The African Dream

Description

Program

Day 1:
Presentation at the indicated place and time in the capital of Kenya where you will be received by your guide and crew to start the safari. Crossing the giant Rift Valley we will arrive at the shores of LAKE NAIVASHA. An enchanted forest of yellow acacias on the shores of the lake and a unique place await us tonight. Free day in this farm converted into a hotel that mainly offers us the possibility of walking or optionally horseback safaris. The experience is unique, fascinating, totally recommended. You only hear the sounds of animals and there is nothing but nature around you. The visibility provided by the height of the horse is exceptional to be able to ride between zebras and giraffes. The accommodation can be made indistinctly in a room or a tented camp.

Day 2:
In the morning we will enjoy a boat ride on Lake Naivasha and then we will go to the Maasai lands, dotted with tribes of nomadic herders. The Maasai have inhabited these lands since ancient times and are still clinging to the s. XXI to its traditions. ECOSYSTEM OF THE MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE.

Day 3:
Full-day safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, with our EXCLUSIVE RATPANAT 4X4 TRUCK FOR OUR SAFARIS IN THE MAASAI MARA. No trip to Kenya could be considered complete without devoting the 3-night experience to the more than 1,500 square kilometers of the Maasai Mara, which gets its name from the Mara River and the tribe that inhabits the area, the Maasai, where, as in any other park, the best safaris start at sunrise and continue until sunset. In a single day with luck you can see the BIG FIVE but what is really incredible is not only finding them but seeing them in an environment that reflects the vivid image of the freest and wildest Africa, the Maasai Mara will give you an explosion of wildlife. The great migration will always be the main objective of our stay in the reserve. Leave your legacy in the Maasai Mara and PLANT A TREE by helping us collaborate with our Maasai Mara reforestation initiative.

Day 4:
Seeing the sunrise from a BALLOON SAFARI FLYING OVER THE MAASAI MARA RESERVE is undoubtedly a lifelong memory that we are pleased to include all our travelers. We will follow in the footsteps of the Great Migration also from a bird's eye view. We are committed to unique experiences that bring great emotions. After this spectacular experience, we continue in the pearl of the country's nature, the majestic MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE. Hills covered by meadows, rich diversity of wildlife will allow us to get lost in the infinity of its plains to find lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants... Even having the privilege of enjoying our EXCLUSIVE 4X4 TRUCK FOR OUR SAFARIS IN THE MAASAI MARA, the difficult access to the camp due to its exclusivity and if the weather and conditions allow it, we will be privileged to be able to install our camp on the banks of the great Mara River, with its chocolate waters in which the hippos frolic a few meters from us. We will sleep with the whisper of the hippos always guarded by park rangers who are experts in the safety of visitors. Walking safari escorted by rangers through the main crossing points of the Great Migration where our camp is located. Thousands of travelers consider this night as the authentic experience of living the adventure of your life, sleeping in the middle of the Maasai Mara surrounded by wildlife, with the roar of a lion and the commotion of hippos at your feet, chatting around a fire. and covered by a sky full of stars where not a single thumbtack would fit. In a place that does not understand what tourism means, it only brings the traveler pure wildlife off the main safari roads. EXCLUSIVITY AND PRIVILEGE where a hotel can never exist, only our experience. Camp accommodated with feather duvets, sheets, pillows, etc. In the purest style of luxury mobile safaris. We ensure that your adrenaline flows with this unique experience that will become one of those memories forever, offering you all the comfort. Our FLY CAMP ON THE SHORES OF THE MARA RIVER. Wild camping. No shower. (IMPORTANT: we will sleep INSIDE the MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE)

Day 5:
In the morning, on the way out of the park, we will be seen by elegant giraffes, many antelopes, wildebeests, zebras… along the backbone of the reserve, the Mara River, which, continuing westwards, reaches our next destination. , LAKE VICTORIA. Also known as Victoria Nyanza or Ukerewe, our accommodation is located on the shores of the lake and its bungalows that run along its coast offer us magnificent views of this refuge for plants and animals. Preferred territory for hyraxes, mongooses, monkeys, monitor lizards and an entire ornithological paradise. During our stay we will enjoy a traditional boat ride on the lake to discover the native fauna that inhabits its immense granite outcrops called “kopjes”. You can see the monitor lizard, otters, baboons, cormorants, black-faced cercopithecos... all of this among the fishermen who carry out their daily fishing tasks in the lake. On this day we will go through the border formalities to enter Tanzania.

