THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT

  A Deluxe 'Kenya to Cape' Odyssey Including Victoria Falls
            19-Day, Air-Inclusive Holidays.  Participation Limited to 18 Passengers.

Day 1,Depart U.S.A. or Canada  
Depart to Europe on an overnight flight aboard your select airline.

Day 2, Europe
Arrive in Europe and relax in your dayroom.  This evening fly to Nairobi, the safari capital of Africa.  Dayroom

 Day 3, Nairobi, Kenya  
Soar over the vast deserts of northern Africa to Nairobi, bursting with colorful jacaranda, bougainvillea and flame trees.  Meet your Big Five host on arrival and transfer to the Norfolk Hotel, a gracious colonial landmark.  After lunch, begin your program with a tour of enchanting sights of the city outskirts.  Stand face to face with Africa's tallest mammal at the Giraffe Center; visit an Ostrich Farm and Karen Blixen's historic country home; shop for artisan wares at Utamaduni Crafts.  At day's end, join your guides and safari companions at a delicious welcome dinner. Norfolk Hotel (L,D)

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 Day 4, Aberdare National Park
You're off on safari, driving through lush countryside to the cool Aberdare highlands.  Your first wildlife experience will be at one of Kenya's famed "tree lodges", set above a floodlit waterhole amid thick mountain forest. Watch for colobus monkey, bongo antelope, rhino and other rare species, plus little-seen nocturnal animals that can be viewed through the night. The Ark (B,L,D)

 Days 5-6, Samburu National Reserve
A day of spectacular contrasts, as you depart the cool Aberdare Mountains for the red desert frontier of Samburu. On the way, pause for picture-taking at the Equator, then enter the reserve for two days of game-viewing. Reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich are among the species seen nowhere else.  Also present are colorfully-dressed Samburu people; plentiful birds and big game; and leopards and crocodiles who visit baiting stations across the river from your lodge. Samburu Serena (Daily: B,L,D)

 Day 7, Sweetwaters Game Reserve
Travel toward Mt. Kenya to the charming Sweetwaters private game reserve.  This rich wildlife habitat is part of Kenya's most successful rhino sanctuary, and a habitat of all the "Big Five".  Your exciting options here include game-viewing beside a floodlit water hole, visiting Jane Goodall's Chimp Sanctuary, and safaris by camel back and on foot.  At day's end, retire to the superb food, attentive service, and peaceful atmosphere of your luxuriously-appointed tented camp.  Sweetwaters Camp (B,L,D)

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Day 8, Mount Kenya
Drive today to your accommodations at one of Africa's most glamorous, prestigious resorts.  Here you are free to enjoy golf and sports, visit the animal orphanage, and stroll the gracious grounds with their exotic birds and majestic views of Mt. Kenya's solitary peak. Mount Kenya Safari Club (B,L,D) 

Days 9-10, Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, fly direct to the Masai Mara, Kenya's premier place for seeing wildlife.   Here your luxury tented accommodations offer every amenity, plus the chance to watch hippo grunt and frolic in the river right in front of the camp.  Within the Mara itself, observe vast lion prides and large varieties of other animals on rewarding game drives. The reserve is famed for the great wildebeest migration each summer from the adjoining Serengeti, but wildlife viewing is excellent at all times of year and your two night visit is sure to be a highlight of your travels.  Mara Safari Club (Daily: B,L,D)

 Day 11, Nairobi  
Venture once more in the wilds of the Mara, before flying to Nairobi.  After a light lunch, enjoy a short afternoon city tour and some free time to shop or rest.  As daylight fades, celebrate your adventures at a gala farewell dinner party. Norfolk Hotel (B,L,D)

 Days 12-13, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Depart on Tuesday to Johannesburg, South Africa, and connect with your onward flight to Victoria Falls.  Twice as high and one-and-a-half times as wide as Niagara, this is unquestionably one of the natural wonders of the world.  During your stay at the legendary Victoria Falls Hotel, you will be taken on a personally guided walking tour of the Falls, and see the rainforests fed by silvery mists that have earned the Falls their nickname "Mosi Oa Tunya"--Smoke that Thunders. Enjoy a glorious Zambezi sundowner cruise, and experience local culture on a visit to the artisans village and your hotel's famous African Spectacular show of tribal dances.  Victoria Falls Hotel (Daily: B,D)

Days 14-15, Cape Winelands, South Africa  
Fly to Cape Town Thursday and transfer to the heart of South Africa's wine country.  Here you spend two sumptuous nights in one of the region's premier country manors, impeccably appointed with fine art and period furnishings.  All around are green vineyards and valleys dotted with historic, gabled architecture.  On Friday, a full day winelands tour takes you from Stellenbosch to Franschoek to Paarl to sample choice vintages, view the wine-making process, and tour the gracious homesteads built by the wine growers since the early 18th century.  Grand Roche (Paarl), Le Quartier Francais (Franschhoek), or Lanzerac Manor (Stellenbosch) (Thu: B,D;  Fri: B,L,D)

Days 16-17, Cape Town  
Transfer on Saturday to your Victorian-style hotel in Cape Town’s vibrant waterfront district, an ideal base from which to set out on your private tour of this beautiful city set between stunning coast and the shadow of Table Mountain.  Then complete your exploration of the southern tip of Africa with Sunday’s full day Cape Point tour.  Visit Kirstenbosch Gardens and magnificent Groot Constantia, one of the oldest Cape Dutch homesteads.  See the penguins at Boulders Beach, and stand at the windswept Cape of Good Hope, looking out at waters plied by the great explorers 500 years ago.  Cape Grace Hotel (Sat: B;  Sun: B,L)

Day 18, Cape Town - Depart  
Bidding farewell to the riches of Africa, you depart on your homebound flight. (B)

Day 19, U.S.A. or Canada  
Arrive the U.S.A. or Canada and connect toward home.