African Safari Adventure Kenya, September 6 - 13, 2024
Spend a thrilling week on the Safari trip of a lifetime and travel through the heart of Kenya into the Maasai Mara.
Wild at Heart? Embark on a Safari Adventure!
This is a photo safari of the highest caliber in the tradition of the Old world English Safari companies. We will reside at Governors’ Camp one of the oldest most prestigious companies in East Africa with many celebrities as previous clients. Governors’ Camp occupies the best wildlife viewing location in the Reserve, nestled in the riverine forest along the winding banks of the Mara River, its waters teeming with birdlife, hippo and crocodile. It is perfect for couples! Our accommodations will be what tour operators identify as “Glamping”. A term used for camping in Luxury tents. Governors’ Camp has been awarded a Silver Eco Rating from Eco – Tourism Kenya due to our sustainable tourism practices in place in the camp.
We will spend a week traveling through the heart of Kenya into the Maasai Mara in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. Each couple will lodge in a large luxury tent, complete with shower and toilet facilities, as well as nice draperies, and linens. Each 2 or 3 couples will have their own Land Rover with a driver/naturalist/guide. We’ll have porters, and cooks in the camp to serve us along with Masai tribesman to guard us from the animals. They are all highly experienced Safari professionals that will expertly guide us on these great adventures.
Our Guides and drivers are well organized local Masai tribesmen who have lived in Masai Mara in Kenya for thousands of years. Governors’ camp is a favorite facility for many national geographic filmmakers like Jonathan Scott star “The Big Cat Diary” and Big Cat Live documentary series on the BBC the Discovery network. We will get to see many of the same things that are aired on these spectacular documentaries of how the Big Cats of Africa live and survive.
We will witness, up close and personal, the extraordinary annual “Great Migration” of wildebeest and other grazing herbivores across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. It is one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world where you will see 10’s of thousands of animals migrating literally right in front of your eyes. There will be lion kills, cheetahs chasing antelopes, giant African elephants, giraffes, and many other animals moseying right in front of our Land Rover; so close you can just about reach out and touch them.
Main Package Details
This is a 8-day Luxury Safari that includes but not limited to the following:
- Airport transfer in Nairobi between international airport (NBO) and hotel
- 4+ Star Luxury Hotel in Nairobi (1 night)
- Round-trip Domestic Flights between Nairobi and Maasai Mara
- Transfers to/from Camps
- All Permits for Game Reserve
- 7 days/6 nights on Safari, including all meals and soft drinks, beers, and house wine during meals
- Up to 3 Game Drives per Day with Naturalist Guide/Driver
There are a few minor exclusions as follows:
- International Airfare to/from Nairobi.
- An Entrance Visa is required for US citizens to enter Kenya. The Visa cannot be included in the package price. You can obtain a Single entry visa by going online to http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html
- Travel insurance which includes “Flying Doctors” insurance. (Proof of insurance is required 30 days prior to your arrival in Nairobi.)
- Specialty/Premium Brand Liquors. (You may bring duty free premium liquors to the camps with you.)
- Optional early arrival, late departure and optional activities.
Cost: $8995.00 per person double occupancy
Flight Information (for Main Package Only):
You must book your flight in order to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, September 6, 2024. Your departure flight must be booked for Friday, September 13, 2024 after 2:00 pm.
Optional Add-On Packages
Bush Dinner:
For a very unique experience, enjoy the excitement of a bush dinner in the wild. You will arrive at a special secluded location on the banks of the Mara river. A welcoming drink awaits by the warming campfire, followed by a delicious meal prepared by our Bush chefs, served under the stars, with the soft lights of safari lanterns and accompanied by the sounds of the African night and the grunting Mara river hippos.
Cost: $80.00 per person
Hot Air Balloon Safari:
Hot air balloon safari over the river, plains and forests of the Masai Mara. The adventure begins just before dawn. The flight lasts an hour or so, drifting wherever the air currents take you, and with ample opportunities for photography and video filming. In the time-honored tradition of balloon flights the world over, toast your return to earth with sparkling wine and enjoy a delicious breakfast that is set up and served at a very special spot.
Cost: $500.00 per person
Maasai Village Visit:
The Maasai community welcomes guests who would like to visit the village and see a tribal way of life that has remained quite unchanged for centuries. Visitors are always struck by the grace and beauty of the Masai people, and the colorful lifestyle they lead.
