Tanzania and Kenya - Prime Time Safari
February 8 - March 1, 2009

East Africa is Gail and Doug's favorite destination with its vast green savanna habitats vibrant with life, especially in February. Zebras, giraffes, and gazelles are nursing young, while thousands of newborn Wildebeest calves run across the plains aside their mothers, attracting many predators. Flocks of European White Storks and Abdim's Storks winter in Tanzania joining the colorful resident birds. We'll enjoy the seasonal wealth of wildlife in Tanzania's Southern Serengeti and other rich areas in Tanzania, and then delight in the diversity of Kenya's highlands, lakes, arid lands, and famous Rift Valley. The stretch Land Cruisers with covered poptops are superb for wildlife viewing and with only four participants per vehicle, this safari offers flexibility and fabulous photo ops. When the Cheesemans started leading East African safaris in 1978 they didn't dream that they would still be going, but with 60 species of mammals, amazing reptiles, and over 300 species of birds, how could anyone resist?

Basics

Cost: $9850, not including airfare. Review cost details.

Leaders: Gail and Doug Cheeseman have been leading small group wildlife-intensive safaris to East Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa since 1978.

Size: 18 plus Doug, Gail, and our knowledgeable drivers.

Conditions: A non-smoking safari for people who are very interested in wildlife (mammals, birds and reptiles) and spending the maximum of time in the field.

Update: This itinerary was updated in November 2007.

Synopsis:

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Detailed Itinerary

February 8 - 9, Sunday - Monday Flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania
Depart at the latest on Sunday to connect in Amsterdam with the KLM direct flight on Monday at 10:30 am to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania. Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro, scheduled for 8:50 pm, clear customs and meet our Wildersun Safaris driver. Drive about 50 minutes to Mountain Village Lodge, so our arrival will be after 10 pm for overnight February 9. Mountain Village, one of the Serena Lodges, is situated by Lake Duluti, 12 kms outside of Arusha. Flights are also available via Nairobi, but plan to depart on February 7 to make the connection from Nairobi to Arusha. We are happy to assist you with booking any extra overnights and airport transfers either in Nairobi or at Mountain Village Lodge.
Lodging on February 9: Mountain Village Lodge

February 10, Tuesday: Tarangire National Park
If you would like a short, before-breakfast walk down to the lake at Mountain Village Lodge, join us at dawn at 6:30 am. Dawn comes at 6:30 am year around, as we are very close to the Equator. At this elevation of about 5000 feet, the temperatures are very comfortable. After breakfast we meet our five outstanding Wildersun Safaris drivers and head for Arusha and to Tarangire. In Arusha at the Wildersun Safaris office stop briefly to exchange money and leave any extra bags not needed during our safari in Tanzania. Drive west to a beautiful baobab paradise, Tarangire National Park. Arrive in time for a delicious lunch at Tarangire Safari Lodge before game driving along the Tarangire River. We can thank the Tsetse Fly, which used to devastate livestock here, for saving this area from cattle and "shoats" (sheep and goats). The flies have been controlled, and the land now is protected as a national park. We'll encounter African Elephants, especially in the afternoon, coming from the hills to drive and bath in the river. The setting is fantastic for late afternoon photography with many mammals and birds. This is the only place where we will see the endemic (found only in this area) Ashy Starling and Yellow-collared Lovebirds. There is a good chance of seeing Leopard. The night at Tarangire Safari Lodge, a permanent tented camp, on the banks of the Tarangire River will be a wonderful setting to explore Tarangire's diverse habitats.
Lodging: Tarangire Safari Lodge

