Masai Mara Reserve : The Masai Mara Game Reserve is often called simply “The Mara” – a Masai word meaning “mottled” – a reference to its patchy landscape. It hosts over 95 species of mammals and 570 recorded species of birds. The wildlife of the Masai Mara is world-renowned, with the so-called “Big Five”- buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhinoceros – evident throughout the year. The “Big Nine” – including cheetah, zebra, giraffe and hippo – extends this experience. The experience at Masai mara is different than Indian forest, as its an open savannah and the large fields provides extensive wildlife experience and one has to be on its toes all the time as action can be hidden behind any blade of the grass. TOUR HIGHLIGHTS : 1. PRE DEPARTURE ORIENTATION AND LEARNING SESSION 2. COVERING 3 DESTINATIONS : NAKURU - NAIVASHA - MASAI MARA 3. LIMITED GROUP SIZE TOUR 4. MAXIMUM 5 TRAVELLERS IN A SAFARI VAN 5. STAY IN 4*+ CATEGORY RESORTS AT NAKURU, NAIVASHA & MASAI MARA 6. 04 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY SESSIONS ON TOUR FROM EXPERT 7. VISIT TO MASAI TRIBE VILLAGE WHY US ? We have been one of the leading companies for wildlife tourism from India catering hundreds of travellers across 20+ national parks in India along with Masai Mara in Kenya. We have been delivering knowledge and awareness about wildlife & photography since 6+ years, making sure one takes away more than just memories. Delivering a spell bound wildlife experience is not just our specialization but our core passion. We simply don’t deal in typical sightseeing types crowded wildlife tours which are more of a picnic. We ensure our tours are limited group sized, handcrafted ones that provide an extraordinary experience to every single traveller on board. WHY YOU SHOULD PREFER US FOR YOUR MASAI MARA TRIP ? We will not be doing a typical sight seeing trip like most other tour companies, it is a well focused trip to explore “The wildlife of Masai Mara”. We will be providing personalized Wildlife Photography services on the tour, which will make it more of learning experience to all our travellers. We believe in giving good photography opportunity to all our travellers, hence we will be accommodating maximum 4 / 5 travellers in a safari van for Safaris so that everyone gets a window to shoot and can make the most of open roof top. We are focused on covering all major species of animals and birds and don’t want to miss out rare wildlife actions happening at the battlefield hence we have kept stay at 3 different national reserves. Our on-tour ground team consists of local guides and drivers who have years of experience in animal tracking and wildlife spotting at Masai Mara who will ensure that you do not return disappointed. Our tour leaders are wildlife experts having in depth knowledge of animal tracking, bird spotting and wildlife photography. Having handled hundreds of travellers personally they have got that knack of sharing the precious information on various nature, wildlife & photography aspects in perfect way so you enjoy more as you sight & learn. Last & the most important of is all our resorts are extremely standardized and service oriented having 4 star plus ratings on TripAdvisor where you experience the comforts and cuisines at its best without any compromise on safety and hygiene in a foreign country. WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS TRIP ? Any traveller and nature lover of any age or gender who have been willing to witness the famous Big 5 of Africa can take this trip. Also if you are passionate about wildlife photography – a seasoned photographer or an amaetuer who is looking excel in wildlife photography — just hop in without second thought as we will be serving you a great photography learning experience on the trip. Outing Dates : Batch 1 : 16th - 22nd Feb 2019 Category : Wildlife Safari Tour Duration : 06 Nights / 07 Days (Customize Tour Packages available as per your convenience) Note* : You may get in touch with us for assistance regarding the flight booking, we will be happy to help you. Day 1 : India-Nairobi to Lake Nakuru (Flights reaching Nairobi by morning 10.30 am) (175 Kms, 3.5 hrs) Arrival into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, after you disembark off the flight, clear with immigrations and custom procedures. You will be then met by our representative, welcomed and briefed about your safari. Transfer to Lake Nakuru, evening rest .Dinner and Overnight stay at Lake Nakuru. (Meals : Dinner) Day 2 : Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha (120 Kms, 2.5 hrs) After breakfast checkout and depart for a safari at Lake Nakuru, enjoy the wildlife of the reserve. Transfer to Lake Naivasha for lunch . Post lunch leave for an exciting game drive by boat is planned for the afternoon. Lake Naivasha is part of the Great Rift Valley. The game in this park is plentiful and the