A Special Safari Run By Charlie & Mouse McConnell

Day 1 September 4th 2004/January 3rd 2005
There are daylight and night-time flights to Kenya. Choose the one that you find most comfortable. We will be here at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi to meet you on arrival. Once the brief formalities are completed, drive to Giraffe Manor, a small and most unusual hotel, standing on a hundred acres in Karen, some ten miles out of town. Wake up the next morning in an upstairs bedroom, eye to eye with a Rothschild's giraffe. Exploring the Manor grounds can be fun, with several giraffe as well as warthogs and monkeys. (For those who prefer to stay in town, we recommend the Norfolk Hotel.)

Day 2,3,4 & 5
A short trip across Nairobi will take you to the small domestic airport of Wilson where you will catch a scheduled flight to the Maasai Mara. Here you will find the vast rolling plains of Maasailand and the endless herds of game for which the Mara is famous. This is where you will join your camp. Here the game-viewing is always amazing and the chance of seeing a big cat in action is good. The wildebeest come into this area in July, August and September, moving in hundreds of thousands in search of green grass. Sometimes we find them crossing the rivers in a mindless race. Leaping off the large banks of the river and scrambling up the other side, a few are taken by crocodile. Patience is often rewarded with the incredible sight of lions springing from cover onto their prey or a cheetah racing along (at sixty mph.) hard on the heels of a fleet-footed gazelle. Sharp-eyed spotters on the roof of each vehicle increase the chance of such sightings. Among teeming numbers of buffalo, topi, zebra, and gazelle are Maasai with their great herds of cattle. Evening walks beside our rocky stream are filled with the sounds and smells of Africa; scampering baboons and the loud snorting of impala, the thrill of getting close to elephant on foot and listening to their gentle rumblings. One morning we would wake early in order to catch a balloon for a flight over the Mara River. This is the best time of year to do this flight as you may get to see endless streams of migrating wildebeest. A champagne breakfast before a game drive back to camp is a good way to start the day. End each day with a fine dinner at a candlelit table, a glass of wine, pleasant stories by the fireside and then to bed with the roar of lions. FOUR NIGHTS IN A PRIVATE CAMP, MAASAI MARA

Day 6
Leaving the Mara this morning we would drive north west, up through the highland of Kericho, where the enormous tea plantations of Kenya stretch in long bright green swathes across the country. We would then go down in to the Great Rift Valley to Deloraine House. Built in 1920 by Lord Francis Scott, a prominent early settler, this house is one of the grandest examples of colonial architecture in country. It is set in the middle of five thousand acre farm, high up on the slopes of Londiani Mountain, a forest and bamboo shrouded volcano, a few miles from Lake Nakuru with its millions of flamingoes. Accommodating up to ten people, the food is excellent, with home-grown vegetables and the magnificent gardens boast a croquet lawn and tennis court. There are horses here; the farm and the mountain providing more than adequate countryside to explore. OVERNIGHT DELORAINE HOUSE, RIFT VALLEY


Day 7 & 8
Leaving Deloraine after a leisurely breakfast we would head north a short distance up the great rift valley to Lake Bogoria, which teems with a half a million flamingo, a spectacular pink sheen on the water, with a back-drop of high cliffs and steam from the many hot springs. This is one of the best parts of the country to see greater kudu. In another of our own private camp sites, our luxury camp will once again have been set up for us under some acacia trees on the edge of the lake. The flamingos wade through the lake feeding on the algae and there are plenty of other birds here as well. A chance to walk looking for the spectacular Greater Kudu in the hills. Here you can have a bath in the mineral hot springs like no other you have ever had before, (sometimes watched by a few warthog.) TWO NIGHTS IN A PRIVATE TENTED CAMP, LAKE BOGORIA

Day 9
Leaving Lake Bogoria today we would drive across the rift valley and climb out the other side to the Laikipia plateau. Here we would stay at Kamogi House on Ol Penguin Ranch. The house has just been rebuilt and has a lovely swimming pool as well as a garden full of indigenous succulents and aloes. This ranch has plenty of wildlife (all plains game, buffalo, elephants etc) as well as herds of Dorper sheep. Once again we can ride and walk here, with a great dam just above the house that brings in a lot of game and bird life for us to see. ONE NIGHT KAMOGI HOUSE - OL PINGUIN RANCH

Day 10, 11, 12 & 13
A drive across the Laikipia Plateau today to the east to Shaba. The fantastic landscapes of the Northern Frontier Districts will come alive to you today, while we drive to the drier little-inhabited bush country. Here the camp will have been set up ready for you in an idyllic spot beside the Uaso Nyiro river. Glorious days are spent here photographing the varied wildlife. Well known for its elephant and many northern game species such as Beisa oryx, Grevy zebra, kudu, gerenuk and reticulated giraffe, most big predators including lion can be seen in Shaba. The biggest challenge is to spot the rare striped hyena. In the midst of this most spectacular scenery one can also see something of the fascinating age-old traditions practiced by various local tribes people, especially the Borana and Meru, nearby. Something that future generations will not see. Stretch your legs with a good brisk walk along the river, watching out for thirsty wild creatures, and then back to camp for a most delicious meal. FOUR NIGHTS IN A PRIVATE TENTED CAMP - SHABA NATIONAL RESERVE

Day 14 (September 17th2004/January 16th 2005)
At the end of your safari, we drive back past the massive peaks of Mt. Kenya, where we would have a picnic lunch, then through Kikuyu farmlands of Central Province to Nairobi. Come to our house in Karen to shower and change and have dinner, before your homeward flight leaving in the late evening from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

For more information, contact [email protected]