Kenya Safari and visit to Ngong Road Children’s Foundation Itinerary
(With Optional Gorilla Trek in Rwanda Extension)
Dates:
- March 13 – 23, 2025 (Kenya segment)
- March 24 – 26, 2025 (Rwanda segment)
KENYA
March 13, 2025 – Departure
Depart from home cities in the United States for Nairobi
March 14, 2025 – Arrival
Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta Airport and transfer to Hilton Doubletree Hotel
March 15, 2025 – Ngong Road Children’s Foundation
After breakfast, transfer to the offices of Ngong Road Children’s Foundation, the sister organization of Friends of Ngong Road. Meet members of the staff, learn about them and see the facility. Learn more about the program and meet a panel of alumni who will share their life stories. Meet sponsored students and take them to KFC for lunch and then for shopping.
In the afternoon, spend an hour at the Saturday Program and then return the children to their homes where you will meet their parent or guardian. Dinner will be back at the hotel with time to discuss impressions. Breakfast provided at the hotel; Lunch and dinner not included.
March 16, 2025 – Elephant Orphanage, Giraffe Center, Karen Blixen home, Kazuri and Utamaduni
Depart the hotel at 9:30 am promptly for the David Sheldrick Elephant Trust, where will have an opportunity to interact with the gentle giants of Africa and learn more about how the trust raises orphaned elephants. Proceed to the Giraffe Center, where we will have the chance to feed the famous Rothschild Giraffes. Lunch will be in Karen, followed by a visit to the Blixen home. The Nairobi suburb of Karen is named after Karen Blixen, pen name for Isak Dineson who wrote Out of Africa in 1937. From her home, you can clearly see the Ngong Hills – after which Ngong Road (the oldest and longest road in Nairobi) is named.
Next we will visit the Kazuri bead factory and Utamaduni for traditional crafts shopping. This evening, members of the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation Board of Directors will join us for dinner in a nearby restaurant. Breakfast provided at the hotel; Lunch and dinner not included.
March 17, 2025 – Nairobi to Amboseli National Park
After breakfast and hotel checkout, we will transfer to Nelson Mandela Academy, one of Ngong Road Children’s Foundation’s focus primary schools. Take a short walk in the nearby impoverished district to meet the shoemaker who provides shoes for children in the program. Before leaving Nairobi, stop for lunch at Zen Gardens for Asian fusion cuisine. You will meet the owner who is a strong local supporter of the organization and its mission.
We will drive 4 – 4 1/2 hours to Amboseli National Park in time for a brief safari drive into the park, followed by check-in and dinner at Ol-tukai Lodge, with beautiful views of Mt. Kilimanjaro in nearby Tanzania. Breakfast provided at the hotel; Lunch and dinner provided.
March 18, 2025 – Amboseli National Park
We will awake early for a 6:30 a.m. game drive in Amboseli National Park, famous for the many elephant families that live here and the beautiful birds found in this ecosystem fed by snow melt from Kilimanjaro. We return to the lodge in time for breakfast and leisure time when you can enjoy the pool or sitting outside and gazing at Mt. Kilimanjaro. Lunch is at the lodge at your leisure. At 4 pm, our evening game drive will commence in search of more elephants and other animals found in Amboseli. We will return to the lodge in time for dinner. All meals provided.
March 19, 2025 – Amboseli – Samburu
After breakfast check out and drive to Amboseli Airstrip for your flight to Samburu National Reserve, in Kenya’s arid north. Drivers will pick you up at the nearby airstrip for transfer to Ashnil Samburu Camp or Simba Lodge in time for lunch. Samburu is known for its range of antelope species from the tiny dik dik to the gerenuk that feeds on its back legs to the oryx with long twisted horns. We will settle in and then go on an evening game drive at 4 pm, followed by dinner back at the camp. All meals provided.
March 20, 2025 – Samburu National Reserve
By now, you will be familiar with the tempo of safari – an early morning drive followed by mid-day at leisure and late afternoon safari. In Samburu, we will also see elephants, Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffes. All meals provided.
March 21, 2025 – Samburu to Maasai Mara National Park
After breakfast, we will fly from Samburu to Maasai Mara where we will be met at the airstrip and transferred to the Ashnil Mara Camp or Sarova Tented Lodge with a game drive enroute. In the afternoon we will do a game drive in this park, famous for the wildebeest migration that takes place from July – August. Maasai Mara is the best place to see several of the Big Five – lion, elephant, water buffalo, rhino and leopard. Of course, many other species live in Maasai Mara all year round, including wildebeests, warthogs, wild dogs, Rothschild giraffes and plains zebras. All meals provided.
March 22, 2025 – Maasai Mara National Park
Full day in the park with a morning and afternoon game drive. During our afternoon interlude we will also visit a Maasai village to learn more about Maasai culture. All meals provided.
March 23, 2025 – Mara to Nairobi and then onward
After breakfast, you will check out and enjoy our final game drive enroute to the airstrip. You will fly from Mara to Nairobi, arriving at Wilson Airport before lunch.
For those returning home, there will be day rooms awaiting your arrival at an airport hotel where you can freshen up, repack and prepare for your trip home. You will be taken to the Jomo Kenyatta National Airport in time for your late evening flight to Europe and then back to the United States.
