Kenya and the Crown

Itineraries

Itineraries

DAY 1: Fairmont Norfolk Hotel

On arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by a member of the Peaks of Africa team, who will assist you through passport control and baggage claim before driving you to the Norfolk Hotel. Kenya’s capital is one of the largest and most influential cities in Africa, an important commercial and financial regional hub. It is the port of entry for most travellers to Kenya and offers bustling markets, a fascinating history and numerous attractions. Named after a Maasai watering hole, “enkare nyarobi”, which means “place of cool waters”, Nairobi is known for its leafy streets and parks. The skyline, with towering skyscrapers and imposing architecture also draws the attention of every arrival to the city. Not-to-be-missed is a visit to the city’s beautiful Uhuru Park. The Norfolk Hotel is featured in films such as ‘White Mischief’ and ‘Out of Africa’ and has hosted a plethora of famous names – Hemingway, Blixen, Baden-Powell, Finch Hatton, to name but a few.

Experiential history:

• You will be driven around Nairobi on a vintage 1928 International SS Motor Truck, as driven by Robert Redford in the film Out of Africa
• Peruse through the hotel’s fantastic photographic collection to view the impressive historical figures who have graced its hallways
• Hold history in your hands – your own copy of the hotel’s written narrative ‘The Norfolk Book’ will be given to you on arrival
• Enjoy drinks and an informal talk on the hotel’s recent history by one of their knowledgeable staff
• Take a tour around the grounds before settling down for a sumptuous dinner

Spend one night at the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel in a Fairmont Room. Your stay includes bed and breakfast. When you depart the next morning know that it was these very same steps from which Theodore Roosevelt departed on his epic 1909 safari!

DAY 2: Laikipia Plateau

After a wholesome breakfast, you will be collected for your flight to the Laikipia Plateau.

Lying on the edge of Northern Frontier, the Laikipia Plateau stretches from the slopes of snow-capped Mt Kenya to the rim of the Great Rift Valley. Laikipia boasts one of the largest elephant populations in East Africa and is one of the last strongholds of the endangered black rhino. Despite its scattered mosaic of farms and cattle ranches — it is essentially still an untamed wilderness area, a refuge supporting huge numbers of game. Lewa Downs Wilderness is situated on the edge of one of Kenya’s most private game sanctuaries, the wildlife-rich Lewa Downs Conservancy.

Spend three nights at Lewa Downs Wilderness in an ensuite cottage. Your stay includes all meals, soft drinks, beer, non – premium wine, laundry, local airstrip transfers (excluding Lewa airstrip ), shared game drives (day and night), guided walks, horse riding, camel walks , pre-historic site visits, community crafts, visits to Il’Ngwesi cultural boma (entrance fees extra and payable direct), a visit to the aerial walkway in the Ngare Ndare Forest (entrance fees extra and payable direct), visit to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy HQ (educational talks, school or project visits and much more) and conservancy fees.

DAY 3 – 4: LAIKIPIA AND LEWA WILDERNESS

The following activities are available for you to choose from during your stay.

• Enjoy a memorable helicopter flight to Lake Rutundu for a champagne breakfast where William proposed to Kate Middleton. Rutundu, a beautiful montane farm on Mt Kenya, offers superb trout fishing. This adventure starts at 07h00 and will see guests back at the lodge in time for lunch.
• Embark on a cultural excursion to a Maasai homestead on Ngwesi, the neighbouring wildlife scheme that the lodge has helped to establish.
• Enjoy a tailor-made safari that will showcase the region’s flora, fauna, conservation and history.
• Avid birders can join their guide an early morning walk around the lodge garden to find resident birds.
• Ask your guide to take you on a nature walk along the river bed or, for the more enthusiastic, over nearby hills.
• Enjoy a camel back safari with your Maasai guide or opt for a horseback safari allowing you to enjoy the wildlife in its most natural form, without the sound of a car engine or the sight of a road.
• Enjoy a 30 minute biplane flight. Fly in the open cockpit of a biplane with pilot, Will Craig. A former crop-dusting pilot, Will takes guests right above the treetops and weaves through gorges to show off the beauty of his homeland.

DAY 5: Masai Mara National Reserve

Today, you will be collected for your flight to the Masai Mara.