February 11, Wednesday: Tarangire and Lake Manyara
Enjoy a before breakfast game drive at Tarangire, the best time for action and outstanding photography. After breakfast take some free time in the incredible setting of this safari camp, which looks down on the Tarangire River. Depart in time for lunch and check-in at Manyara Serena Lodge first, then drive the very short distance to Lake Manyara National Park at the base of the dramatic, famous Rift. Beside Lake Manyara we pass through the town of Mtu Wa Umbu, which borders the park. Olive Baboons frequently cross the park boundary to steal bananas from the trees along the road, where they can quickly run back across the road into the park with the wonderful bananas that people grow in this area. Rice is also grown here at the base of the Great Rift. In Lake Manyara National Park we'll be immersed in unique habitats, including the alkaline lake, the escarpment dotted with Baobabs, the amazing "ground water forest", and the meandering river, plus beautiful savannas on the lake edge. The source of water is the Ngorongoro Forest Reserve above the escarpment, where frequent precipitation percolates through the porous volcanic soil. Water hits the granitic basement rock at the bottom of the escarpment, where it flows out of springs, providing enough moisture for large figs and tamarind trees in the ground water forest. We'll have a full afternoon game drive before driving back up the escarpment to our spectacular lodge on the top of the Rift for dinner. The views from the lodge and the abundant bird activity around the lodge grounds make it a wonderful site. Most of the Serena lodges were built by the Aga Khan in very beautiful locations inside or along side reserves and parks. The Aga Khan also has built many hospitals and schools in both Tanzania and Kenya, giving him a very good relationship with the governments of both countries. We like them, as they are environmentally responsible, especially with their water treatment system.
Lodging: Manyara Serena Lodge

February 12 - 13, Thursday - Friday: Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro
At dawn a lovely sunrise is often visible from the top of the Great Rift, the famous fault line which travels from the Red Sea through Kenya and Tanzania to the Orange River in South Africa. We'll have breakfast early and take our bags, as we won't be returning to the lodge. Enter Lake Manyara National Park at the best time of day, just as the Olive Baboons troops are grooming themselves all along the forest road and the Blue Monkeys are becoming active in the trees (different race, but same species as the Sykes Monkey at Mountain Lodge in Kenya). If it has rained recently, the forest at the base of the escarpment is vibrant with Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, nesting Pink-backed Pelicans, and other species.

By mid-morning we'll drive back up the escarpment and into the Highlands to Ngorongoro through an extensive agricultural area belonging to the Mbulu people. We continue on higher through the Ngorongoro Forest Reserve to the Ngorongoro Crater rim at approximately 8000 ft. As we drive along the Rim, we will stop for an extraordinary view of this miraculous ecosystem 2000 feet below. The Crater encompasses 110 square miles, a perfect caldera ten to eleven miles across. Arrive in time for lunch at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and check into our rooms before descending into the Crater for a beautiful afternoon. Black Rhinos are still regularly seen in the Crater, especially near the acacia woodlands on the plains. With both fresh and alkaline lakes, the water birds and landbirds are very abundant. The lion prides, hyena clans, and jackal families carry on their interactions uninhibited by vehicles. Wildebeest will be calving on the calving grounds. Male Lions of Ngorongoro, famous for their black manes, are habituated to the presence of vehicles and one might be found in consort with a lioness in estrous.

We'll stay two nights at the wonderful Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, located on the Crater rim. There is a chance that people will be allowed only 6 hours per day in the Crater to try to limit the number of vehicles in the Crater. Last year this was proposed and hasn't been implemented yet, but there is a possibility. If it does become official, we will still have two days in the Crater. If it doesn't happen, we will have the full day on February 13, as well as the afternoon of Feb 12 and morning of Feb 14. On Friday after an early breakfast, we will descend into the Crater with a picnic lunch. If we can only stay a half day in the Crater, it is very interesting to spend a little time on the Crater Rim near the lodge walking on the trails there with the resident naturalist, especially if you enjoy forest birds and encountering some of the Masai boys who live in the Masai manyattas near the lodge on the Rim. It is also possible to arrange a visit to a Masai manyatta.
Lodging: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

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February 14 - 15, Saturday - Sunday: Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti Kopjes
We'll have another early breakfast and full morning in the Crater, then drive into the heart of the Serengeti National Park. In the afternoon drive through the short-grass plains, where the large female Wildebeest herds come for calving and where we will return to Ndutu in two days. The soil is alkaline with a hardpan below, highly rich in calcium. Frequent light rains and close grazing stimulate these grasses, so they provide tremendous nutrients to sustain the huge number of Wildebeest. As Richard Estes writes, 1.5 million Wildebeest, plus a million other ungulates, in the Serengeti ecosystem represent the world's greatest remaining aggregation of large land mammals. Continue over the plains past Naabi Hill at the Park Headquarters, through the incredible "Kopjes", then along the Seronera River to our lodge. Kopjes (meaning big heads, pronounced "copies"), from the word "kop" for head, are ancient granitic boulder outcroppings in the Serengeti, which harbor many species of predators and are fascinating to gaze upon. We'll explore areas around Seronera, famous for kopjes and cats: Lions, Cheetah, and Leopards. Serengeti Serena Lodge is in a magnificent location at the top of a wooded hill. By Valentine's Day on the 14th, you will have fallen in love with the Serengeti eco-system.
Lodging: Serengeti Serena