magnificent bird watching will make a devotee feel out in the paradise. The bird life here is world renown and over 400 bird’s species exist here, including White Pelicans, Plovers, Egrets and Marabou Stork. It is also home to a sizaeable population of Hippos. Such amazing sightings will be followed by Advanced Wildlife Photography Workshop conducted by our Wildlife Photography Expert in order to prepare you all to shoot the Great wildlife at Masai-Mara. Meals and overnight at a Lake Naivasha . (Meals : BF, Lunch, Dinner) Day 3 : Lake Naivasha-Masai Mara Game Reserve (230 Kms, 5-6 hrs) After breakfast, drive to Masai Mara Game Reserve. Arrive in time for lunch at our resort. This afternoon, enjoy game drive in “The World Famous Masai Mara Game Reserve’’. The Masai Mara Game Reserve is often called simply “The Mara” – a Masai word meaning “mottled” – a reference to its patchy landscape. The Reserve covers 1,510 sq km (580 sq miles) and raises 1,500-2,170 meters above sea level. The terrain of the reserve is primarily grassland and riverine forest with clumps of distinctive acacia trees. The Masai Mara ecosystem holds one of the highest lion densities in the world and this is where over two million wildebeest, zebra and Thompson gazelle migrate annually. It hosts over 95 species of mammals and 570 recorded species of birds. The wildlife of the Masai Mara is world-renowned, with the so-called “Big Five”- buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhinoceros – evident throughout the year. The “Big Nine” – including cheetah, zebra, giraffe and hippo – extends this experience. The Masai Mara plays host to the ‘Annual Migration’ but whatever the time of year the resident wildlife will surely enthral and entertain all who visit this wondrous Park. This day will be followed by Picture review sessions, where one can share the clicked pictures of the day with our Wildlife Expert and get Trips and tricks to make it much better and sharp with added composition to it. Dinner and overnight at Masai Mara (Meals : BF, Lunch, Dinner) Day 4 + Day 5 + Day 6 : Masai Mara Game Reserve Morning and afternoon game drives in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. And the day has arrived where we will be looking out for some good action at the battlefield of Mara. Our Expert will be constantly helping you out understand light technique and way of composing your pictures on field. We have 3 full day game drive at Masai Mara giving us a great and wide opportunity to focus on various subjects. The last day will end with a Post-Processing learning session which will give your picture the last finishing touch required. We suggest you to carry your laptop preinstalled with Lightroom 6.1 version, it will help you to get a handon experience of post processing from our expert. During our stay at Masai Mara we will be taking you to the local village, so that to understand lifestyle and culture of tribals staying at Masai Mara. Dinner and overnight at Masai Mara (Meals : BF, Lunch, Dinner) Day 7 : Masai Mara Game Reserve-Nairobi-Depart (250 kms, 5.5 hours) After breakfast drive to Nairobi, arrive in time for lunch at an Indian Restaurant (on own). After lunch, Enjoy city tour of Nairobi and last minute shopping before you are transferred to the Airport for your departure flight back home (Meals : BF) The trip ends with some lovely sightings and great learnings. Important Instructions : This is to inform you that Kenya has enforced a ban on the use of plastic bags from 28th August 2017. This ban infers to the use, manufacture and importation of the banned plastics within Kenya and especially affects plastic carrier bags. All guests traveling into Kenya with duty free plastic bags shall be required to leave the bags at the entry points and seek alternative carrier bags. We request that you do not carry plastic bags whilst visiting or working in Kenya as there are penalties for those caught with them. If you have a plastic bag containing duty free items, we advise that you exchange the bags with a woven one provided on board and give the attendants your plastic bag for disposal. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this ban. Tour concludes with Happy Memories :) PRICE Tour Price : 1900$ per person Inclusions: 1. Accommodation and meals as mentioned in the above itinerary 2. Ground transfers in Safari Van 3. Game drives in 4 x 4 Safari Van 4. Game drives on private basis 5. Park entrance fees 6. Services of English speaking driver/guide 7. Greet and meet Services 8. Wildife Photography Expert and Sessions 9. Mara Village Visit Exclusions: 1. GST 5% 2. All international air transportation 3. Any domestic flights unless specified above 4. Visa fees (US$ .50.00 per Indian passport holder and US$ 100.00 per US Passport holder. The visa can be obtained through a Kenya embassy in advance of your trip or upon arrival at the airport/entry point 5. Tips/gratuities to hotels/lodge staff / driver guide 6. Any item (s) of personal nature i.e. tobacco, porter age and laundry 7. Drinks not included with meals in Nairobi and game parks. Optional Experiences (Rates are subject to change depending upon season) Hot Air Balloon in Masai Mara – US $ 420 per person Cancellation & Refund Policy : 1. If Tour/Event/Activity cancellation done by participant prior to 130 days of Tour/Event/Activity 80% of total price will be refunded. 