AMBOSELI - EXTENSION OPTION TWO
Itinerary (3 days)

Day 16 (July 31) - AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK - For those joining us on the second leg of the extension, a short drive south will find us in Amboseli National Park. Heading towards the border of Tanzania, we will arrive at our lodge in time for lunch. Before reaching the lodge though, we will enjoy our first game drive through Amboseli's animal-rich deserts. If not resting behind a blanket of clouds, the first thing to catch our attention will undoubtedly be the awesome form of the 19,342-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro. This famous volcano, located at the southern end of the park, rules the landscape of Amboseli. Expect to encounter large herds of elephants along the way, as this park has done a remarkable job of preserving their species. In fact, this is one of the best places in all of Africa to observe these majestic pachyderms and witness the leadership role of true matriarchs - some surpassing seventy years in age!

After our evening game drive we will return to our accommodations at the lovely Amboseli Serena Lodge to enjoy dinner. Afterwards we can enjoy drinks and conversation at the outdoor patio while overlooking the hundreds of wildebeests, zebras, and buffalos grazing only feet away.

Overnight Amboseli Serena Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 17 (August 1) - AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK - Today we enjoy a full day of photography while exploring this unusual and unique park. We will begin with a bang as we head out just before sunrise. Our drive will take us just beyond the gates of our lodge, where we will stop and wait. It is here that we will enjoy one of the most beautiful spectacles that can be witnessed in Africa! Every morning, in the pre-dawn light, a long procession of wildebeests and zebras makes their way down the slopes of Kilimanjaro to reach their feeding grounds for the day. This procession will flow right in front of us, and directly behind them we will watch in awe, as they become dark silhouettes in the red haze of the rising sun. Without doubt you will return home with images that will draw "oohs" and "aahs" from your friends!

Throughout the rest of the day we will explore Amboseli's vast networks of dusty deserts, dry lakebeds, freshwater swamps, acacia thickets, and palm groves. Amboseli is a land of extremes and we can expect to garner a large variety of interesting images here. Lions, hyenas, and jackals are common throughout the park, as are Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, impalas, buffalos, ostriches, baboons, and vervet monkeys. Because of the dry environment dust devils are prevalent and we can expect to obtain many images of this unique weather phenomenon. On the way back to our lodge this evening we will stop to witness the same procession of wildebeests and zebras as they make their way back up the slopes of Kilimanjaro for the night. Overnight Amboseli Serena Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 18 (August 2) - NAIROBI - We will again wake before dawn to enjoy one last photo shoot of the sunrise animal procession just beyond our lodge's boundaries. After breakfast we will depart on our final game drive as we make our way out of Amboseli. Before exiting the park we will make a stop at Amboseli's largest dry lakebed. Here, in a place few tourists see, we will be allowed to leave our vehicles to witness a truly magical sight. In this dry, parched bed the heat of day builds quickly, creating vast illusions of mirages on the horizon. In these shimmering pools of imaginary water we can watch the waving, distorted forms of giraffes and wildebeest as they move and sway in the liquid heat, impressing one final image of Africa's magic into our memories!

Leaving the mirage behind, we head back to Nairobi. Along the way we will enjoy one last conversation as a group, giving us a final chance to reflect back over all the amazing encounters we have experienced over the course of our safari. After we arrive back in Kenya's capital city we will be transferred to the airport for our respective flights home. No Overnight (B)