Day 6:
As dawn breaks, we leave our camp in front of the Mara River and go for a last game drive in the reserve. For a last game drive in the reserve. The Mara Triangle, besides being the least visited area of the park, is also one of the richest in wildlife. Large herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope, as well as giraffe, rhino and a good population of cats roam the vast savannahs and rolling hills between the river - the backbone of the reserve - and the Oloololo Mountains. Using this route allows us to be just two hours from the border between Kenya and Tanzania, the shortest route between the Mara and the Serengeti. Kenya and Tanzania, the shortest route between the Mara and the Serengeti. Once in Tanzania, in just three hours we descend to LAKE VICTORIA, travelling through landscapes full of kopjes, granite rocks of capricious shapes and a multitude of small traditional villages and small towns full of life. Today we are staying at Serenity on the lake, our exclusive accommodation on the Tanzanian shore of Lake Victoria, also known as Ukerewe. Tanzanian shore of Lake Victoria, also known as Ukerewe: the world's largest tropical lake, situated in a depression between the western and eastern faults. largest tropical lake in the world, situated in a depression between the West Rift and the East Rift Rift Fault.

Day 7:
After a good breakfast, and from the same accommodation, we will go for a ride on a typical in a typical boat of the lake, following the lake shore, to the fishing village of Mwabulugu, off the beaten track fishing village of Mwabulugu, off the beaten tourist track, to see first hand what daily life on the lake is like. To see first hand what daily life on the lake is like.
During the boat ride it is not uncommon to see monitor lizards, cormorants, ospreys, and even the odd hippo, and even a hippopotamus. Once in the village, we can visit the market, where the women sell the fish where the women sell the fish that the men have caught during the night, the hustle and bustle of the beach, the the hustle and bustle of the beach, the shops on the main street, the fruit and vegetable stalls, the mills where they make corn flour... Without a doubt, a bath of local life, an experience to get to know first hand the day-to-day experience to get a first-hand insight into the daily life of the Tanzanian people.
From our lodge we are only half an hour from the entrance to the Serengeti National Park.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK. This legendary park is the natural extension of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Every year, around 1.5 million wildebeest, 250,000 zebras and wildebeest, 250,000 zebras and hundreds of thousands of antelopes make the Great Migration, in search of fresh grass, minerals and vast plains to give birth to thousands of young calves. They are closely followed by lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas... Undoubtedly, one of the most breathtaking natural spectacles in the world. one of the most breathtaking natural spectacles in the world, a circle of life - and of death - without end. of life - and death - without end. The Serengeti welcomes us for the next two nights in our PUMZIKA LUXURY SAFARI CAMP, in the heart of the park, in the exclusive Nyabogati area, east of Nyabogati.SAFARI CAMP, in the heart of the park, in the exclusive area of Nyabogati, east of Seronera, and in one of the areas with the highest concentration of lions, directly in the path of the great migrations. Seronera, and in one of the areas with the highest concentration of lions, directly in the path of the great migrations.
The sense of centrality, yet remoteness, is the key to the attraction of our camp, where elephant and buffalo can stroll peacefully amongst camp, where elephant and buffalo may stroll quietly among the tents at night or a hyena may venture in from the dark and the tents at night or a hyena may venture in from the darkness and lie down to listen to the stories lie down to listen to the stories told around the camp fire.
The tents are spacious, with private bathrooms, providing the highest level of intimacy and a real sense of exclusivity privacy and a sense of real exclusivity that evokes the Africa of the movies. A hot shower to unwind from the safari, and then the ritual of the campfire toast before an exquisite dinner. ritual of the campfire toast before an exquisite dinner. Later, we return to what's left of the campfire campfire to gaze at the stars, or simply enjoy a gin and tonic to spice up the safari stories. At night, the tranquillity of the surroundings is interrupted only by the symphony of roaring lions or passing wildebeest on their great migration.

