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Day
01 Sunday: Depart home city for Nairobi
Today, we start off on our Afro –- Middle Eastern safari-journey.
Day
02 Monday: Arrive Nairobi
Jambo Bwana and we are cordially welcomed as we arrive at
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and are transferred to
our hotel in Nairobi. Balance of the day is free. Optional
visit to the world famous Carnivore restaurant and get a feel
of the game before the game actually starts.
Overnight: Nairobi Safari Club (1
night) (B, L, D)
Day 03 Tuesday: Nairobi / Kilimanjaro / Amboseli (drive)
After a short pre-safari briefing and introduction to your
safari guide/driver, we take a photogenic drive over the Athi
Plains. Before we enter the Amboseli National Park we get
an outstanding view of the Kilimanjaro (subject to weather).
The Uhuru Peak at 19340 feet makes Kilimanjaro the highest
mountain in Africa. Lunch at the lodge followed by our first
afternoon game drive. Amboseli is famous for its vast
herds of elephants and stunning views of Kilimanjaro on clear
days.
Overnight: Kilima Safari Camp (2 nights) (B, L, D)
Day
04 Wednesday: Amboseli
Morning and afternoon game drives to view wildlife against
the backdrop of mt kilimanjaro. The park offers a wide variety
of wildlife but the principal attraction is its vast herds
of elephant within the park. The bull elephants here have
some of the largest tusks in kenya. Other game includes: zebra,
wildebeest, giraffe, impala, leopard, caracal and serval cat.
The park boasts a rich bird life such as ibis, egret, avocet,
common and saddle-billed stork, secretary bird, heron, vultures,
ducks, and geese. (B, L, D)
Day
05 Thursday: Amboseli / Lake Nakuru
We drive a short distance to the beautiful Lake Nakuru and
start with a morning game drive at the Lake Nakuru National
Park. It is a home to many animals including waterbuck,
leopards and Rothschild giraffe. The park is also a sanctuary
for black rhinos. Lunch at the lodge and afternoon is another
game drive.
Overnight: Lake Nakuru Lodge (1 night) (B, L, D)
Day
06 Friday: Lake Nakuru / Great Rift Valley / Masai Mara (drive)
We traverse the Great Rift Valley and ascend its western rim
into the Masai land. Red-clad, with spear Masai warriors tend
their herds of cattle among the wildlife, admirably unmoved
by the presence of large predators. You find the Masai giraffe
in this park. Afternoon gamedrive in the Mara, famous for
the Wildebeest and Zebra migration and its abundance of wildlife.
Overnight: Mara Sopa Lodge (2 nights) (B, L, D)
Day
07 Saturday: Masai Mara
Early Morning and afternoon game drives in the Maasai Mara
National Reserve, Kenya's best and most scenic game park.
At the northern extremity of the unique Serengeti ecosystem,
blessed with a permanent water supply, the Maasai Mara has
a thriving, permanent population of plains game, augmented
in the dry season by the migration of two million gnus and
zebras from the vast, parched Serengeti plains. Of the hunter's
"big five," elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard
are quite common, while even the much rarer rhino might come
out of the thicket for you. Hyenas are plentiful and the cheetah,
a 60-miles-per-hour daytime hunter, is often seen. Besides
being the setting for the ancient and often tragic spectacle
of the Great Migration, other marvels of the Masai Mara include
giraffe, elephant, red-tailed monkeys and a host of antelope.
Twice-daily interpretive game-drives led by our highly trained
and experienced rangers, bird watching with resident guides
and naturalists reveal the wonders of the Mara . Optional
excursions at an additional cost include: Bush walks, Maasai
community visits and hot air ballooning. (B, L, D)
Day 08 Sunday: Masai Mara / Nairobi / Muscat
(Oman)
After our Kenyan Safari we take a leisurely drive to Nairobi
where we get a day room at the hotel and time to rest. Evening,
before our departure flight we will be transferred to the
airport bidding farewell to Africa at it's best. We continue
for our flight to Muscat (B)
Day
09 Monday: Arrive Muscat
As we arrive in Muscat, the pearl of the Gulf region, we are
warmly received and transferred to our hotel. Evening
is free to enjoy the beach area.
