On arrival at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you will be met by a Lion World Tours representative and transferred to the Nairobi Serena Hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight at Nairobi Serena Hotel on a bed and breakfast basis.

Nairobi Serena Hotel
The Serena group is renowned for offering excellent hotel facilities throughout East Africa, and the Nairobi Serena is no exception. A member of the Leading hotels of the World, the Serena enjoys a location on the edge of the Central Park and the City Centre. Shaded by the glorious Jacaranda, Bougainvillea and Acacia trees and surrounded by lush manicured gardens, the hotel provides a peaceful and luxurious retreat to travellers, business people and famous dignitaries in a bustling city.

Leave Nairobi after breakfast for Sweetwaters. Heading north, you will pass near Thika and continue north through some breathtaking scenery dotted with rushing mountain streams and fields of tea and coffee. Arrival at the Camp in time for lunch and then depart for an afternoon game drive including a visit to the Chimp Sanctuary returning to the camp as the sun sets. Overnight at Sweetwaters Tented Camp on a full board basis.
Sweetwaters Tented Camp - Nanyuki
This beautiful tented camp lies in the heart of the private 24,000 acre/9,700 hectare Sweetwaters Game Reserve. Built in the early 70's, the main building was originally the residence of billionaire Adnan Kashoggi's ranch manager. The 30 luxuriously appointed en-suite tents have magnificent views across the plains to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya. Located in typical savannah grasslands, punctuated by the 'whistling thorn' shrubs and acacia trees, Sweetwaters really is an oasis. It offers guests the indulgence of a swimming pool, some of the finest tented accommodation in Kenya, with personalized service and attention to detail.

Morning and afternoon game drives in Sweetwaters Game Reserve. Sweetwaters there is plenty to see. Giraffe, zebra, eland, oryx, waterbuck, Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, lion, silver-backed jackals, ostrich, hartebeest, baboon and rhino are all present. There are also several hundred bird species to be observed. There is always a resident naturalist around to help you with your identifications. The private game reserve is also home to the only chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya. Most of the chimps came from the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi and the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary now cares for them as a non-profit making venture. Most of the chimps were rescued from the most appalling conditions and it is truly heart-warming to see them living in the riverine forest and savannah grasslands here.

Leave after breakfast and drive south and into the forests of the Aberdares Mountain range arriving at Mountain Lodge for lunch. This is a tree lodge set in a forest glade with a waterhole that attracts all sorts of wildlife during the day and night. The waterhole is floodlit and there is an underground viewing platform. Overnight at Serena Mountain Lodge on a full board basis.

Serena Mountain Lodge
At 7,200 feet/2,195 meters on the slopes of Mount Kenya, Mountain Lodge is ringed by a dense rain forest that comes alive at dusk with a myriad of sounds of creatures of all sizes. This is the adventure offered at the 42 room Mountain Lodge where animal sightings are fascinating and frequent. A two and a half hour drive from Nairobi, Mountain Lodge is now managed by Serena Hotels. The comfortable rooms have spacious verandas and private shower rooms. The game viewing is excellent. You can watch the waterhole next to the lodge throughout the day and at night. Local game includes elephant, buffalo, rhino and waterbuck and many birds. A specially constructed viewing bunker connects to the lodge that offers spectacular close-up views of the waterhole. Towering over the landscape are the majestic rocky peaks of Mount Kenya, providing some dramatic photographic opportunities.

An early morning start takes you north-west as you head for Nyahururu, still known to many as Thomson's Falls for its 237 foot/72 meter cascade. Now travel in a southerly direction to your next destination, the spectacular Lake Nakuru. This is often colored a shimmering flamingo pink from thousands of the beautiful birds lining its shores. Once in the park, there will be a game drive en route to Nakuru Lodge where you will have lunch. Following lunch there is an afternoon game drive you will then continue to Lake Nakuru Lodge as the sun sets. Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge on a full board basis.