2. If Tour/Event/Activity cancellation done by participant prior to 100 days of Tour/Event/Activity 50% of total price will be refunded. 3. If Tour/Event/Activity cancellation done by participant prior to 60 days of Tour/Event/Activity 25% of total price will be refunded. 4. If Tour/Event/Activity cancellation done by participant prior to 45 days of Tour/Event/Activity No refund will be provided. NOT TO FORGET Kenya Visa: Client can take online as well as on Arrival USD 60 Per Person Yellow fever Vaccination is mandatory and should be taken atleast 1 month prior to departure. Click Here for Details ! Polio Vaccination also is mandatory and should be taken atleast 4 weeks prior to departure ABOUT KENYA Time Difference Kenya is 2.5 hours behind IST. Visa All travellers must have current passports valid for 60 days after the expected departure date from Africa. The visa can be obtained through a Kenya/ Tanzania embassy in advance of your trip online or upon arrival at the airport/entry point. Currency Conversion The currency of Kenya is Kenyan Shillings (KES) Languages Spoken Kiswahili is the National language and English is widely spoken. Learn to speak Kiswahili A few words go a long way in making things easier for you in a new country…so here goes!!! Jambo – Hello Habari! – How are you? Mzuri Sana – I am fine, thank you! Sisemi Kiswahili – I can’t speak Swahili Hapana – No Ndiyo – Yes Asante sana – Thank you very much! Kwaheri – Good bye! BiaBaridi – Cold beer! THINGS TO CARRY: Luggage: Please pack in a couple of small soft duffel bags (NOT in hard suitcases). Your hand luggage should include your camera equipment, toiletries, medicines and a change of under clothes. Clothing: What to pack? Kenya is casual. Please bring neutral colours. Remember, as there is lots of dust, khaki is always good. The best method of dress is layering. Early morning and evening game runs call for a sweater/fleece or windbreaker over a cotton long-sleeved shirt. A T-shirt or short-sleeved cotton shirt is good for mid-day. Hats are a must. Cotton or poly trousers, shorts, sneakers or comfortable hiking shoes are recommended. Evenings are cool around the campfire but casual. A fleece with a light-weight turtle neck and jeans are perfect. Safari style jackets/vests are convenient for photographers with their many pockets for film, lenses etc. For the Day: • 2 to 3 pairs of shorts , 5 to 6 cotton shirts, bathing suits. • Enough underwear , socks and hankies. • Sunscreen, 2 pairs comfortable walking shoes, hats or caps. For the Evening – warm clothes for the cool: • 1 safari jacket, or 1 light weight jacket, or a fleece jacket or a windbreaker , 2 long sleeve shirts. • 2 pairs casual trousers. Also remember to bring: • Insect repellent (for the body) any special medications or prescriptions (bear in mind that you may not find your prescriptions in Kenya so bring enough) • Extra pair of prescription glasses and sunglasses, contact lenses – as it is dusty bring ample cleaning solutions . • Small, lightweight flashlight, lotions, kleenex, moisturisers, chapstic. • Personal cosmetics, toiletries, scarves, money belt, binoculars – extremely important. Dos and Don’ts while on safari • Don’t photograph the people or their homes and livestock without asking permission first, and don’t be offended if you’re asked to pay for the privilege—it’s customary in some areas, particularly with the Masai who expect payment. • Don’t encourage your driver to go off road on safari to get closer to the animals. Some will happily do this for the promise of a tip, but it is against national park rules and destroys the environment for the animals. • Do stock up on insect repellent and general medicines in case you suffer from minor ailments while you are out on safari without access to a pharmacy or a doctor. • Do take more camera film or memory cards than you think you’ll need. There are great photographic opportunities on safari, and most people get carried away taking photographs of animals. If you run out, it is very expensive to buy film or cards in the national park lodges. • If you are going on a Safari, watch your clothing choices. Prefer dull colored clothes and avoid Bright colors (such as whites, pink, orange, fluorescent colors etc) • When on safari, please do not get out of your vehicle, unless you are told it is safe to do so. Do not attempt to go for walks outside the lodge premises, when staying in game lodges/ camps.