February 16 - 21, Monday - Saturday: The Serengeti Plains at Ndutu
After breakfast drive through to the Gol Kopjes on the east side of the Serengeti short grass plains, where vast herds of Wildebeest and Thompson's Gazelles often graze in February if the "short rains" (normally in Dec and Jan) have been good and it is a particularly lush year. A picnic at the Gol Kopjes is our idea of dining in paradise! The wildlife will be abundant throughout our drive to Ndutu. We stay at Ndutu Safari Camp for six nights, our favorite lodge in all of East Africa at this season!

The great ungulate herds will be congregating on the plains at Ndutu. Photograph and observe the Wildebeest's amazingly successful reproductive strategy. The larger and denser the female herd, the better the calf's chances of avoiding detection. Some 80%-90% of the calves are dropped during a three-week birth peak. The large female herds and the short calving season insure that most of the newborns are protected from pursuit. Short grasses, so favored by the Wildebeest with its broad muzzle and wide row of incisors, are the basis of the Serengeti ecosystem. It is a miracle that this ecosystem still exists. It is thanks to two or three farsighted people who took measures to save it in its natural state, a true conservation success story. Read Serengeti Home by Kay Turner (out of print, so look for it in a library) and other books on the Serengeti to understand how so much was accomplished by so few people. Doug calls the Serengeti the "glory of the Pleistocene" with so many species of mammals still surviving today. Wildebeest calving is the best known highlight this time of year, but Ndutu has other incredible attractions, including marshes, lakes, and beautiful acacia woodland. The cat population around Ndutu is one of the best in all the Serengeti with Serval, African Wildcat and even the possibility of Caracal, as well as Cheetah, Leopard and Lion. We will see many wildlife species, including fascinating birds in this very rich wildlife area. A family of Common or Small-spotted Genets frequent the lodge dining room late in the evening. Many Fischer's Lovebirds come in the morning to drink. Steinbuck, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, and Chestnut-banded Sand Plover are specialties of the Ndutu area. The behavior of every species is fascinating, as they go about their daily survival strategies in the different habitats that sustain them.

Several mornings we'll head for the plains at dawn with hot cereal in thermoses, coffee, tea, and muffins, for breakfast on the Serengeti Plains, then return to our lodge for lunch and a break before heading out once more for more action. Sometimes wildlife walk onto the plains right in front of our camp between the lodge and the lake, so there is never a dull moment at Ndutu! One day we'll drive slowly through the Ngorongoro Conservation Unit, over Serengeti short-grass plains, to Olduvai Gorge on the eastern boundary of the Serengeti Ecological Unit. Here the Leakeys found the hominid remains Australopitchecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, plus many other fossils. Some are exhibited in the small museum at Olduvai. Drive down to Bed 1 where Mary Leakey found the Australopithecine "Zinjanthropus". If you do a little searching on your own along a wash in Bed 1, you may find small fragments of bone fossils. On the day at Olduvai take a picnic lunch and game drive on the plains near Olduvai Gorge in fantastic habitat on the return to Ndutu. It will be an unforgettable six days at Ndutu.
Lodging: Ndutu Safari Camp

February 22, Sunday: Ndutu & return to Lake Manyara Serena on top of the escarpment
Depart after lunch from Ndutu after a beautiful morning in the woodlands and on the plains. Return via the Crater rim and Ngorongoro Forest Reserve to Manyara Serena Lodge, still sitting 1000 feet above the lake, atop the escarpment formed by the Great Rift for dinner and overnight.
Lodging: Lake Manyara Serena

