DAY 01: FRI - Arrival
Upon arrival in Cairo. You will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.

DAY 02: SAT - Cairo
The day is at leisure. Late transfer for overnight flight to Nairobi. (B)

DAY 03: SUN - Nairobi
Upon arrival in Nairobi you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Optional afternoon excursions available. Overnight in Nairobi. (B)

DAY 04: MON – Nairobi/Samburu
After breakfast you will be collected from your hotel and depart on your overland safari.
We travel north of the equator to Samburu. Lunch at Samburu Lodge is followed by an afternoon game drive.

Samburu National Reserve
Samburu is remote, hot and arid with rugged hills and undulating plains. And like most wildlife areas in such environments Samburu’s life blood is the Ewaso Ngiro River, and its riverine forests, which forms its boundary with the Buffalo Springs National Park. This is one of the few areas in Kenya where you can spot southern and northern dwelling species together with highlights being reticulated giraffe, the long necked gerenuk, Somali ostrich and Grevy's Zebra. Samburu was one of the homes of Elsa the Lioness, star of the bestselling book and award winning movie Born Free.

Overnight at Samburu Simba Lodge. (B/L/D)

DAY 05: TUE - Samburu/Aberdare
After breakfast we travel the Aberdare Forest. After lunch the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to observe animals emerging from the forest to drink at the waterhole.

Aberdare National Park
The Aberdare National Park was created to protect the forested slopes and moors of the Aberdare Mountains, the peaks of which soar to 3930m and deep valleys are home to cascading streams and rivers. The park has elephant, lion, rhino, black leopard and the very elusive bongo antelope that lives in the high bamboo forest. The highlands are ideal for hiking and the environment so like a moorland one could be forgiven for thinking that you had temporarily left Africa.

Overnight at the The Ark. (B/L/D)

DAY 06: WED - Aberdare/Naivasha
After breakfast the safari continues to Lake Nakuru in the Rift Valley. Lunch is followed by an afternoon game drive in the national park. After which we continue to Lake Naivasha.

Naivasha
The beautiful Lake Naivasha is fringed by papyrus and acacia trees and supports a vast array of bird species. It is the highest of the Rift Valley Lakes and despite having no outlet is one of only two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley. Although it is more than 10kms across it is very shallow and its surface area varies considerably with the local rainfall, so much so that in the early 1900s it totally dried up.

Overnight at the Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge. (B/L/D)

DAY 07: THU - Naivasha/Masai Mara
After breakfast we depart to the Masai Mara. Approximately a 5 hour drive will take us to the heart of Masai country and one of Kenya's natural marvels. After lunch we will spend the rest of the afternoon on game drive.

Masai Mara
The Masai Mara together with Tanzania’s Serengeti form Africa’s most famous wildlife park. The image of acacia trees on an endless grass plain epitomises Africa for many, and then add a Masai warrior and some cattle to the picture and the conversation need go no further. The annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti and the Masai Mara is the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet – with more than a million animals following the rains. But that is not where the game viewing ends; large prides of lions, elephants and giraffes in grasslands, gazelles and eland to mention but a few. Aside from traditional vehicle safaris, hot-air ballooning over the Mara plains has become almost essential and you can even do a horseback safari.

Overnight at Mara Simba Lodge. (B/L/D)

DAY 08: FRI - Masai Mara
Spend the day on leisurely game drives in the morning and afternoon in the Masai Mara. Overnight at Mara Simba Lodge. (B/L/D)

DAY 09: SAT – Masai Mara/Nairobi
After breakfast depart from the lodge for a short safari in the Mara en route back to Nairobi. Arrival in Nairobi around mid-day with time at leisure. Overnight in Nairobi. (B)

DAY 10: SUN – Nairobi/Cairo
Early morning transfer to Nairobi Airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival in Cairo, you will be transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Cairo. (B)

DAY 11: MON - Full Day Tour of Cairo
Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which houses the worlds largest collection of artifacts from the era of the pharaohs including some belonging to King Tut. Tour Old Cairo, where early Judaism and Christianity flourished in Egypt. Visit sites like the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the Moallaka Church where the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus took refuge. Spend the afternoon at the Great Pyramids of Giza built for Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos, and the defending Sphinx. End the day at the bazaar of Khan El Khalili. Overnight in Cairo. (B/L)

DAY 12: TUE - You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for your flight to Aswan. Optional excursion to Abu Simbel available. (Your flight continues to Abu Simbel. Visit the Great Temples of Ramses II. Stand before the colossal statue of the Pharaoh with smaller statues of his wife Nefertari and daughters at his feet. After this visit, fly to Aswan.) Upon arrival at Aswan Airport, you will be transferred to your Deluxe Nile Cruise Boat for a 5-day/4-night Nile cruise. Accommodations aboard will consist of an Outside Cabin with private facilities. Afternoon sail by felucca for an outside visit to the Agha Khan Mausoleum and Elephantine Island. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

DAY 13: WED - Visit the High Dam, Old Dam, Philae Temple, and the Granite Quarries. Sail to Edfu. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

DAY 14: THU - Nile Cruise
Travel by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the best preserved of all the large Egyptian Temples. Sail to Luxor. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

DAY 15: FRI - Nile Cruise
Cross the Nile to the West Bank. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes, Colossi of Memnon, Queen Hatshepsut Funerary Temple, and the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

DAY 16: SAT - Luxor/Cairo
Visit Luxor Temple dedicated to the god Amon-Ra. It was expanded by Ramses II, who added statues of himself. Visit the magnificent Karnak Temple. After disembarkation, you will be transferred to Luxor Airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo. (B)

DAY 17: SUN - Departure
You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for your return flight. (B)