Cost: $45.00 per person
Early Arrival (Hotel Only) – 9/5/2024:
One (1) night in a Standard (Cost: $190.00 per person) or Suite (Cost: $440.00 per person) Room at Ole Sereni Hotel.
Early Arrival Package (Hotel & Tour) – 9/5/2024:
One (1) night in Standard Room at Ole Sereni Hotel. Tour package includes stops at the Baron Von Blixen’s House, Giraffe Sanctuary, Orphan Elephant Rehabilitation Center and shopping area.
Cost: $495.00 per person
Post Night (Hotel Only) – 9/13/2024:
One (1) night in a Standard (Cost: $190.00 per person) or Suite (Cost: $440.00 per person) Room at Ole Sereni Hotel.
Payment Details
Deposit of $2500 per person is due at the time of booking.
Balance due after deposit will be divided into three (3) equal installments.
• June 1, 2023 – 1st Installment
• November 1, 2023 – 2nd Installment
• May 1, 2024 – Final Installment
Cancellation Policy
• Deposit is non-refundable 60 days after initial payment.
• All payments after initial deposit are non-refundable.
• Any cancellation for a “non insurance covered reason” are non-refundable; however, in the event of unforeseen “non covered” reason, we will do our best to resell the cancelled reservation and return all funds less a facilitation fee but there is no guarantee.
• Reservations may be assigned to a 3rd party subject to the facilitation fee and approval from our office.
Note: All cancellation request must be sent via email to customerservice@ToplessTravel.com.
Additional Details
Passports/Travel Documentation:
Passports are required for this event. Your first and last name, including suffixes such as “Sr”, “Jr”, “III”, etc. for men, listed on the reservation must match your passports. If they do not, please let us know ASAP so we can have the names corrected before submitting them to the safari company.
Note: It is important to check the expiration date on your passport to confirm that it will still be valid at least six (6) months after your travel dates. No refunds will be given to individuals who fail to bring proper documentation.
An Entrance Visa is required for US citizens to enter Kenya. The Visa cannot be included in the package price. You can obtain a Single entry visa by going online to http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html.
All arriving passengers into Kenya are required to to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
All travelers (including those in transit) will be expected to fill the traveler’s health locator form and submit before travel (please do this once you have your airline seat numbers).
Airport Transportation:
If you require Airport Transfers from and to your international flight, then you must provide us with your complete flight itinerary including the airport, airline, flight number, date and time along with the Record Locator/Airline Confirmation Number for both your arrival and departure so that we can make the necessary transfer arrangements. Please confirm your flight itinerary before sending it to us. Airport transfer fees may apply.
Note: You must send us your flight itinerary at least 60 days prior to the event if you wish for us to make your airport transfer arrangements.
Arrival Documentation:
An arrival packet with a list of activities and other helpful information will be sent via email approximately 30 days prior to the event. While you do not need a hotel voucher to check in to the resort, we suggest you keep copies of this email, payment receipts, and any other relevant information with you when you travel.
Travel Insurance:
Travel insurance which include “Flying Doctors” insurance is REQUIRED by the safari company. You must provide our office proof of insurance 30 days prior to your arrival in Nairobi. There are hundreds of circumstances that could cause you to cancel your trip, return home early or force you to seek emergency medical treatment while traveling. Travel insurance offers you coverage for unforeseen problems such as, an unexpected financial change or scheduling conflict, a cancelled flight or a serious illness.
Click this link to get your quote today!
Please note: Because there are many different departure cities and many different airlines that can be used, with varying ARRIVAL times in Nairobi, you will need to pay particular attention to make sure your ARRIVAL DATE is Friday, September 6, 2024 AFTER 6:00 am and before Midnight. (Arriving prior to 6:00 am will incur an additional hotel night.)
Day 1: Arrive in Nairobi, Kenya
Arrive in Nairobi, after Immigration and Custom formalities you will be picked up by your guide and transferred to the 4-star Ole Sereni Hotel. Breakfast is included with your room.
Day 2 to 5: Maasai Mara
Our safari begins on Day 2 as we board our charter flight and fly from Nairobi Wilson Domestic Airport to Mara Ol Kiombo. There is a strict 15kg (35 lbs) per person baggage allowance, with a further 100kg (220 lbs) limit on total baggage and bodyweight which can be averaged across the group. Bags should be small and soft (duffle bag types); as larger hard-case cases will not always fit into the baggage compartments of smaller aircraft. Local departure tax has been pre-paid as part of the ticket price.
