Classic Safari: Kenya & Tanzania

Fairmont The Norfolk , Nairobi / Days 2-3, 15 / Deluxe

One of Nairobi’s most popular hotels, the 165-room Fairmont The Norfolk has been a center of city life since its founding in 1904. The Tudor-style hotel with a traditional safari atmosphere sits in private tropical gardens a short distance from the city center; it was renovated in 2004 in honor of its centennial. Hotel amenities include six restaurants (including the renowned Lord Delamere Terrace & Bar); health club with fitness facilities, spa, sauna, and steam room; heated outdoor pool; business center with internet access; and laundry and dry cleaning services. Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, in-room safe, TV, and phone. Mosquito nets are available upon request.

Sarova Mara Game Camp , Masai Mara / Days 4-6 / Superior First Class

Located within Kenya’s richest game reserve, Masai Mara, the Sarova Mara Game Camp features 73 well-outfitted tents for a comfortable bush experience in keeping with the natural surroundings. The camp sits atop a slight elevation flanked by two streams, offering outstanding views of the Mara’s vast plains. Camp amenities include an indoor/outdoor restaurant; bar with fireplace; internet access; outdoor pool; massage and spa services; and laundry service. Guests can enjoy such activities as game drives, bird watching, nature walks, traditional Maasai entertainment and cultural lectures, and optional game-viewing balloon rides (at additional cost of $450 per person; cash or credit cards are accepted). Private tent accommodations all have en suite bath with shower, permanent roofs, zip-up fronts, mosquito nets, and electricity.

Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge , Amboseli / Days 7-8 / Superior First Class

Set against the backdrop of stunning Mt. Kilimanjaro in the midst of Amboseli’s rolling grasslands and savanas, Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge offers a classic safari experience. The lodge, built with eco-friendly materials, blends in the natural environment and reflects traditional Maasai motifs, colors, and textures. Amenities and activities include dining area, outdoor pool (fed by the waters of ice melt from Kilimanjaro), natural timber game viewing decks, watering holes for the animals, jogging trails, nature walks, bird watching, cultural talks, massage and spa services, library, gift shop, internet access, and laundry service. Guest rooms, outfitted in traditional Maasai style featuring beadwork, gourds, and hand-painted murals, have private bath with shower, hair dryer, in-room safe, ceiling fan, mosquito nets, and offer uninterrupted views of the game-filled plains.

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge , Ngorongoro / Days 9-10 / Superior First Class

Perched on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater itself, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge offers endless and unparalleled views from its clustered boulder-built buildings. Ethnic Maasai handcrafts – bright-beaded robes, intricate carvings, iron spears – decorate the lodge, and sensitivity to the environment marks all aspects of development here. The lodge offers a dining room and bar; traditional music, culture, and dance; guided walks; massage and beauty treatments; internet access; laundry service; and a gift shop and boutique. Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, in-room safe, private balcony, and phone.

Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge , Serengeti / Days 11-12 / Superior First Class

Set high on the saddle of a tree-clad ridge with panoramic views over the vast Serengeti, the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge fuses traditional African architecture with contemporary amenities. Circular “rondavel” dwellings with thatched roofs and the winding paths of a traditional Maasai village mark the lodge that sits amidst groves of indigenous trees surrounded by streams and ponds. Amenities include an outdoor pool; two-tiered dining room dominated by a central barbecue area; traditional music and dance; massage and spa treatments; laundry service; internet access; and safari boutique and gift shop. Guest rooms, in individual rondavel huts, feature private bath with hairdryer, in-room safe, wildwood balconies, intricately carved furniture, mosquito nets, and phone.

Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge , Lake Manyara / Days 13-14 / Superior First Class

Sitting high above the waters of Lake Manyara, this 54-room lodge reflects the stellar birdlife that abounds here, with an architectural motif of swooping avian curves and the traditional concentric patterns of traditional Maasai boma (encampments). Lodge facilities and amenities include an outdoor pool, massage and beauty services, gift shop, library with books on Africa, internet access, board games, safe deposit boxes, and laundry facilities. Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, in-room safe, private verandas with lake views, mosquito nets, and phone.