Day 2 - Transfer To Solio Game Reserve.
Today, you will awaken in a magical new world with the aroma of Kenyan coffee brewing. We will meet at breakfast for a briefing before hopping in our private Land Cruisers and heading to the Solio Game Reserve.

We will arrive at our luxury-tented camp, nestled between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains, in plenty of time for lunch and to settle in before we head out on our first game drive. Solio Rhino Sanctuary was chosen for its large population of Rhinos due to its tremendous conservation efforts.

It is normal to see a crash (big group) of white Rhinos, and although the Black Rhino are solitary and territorial, with a population of 100 among 19,000 acres, we have a great chance of seeing this endangered species.
Accommodations: luxury tents, Rhino Watch Lodge

Day 3 & 4 –Solio Game Drive and Transfer To Samburu National Park
We will spend the morning in the beautiful reserve before continuing to Samburu National Park (approx. 3 hrs.), arriving at our luxurious tented camp, a unique blend of rustic elegance along the Ewaso Nyiro River lined exotic doum palms, in time for a late lunch. The friendly, traditional Samburu tribe staff will greet us and give us a full briefing about the camp and area.

As the camp name implies, the elephants stroll through camp between the luxury tents. During mid-day, relax in the private plunge pool on the deck of your tent with a cold drink and let the wildlife come to you. In the early afternoon, we will head out to explore this spectacular reserve.

You will spend the next two days (3 and 4) on safari, driving through this stunning African landscape, seeking what is unique to this reserve, Gravy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes, gerenuk, Oryx, common waterbuck, kudu, the mane-less lions, and the “red” elephants.

The elephants exhibit a special red color from rolling in the mud of the river and dusting themselves with the rich, red soil, making for extraordinary images in golden light. The leopard sightings have also been incredible here for the past few years. We will also spend an incredible evening on the top of the hills, with the warriors of the Samburu Tribe.

Originally part of the Maasai tribe when they first came down the Nile River, the Samburu split off when the Maasai continued their journey south to Tanzania. The name Samburu name means the butterfly people; they not only flew off from their original tribe, but they became more colorful in their traditional dress.

This will be a very special evening, where you will not only create extraordinary images, but have a unique experience that few others will have.
Accommodations: luxury tents, Elephant Bedroom Camp

Day 5 - 8 - Morning game drive and Domestic flight To Maasai Mara National Park
This morning, we will have one last early morning game drive before we board our domestic flight to the renowned Maasai Mara national reserve. We will land at the airstrip in the heart of the crown jewel of Kenya, only five minutes from our camp.

Our eco-friendly camp lies between multiple overlapping predator territories and is positioned to blend unobtrusively into the surrounding vegetation, with an authentic safari feel of a time when Hemmingway would have been a guest. This safari has been perfectly timed at the tail end of the migration season, when the hordes of tourists have vanished, but we may still have a possibility of some late crossings.

Over the next 4 days, we will photograph an abundance of wildlife with a focus on the big cats and predators the Mara has become famous for. During mid-day, when the light is hash and the animals are quiet, you will have an optional activity at the lodge. We will also have a special visit from Elaine, the head researcher from the Meru Cheetah project, and from the Cheetah forever team.

This part of our safari also takes place in the heart of Maasai land. Icons of Kenya, the Maasia warriors, once dominated the plains of East Africa. During our stay, we will visit a Maasai Bomo at sunrise. Soft hues of light will gradually filter over the traditional huts, as the village comes to life, a surreal experience.

You will have quality time in the village to join the morning activities, such as milking cattle and goats, fire-starting, herding, making coffee, and socializing amongst them, to learn about their ancient ways and recent modernization. In the evening, we will sit around the campfire under the starry African sky and look back on our amazing day in awe.

After dinner, you will be safely escorted back to your tent with a Maasai warrior. There is no better way to experience Africa than by spending a few nights under canvas, camping in the heart of the wild, listening to the sounds of lions roaring, zebras barking, and hyenas calling as you gently fall asleep.
Accommodation: Mara Bush Camp

Day 9 - 10 - Domestic Flight Transfer To Explore Ithumba
This morning, we will fly by private charter to Ithumba, in East Tsavo. This is where the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust brings the young orphan elephants from Nairobi, when it is time to start reintroducing them to the wild. Over the next two days, you will have one of the most intimate elephant experiences in the world.

We will join the keepers in the field each day, where the young elephants intermix with the wild elephants and in their stockades for their morning and evening feeding. Each day, a water truck fills the drinking pool and mud bath area. The wild elephants come in first, and soon, the young orphans join them.

On foot, right amongst them, you can interact with the young orphans, stand next to the wild elephants, and photograph them at their waterhole, while mudding, dusting, and communicating with each other. More than the incredible photographic opportunities is an amazing intimate experience with these gentle giants, rarely offered in an itinerary.

We can either book the boutique luxury camp and the small classic rustic luxury safari camp. The new camp was built up into the hill, designed perfectly to blend into the environment, and views that stretch for miles. On a clear day, you may even see Mount Kilimanjaro.

It is decorated in traditional luxurious African décor, boasting grand views, multiple decks, and a beautiful swimming pool. The original, rustic charming safari camp has a two story, open hut style lounge with a small roof terrace, where you can relax in one of the many daybeds or hammocks and enjoy the endless views across the African Savanna.

You may spot Dik Dik, Lesser Kudus, warthogs, and other little game and birds, which come to the small waterhole! Each camp has 4 large canvas luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms. You will feel like you are the only one in Africa.
Accommodation: Itumba Hill and Itumba camp

Day 11 - 12 - Explore Amboseli National Park
After our early morning visit with the elephants and a scrumptious breakfast, we will head to Amboseli and the private Kitirua Conservancy on the western part of the Amboseli eco system, the greatest density of elephants per square mile in Africa and some of the biggest tuskers in Kenya.

We will have almost exclusive use of the 30,000-acre area, adjacent to Amboseli National Park, where the quality of the viewing and photography will be exceptional. In this private conservancy, we can drive off the roads, across the vast dry-lake beds, and right next to herds of elephants.

You can also photograph from outside the vehicles for a unique prospective. Our safari vehicles will be well-stocked with bottled and snacks to allow for a delayed return, as we will have no gate times to adhere to. Not only will we stay in the private reserve, but we will also have full access to Amboseli National Park, a varied habitat with large marshlands and vast open plains that lies at the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Although one of our aims will be to capture herds of elephants or giraffes with this majestic backdrop, we will take advantage of all the superb photographic opportunities, lions, antelope, cape buffalo, zebra, hippos, elephants with their calves, and the prolific bird life in this picturesque landscape.

During our stay, we will have an exclusive visit from Cynthia Moss or her team, discussing their research in Amboseli national park over the past 3 decades. Named after the flat-topped umbrella acacia trees, our Luxury African styled tented camp was exquisitely built with natural materials, complete with thatched roofs, and has one of the finest views of Africa’s highest mountain.

The cuisine is delicious, with an Italian flare, and fresh vegetables are grown in an organic garden on the grounds of the camp.

Day 13 - Departure
We will have one last morning game drive, followed by a hardy breakfast, before boarding our Domestic flight back to Nairobi. Our ground team will transport you to the Ole Sereni, which sits along Nairobi National Park, and you can enjoy a leisurely afternoon around the pool and have lunch/dinner overlooking the park. Dayrooms will be provided, so you may rest and clean up before your flight back home later in the evening.