Welcome to East Africa!

Transcription

1 Rick Sammon s Photo Group in East Africa September 2014

2 Welcome to East Africa! September 7 th, 2014: Arrival in Nairobi, Kenya; Eka Hotel Today your journey begins! You land in Nairobi, where you are met and driven to the nearby Eka Hotel for the evening. This new and modern hotel is conveniently located between both airports in the city, with an on-site restaurant so you can enjoy dinner here this evening. Breakfast the following morning is included. September 8 th - 12 th, 2014: Masai Mara; Kichwa Tembo Early this morning, you are brought to nearby Wilson Airport in time for your scheduled flight (included; approx. 1.5 hrs) to the Masai Mara, one of the most famous game reserves in Kenya and home to the highest concentration of Big Cats found anywhere. You are met on arrival and taken on a short drive to your first home on safari, &Beyond Kichwa Tembo, where you will spend these first 5 days & nights at Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp. Here, you will be in the Luxury Tents, which are spacious rooms built on raised structures with full en-suite bathroom facilities that include running hot/cold water and a hairdryer. The camp has 40 tents, all with 24-hour electricity and a small swimming pool along with a large main dining hall where all meals are served. There is also complimentary WiFi available in the main area. All meals are included, while drinks & laundry are extra. You will have all of your game drives together in 2 private vehicles that are just for your group (maximum 6 guests per vehicle, so everybody has a window seat!). You will enjoy

3 game drives in the camp s concession as well as in the National Park, where you might be able to catch any of the remaining herds of the Great Migration, which consists of more than 2 million Wildebeest & Zebra. The park is also famous for being the home of the densest population of Big Cats found anywhere, which is one of the reasons why Big Cat Diary films here regularly. You will also encounter the other resident mammals of the park including Elephant, Giraffe, many antelope species, and lots more! Being in a private concession outside the park boundaries, you will have the benefit of being able to drive off-road and get closer to the animals, as well as enjoy bush walks and even night game drives, all of which are forbidden within the national parks. There is also an option to enjoy a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise over the Masai Mara - one of the most breathtaking photo opportunities on Earth! This will be followed by a champagne breakfast and then you will continue on with your game drives (hot-air ballooning is not included and is approximately $500/person - prices for 2014 are not yet finalized). September 13 th - 16 th, 2014: Tanzania s Serengeti; Grumeti River Camp Today you will be brought to the nearby airstrip for your morning flight to Migori (included; approx. 30 mins), where you will be met and driven across the border into Tanzania (approx. 1.5 hrs in total), then to the nearby border town of Tarime where you will board your connecting flight (included; approx. 45 mins) to your next destination, the Serengeti, a World Heritage Site and one of the most famous game reserves on the planet. This massive park is nearly 6,000 sq. miles in size and is home to more than 1 million resident mammals in addition to the more than 2 million Wildebeest & Zebra that make up the Great Migration and call this park home between October & June every year. By the time you arrive, they may just be starting to head back into the reserve from the Masai Mara, and you will enjoy all-day game drives in this massive park in search of them as well as the other game that lives

4 here year-round. Your home for these next 4 days & nights will be the wonderful Grumeti River Camp, set along the banks of the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor of this immense park. Your camp is permanent and has electricity, tents on raised concrete platforms and a small plunge pool for guests. Dining options include the open-air traditional boma lit by campfire in the evenings, and of course the dining room that is open-sided, or if weather allows, on the beautiful lawn, yards from the river where the hippo gawk at you as you enjoy your meal! All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with running hot/cold water and a hairdryer. Game drives are only during the day as you are within a National Park so cannot be on the road after sundown. Bush walks are also not allowed here. All meals, local drinks, and laundry are included. September 17 th, 2014: Arusha and heading home; Arusha Coffee Lodge You bid farewell to your hosts today as they take you back to the nearby airstrip in time for your flight (included; approx. 2 hrs) to Arusha, where you are met by our ground handlers and driven to the nearby Arusha Coffee Lodge where you will have day rooms at your disposal. Freshen up in this lovely setting amongst an active coffee plantation as you relax and get ready to be brought to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight home (from here or via Nairobi, where you would need to connect on a 7:40pm departure to get there in time for your evening flight onward). No meals, drinks, or laundry are included at Arusha Coffee Lodge.

