Depart at 1900 from London's Heathrow Airport on the Kenya Airways flight KQ101 to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Kenya.
On arrival at 0635 you will be met and transferred to Loldia House, southern Kenya for the start of your safari, where you stay for two nights (bed and breakfast).
A safari in Kenya will provide both you with some fantastic memories. Kenya has some of the most luxurious lodges for the perfect African safari.
Loldia House was built in the 1940's by the present owner's grandfather, and occupies a superb position on the shores of Lake Naivasha in the heart of the Great East African Rift Valley. The accommodation is in the main house and in a number of very comfortable and well designed cottages surrounded by gardens and lawns which run down to the water's edge. In the distance is the towering volcano, Mount Longonot and all around you are areas of forest and beautiful undulating country.
Loldia is the most comfortable place to stay in this part of the Rift Valley and has a relaxing atmosphere, a very good and efficient style of management and an excellent standard of cuisine. The guest rooms and the lounge and dining room are all furnished and decorated with a good sense of style and guests enjoy wandering around the grounds down to the lake shore where you can see pelicans, flamingos and other waterbirds.
Loldia operates a number of excursions including safaris to Lake Nakuru National Park which has a wide range of animals including giraffe, zebra, many types of antelope, lion, leopard and many more. Lake Nakuru itself is usually home to tens of thousands of flamingos and other waterbirds, and a full day here is well worth spending. They will also take you on excursions to Hells Gate National Park, and area of impressive natural beauty, also with a good range of wildlife and some of the most spectacular birdlife in the Rift Valley, including good numbers of raptors. Boat trips on Lake Naivasha can also be organised, as can rides on horseback, which is a particularly good way to explore the area and to approach close to wildlife which regards you as part of the horse and not a 'human threat'.
In the morning you will be met and transferred to Nairobi, Kenya to board a private light aircraft charter taking you to Meru and to Elsa's Kopje to stay for three nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Elsa's Kopje safari camp is located on a huge rocky outcrop with views in all directions across the Meru National Park in the heart of Kenya. The lodge is so named because it is the site of George and Joy Adamson's first camp where Elsa and other lions were reared.
The Meru National Park is located east of Mount Kenya and has rich areas of open savannah, woodland and regions of swamp. In the distance are ranges of hills which receive considerably more rainfall than Meru and from which flow fifteen rivers and streams, which pass through the park, providing abundant water for the wildlife and birds.
Meru is a success story of conservation as during the early 1990's the area was at the mercy of poachers who reduced the animal numbers there. Subsequently, with the arrival of Elsa's Kopje and under the energetic guidance of the park warden, Mark Jenkins, international funds have been raised to protect the national park and the animals are flourishing again and growing in numbers in this fertile and attractive location.
You can expect to see good herds of elephant, lion, over a dozen types of antelope ranging from waterbuck to eland, hartebeest and dik dik, buffalo, many giraffe and a wide range of other creatures. Game viewing is carried out by open vehicle, during the day and at night, when a spot light is used, and you can also enjoy walking safaris from the lodge with an armed guide and national park scout.
Elsa's Kopje is one of the most imaginatively designed lodges in East Africa with nine individually designed thatched stone built rondavels dotted all over the kopje in private locations, each with amazing views. Most have a bath with a view and all have large bed, comfortable safari furniture and built in veranda. There is a spacious thatched bar, lounge and dining lodge, all of which have superb views across Meru and there is an 'infinity' pool set right on the edge of the kopje where you can cool off between safaris with the sights and sounds of Africa all around you. The atmosphere at Elsa's Kopje is one of peaceful relaxation and the standard of cuisine is exceptionally good - all supervised by Ava, your highly competent hostess.
In the morning you will be transferred to the airstrip to board a scheduled flight departing at 0845 taking you via Samburu to the Mara. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Elephant Pepper Camp where you stay for four nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Elephant Pepper Camp is a step back in time but with modern comforts: evenings by the campfire and dinner under the stars are a special feature of this tented camp. This is an original bush camp, eco-friendly, committed to finding a way of life that does not harm the wilderness, revenue from the camp goes back to the local community. The Elephant Pepper Camp is put up for the season and then packed away to leave no trace behind. The homely atmosphere of this camp is part of its charm. Guests can relax with nature, no generators, no vehicles passing, no permanent structures jarring the skyline, just the sights and sounds of the bush which completely surround you.