For those continuing to Rwanda, you will transfer from Wilson Airport to Jomo Kenyatta National Airport and the flight to Kigali, Rwanda. On arrival in Kigali you will transfer to the Kigali Serena (or comparable) hotel where the evening is at leisure.
For all travelers: Breakfast and lunch provided; dinner on your own.
RWANDA
March 24, 2025 – Kigali and Volcanoes National Park
Welcome to Kigali! Spanning several ridges and valleys, Kigali, with its lush hillsides, flowering trees, winding boulevards and bustling streets, is arguably one of the most attractive capital cities in Africa, as well as easily one of the cleanest and safest. Begin with breakfast, then meet your local guide.
You will begin with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, a moving experience that will take about 3-hours. This memorial honors the estimated 250,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus buried here in mass graves and tries to explain how this came to be and the world watched as the genocide unfolded.
Lunch will be at the Des Mille Hotel, made famous by the movie “Hotel Rwanda.” We will travel to the Parc National des Volcans, enjoying a scenic drive that showcases the magnificent views of the Volcanoes National Park and the terraced hills of Rwanda. Check into your Lodge and relax for tomorrow’s Gorilla tracking. Dinner at the lodge. All meals provided.
March 25, 2025 – Gorilla Tracking
Today you will have the amazing opportunity to trek into the Volcanoes National Park for an experience of a lifetime with a gorilla family. After an early breakfast, you will drive to the Park headquarters to meet your trackers for a briefing before beginning the trek. Pass through light mountain forest in search of the gorilla family to which you are assigned. There are ten habituated groups that call this area their home, and the National Park staff assigns participants to these groups the morning of the trek. Please note that the length of time you are away is dependent on the locations of the gorilla family and some hikes have been known to take several hours to reach the gorillas, especially when it is wet and muddy. This is a serious trek, and participants should prepare in advance as parts of the trail can be steep. A porter will accompany your group to carry items such as backpacks, water, and camera gear. Walking sticks are available for your use. The trackers are there to assist you if needed, and of course, the end result is worth the effort. Necessary clothing and gear is detailed in the packing list.
No more than eight people may visit any gorilla family on any given day so you can be assured of an intimate experience with these impressive animals. Once you reach the gorillas you have an unforgettable hour to spend with them.Following your time with the gorillas, make your way back to the park entrance, where your private guide and driver will meet you and transfer with you back to your lodge for the afternoon/evening to compare photos and stories about your incredible experience with the gorillas. All meals provided; tips for porters on your own.
March 26, 2025 – Explore Kigali and begin your trip home
After breakfast at the lodge, you will transfer back to Kigali. You can relax in a day room near the airport or spend the day exploring Kigali and doing last-minute shopping before departure to your home cities. Lunch and dinner on your own.
PRICING
Note: There are a maximum of 12 travelers on this trip.
Single Supplement – $700
Single Supplement – $200
We also request that travelers make a gift of $1,000 to Friends of Ngong Road or sponsor a child if you don’t currently do so.
To secure your spot by July 1, 2024, please follow this link to register and make a nonrefundable $1,000 deposit:
Kenya: https://www.wildernessinquiry.org/event/EVT21983/
Rwanda Extension: https://www.wildernessinquiry.org/event/EVT21984/
PAYMENT DUE DATES/AMOUNTS
October 1, 2024: 50% + Single Supplement Due.
- Kenya only: $1,600
- Kenya/Rwanda: $3,160
- Single Supplements: Kenya = $700; Rwanda = $200
December 16, 2024: Balance Due.
- Kenya only: $2,595.
- Kenya/Rwanda: $4,160
CANCELLATION POLICY
Trip deposits are due upon booking and are non-refundable. If a participant cancels the trip:
Within five weeks prior to trip departure (0-34 days)
- Participants are responsible for 100% of trip fees. No refunds issued.
- In extenuating circumstances, the deposit may be applied to a future trip as a credit.
Five to ten weeks prior to trip departure (35-70 days)
- Participants receive up to 50% of the trip fee, minus the deposit.
- In extenuating circumstances, the trip fee may be applied to a future trip as a credit.
Ten weeks or more prior to trip departure (71+ days)
- Participants will receive a refund, minus the deposit.
- In extenuating circumstances, the trip fee may be applied to a future trip as a credit.
Note: Credits must be used within two years of the original trip departure date.
PRICE INCLUDES:
- All park fees as per the itinerary and David Sheldrick Elephant Trust Fee/Giraffe Center entry fee.
- Accommodation in Nairobi based on bed and breakfast on Double/Twin Basis.
- Full board accommodation while on safari on Double/Twin Basis. No alcoholic drinks included.
- Complimentary bottled mineral water in the safari vehicle.
- Pick-up and drop-off transfers from Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi as well as all transfers from airstrips to lodges while on safari.
- In-Kenya flights from Amboseli to Sanburu to Mara and back to Nairobi.
- Lunch in Nairobi on March 17 before traveling to Amboseli National Park.
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- International Flights to Kenya or Rwanda.
- Visas/Tips to driver-guide/porters/Waiters.
- Drinks
- Personal expenses/Insurance/Phone calls/Laundry or miscellaneous expenses.