5 Price of above safari (per person): 8 participants:! $8,126 double ($11,612 single) + $950 workshop fee 9 participants:! $8,094 double ($11,582 single) + $950 workshop fee 10 participants:! $8,035 double ($11,521 single) + $950 workshop fee NOTE: All prices are estimates for 2014, and we will not have finalized pricing until May or June of Included In Your Safari: All meet/greets & transfers as specified in your itinerary All park fees Internal Flights: Wilson > Mara, Mara > Migori, Tarime > Grumeti, Grumeti > Arusha Daily game drives in private open-sided 4x4 vehicles with driver/guides throughout safari 1 overnight hotel in Nairobi (Eka Hotel) - includes breakfast 5 nights at Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp (Kenya) - includes all meals & snacks 4 nights at Grumeti River Camp (Tanzania) - includes all meals & snacks, local beer, house wine, & non-exclusive spirits, and laundry 1 day room in Arusha (Arusha Hotel) - no meals included Not Included In Your Safari: International airfare to/from Africa (arrival in Nairobi, departure from Kilimanjaro) Visa fees for Kenya & Tanzania ($50 and $100 per person, respectively, subject to change) Excess baggage fees (limited to 40 lbs. total per person for both checked & carry-on bags) Tips to driver/guides, lodge and camp staff Drinks & laundry at Eka Hotel, Kichwa Tembo, and Arusha Coffee Lodge Meals at Arusha Coffee Lodge Exclusive spirits and wines as well as champagne at all camps and lodges Items of a personal nature and optional activities such as hot air ballooning, spa treatments, etc. Increases beyond the control of Hippo Creek are paid by client rates, park fee increases, fuel surcharges, VAT etc.

6 Necessary Steps to Confirm The Itinerary Presented: All itineraries presented by Hippo Creek Safaris are sold as a complete package with the included and excluded services clearly specified. Your itinerary includes a great variety of prices that reflect the final cost to the clients for example: your hotels; transfers; tours, meet/greet services; park fees and internal flights. The pricing for accommodations quoted in your itinerary is based on availability at the time of presentation. A 20% non-refundable deposit is necessary to confirm this itinerary. Payment to Hippo Creek Safaris is in USD$ only! We accept for payment Checks and Wire Transfers payable to Hippo Creek. We also accept Credit Cards: AX, VI, MC, DI Due to additional fees from the bank for VI, MC or DI credit cards issued outside the USA, there is an additional 3% service fee when processing these cards to cover these fees. Amex is currently exempt from these additional fees. We apologize for this inconvenience. We highly recommend Trip Cancellation Insurance, as the camps/lodges throughout Africa will hold the rooms only with this non-refundable deposit from the client. Due to the small size of the camps used, they want a commitment from the client and in turn give you a commitment that the room/tent is yours. Final payment is due 60 days prior to arrival in Africa. Cancellation policy: $400 per person non-refundable fee for service should you cancel after having confirmed your booking. Any additional penalties are dependent upon the camps/lodges and their cancellation fees that vary from property to property. We can inform you of these policies upon request. Cancellation Schedule: Each camp/lodge/ground operator has different contracts for cancellation between days in advance, but all are 100% forfeit of payment if cancelled less than 30 days prior to your arrival in Africa. However, many camps such as: &Beyond, Sanctuary, Elewana, Asilia, Singita, etc. have non-refundable deposits of varying amounts upon booking. Each company has their own refund policies, and all camp & lodge cancellation schedules are available upon request from you. Any funds recovered from a cancelled safari (other than the $400pp fee for early cancellation) will be returned to you in good faith. Some camps and lodges have very strict cancellation policies and will not refund ANY deposits; therefore it is strongly urged that every participant on a trip such as this take Trip Cancellation Insurance as protection in the event they might have to cancel the trip. Every effort will be made by Hippo Creek Safaris to recover your money from the companies in Africa; however, be advised that this is rarely accomplished as their polices are non-wavering in terms of cancellation. Note that all refunds for safaris paid for with a credit card will be credited by CHECK ONLY and all amounts refunded will be LESS the 5% credit card service fee charged to us by the bank. Possible increases: When included in your itinerary, park fees, fuel surcharges, internal airfare and airport taxes are current as of the time the quote is presented and are all subject to change as governments, parks departments, and airlines can unexpectedly impose rate increases. Internal Airfare, as airfare everywhere, can change up to the date of ticketing when it is locked-in. Therefore, any increases beyond the control of Hippo Creek Safaris, for the reasons specified or other similar circumstances, will be passed onto the clients for payment. If this booking is for a future date for which we do not have finalized pricing, this will be made clear in your proposal and you will also receive an updated itinerary and invoice when those rates are released. We have no way of predicting the annual increases including, but not limited to: camps & lodges, park fees, fuel surcharges, VAT, or other expenditures, and you will be responsible for all increases.