King of the Jungle Family Safari
Embark on a remarkable family adventure-- a real-life ‘Lion King’ journey, filled with the captivating characters and expansive landscapes celebrated in the Disney’s classic. Your safari will benefit and support the efforts of the Lion Recovery Fund. Plus, you will have an opportunity to participate in the incredible KOPElion Conservation experience in the Crater.
Your journey plays out against the boundless plains and rugged outcrops of East Africa’s legendary Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater. This is a photographer’s dream of picture-perfect light, colored by the unrivaled hues of African sunrises and sunsets. Children will love this engaging and interpretive journey, as they learn about the ‘Circle of Life’ as it plays out in the bush in this cycle that’s as old as our planet.
This is the animated world in all its cinematic glory, complete with warthogs, clans of hyena, wildebeest migration herds, warthogs, baboons, zebra, giraffe, elephant, red-billed hornbills (named Zazu of course) and, holding center stage, Africa’s ever-magnificent wild lions.
The itinerary:
Day 1: Kenya, Nairobi
On your arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a representative will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel in Nairobi. Once at the hotel, it’s time for “hakuna matata” (no worries): relax, recoup, and enjoy your beautiful surroundings.
Enjoy a private visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (an elephant and rhino orphanage) followed by dinner at your Hotel. The private viewing takes place at 15h00, a scheduled feed time for the orphaned elephants lasts for 30-40 minutes. During this time you would be able to experience a personalized encounter with both the orphans and their Keepers. An employee from the trust will be present to explain about the project and the individual rescue stories of each elephant orphan in the nursery.
Overnights: Hemingways Nairobi with breakfast & dinner.
Days 2-3: Kenya, Masai Mara: & Bateleur Camp
You will be collected from your hotel for your early flight in to the Masai Mara, where you will be welcomed by the &Beyond Bateleur Camp team. From the moment you land in the Mara you will be captivated by the sights and sounds. Settle in before embarking on your first game drive. You should get to see a host of familiar characters, including Zazu and his fellow red-billed hornbills, gatherings of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion and cheetah, alongside wildebeest and zebra. At the camp we have many resident warthog, so look out for ‘Pumba’.
Choose from a wonderful range of excursions over the next two days: game drives, nature walks, night drives, or at an additional cost, Maasai community visits. Catch the moment when the sunrise spills over the plains, lighting up the flat-topped acacias: the landscape that inspired the unforgettable opening scene of this African epic.
Overnights: Bateleur Camp
Days 4-5: Tanzania, Serengeti: &Beyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp
This morning, wake early for your connection through Tarime (or Wilson in low demand season) to the Serengeti. You will have about an hour’s flight, followed by a drive across the border, before connecting to another short flight to &Beyond Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp.
Located in the remote Western Corridor of the Serengeti, this picturesque riverside camp and surrounds is known not only for its high-season dramatic wildebeest crossings and enormous Nile crocodiles, but also for its exceptional year-round wildlife.
Freshen up with a swim in the pool overlooking the seasonal hippo pods, before heading out on a game drive. With few other vehicles, it will feel like your private Serengeti.
This is ‘Mufasa’ country: discover the art of tracking as you follow the massive paw prints of lions to find them slumbering under shady trees, on the prowl, or playfully interacting with one another. On your game drives from the camp, you can expect to encounter large lion prides, bounding ‘Simbas’ and ‘Nalas’, and giggling clans of ‘Shenzi’ and his hyena buddies up to a hundred strong.
Overnights: Grumeti Serengeti Tented
Days 6-7: Tanzania, Serengeti: Serengeti Under Canvas
After breakfast, you’ll head to &Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas. This is seasonal mobile camp that changes location five times a year, as it shadows the migration. Here your adventure continues in this luxurious tented camp, complete with a private butler service, chandeliers, silver and crystal ware, and comfortable beds with fluffy duvets. Dinners are an idyllic lantern-lit affair, held under a canopy of stars.
This mobile camp is designed to shadow the migration, providing optimal sightings of the mega herds of wildebeest and zebra, with an ever-present plethora of big cats in close attendance.
Look out for ‘Shenzi’ and his cronies skulking in the shadows, hoping to scavenge a tasty morsel or two. Is ‘Scar’ perhaps close by? Gather around a roaring campfire to share stories of the day’s magic as the African night comes alive. Toast marshmallows over the camp fire, or sip a glass of full-bodied red wine.
Overnights: Serengeti Under Canvas
Days 8-9: Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater
Today you head off to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, famed as an ancient caldera and unique ecosystem, and home to a teeming gathering of game that has echoes of the animated classic.
Take pleasure in the dramatic contrast of the lodge’s baroque elegance, and the drop-away views onto this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend a day in the Crater, looking for big tuskers and the endangered Rhino. Stretch your legs and do a guided crater rim walk, or book a full-day Empakai hike, a birdwatcher’s heaven.*
We highly recommend participating in a KOPELion conservation experience, or meeting the lion guardians that are working to secure Simba’s future in the wild.* (Be sure to book this activity in advance) Toast the day with sundowner cocktails to the accompaniment of a private performance by Maasai warriors.* These activities are at an additional cost.
Overnights: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
Day 10: Departure
After breakfast wave a fond farewell to the Ngorongro Crater Lodge team as your family adventure comes to an end. You will be driven to Manyara Airstrip for your flight to Kilimanjaro and your onward connection.
* Please inquire for your cutomized itinerary availability and pricing. (&B)
