Day 2 (July 17) - SWEETWATERS - After breakfast we drive north into the Kenya highlands. Along the way we will pause in Nanyuki, the official location of the equator crossing. While there we will take time to shop for local curios in the town's main shopping bazaar. A short drive ahead will bring us to our destination at Sweetwaters Tented Camp, located in the remote and luxuriant forests of the Aberdare Mountain range. Here we will experience Africa the way Hemingway did! In a deluxe tent overlooking a waterhole we can gaze out over the savanna and riverine forest beyond to watch for countless wild animals. Expect to see black rhinoceros and elephants as they make their way to the area to drink and wallow. Spectacular photography can be done right from the patio of your tent. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and if colorful flowers are your interest, there are plenty to keep you and your camera busy.

This afternoon we will embark on a game drive through the reserve in search of giraffe, zebra, buffalo, Thompson's gazelle, and possibly lion or the rare bongo. Here at Sweetwaters, we can enjoy the extreme privilege of walking in the footsteps of the world's foremost researcher of Chimpanzees, Dr. Jane Goodall. She chose this reserve to set up a special island sanctuary that would offer safe haven to orphaned Chimps. The program has flourished over the years, and today those orphans are producing their own offspring. We will break from our game drive to board a boat and travel up the river surrounding the island. There we will enjoy viewing and photographing these remarkable and engaging primates. After returning to shore we will continue on with our drive. Sweetwaters also acts as a sanctuary to the black rhinoceros and they have become fairly habituated to human presence. We will have the exciting opportunity to leave our vehicle and embark on a ranger-lead bushwalk for fantastic photo opportunities and close-up viewing of these spectacular creatures!

After dinner we will embark on an extraordinary adventure - a night game drive in a vehicle equipped with special spotlights! Sweetwaters is one of the few select places in all of Kenya where we can experience the thrill of searching for the nocturnal species that most safari travelers miss. This is prime time for predators to search out their prey, so we will be vigilant in our search for lions and leopards. Afterwards we return to camp where we can listen to the sounds of the African night from our comfortable tents.

Overnight Sweetwaters Tented Camp (B, L, D)