February 23, Monday: From Manyara to Arusha to Nairobi
You may choose to relax this morning or join us for a walk along the trails on the top of the escarpment at Lake Manyara Lodge. We'll depart by 9 am to head back to Arusha with time to stop for an hour at a big craft shop to have a chance to purchase some lovely cotton kanga cloths and even tanzanite if you are interested in that gem, which is mined in Tanzania. In Arusha enjoy an early lunch at 12 noon with the Wildersun Safaris family, Pervin and Merwyn Nunes, and their daugher, Jervin, her husband, Alan, and their son, Ervin, and his wife, Lillian. We'll bid "Kwaheri" to our Tanzanian hosts. Depart Arusha soon after 1 pm to the Kenyan border at Namanga, and on to Nairobi up the Athi Plains to arrive by 6:30 pm at the Mayfair Holiday Inn. The Athi Plains is an area that is "owned" by Masai, but some of their land is now being leased or sold for farming purposes, such as the Ostrich farm we pass by that belongs to former President Moi. The Athi Plains is also a peneplain that stretches from Nairobi at 5500 feet south to the coast, formed by the massive amounts of lava, which flowed from the Kenya Highlands all the way to the coast. Most of Kenya and Tanzania's rich wildlife areas are at altitudes above 4500 feet and have very comfortable climates. We'll arrive at the Mayfair Court Holiday Inn in time for dinner this evening and a good rest. Dinner on your own.
Lodging Mayfair Court Holiday Inn

February 24, Tuesday: From Nairobi through the Kenya Highlands to Samburu
A wonderful breakfast is served at the Mayfair, beginning at 6:00 am. By 7:00 am we'll meet our five Kenyan drivers and head for Samburu. Drive through the Kenya Highlands between Mt Kenya to the east and the Aberdare Mountains to the west. In the Kenya Highlands perhaps Long-tailed Widowbirds will be in breeding plumage, displaying their amazing nuptial tail feathers and flying around at a lek (display area) located close to the highway. From the Kenya Highlands descend into the arid Northern Frontier in the rain shadow of Mt Kenya. Continue north through the arid lands of Isiolo. The town of Isiolo is a converging point of many tribes, plus others driven south by drought and strife. We will cross over lands belonging to several different tribal groups as we journey north today. The abrupt contrast between the green Highlands to the south, which is the rolling fertile countryside of the Kikuyu people, and the arid Northern Frontier to the north is striking. Enter the Samburu Game Reserve and arrive in time for lunch at our lodge. The open dining room here is a marvelous experience, both the setting on the river, and the wonderful food. Enjoy an afternoon game drive in either Samburu or the adjacent Buffalo Springs reserves, which are famous for a remarkable variety of arid adapted mammals and birds. Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves are well patrolled and protect African Elephant, Gerenuk, Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, the endangered species of zebra, the Grevy's Zebra, Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. These reserves and privately owned reserves to the south are essential to the survival of the Grevy's Zebra. There are so many species that we will only see at Samburu and Buffalo Springs and no where else on the safari, including the mammals, Gerenuk, Beisa Oryx and Grevy's Zebra, and an abundant number of birds.
Lodging: Samburu Lodge

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February 25 - 26, Wednesday - Thursday: Samburu Game Reserve in the Northern Frontier
Beside the lodge runs the Uaso Nyiro River, always attractive to wildlife, especially to African Elephant, Beisa Oryx, Impala, and other mammals and birds that must come to drink. Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves are home to Somali Ostrich, Vulturine Guinea-fowl, Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow Weaver, and Black-capped Social Weavers, usually only seen in Kenya's Northern Territory. "Gerenuk" is the Samburu word for an animal that does not need to drink water. Others say it means "giraffe-neck." The Swahili name "Swara Twiga" means giraffe-like antelope. Gerenuk are very adept at standing on their hind legs and reaching up to browse on vegetation at a height of 4 - 6 feet. This animal is a favorite of all people who like to watch animal feeding behavior. Samburu has many drought adapted animals, which get metabolic water from leaves and other food sources. Some plant species that look dry and unappetizing during the day are quite the reverse at night, when they soak up night moisture, an important source of water for herbivores. Explore along the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River, the life-line for elephants and other wildlife that must drink daily. We'll offer three game drives each day, including mid-day when the river is the place to find the wildlife in action.