Situated right on the northern edge of the Maasai Mara reserve, Elephant Pepper Camp (formerly known as Mara Bush Camp) is tucked away in a prime wildlife area surrounded by the Mara's ubiquitous game. The camp has eight large and spacious light canvas tents with en suite dressing rooms, safari showers filled with hot water on request, and flush toilets. There is a main dining/bar mess tent offers family-style dining with a help-yourself bar. Looking from camp across the plains one can see the 'greatest game show on earth' when the annual wildebeest migration thunders past to seek new grazing in the lush savannahs of the Maasai Mara.
Walking with qualified guides and unwinding around the glowing embers of a campfire all add to the authenticity of a true bush experience, together with game drives both during the day and at night time.
The staff are friendly and welcoming: arriving in camp is like coming home. The appetising food is prepared by chefs trained by the owners' family using traditional north Italian recipes mixed with international and local favourites. A barbecue by the campfire, dinner in the mess tent, or a bush breakfast on the open plains are some of the lasting memories to take home.
The Masai Mara is one of the world's most famous and spectacular game viewing regions. Vast expanses of undulating grassy plains roll from horizon to horizon dotted with acacia trees and isolated rocky outcrops covering an area of 1800km_.
The rich grasslands and watering places in the Masai Mara sustain very large numbers of plains game including thousands of elephant, graceful-looking giraffe and big herds of buffalo. There are also zebra, wildebeest and a host of smaller creatures such as baboon, warthog and jackal. There are great herds of antelope, which range from the diminutive topi to majestic-looking kudu. The Masai Mara is also a particularly good place to see predators and big prides of lion compete with leopard and cheetah for food and territory.
From July to September the annual migration of over a million wildebeest and zebra passes through the Masai Mara creating one of the world's greatest wildlife spectaculars with seemingly endless lines of wildebeest strung out as far as the eye can see across the plains.
In the morning you will be transferred to the airstrip to board a light aircraft charter taking you to Nairobi, Kenya. On arrival connect with flight KQ492 departing at 1300 to Zanzibar. On arrival at 1445 you will be met and transferred to Ras Nungwi where you stay for three nights in a beautiful beach location (half board excluding all watersports).
Located on an expanse of beach wilderness on the northern tip of Zanzibar, and protected by an expansive coral reef, Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel is an ideal location for all water sports, or merely relaxing in the temperate water while soaking up the equatorial sun.
The hotel is built from hand-cut fossilised coral limestone and other natural materials, and literally blends into the landscape.
Rooms are positioned to maximise the panoramic sea views and cool island breezes. Individually furnished with handcrafted four poster beds and indigenous decor including carved doors, all rooms are en-suite with ceiling fans and balcony frontage. Mosquito nets over all the beds ensure a peaceful night's sleep.
The zanzibari chefs are renowned for sumptuous seafood buffets and spicy island fare, all freshly prepared. From calamari and coconut curries to freshly grilled line fish, they will keep your taste buds alive whilst ensuring a healthy diet. Breakfasts are traditionally centred round the variety of freshly prepared pastries and local fruits, and there's plenty to choose from - Zanzibar has over twenty different types of mango, and an abundance of bananas, papaya, pineapple and passion fruit amongst many others! Lunches are light and appetising, and dinners are seasonally characterised by huge buffets and fresh fish barbecues under the stars.
The unspoilt beach at Ras Nungwi is arguably the best on Zanzibar, and the nearby coral reef yields a beautiful lagoon. Low tides reveal sparkling white coral sand bars, and rock pools teeming with marine life. The proximity and variety of the surrounding reefs makes Ras Nungwi the perfect diving destination, where you can dive from 12m down to over 100m on surrounding channels and atolls. Ras Nungwi has a fully equipped PADI dive centre with expert instructors and modern boats. If you do wish to dive it is advisable to book this prior to your arrival.
Kenya combines fantastically with Zanzibar for a perfect safari and beach holiday in some of the most luxurious lodges and camps in superb locations.
You will be transferred to Zanzibar Airport to board flight KQ495 departing at 1630 to Nairobi. On arrival at 1800 you will be met and taken to the Talisman restaurant for an early dinner (by own account) before your evening transfer to the airport. Depart at 2350 on flight KQ102 to London's Heathrow Airport.
Arrive into London at 0545 (local time