Day 8:
Second day in the middle of Seronera, PN DEL SERENGETI. At dawn, optionally for the most romantic, you can do a balloon safari in which to fly over the herds in silence at sunrise before landing in front of a champagne breakfast on the savannah in the most genuine Out of Africa style. The best safaris, or at least the best chance of witnessing hunting scenes, take place at dawn when the savannah stretches and nocturnal animals are still active. We will dedicate these moments to meeting the big five or better known as the "big five": lions, buffalo, elephants, rhinos and leopards. In addition to these undisputed protagonists, large herds of herbivores appear throughout its extensions throughout the year, always alert to the entry into the action of a cheetah or pride of lionesses. We will sleep in the middle of one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries on the planet, we will sleep in the "endless plain". His landscapes respond to the mythical image of Africa: large spaces, deep blue skies dotted with clouds, cool sunrises and fiery sunsets, and at night, a unique display of stars.

Day 9:
We will dedicate the last morning in the Serengeti NP to tracking the wildlife that we will surely have listened to up close the night before, taking a careful look at another singularity, the kopjes, islands of rocks in a sea of ​​grass where lions, leopards and cheetahs on top of these rocks. Shortly before leaving the endless plain behind, we will again begin to find Maasai shepherds with their flocks and colorful "shuka" or Maasai blankets, grazing near the Olduvai Gorge, one of the cradles of Humanity, where many fossils and artifacts of the first hominids: we are now in the NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA. We will visit a Boma Maasai or Maasai village to experience first-hand their ancient traditions and way of life in the Ngorongoro area, our next destination for tonight. Another luxury like that of the Serengeti is being able to enjoy another super privileged accommodation in the Ngorongoro Crater area, also with its own seal. We arrived at the camp after a day of safari: the arrival is accompanied by the smell of wood smoke. Large private tents with absolutely all the comforts of a good hotel are without a doubt the modern experience that most resembles the first expeditions of the pioneering hunters and adventurers who explored an unknown Africa. There is a sense of authenticity without pretense, with huge handmade beds covered in pristine white cotton down duvets to ward off chilly nights, a large bathroom mounted in the back and bucket showers suspended in the ceiling. air. The team is quick to offer guests all the comforts of the safaris of yesteryear: a bonfire, a potent symbol of life in the African bush, shooting upwards against the pink of the setting sun, is a palpable sign that the long day of safari is over and it's time to relax, hot water carefully transported to each tent for a well-deserved shower! And finally, a formal dinner, a long table set in great detail, glass, porcelain and illuminated with light of candles, and how not seasoned with safari stories. The camp becomes even more spectacular in the evenings with the dozens of lanterns that illuminate it and the tinkling of ice that will accompany a nightcap as the sun goes down or simply enjoy the wonderful African skies in the dark around the campfire. Old safari paraphernalia coupled with exotic touches is palpable in every corner of this camp.

Day 10:
With the first rays of the sun, we go down in 4x4 vehicles into the Ngorongoro Caldera for our game drive. No reserve offers a spectacle as grandiose as the Ngorongoro Crater. A volcanic caldera 600 meters deep and over 20 kilometers in diameter contains the largest “permanent” concentration of wildlife in Africa. Spectacular landscape, inhabited by more than 40,000 Maasai herders, dominated by the Rift Valley and the nine Ngorongoro volcanoes that emerged more than 4 million years ago. The only one that is currently active is the Ol Doinyo Lengai, the mountain of god for the Maasai. The crater of Ngorongoro, a giant volcano that in its time was perhaps higher than Kilimanjaro itself, is home to thousands of wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, gazelles, lions, rhinoceroses... which, unlike the Serengeti, practically do not migrate, due to to the continuous presence of water in the area that ensures their permanent livelihood. And after our unique and exclusive experience inside the caldera of the so-called Eden volcano, we direct our steps to the endearing town of Mto wa Mbu that will receive us at the gates of MANYARA LAKE NP. This community of low houses scattered among banana plantations offers us an interesting craft market. After shopping, we will walk among banana plantations to be received by a family from the Mto wa Mbu community in their own home. Among banana trees we will be invited to taste a dinner in the purest African style, thus saying goodbye to the truck, the crew and the guide who will have made one of the best trips of your life together.

Day 11:
Very early in the morning, for the early risers, we have optionally prepared a safari for you by bicycle! You will be able to go through little houses, banana trees and forests of yellow acacias, seeing how little by little the community of Lake Manyara wakes up and greets the children on their way to school until they go out into the open meadows near the lake, where we can come across all kinds of antelopes, wildebeests, green cercopithecos, baboons... and who knows if a giraffe or hyena! Near the shore of the lake, and if the buffaloes allow it, you can leave your bike and admire the beauty of the surroundings: flamingos, pelicans and fishermen from the community in their daily work to get the fish for the market, with the impressive walls of the Rift fault as a backdrop. After a great breakfast, we will leave for the airport to catch the flight that will take us to Spice Island, ZANZIBAR.
Arrival in Zanzibar, transfer to the hotel on the beach. Great value for money, a hotel that will perfectly culminate your safari on one of the most spectacular beaches on the island, 4 km long. The bungalows have the charm of simplicity and the set of everything, it really is quite a show.