You might wish to visit a Samburu manyatta (extended family home), where you may photograph Samburu in their traditional dress. In many cases this is now an important source of income for nomadic people who are trying to stay on their lands although their lands are fast becoming victim of overgrazing and desertification. It's a far better existence for them to try and remain instead of going to a city where unemployment runs 80% or more. On the other hand, their livestock, purchased to a large part from money received from tourism, has an adverse impact on wild mammal populations, having to share grazing habitat. The Masai and Samburu do not deposit money in a bank; they buy livestock. Cows are used for dowries. Status is determined by the number of cows owned. The Masai and Samburu warriors are nomadic, due to the cows needing grazing, which takes them far from their manyattas. The cost to visit a manyatta is approximately $25/per person ($100 per vehicle).

February 27, Friday:Samburu to Mountain Lodge in the Kenya Highlands and night viewing
Drive back south through Isiolo and arrive by lunchtime at Mountain Lodge in the Kenya Highlands. Surrounded by Podocarpus forest, Mountain Lodge is in a beautiful setting on the SW slopes of Mt. Kenya. After lunch enjoy a walk into the forest, led by the resident naturalist and escorted by a forest ranger. We'll hope to see Black and White Colobus Monkeys and many forest birds, including one of our favorites, the Hartlaub's Turaco, whose underwings flash bright scarlet as they fly about in the trees. At night a spot-lit water hole gives us an opportunity to see Giant Forest Hog, Greater-spotted Genet, Bushbuck, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo and White-tailed Mongoose, plus other mammals as well.
Lodging: Mountain Lodge

February 28, Saturday: Nakuru National Park
This morning at dawn from the high vantage point of the flat roof at Mountain Lodge, we should see Mt Kenya very clearly and many brilliant forest birds, perhaps Red-fronted Parrot, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Montane Oriole, Ruppell's Robin-Chat, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Yellow-crowned Canary, and others. Black and White Colobus Monkeys will be vocalizing to advertise their territories. After breakfast drive across the southern end of the Laikipia Plateau to Nakuru. On the way we'll cross the Equator several time from east to west and the northern tip of the Aberdare Mountains at Nyaharuru (Thompson's Falls) in the highlands. Then we'll descend through tea cultivation to the edge of the Rift Valley where we look down on a spectacular view. We will arrive at our lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park in time for lunch and stay one night at Lion Hill Lodge inside Nakuru National Park. The chefs at Lion Hill Lodge feature excellent Indian food on their outstanding international menu. Lake Nakuru, the most famous alkali lake of the Rift Valley, is pink with flamingoes, both Lesser and Greater. The flamingo photography is spectacular at Lake Nakuru when the afternoon light is just right. Lake Nakuru is very well protected now as a refuge for Leopard, the Black Rhino and the introduced White Rhino. The birding is excellent. Rothchild's Giraffe, one of the most beautiful sub-species of this most photogenic of mammals, is a highlight along with many other mammals both in the woodlands and along the lake edge. On our game drive in the beautiful late afternoon light, we will approach flamingoes and other waterbirds closely and look for late afternoon action from predators. And on the lodge grounds in the Yellow-barked Acacia forest we have found Dik-dik, mongoose, Green Wood-hoopoes, several cuckoos, sunbirds and many other woodland birds.
Lodging: Lion Hill Lodge

March 1, Sunday: From Lake Nakuru to Nairobi and Homeward or Extension
Throughout the safari you will have choices as to maximize time in the field for photography and wildlife viewing or more time for walks in the lodge vicinity, an excellent way to find the many small birds that are so exceptional in East Africa, or you may enjoy simply taking time to relax at the lodge. Today at Lake Nakuru decide how to enjoy most your final morning on safari in Kenya. Choose a before breakfast game drive, or a walk on the lodge grounds, or a chance to relax before leaving the national park. We'll drive back to the Mayfair Court in Nairobi. On the way south through the Rift Valley pass by Lake Elementaita, then up the Eastern Rift Wall to Nairobi. We'll check into our rooms at the Mayfair Hotel and visit the outstanding Museum of Natural History with bird, mammals and cultural exhibits. The museum also has a gift shop with reasonable prices for books and crafts, which benefit their very worthwhile ongoing projects. Return by 4:30 pm to the hotel. Dinner on your own this evening and depart to the airport if flying this evening. For safari members wishing to stay overnight at the Mayfair, we will make arrangements in advance if you let us know.