Lake Nakuru Lodge
Lake Nakuru Lodge is situated in the heart of one of Kenya's most densely populated wetland National Parks, only two leisurely hours' drive from Nairobi, through beautiful forested uplands and passing a series of lakes. Both black and white rhino are being given a new lease of life in this 188 sq km, fully-fenced park - and they are carefully protected. The present rhino population is over 50 and continuing to multiply. The Rothschild's giraffe is another rarity and the park has its fair share of buffalo, leopard, zebra, eland, waterbuck and lion. Lake Nakuru Lodge is in the south-east ecological niche of the park, with commanding views of the lake and the flamingos for which it is justly famous. Lush gardens surround the lodge and cottages. There is a good program of activities and evening entertainment.

OR UPGRADE:
An early morning start takes you north-west as you head for Nyahururu, still known to many as Thomson's Falls for its 237 foot/72 meter cascade. Now travel in a southerly direction to your next destination, the spectacular Lake Elementaita and the Soysambu Conservancy. Following lunch there is an afternoon game drive in the conservancy returning to the camp as the sun sets. Overnight at Lake Elmentaita Luxury Camp on a full board basis.

Lake Elmentaita Luxury Camp
This Luxury Camp is located on the Soysambu Conservancy, right on the shores of Lake Elmentaita. Offering a blend of exclusivity and adventure, the new camp will comprise 25 luxury tents, a dining and lounge area, spa and swimming pool enjoying magnificent views of the Lake. Soysambu Conservancy is a wildlife sanctuary that offers uniqueness whilst boasting a broad range of wildlife and bird species. It is also home to the Rothschild giraffe and is East Africa's only breeding ground for the Great White Pelican.

After an early morning breakfast, drive to Narok town via Mai-Mahiu with a brief rest-stop, and then we proceed to Masai Mara arriving in time for lunch at a lodge. After lunch, depart for an afternoon game drive en route to Mara Serena Lodge arriving as the sun sets. Overnight at Mara Serena Safari Lodge on a full board basis.

Mara Serena Safari Lodge
A masterful interpretation of a traditional Masai village, Mara Serena Lodge seemingly floats on a sea of savannah. A beautiful pool looks out over the wide plains. The rooms are Masai-influenced in style yet extremely comfortable. The main dining room, where delicious meals are served, has three large domes and three small ones depicting Maasai manyattas (villages). Occasionally an African al fresco barbecue is served by the pool overlooking the Mara plains. Fresh fruit juices and cocktails, wines, spirits or liqueurs are available at the bar until late in the evening. At Serena, the views are stunning. It is on this very terrain, stretching endlessly before the lodge, that the annual migrations take place. Millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle pass through on their way to and from their alternative feeding grounds in Tanzania.

Early morning and afternoon game drives in Masai Mara National Reserve. Overnight at Mara Serena Safari Lodge on a full board basis.

The Masai Mara National Reserve is an extension of the world renowned Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. Named for the Maasai tribespeople (the traditional inhabitants of the area) and the Mara River which divides it, it is famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of the wildebeest.

Masai Mara offers wonderful scenery of breathtaking vistas, panoramas of vast rolling plains, hills and woodland groves, well watered by the lovely Mara River. The Mara is home to the largest population of lions in Kenya; these magnificent beasts spend most of the day sleeping in the shade of Acacia Trees. The waters of the Mara River are home to crocodiles and pools of hippo, while the woodlands and forests are favored by leopard and elephant. The open savannah areas play host to the plains game. All of the Big Five - Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant and Leopard - are here, as well as cheetah, hippo, hartebeest, gazelle, topi, antelope, zebra and many other animals. The Mara is also noted for its abundance of lions - particularly the superb black manned males.

After breakfast you will depart the Masai Mara and head across acres of rolling wheat and barley farms to Narok, the district headquarters of this part of Maasailand. From here cross the vast plains on the floor of the Rift Valley whilst keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle before heading up the rift escarpment. (B)

You will arrive in Kenya's bustling capital in the early afternoon. Once in the city, you will be dropped off at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your ongoing travel arrangements.