Day 12:
True to our principle of offering our travelers an authentic vision of Zanzibar, we chose the east coast of the island, so that you can enjoy the few corners on the entire island that are still “untouched” by tourism. You can walk quietly through nearby villages observing the friendly nature of the people where stress has no place in their lifestyle. A few kilometers away is the perfect place to enjoy the unforgettable experience of swimming with dolphins! to visit the Jozani forest, a sanctuary for the unique red colobus; to dive or simply enjoy an exotic place, its beaches of fine white sand and crystal clear waters with living corals, and sunsets that will hardly be erased from your memory. Free day in all-inclusive.

Day 13:
Diving, snorkeling, walks or simply total relaxation. Free day in all-inclusive.

Day 14:
After breakfast and a last enjoyment of the Indian Ocean, we say goodbye to this magical island flying over the Zanzibar channel. Night in flight.

Price includes

- Detailed and accurate travel documentation and information.
- Personal travel insurance.
- Spanish-speaking guide or bilingual English-Spanish or Italian-Spanish speaking guide, depending by the group composition
- Transport by truck specially prepared for safari.
- Driver-mechanic, cook and safari assistant during the whole trip by truck.
- Balloon safari over the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
- Luxury accommodation without losing the spirit of your adventure.
- Hotel Karafuu Beach Resort & Spa 5* in Zanzibar Beach, All Inclusive.
- Air transfer from Arusha to Zanzibar.
- Transfers in Zanzibar.
- 4x4 vehicles for safaris in Maasai Mara and Ngo-rongoro Caldera.
- Fly Camp infrastructure or exclusive wilderness camping on the banks of the Mara River, in double tents 2.5 metres wide by 1.9 metres high, and camping equipment, including down duvets, sheets, pillows etc.
- Accommodation at Maasai Mara, Seren-geti, Ngorongoro and Lake Victoria - Extra AMREF Flying Doctors medical aircraft rescue insurance.
- 4x4 rescue truck at PUMZIKALUXURY SAFARI CAMP in Serengeti.
- Boat trip on Lake Naivasha.
- Visit to a Maasai village.
- Activities on Lake Victoria as described in the itinerary.
- Walking tour in Mto wa Mbu and dinner at an African mama's house.
- Full board for the entire trip - Fresh food products.
- Bottled mineral water throughout the safari.
- Some accommodation during the tour, outside the national parks.
- Entrance fees to some of the National Parks and Reserves.
- Camping fees.
- All safaris and activities described in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees, permits and fees to national parks and reserves, as described in the itinerary.

Price does not include

- The mandatory Payment at destination fee of 1500 US Dollares + 1350 Euro, to be paid on site at arrival.
- Airport taxes.
- Local taxes.
- Kenyan visas (50 USD) and Tanzanian visas (50 USD).
- Drinks.
- Optional activities, approximate price per person:
. Horseback riding at Lake Naivasha, 20-40 USD approx.
. Bicycle safari at Lake Manyara, 20 USD approx.
- TIPS. Tipping is an integral part of African culture and workers will always expect a gratuity in recognition of their work well done.
Tipping is not mandatory, but it is part of African culture - especially in the tourism, catering, and service sectors - and if we appreciate the service of the teams, it is normal and highly recommended to express our gratitude through a tip, as a token of appreciation for the good work done and the quality of assistance provided during the trip.
The guide will be able to advise you on tipping, but as a reference, between all the teams - the truck and 4x4 car crews, the camps and hotels, the boatmen, the rangers... - the tips can range from 90-100 USD per person in total for the entire trip.
OTHER EXPENSES
- Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. The group usually puts together a common fund to buy alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, snacks, etc. during the truck trip. In general, the amount is usually around 20-30 USD per person for the entire safari. Provider and the guide are completely out of the management of this common fund, being totally voluntary by the traveler and the sole responsibility of the group to manage it.
- Gifts and personal expenses.

IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION: PAYMENT ON SITE REQUIRED !

Itinerary

Accommodations provided in each place