catch that "golden evening East Africa light." Accommodations will be adequate but not fancy. We have heard many times that most photographers care most about getting the most photographic opportunities and luxury lodging is not preferable. This small group Focus on Africa explorers will travel in a specially equipped 7-passenger Land Cruiser with plenty of room for equipment and to move around to get in position to get the shot. Finally, this safari crosses the Kenya border from the Masai Mara into the Serengeti National Park at Lake Victoria, which not only has the advantage of not going back to Nairobi but you have an oppertunity to photograph the second largest fresh water lake on planet Earth. |
| Maximum Participants: 12 with a maximum of four photographers in each 7-passenger Land Cruiser |
| Photographer Leader: Alison Jones |
| Our Itinerary |
| Saturday, 18 October 2008 |
| Nairobi |
| We arrive in Nairobi this evening and are met and transferred to our hotel in the suburb of Nairobi named after Karen Blixen. |
| Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens (B) |
| Sunday, 19 October 2008 |
| Nairobi |
| After a late breakfast, we will be met by our driver/guide and taken on a city tour of Nairobi that will include the Daphane Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Giraffe Center and the Karen Blixen home and Museum. |
| Karen Blixen Coffee Gardens (B) |
| Monday - Thursday, 20 - 23 October 2008 |
| Nairobi - Masai Mara Game Reserve |
| This morning we transfer to the airport for our short flight to the Masai Mara. During our five days, we explore this great reserve in depth. We see elephant, giraffe, prides of lion and thousands of impala, topi, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle. While in the Mara, we will have the opportunity to float above the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem on board a hot air balloon followed by a champagne breakfast. There is also an optional day trip to Lake Victoria where we can visit a village and fish for giant Nile perch. We may visit a Maasai village and photograph the proud Maasai. |
| Karen Blixen Camp (BLD) |
| Friday, 24 October 2008 |
| Masai Mara - Isibani - Lake Victoria |
| After breakfast you will drive to the Kenya/Tanzania border at Isibania where you meet your Tanzania driver. You continue to your lodge on the shores of Lake Victoria. You can enjoy a boat ride and do some fishing if you like. |
| Speke Bay (BLD) |
| Saturday - Monday, 25 - 27 October 2008 |
| Serengeti National Park |
| Your Tanzania driver-guide will greet you this morning as you begin the Tanzania portion of your safari. You begin in the Serengeti. Serengeti National Park is the largest of Tanzania's national parks, and arguably Africa's premier game park, The Serengeti is the setting for the most awesome wildlife spectacle on earth. Each year, more than two million wildebeest and zebra begin their great circular migration across the open plains and acacia woodlands. Huge columns of advancing zebras and ungainly wildebeest stretch as far as the eye can see with the predators following alongside. Serengeti means "endless plains" in the Maasai language. The extensive grasslands are interspersed with "kopjes", islands of rocky outcrops which are home to their own wildlife communities which include cheetah, leopard, and hyrax, to name a few. The Serengeti landscape leaves the visitor with images of vastness and breathtaking beauty. We have four days to explore the park. |
| Serengeti Sopa Lodge (BLD) |
| Tuesday, 28 October 2008 |
| Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater |
| We depart our lodge with a picnic lunch for a full day on the Serengeti Plains. Our morning game drive takes us past Olduvai Gorge, the site of the first discovery of early man. We then continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. |
| Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (BLD) |
| Wednesday, 29 October 2008 |
| Ngorongoro Crater |
| Millions of years ago, Ngorongoro may have rivaled Kilimanjaro in size, but as its volcanic activity subsided, it collapsed inward, forming a caldera. On the floor of the 102 sq. mile Crater, an African paradise is found. The Crater is a perfect haven for lion, elephant, hyena, wildebeest, gazelle and some of the last remaining rhino in Tanzania. The Crater's lake is home to thousands of flamingo, carpeting the area with the glow of their pink plumage. Your day in the Crater begins with a decent 2,000 feet down the wall of the Crater to the Crater floor. You have a packed picnic lunch in order to maximize your time game viewing, spending the entire day in this "Garden of Eden. |
| Ngorongoro Farm House (BLD) |
| Thursday, 30 October 2008 |
| Lake Eyasi - Bushman Day |
| You rise early this morning because you are going to go on an excursion to the nearby Lake Eyasi in the Rift Valley, still inhabited by a tribe of hunter-gatherers, the Hadzabe, a relic of ancient times who still follow a style of life similar to the humans who inhabited the Earth before the discovery of agriculture. This afternoon, you will visit a school and an orphanage in the town of Karatu. |
| Ngorongoro Farm House (BLD) |
| Friday - Saturday, 31 October - 1 November 2008 |
| Tarangire National Park |
| This morning you drive to Tarangire National Park. Wide panoramas of open acacia woodland and grassy savannah studded with large baobabs mark Tarangire, a lesser-known scenic gem located in southern Masailand. In the June-October dry season, huge herds of elephant and other big game species move peacefully toward the blue gleam of Tarangire's namesake river. This is not to suggest that Tarangire is a seasonable park, it is not. One can expect good game viewing throughout the year. Fringe-eared Oryx and lesser kudu are among the unique resident species and lion and leopard are common. This un-proclaimed jewel is also an ornithologist's paradise. |
| Swala Camp (BLD ) |
| Sunday, 2 November 2008 |
| Tarangire National Park - Arusha |
| You drive through the park and continue to Arusha where you have the afternoon to shop and prepare for your flight home. You depart this evening or you can continue your safari with a visit to the exotic island of Zanzibar. |
| Photo Expedition Price |
| (Per Person, Double Occupancy) |
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| Safari Options |
| (Per Person) |
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| Safari Price Includes: |
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| Not included: |
| Not included are international airfare and personal expenses such as personal insurance; excess baggage fees; phone calls; gratuities to camp staff and driver/guides; airport departure taxes; passport and visa fees, and beverages, and any additional nights in Nairobi or Arusha, which are not noted in itinerary. |
| Carbon Offsets: |
| Focus on Planet Earth understands that air travel contributes to increased green house gases and global warming. Therefore, we encourage our expedition participants to assist us in making each Focus on Planet Earth expedition carbon neutral. You can offset your air transportation carbon impact by purchasing carbon off-sets. As an incentive for you to do this, we will deduct 50% of the amount of your purchase from your final invoice. To offset the emissions from your flights go to Carbon Off-Set Calculator. Use JRO (Kilimanjaro) as your destination. |
| International Air Transportation: |
| You are responsible for booking your own international air transportation. To assist you, we have provided you with the airport codes and the dates you need to arrive or depart. |
| Arrival Airport Code: |
| Departure Airport Code: |
For the lowest airfares, we recommend you visit: www.davidanderson.worldventures.com |
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