As Kenya’s most renowned wilderness destination, the Masai Mara National Reserve offers exceptional game viewing, including the opportunity to witness the Great Migration — one of nature’s greatest wildlife spectacles. The park takes its name from the Mara River, which flows through the reserve, as well as from the Maasai people. The Masai Mara is renowned as the home of the Golden Age of Safari. Its beauty has inspired authors worldwide.

Celebrating an era of classic luxury, Cottars 1920’s Safari Camp allows guests to experience the original spirit and essence of ‘safari’ ― reminiscent of the 1920’s. Spacious canvas tents, sumptuously furnished with safari antiques, boast four-poster beds, dressing rooms, ensuite bathrooms, private butlers and outdoor verandas.

Spend three nights at Cottar’s 1920’s Camp in a luxurious tent. Your stay includes all meals, local drinks (soft drinks, house wines, beers and selected spirits), safari activities (including day and night game drives and bush walks, Cottar’s Warrior School – kids entertainment program), Cottar’s private airstrip and Keekorok airstrip transfers, 1 x 30 minutes complimentary massage (one person only) per tent, transfers to cultural visits and limited laundry.

DAY 6- 7: Masai Mara National Reserve

Take advantage of your private vehicle, dedicated guide and tracker, and set the pace for your own adventure. Pick and choose from the following activities:

• Experience the wonders of the Masai Mara under the guidance of Calvin Cottar
• Take a walk with a Maasai guide who will introduce you to a culture that goes back centuries – long before the ‘Iron Snake’ of the railway that wound its way into the interior
• Pause on the hill featured in ‘Out of Africa’ and see the Mara through the eyes of the authors that introduced it to the world
• Sip on a sundowner and marvel at the African sunset, a ritual as old as safari itself
• Enjoy exclusive night game drives in a private concession
• Embark on a game drive in one of Cottar’s iconic vintage game drive vehicles

DAY 8: Tsavo National Park

Today, you will be collected for your flight to the Tsavo National Park.

Tsavo is Kenya’s biggest park and one of the world’s largest wildlife sanctuaries. It is especially known for its thundering herds of elephant and captivating landscapes. It is one of the less populated game areas in Kenya and perfect for those who want to give tourist buses a miss, and experience a pristine wildlife experience.

The wilderness of Tsavo is where the Lunatic Line encountered its most infamous setback, in the form of two prolific man-eating lions. Famously chronicled by their eventual nemesis, Lieutenant Colonel James Patterson, they still retain a near-mythical status. Hollywood has also immortalised them – in the 1996 film ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer. Experience the feel of the bush first-hand as you head out on foot, led by experienced walking guides. When you head back to camp, it won’t be to a railway shanty but a retreat inspired by another icon in safari history – the Honourable Denys Finch Hatton.

Affectionately named after Denys Finch Hattons, one of Kenya’s great adventurers, Finch Hattons camp offers guests a unique opportunity to relive the golden era of the safari. Spacious tents boasting panoramic vistas of the surrounding springs and forest include ensuite bathrooms, personal bars and private verandas, complete with comfy chairs and daybeds.

Spend two nights at Finch Hatton’s in a Finch Hatton’s ensuite Suite. Your stay includes all meals, return Finch Hatton’s airstrip transfers, scheduled activities (including game drives and sundowners), laundry (excluding dry cleaning), non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages (excluding premium brands), and exclusive use of vehicle, butler service and private chef.

DAY 9: Tsavo National Park

Take advantage of your private vehicle, dedicated guide and tracker team, and set the pace for your own adventure. Pick and choose from the following adventures:

• Experience the bush the way the earliest safari goers and pioneers would have – on foot, surrounded by its tranquillity and mystery.
• Visit the home turf of the Tsavo man-eating lions on a full day game drive with picnic lunch in the bush.
• Imagine yourself in the shoes of Lieutenant Colonel Patterson as your guide thrills you with tales of the lions terrifying exploits.
• Marvel at the opulence of safaris of old. Finch Hatton’s is inspired by its namesake’s taste for the finer things – even in the wildest of places.
• For a few hours of solitude, head to the library on the mezzanine floor ― furnished with comfortable arm chairs and stocked with various books and a selection of classical music, it is an idyllic spot to unwind.
• If you are lucky, you might enjoy a site of the iconic Mt Kilimanjaro on a clear day.

DAY 10: DEPARTURE

After a delicious breakfast, you will be collected for your flight back to Nairobi.

On arrival in Nairobi, you will be met by a Peaks of Africa representative who will drive you to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your homeward flight.