Day 1
Nairobi

A uniformed Old Line Safari Company representative meets you on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and transports you to Nairobi's Fairview Hotel, where your room awaits you. For the rest of the day, you may relax and catch up with the time zone or opt to visit the Karen Blixen Museum (made famous in the film Out of Africa) or the Giraffe Centre at no extra charge.(D)

This morning, after breakfast we bid farewell to our hosts and the lake and start our tour of the hinterland. Two hour drive to Kakamega forest arriving in time for lunch at this remaining relic of the once vast tropical equatorial rain forest. Afternoon nature walk in the company of our local naturalist. If lucky, we will spot the rare De Brazza’s monkey. Better still, there are several animals to be spotted including the red tailed and the black and white Colobus monkeys. Birdlife is just amazing with over 330 spp. already recorded. Dense vegetation, lianas, climber and a prolific array of wildflowers are equally wonderful supporting over 400 spp of colorful tropical butterflies. During our two nights stay, we’ll also visit the nearby lake side city of Kisumu, a beautiful city lying next to Africa’s largest fresh water mass, Lake Victoria. Kisumu is home to the second largest tribe in the country, the Luo with fishing as their mainstay economic activity. Overnight at the tranquil Rondo retreat (B, L, D)

Just after breakfast, we set off for a five hour drive to the haven of wildlife-the Maasai Mara. We enjoy a stunning view of the undulating plains of the Mara from the comfort of our safari vehicle. This gets awesome as we approach our wilderness camp, Mara Siria. Our two-day stay is a ritual of morning and evening game drives exploring the intrigues and fascinations of the Mara. This is where you can see elephant, buffalo, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, giraffe, hippo, crocodile and a whole ark-full of other animals. From July through September vast herds of wildebeest and zebra migrate north from the Serengeti across the Mara River into Kenya creating an incredible spectacle of nature. The experience in Maasai Mara is incomplete without interacting with the locals. We visit a unique Maasai Cultural Village where you get to interact with the community guides, interpreters and elders. On showcase are dances, folklore, fire making techniques and lots of cultural activities that make us realize how different (and yet how similar) their everyday life is to ours. Hot-air balloon safaris are available at an additional cost (B, L, D)