Bush Home Safaris — 'Feel at home in the bush'

Bush Home Safari in Style

(10 Days / 9 Nights)

 

Learning & Discovery Family Safaris in Kenya

Family Safaris with Bush Home Lodges - Kenya

Feeding a Giraffe at the Giraffe Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

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Destination Highlights: Maasai Mara — Northern Laikipia — Lake Naivasha

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Summary itinerary

 

Day 1: Nairobi. Overnight at Ngong House

Day 2: Nairobi – Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Overnight at Cottars 1920's Camp

Day 3: Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Overnight at Cottars 1920's Camp

Day 4: Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Overnight at Cottars 1920's Camp

Day 5: Maasai Mara – Laikipia Plateau Lemarti's Camp

Day 6: Laikipia Plateau. Overnight at Lemarti's Camp

Day 7: Laikipia Plateau. Overnight at Lemarti's Camp

Day 8: Laikipia – Lake Naivasha. Overnight at Hippo Point House

Day 9: Lake Naivasha. Overnight at Hippo Point House

Day 10: Lake Naivasha – Fly Nairobi

 

Cost for 2010: Per Person
Land Arrangements (per person)

 

Child rate 2-11 years is 75% of the adult rate

 

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Detailed Itinerary

 

Day 1
Nairobi Arrival
Upon Arrival at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta international airport, you will be met by our Professional Safari Escort and transferred to Ngong House. The remainder of the day at leisure.

 

Overnight at Ngong House (including local beers, soft drinks and wines).
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

 

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Ngong House lies on the outskirts of Langata, on the land once cultivated as Karen Blixen's coffee estate. Paul Verleysen, the charming owner, had the concept of a private home that would also offer exclusive and personalized service to a small number of guests. His creation complies perfectly with the self-imposed brief and, in addition, offers the ultimate luxuries of space, light and true style.

Accommodation comprises five wooden houses raised on stilts with peerless views of the misty Ngong Hills and the surrounding countryside. There is also a further bedroom within the attractive original house. The furnishings and decorative artifacts are with very few exceptions, resolutely sourced within Africa, and primarily Kenyan. The furniture may be constructed from camphor wood, which mellows to a rich dark patina with age, or perhaps, romantically, made from hardwood sleepers from the old Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Each "tree-house" has its own spirit and ambience.

The beautifully intricate hand-carved furniture of Lamu features in one, whereas another features a clear and tranquil blue combined with the strong lines of wrought iron pieces. Generous four-poster beds grace the upper-level bedrooms, crisp cottons and feather pillows promise a luxurious night's sleep. On the lower level the spacious living area has a large sofa to sink into, comfy chairs and an intimate dining area. The veranda is the ideal place from which to bask in the sun, take afternoon tea, observe the teeming bird life or gaze into the sunset. The cuisine is of the highest quality, imaginatively prepared using mouthwatering fresh ingredients.

Meals may be served in the elegant dining room, under the shady trees, or in the covered yet open-sided dining area in the gardens in which a roaring fire is lit on chillier evenings. Enormous care is taken with presentation; flowers, hand-made glasses and beautiful plates with rich glazes glow by the soft light of many candles. It’s a truly inspirational place.

 

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Day 2 — Day 4
Nairobi – Fly Maasai Mara Game Reserve
Cottar’s 1920s Camp, Maasai Mara “If you want to track the safari bloodline, you go to Cottar’s,” states Travel+Leisure. A short flight and yet another stunning sojourn, now with Calvin and Louise Cottar as your hosts. Calvin’s great grandfather was an American who, inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting exploits, moved to Kenya in 1911 and established Cottar’s Safari Services. The rest is history—nearly 90 years of it.

Cottar’s today is the quintessential deluxe safari camp, inspired by the halcyon days of African travel. And who would know better? Scattered throughout the camp are Cottar family heirlooms, from the Victrola to the silver tea service. Each guest tent, with its own butler, is a luxurious affair of white canvas replete with antiques, illuminated by lanterns, offering private en suite dressing rooms and bathrooms complete with a freestanding tub! Cottar’s fortuitous position in the Mara—located on a concession of private land bordering the Serengeti—affords prolific game drives in the shimmering light of early morning, golden light of late afternoon or by the sterling light of the moon. All without equal.

 

Overnight at Cottar’s 1920s Camp, Maasai Mara on a full board basis (including local beers, soft drinks and wines).

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

 

Day 5 — Day 7

Laikipia Plateau Lemarti's Camp

 

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Considered by Travel & Leisure as one of the World's Best Tented Camps, Lemarti’s Camp is an unforgettable safari hideaway in Kenya’s breathtaking northern Laikipia Plateau, one of the last frontiers of virgin wilderness and home to the majestic Samburu people. The twist here is that while the local Samburu community owns the land, the camp itself was built and run by a local Samburu guide - Loyapan Lemarti - and his Kenyan-based fashion designer wife, Anna Trzebinski. This unlikely duo met on safari - he was her guide - and were later married. Their dream camp emerged, nestled in an oasis in a spectacular setting beneath a grove of palms and centenary fig trees.

 

But what is truly unique about staying at Lemarti’s Camp is experiencing the "Rites of Passage" safari that Lemarti has crafted. It is an experience unparalleled in East Africa today. No safari vehicles or armed guards here. Guests quite literally walk into the wilderness with Samburu warriors armed only with their traditional weapons, their sharp senses and generations of knowledge. These gentle tribesmen will talk with you about their ways, connect you with amazing wildlife and take you into a moment in time that is both authentic and other worldly.

 

Overnight at Lemarti’s Camp on a full board basis (including local beers, soft drinks and wines).

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 8 & Day 9

Laikipia – Lake Naivasha

 

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Today you will board your flight to the Lake Naivasha area. Hippo Point House was originally belonging to an Irish magistrate; this magnificent 1930's Elizabethan house remains a relic of colonial Africa. Consistently rated as one of the top retreats in the world, the eight-story Dodo Tower is one of the most luxurious and less known of Kenyan hideaways. Custom-built by Dodo Cunningham-Reid for seasoned romantics, guests are able to enjoy breath-taking views over Oloidien Bay and follow at eagle-eye the movements of the hippos grazing at the foot of the Tower.

 

With African's Spice Safaris deep knowledge of Kenya, we are able to organize a whole range of activities from deep sea fishing, walking and riding safaris, bird shooting, polo and much more. The wildlife sanctuary hosts a large number of zebras, kongoni, giraffe, impala, Thompson gazelle, waterbuck, baboons, colobus monkey, vervet monkey, dik-dik, buffalo, aardvark, as well as more than 600 bird species that have made lake Naivasha one of the world's most famous lakes for bird watching.

 

Day 10

Lake Naivasha – Fly Nairobi – Departure

Today after lunch, you will be transferred to the airport where you will board a charter flight to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. After dinner, you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in time to check in for you overnight flight back home.

 

Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

 

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*Please Note: The above African Spice Safari itinerary is just suggestions or a place to start your planning; It is useful to look at the options available and to help budgeting for your trip.

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African Spice Safari Extension Options
Instead of flying straight home you can extend your visit and spend a few days on the beach, Funzi Keys Island or the secluded Alfajiri Villas, on Mombasa’s Diani Beach. Both offer extreme luxury and privacy

 

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