March 2, Monday: Your flight connections
By now arrive in Amsterdam or the airport where you are connecting for your flight homeward. The time difference between Nairobi and Amsterdam is two hours. Between Amsterdam and the East Coast you will gain back six hours and to the West Coast nine hours. Gain eleven hours total if traveling to the West Coast. Note: There is also a KLM flight in the morning back to Amsterdam if you prefer to overnight in Nairobi and have a day flight with an overnight in Amsterdam tonight.

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Costs

Costs, Payments and Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit, we will send trip materials, including a travel guide with trip essentials, reading list, species lists, and maps. Deposits are refundable before the final payment date, except for $150. The $150 may go toward another tour if a reservation is made within six months of the departure date of this trip. There are no refunds given after the final payment date. Trip cancellation insurance applications are available. Trip options, if any, and singles are extra.

Included:

• Lodging and transportation - All lodging, tours and land transport as described in the itinerary, except air flights.

Not Included:

• Airfare - Please let us know if you need help arranging your own air flights. Airfare should be approximately approximately $1800 on KLM from the USA East Coast and $2000 from the West Coast to Kilimanjaro, return Nairobi via Amsterdam (quoted June 2007). Find flight schedule details in the Detailed Intinerary.
• Meals, Beverages, and Personal Items - Dinners in Nairobi on February 23 and March 1 are not included, all other meals are included. Bottled beverages, laundry services, and other personal expenses are not included. Each lodge provides one-half liter bottle per person of drinking water in your room daily. Bottled water is an extra charge at meal times, except at breakfast, when water is often available to fill your water bottle.
• Gratuities - Tipping our drivers is, of course, discretionary, however we suggest budgeting about $12 to 14 per day, preferably the higher amount if you are very happy with your experience with them, especially since the dollar is not worth as much as in previous years. Our drivers give us many extra hours in the field viewing wildlife. Doug and Gail also contribute and will collect the tip at the end of each of the two parts of the safari to be divided up among our drivers.

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Other Details

Reservations: Please contact us to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. Then, fill out our reservation form, and mail it to us with your deposit:

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070

Toll Free: (800) 527-5330
Local: (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358
Email: info@cheesemans.com

Travel Insurance: There are many types of travel insurance, including emergency medical and evacuation insurance, and also trip cancellation insurance. Unless you specifically decline it, Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris requires, at a minimum, insurance to cover emergency medical care and evacuation for the duration of the tour. We have had good experience with Access America. Visit their website for complete details and we will also send you their brochure with your trip materials. You can purchase a policy via their website, phone or by mail. If you choose, separate trip cancellation insurance to cover trip costs is also available. Whatever insurance you purchase, be sure to review the terms of all available policies carefully in order to buy the policy that you need.

Outfitters and Lodging: Our outfitters are Wildersun Safaris in Tanzania and Rhino Safaris in Kenya. We'll travel in five Land Cruisers in both Tanzania and Kenya with our favorite Tanzanian and Kenyan drivers. The vehicles seat eight, but we'll have only four participants in each. They are pop-top vehicles with roof covers providing shade and ease of viewing. We will stay in excellent lodges in beautiful surroundings, with wonderful food, private baths and laundry service. See Detailed Itinerary for lodge descriptions.

Mailing List: If you would like to be on our mailing list or request information, please use our online request form or send us your name, address, email address and phone number. Please note we will never share your personal information with anybody!

Reading and Field Guides: Some favorites are Craig Packer's Into Africa, describing his lion research in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and Cynthia Moss' Elephant Memories and Portraits in the Wild. We recommend that you consider buying a book on mammals of East Africa and a field guide to the birds. Jonathan Kingdon’s Field Guide to the Mammals is the most complete and up to date guide, and now is published in a pocket sized edition. Excellent East Africa bird books, one by Terry Stevenson and the other by Zimmerman and Turner, are available. With receipt of your reservation and deposit we will send a reading list, travel guide, and much more info.

Baggage:When packing for your trip, please try to limit yourself to one bag up to 40 pounds total per person. The less weight the better, because of space restrictions in the baggage compartment of the vehicles. There is plenty of space in the vehicles for carry-ons and camera equipment. On safari we pay extra to give you more room in the Land Cruiser stretch vehicles with a maximum of four participants per vehicle, plus our drivers and guides.

Responsibility: Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. All rates are based on current tariffs, exchange rates and fuel prices and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner's risk.

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