Day 1, 18 January
11:30 AM - Meet in Lobby of Stanley Hotel for Tour Start
Arrive Nairobi International Airport where our ground staff will warmly receive you and assist with your luggage and provide a private transfer to the Stanley Hotel. After check-in enjoy a welcome lunch and meet your fellow Hemingway Tour travelers followed by a half-day tour of the city including the historic Railway Museum. Here you will learn about the founding of Nairobi by George Whitehouse, the chief engineer of Uganda Railway Construction, on 30 May 1899. As you stroll the corridors of the museum see the carriage Charles Ryall was dragged out of by one of the man-eating lions of Tsavo and hear the intertwined history of the railroad and the famous lions. Time permitting you will also stop at the Karen Blixen House Museum, Giraffe Manor, and the Kazuri Bead Factory (with shopping time).

The Stanley Hotel is a building as historic and long standing as the city of Nairobi itself. The Stanley Hotel (formerly the New Stanley Hotel) underwent extensive renovations in 1998 – 1999 during which time the owners (Sarova Hotels) invested $20 million in upgrades and changed the property name back to its original name. The Hotel has been located at this site since 1913.

Overnight: Stanley Hotel (L)

Day 2, 19 January
Refreshed from a peaceful night’s sleep, you will rise for an early breakfast and departure for Tsavo West National Park.

As you drive down the Mombasa Highway the city will recede and the Chyulu Hills rise before you covered by mountain forests and scars of lava flows, a testament to the volcanic activity in Kenya’s geologic history. Pasturelands surround the road dotted by small herds of game as well as cows and goats. Off to your right, Kilimanjaro majestically stands watch over the Rift Valley. As the morning progresses and you near Tsavo and the one-time home of the man-eating lions, the snowy summit will gather the day’s clouds around her in a lofty cloak.

Tsavo is an enormous National Park roughly separated into East and West by the railway line. In Tsavo West as you cross open plains, savannah bush and semi-desert scrub you are as likely to encounter the tiny dik-dik as you are a massive elephant. This particular park is also known for its outstanding variety of birds, so keep your binoculars and Audubon book handy!

You will make your way to the Kilaguni Serena Lodge for check-in, lunch, and a few hours of relaxation before setting off for your afternoon game drive. During your free time you may want to swim or nap by the pool, have yourself pampered in the salon, read a book on your balcony, or pick up a few souvenirs in their excellent shop.

Following the return from your afternoon game drive, including a visit to Mzima Springs – home to hippos, crocodiles and magnificent birds – stop to view the amazing collection of game from Kilaguni’s terrace overlooking the watering hole. As the daylight wanes herds of antelope, parades of elephants, and flocks of storks, along with the occasional giraffe or possibly even lion gather to drink and socialize. Photographers will want to have their tripods available for low light shots with the last rays of the day fading in the background. Dinner service shares the same view as the terrace so that you don’t have to decide between watching the game gather at the watering hole or your own growling stomach.

Overnight: Kilaguni Serena Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 3, 20 January
This morning you will depart the Kilaguni Lodge for a leisurely game drive through Tsavo West towards the Taveta Border. This crossing is not frequented by tourists and will provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of people living in the area. At the border you will pay any departure entry fees, fill out your immigration departure card and have your passport stamped. Here you will say goodbye to your Kenyan staff and walk between the Kenya border house and the Tanzania border house where you will complete and submit your immigration entry card and get your passport stamped again. The guides will assist in transferring luggage between the vehicles if things are running smoothly at the crossing, but please be prepared to transfer your own luggage across if the need arises.

Once you have officially arrived in Tanzania you will have a short drive to the Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort set in the lush mountain jungle on the eastern flank of the mountain. The Kilimanjaro Resort Hotel is built around the original family home of the owners and offers a variety of comforts. A new building of spacious rooms with high ceilings was added in the summer of 2006. You may spend your free afternoon visiting nearby villages, beautiful waterfalls, the famous Marangu Gate where many Kilimanjaro climbers begin or end their mountain expedition, or perhaps go in search of colobus monkeys. You will have the opportunity to tour the local Live Chagga Museum and possibly take in a dance performance by local young women from the Chagga tribe.

Overnight: Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort (B,D)

Day 4, 21 January
After breakfast, you’ll depart the cool and lush sides of Kilimanjaro to make your way to the famous Serengeti National Park. As the world’s largest wild animal reserve, guests may see first hand thousands of migrating wildebeests, a pride of lions dining on a fresh kill, hippos lounging in a mud pool, vultures basking in the sun, leopards and cheetah stalking their prey, nurseries of ostrich, hundreds of gazelle, kory bustards, crowned cranes, zebra, buffalo…. And the birds! – all showing fantastic colors and singing their unique songs! Be sure to have plenty of film ready, for the coming days will be an amazing array of wildlife and dazzling scenery.

Your home in the Serengeti will be the Serena. This property magically appears in the remote Serengeti, and does not disappoint. A collection of “Bandas” set in the plains of the Western Serengeti, the Serena offers marvelous service, beautiful rooms, delicious food, and such conveniences as laundry service so that your clothes will be ready for you when you return from your day on safari.

It’s a long but pleasant journey (safari) to reach the Serengeti Serena but you will have several opportunities to stop and stretch your legs at various points including the scenic overlook to the Ngorongoro Crater and the Park “gate” for the Serengeti. As you near the Serena property you will pass near a hippo pool that will be quite different than that at Mzima Springs.

Once you have checked in to the Serena you will find your way around this unique and delightful oasis in the dry plains of the Serengeti. Enjoy “sundowners” at the infinity pool, and after dinner gather around the fire pit for tales of Hemingway in Africa.