Overnight: Park Inn, Muscat (2 nights) (B)
Day
10 Tuesday: Muscat
After breakfast we start a half day Muscat city tour. A unique
blend of the ancient and the modern, Muscat is a beautiful
clean city, which lies in the middle of a maze of brown pleated
mountains, lulled by the Arabian Sea. The city has undergone
dramatic development in the past two or three decades, however
it has never lost its pride in its heritage & culture.
Our visit will start with a tour of the Grand Mosque, which
is an architectural marvel and is perhaps the new landmark
of the city. We will continue our drive through the ministries
area where you can see a number of modern buildings with touches
of Islamic architecture. We will visit the fish market and
the Muttrah souq with its narrow covered alleys where the
exotic smells of mounds of spices, coffee, ancient remedies
and enticing perfumes fill the air. We will visit the Bait
Al Zubar Museum (or another prominent museum), which has a
fine exhibit of Omani history and culture. You will have a
photo stop at the magnificent Al Aalam Palace
(the official residence of Sultan Qaboos) flanked by the twin
Portuguese forts of Mirani & Jalali. Afternoon is free
at leisure. (B)
Day
11 Wednesday: Muscat / Jabreen / Bahla / Nizwa / Dubai (UAE)
After breakfast drive to Dubai via Nizwa. The trip includes
the tour of Nizwa Forts and castles, the Oman's most striking
cultural landmarks. The towers and city walls historically
were used as defensive bastions and look-out points. It is
estimated that there are over 500 forts, castles and towers
in Oman. Today we will visit a few of them which are most
remarkable and striking in their architecture and style. The
ancient capital of Oman, Nizwa was the seat of learning and
the birthplace of Islam in Oman. The 17th century round fort
and the souq famous for silver jewelry are the major attractions
of Nizwa, not to mention the popular & interesting cattle
auction, which takes place every Friday. Built on a solid
base of rock, the huge tower was designed to withstand the
vibrations of 24 cannons. We move on to Bahla famous for its
handmade pottery. Bahla is listed in UNESCO's world heritage
sites list; however the fort is now under renovation and is
not open to public. Built as a defensive stronghold, the Jabreen
is perhaps the finest among the Omani castles. The castle
has dudgeons, passages, rooms and ceiling decorated with fine
carvings & paintings. Al Hota Cave is a magnificent underground
cavern & a lake system, a 2,7 km tunnel, which runs in
a north-south direction through the Hajjar Mountains. The
main chamber of Al Hota Cave is around the size of a large
hotel ballroom and contains some magnificent cave formations,
stalactites, stalagmites, and columns, which have evolved
over millions of years. You will be guided by an expert thought
the tunnels for an unforgettable experience.
Overnight: Novotel Diera City Centre, Dubai (3 nights)
(B)
Day
12 Thursday: Dubai
After breakfast we will have a half day city tour of Dubai,
a wonderful opportunity to discover the modern and the traditional
city of Dubai. Our excursion starts with the magnificent Burj
Al Arab Hotel for photos, then onward to Jumerah mosque. On
the way to Bastakia, the old part if the city, we pass impressive
palaces of the ruling family of Dubai, and the old wind-towered
houses (traditional air-conditioning). Near by, we visit Dubai
Museum in the Al Fahidi Fort, which is almost two centuries
old and today is a living monument of Dubai's illustrious
and prominent past. Abra, the local water taxi takes us across
the Creek to the fascinating souks of gold and spices. In
the afternoon at 3:30 pm starts the desert safari. To experience
a real taste of Bedouin life, join our safari tour to Ali
Baba's Bedouin village deep in the desert. Our experienced
safari drivers will take us through the magnificent sand dunes
to feel the thrilling excitement of dune bashing. Just before
sunset, we reach our campsite equipped with traditional tents
furnished with carpets and pillows. Take a camel ride on the
golden sands, then relax by the bonfire and enjoy the Henna
designs followed by belly dancing. The delicious barbeque
dinner will be served under the stars accompanied by authentic
Arabic music entertainment. Later on you will be taken back
to your hotel. (B, D)
Day
13 Friday: Dubai
Day free. Optional tour of Abu Dhabi the thriving capital
of the UAE. (B)
Day
14 Saturday: Dubai / home city
After experiencing the best of East African safaris and the
cultures of Oman and Dubai, we are transferred, with lots
of memories, to the airport for our return flight back home
arriving same day or join one of Bestway other tour journeys
within the region. (B)
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