Wilderness Travel 2017 Catalog of Adventures

In the magnificent land where safaris were born, we experience phenomenal game viewing and an insider’s look at conservation in three renowned national parks. Our charter flight brings us to vast Tsavo East and a wilderness camp that gives us special access to orphaned baby elephants being reintroduced to the wild by the David Sheldrick Elephant Trust. Among the red mountains of Samburu Game Reserve, we’ll look for Kenya’s northern species, encounter Samburu warriors, and meet an expert on lion conservation. Our grand finale is the Masai Mara Game Reserve, where we revel in the super-abundance of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem from our spectacular camp and learn about the latest in cheetah conservation from a Mara researcher. Up-close wildlife encounters, spectacular bush flights, tribal cultures, incredible national parks—this is an unforgettable journey in Kenya. Days 1-3 Nairobi / Tsavo East National Park A spectacular bush flight whisks us to Tsavo East for our stay at the David Sheldrick Elephant Trust’s wilderness camp. Here we’ll be introduced to the charismatic baby elephants of Tsavo, watch- ing them as they bottle-feed, mud wallow, and interact with the older elephants. This is probably the closest a traveler could ever come to mingling right among African elephants and our special access is amazing. Days 4-5 Tsavo East National Park Exploring Tsavo bushlands by 4WD vehicle, we keep an eye out for big herds of “red” elephants along with Tsavo endemics such as desert warthog and Peter’s gazelle. The Tsavo ecosystem hosts the world’s last surviving viable gene pool of giant tuskers, and we’ll meet with a Tsavo Trust conservationist to hear about strategies to protect these elephants and the communities of Tsavo. Days 6-7 Samburu Game Reserve Flying north to Samburu, a picturesque land of red earth and palm-fringed, cocoa-brown rivers, we’ll meet the Samburu people, cousins to the Masai, and head out to look for big game species rarely seen elsewhere, including Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, and Beisa oryx. We also meet with a researcher from Ewaso Lions, which works to protect Africa’s lion population. Days 8-11 Masai Mara Game Reserve A scenic charter flight takes us right to the Mara’s rolling grasslands amid striking volcanic scenery. Our camp in a magnificent location overlooking the Talek River offers some of the world’s finest Big Five game viewing in the world’s best-known wilderness. Depart on Day 11, or extend your journey with exciting gorilla tracking in Rwanda’s Parc National des Volcans. Legends of East Africa ELEPHANTS OF TSAVO, LIONS OF SAMBURU, AND CHEETAHS OF THE MASAI MARA

JOHN WARBURTON-LEE

HUGH SITTON

JON ARNOLD

Meet orphaned baby elephants, learn how cheetah researchers work, and search for the Big Five from our atmospheric safari camps.

DETAIL • 11-day trip begins and ends in Nairobi • 1 night hotel, 9 nights luxury tented camps • All meals included

DATES Jan 3-13, 2017 Jul 11-21

TRIP COST $7995 (6-7 members) $8495 (4-5 members) Single supplement: $980 Internal airfare: $1750-$2600 (subject to change) Rwanda Gorilla extension: from $1995 TRIP LEVEL 1 2 + 3 4 5 6 7 4WD game viewing, easy walking

HIGHLIGHTS • Experience the wonder of the Masai Mara Game Reserve from our superbly located camp • Meet the orphaned baby elephants of the David Sheldrick Elephant Trust at our Tsavo camp • Look for Kenya’s rare northern species in Samburu Game Reserve • Learn about the latest conservation successes in protecting Kenya’s elephants and lions

QUESTIONS? 1.800.368.2794 OR EMAIL AFRICA@WILDERNESSTRAVEL.COM 67