A vehicle and guide from Governors’ Camp will be waiting for you at the airstrip ready for the drive into camp. The route passes through game areas all the way, so you may choose to take a little longer and make a game drive of it along the way.
Governors’ Camp is Africa’s first permanent tented camp, remaining in its original site since 1972. It occupies the best wildlife viewing location in the Reserve, nestled in the riverine forest along the winding banks of the Mara River, it’s waters teeming with bird-life, hippo and crocodile. It is perfect for those wanting to experience the best of what a safari in the Masai Mara has to offer.
Governors’ Camp is located right in the heart of the best game viewing area of the Masai Mara.The entire camp is under canvas with all of the comforts of a luxury hotel. The tents are big, bright and allow in lots of natural light all tents have verandahs some with views across the sweeping plains of the Masai Mara, others look over the banks of the meandering Mara River. All tents are classic safari style each with en-suite bathrooms and a private verandah.
By choosing this camp your organizers are positioning you for the best chance of witnessing one of the greatest spectacles of the migration; a mass crossing of the Mara River. This is where 10’s of thousands of wildebeests, zebras, antelope, springbuck, and other grazers pile up at the bank of the river and are forced by sheer numbers to cross a crocodile infested river. This phenomenon occurs several times during the period between August and October with the greatest likelihood occurring in late September.
Day 5 to 8: Maasai Mara
On Day 5, our group will switch to Little Governors’ Camp for another three (3) nights of safari. The award-winning Little Governors’ is intimate in character, with just 17 luxury ensuite tents dotted around a large watering hole that teems with both birds and wildlife. The camp is approached by a boat ride across the Mara River, then an escorted walk through the riverine forest. Vehicles are left on the far river bank, and the camp is therefore quiet and undisturbed.
The guest tents at Little Governors’ have wooden decks with large verandahs for guests to enjoy the constant game activity that takes place around the camp’s watering hole. Breakfast and lunch are served in the open air, and the resident family of warthogs frequently wander amongst the tables. Since all Governors’ properties are unfenced and in the heart of the Reserve, guests may need to make way for elephants which often visit the camp. In the evening a warming log fire burns in front of the Bar Tent, and dinner is served in the nearby Dining Tent.
There are no required vaccinations for US Citizens to enter Kenya.
However you should consult your doctor or a travel clinic to determine if you want to take certain precautions. There are a number of RECOMMENDED precautionary measures that can only be decided by each individual with the consultation of a medical professional.
These are the likely recommendations:
- Typhoid Vaccination (for water born intestinal distress)
- Hepatitis A & B boosters
- Tetanus booster
- Malaria Prophylaxis
- Yellow Fever Vaccination
Each of the above have pros and cons that include benefits and side effects that only the individual can decide whether or not it is necessary to make use of these various medicines. We cannot recommend or warn you for or against using any of these items; however, we can offer a couple of suggestions base on our past experience. The organizers of this event have used all the above precautions in the past and made observations of other traveler’s experiences with these medications and offer this information:
- We have strong feelings against the use of the Malaria prophylaxis medication called Larium. In our experience many people have severe and VERY unpleasant side effects that include hallucinations. If you decide to take a Malaria preventative and your doctor prescribes this, we recommend asking him to offer you an alternative.
- You should also consider that the Maasai Mara is above 4000 ft in elevation and the inopheles mosquitoes are not indigenous at that altitude. Exposure risk (if any) will likely only be limited to the last three (3) days in country while at sea level and effective prevention can be obtained by always keeping Mosquito repellant (with 50% deet) applied to exposed skin. We personally abstain from using these harsh anti malaria medications that need to be taken for two (2) weeks before departure and two (2) weeks after return because we feel the risk is very low, but this is a personal decision.
- Hepatitis and Tetanus have very little side effects and are given routinely to most policeman, EMT’s and firefighters in the USA as a matter of job requirement.
- The vaccinations above often have redness and soreness associated with the injection sites as well as possible flue like symptoms that can be mild or severe and last for a day or a week and our experience is that if taken should be stretched out over time to minimize multiple and simultaneous side effects.