Overnight: Serengeti Serena (B,L,D)

Days 5 & 6, 22 - 23 January
Today and tomorrow offer two blissful full days of game driving through the Serengeti (though lounging back at the Serena is always an option!). Here is your opportunity to explore all that the Park has to offer. Drives are at your leisure and can be a full day (with a box lunch) or split into morning and afternoon drives. We suggest the full day drive at least one day because there is so much to see, but if you want to relax for a few hours, here is the place to do it!

Your typical day on safari will begin with an early morning game drive that will have you up before the sun’s colors begin to paint the eastern horizon. You will be out in the cool air of a golden sunrise as the air fills with the chatter of waking birds and the shadowy figures of game grazing warm into focus. Photographers will find this to be some of the best time to shoot, so be sure to charge digital cameras overnight.

You will return to the lodge for breakfast, and then set out for your day of driving the vast expanse of the Serengeti in search of leopard, lion, cheetah, and the equally elusive wild dog. Scan the horizon for signs of the migration or look to the skies for circling vultures. Lunch will be under a tree in a safe location that will allow you to get out and stretch your legs before returning for an afternoon drive that will lead you back to the comforts of the Serena once more.

Optional: One evening should be spent discussing Hemingway’s hunting experiences and the impact of these experiences on his writing.

Overnight: Serengeti Serena (B,L,D)

Day 7, 24 January
After breakfast your bags will be loaded onto your safari vehicles and you’ll set out for a day of driving through the Serengeti on your way to the Ngorongoro Crater. Between the Serengeti and the Crater you will stop at the Leakey Museum on the rim of the Olduvai (or Oldupai) Gorge where Mary Leakey uncovered “Lucy” as well as hundred of other anthropological discoveries. There is a nice little hike that you can do here that will take you to a marker commemorating the Leakey’s contribution to anthropology.

Also along the road to the Crater, you will have the opportunity to visit a Masai “boma” or village. Here you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with a local tribe, step inside their homes, “jump” with the men, hear the women sing, and barter for beaded and carved goods.

Tonight and tomorrow night will be at the Crater Serena. This lodge is built into the side of the Ngorongoro Crater and made to look like a cliff of rocks. Because of the higher elevation, the temperature here is generally too cool here for a pool, so we suggest that you grab your sweater and a beverage and watch the long shadows of the evening set in the crater below from one of the comfortable balcony chairs.

Overnight: Ngorongoro Crater Serena (B,L,D)

Day 8, 25 January
Today will be spent tracking and photographing the game that calls home the fascinating microcosm inside the Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater, which is actually a caldera – or the remains of a volcano that blew its top off – is about 90 square miles, and contains forests, salt and fresh water lakes, plains, and an incredible variety of game. Here you’ll see elephants, zebra, wildebeests, and flamingos by the hundreds (or even thousands, depending on the water levels), hyenas, fox, and several types of antelopes and monkeys. You may even spot the endangered black rhinos and large lion prides.

At lunch, you’re almost sure to “see” kites (aggressive scavenger birds that can float in the air like a kite and will snatch your sandwich from your hands if you’re not careful), as you dine near the hippo pool.

The Tanzania Park Service is currently trying to regulate the number of vehicles in the Crater at one time and as part of this effort are attempting to limit the length of time each vehicle spends in the Crater. As a result, your game drive may be shorter than a full day today.
Be sure to try to get up early for sunrise over the crater – it’s spectacular!

Overnight: Ngorongoro Crater Serena (B,L,D)

Day 9, 26 January
After breakfast this morning you will begin your journey from this beautiful and amazing part of the world to either return home or continue on for another adventure in East Africa. Turn around and take one last photo of the Crater!

Your ride back to Arusha will take approximately 4 hours and will arrive with plenty of time to make your way to your departure airport or trip extension.

For those returning home via the Kilimanjaro Airport: You will be provided with a day room (double occupancy) for showering and napping. Your afternoon will be free for strolling into the town of Arusha for some last minute shopping, checking emails, writing all those postcards you’ve been meaning to get to, or just relaxing under the canopy of purple flowers from the jacaranda trees. You will be picked up around 7pm for your overnight flight back to Europe.

For those flying out of Nairobi: We will happily arrange either a transport to the airport for a short flight from the Kilimanjaro airport to the Nairobi airport, or a ground shuttle to the Nairobi airport. Please allow 5 – 6 hours for the shuttle transfer (flight or shuttle not included in trip price).

For those planning to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro: You will be transferred to a different property closer to the mountain to prepare for your ascent to the “Roof of Africa”. (Please refer to our special Climb Mount Kilimanjaro tour itinerary). All climbers will receive a detailed packing list and mountain details under separate cover. Please allow seven full days for your climb.

For those staying on to explore Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia Islands: Hemingway’s favorite fishing areas in Africa – you will be transferred from the Crater to Arusha, and from there catch a flight directly to Zanzibar where our local ground operators will meet you with a private vehicle to the Zanzibar Serena. This flight will be included in the price of your post tour. (please refer to the ZANZIBAR optional tour itinerary).

For those extending their holiday to other regions of East Africa: We have several itinerary options that can take you to see the chimps in Gombe, visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda and / or Uganda, photograph lemurs and other unique wildlife on Madagascar, scuba dive in the Indian Ocean, experience the rural cultures of Kenyan or Ethiopian tribes, relax on the private beaches of the Seychelles, fly fish for Tiger Fish in the Zambeze, or take boat safaris in the Okavango Delta… to name just a few ways to spend your remaining time in Africa.