Not included are airport fees and taxes, approximately $290.

Entry Requirements for Egypt and Kenya     See also Optional Additional Excursions.   Weather conditions

FRI  - JFK or IAD /CAI

SAT - ARRIVE CAIRO. Overnight, Sofitel Sphinx, CAIRO.

SUN - DAY AT LEISURE at the Sofitel Sphinx , WITH ROOM TO REST UP FOR LATE TRANSFER OVERNIGHT FLT TO NAIROBI.

MON       Nairobi
Arrival in Nairobi where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Optional afternoon excursions available.**
Overnight BB basis at the Nairobi Hilton ( or similar)
 
TUE         Samburu / Shaba
Drive to Shaba National Park arriving in time for lunch at Sarova Shaba.  Afternoon game drive in Shaba.   
Experience game drives on safari in Shaba National Reserve took it's name from the the massive cone of volcanic rock that dominates this region. The landscape is similar to nearby Samburu with riverine forests, acacia and doum palms. This area is famous for the association with Kenya's most renowned conservationists, George and Joy Adamson.
Dinner and overnight Sarova Shaba FB. ( or similar)
 
WED   Samburu / Shaba
Morning and afternoon game drives in Shaba.  Dinner and overnight Sarova Shaba FB. ( or similar)
 
THU   Lake Nakuru
After breakfast the safari leaves Shaba and drives to Lake Nakuru in the Rift Valley.  Lunch followed by an afternoon game drive.  Dinner and overnight Lion Hill Lodge FB ( or similar)

Lake Nakuru provides the visitor with one of Kenya’s best known images. Thousands of flamingo, joined into a massive flock, fringe the shores of this soda lake. A pulsing pink swathe of life that carpets the water, the flamingo are a breathtaking sight.

The lake has become world famous for these birds, who visit the lake to feed on algae that forms on the lake bed. They move back and forth, feeding and occasionally and spectacularly taking to flight, filling the sky over the lake with colour. The lake is extremely variable in size- changing from 5 up to 30 sq kms in area.

Nakuru has more than just flamingos. This is a major National Park and an important sanctuary for Rhino. Both Black and White Rhino are found here, and are often seen resting under acacias by the Lake shore.

The park abounds with game. There are huge herds of waterbuck, zebra, buffalo, the endangered Rothschild Giraffe and more.

This is one of your best chances of seeing Leopard in Kenya, and there are several large prides of Lion.

Exploring beyond the lake is always rewarding and there are forests, cliffs, waterfalls and more to be found here.

Nearby Nakuru town is a busy and thriving local centre with a bustling market. The town is a hub for local transport and travel and Masai Mara
 
FRI   Masai Mara
After breakfast continue to the Masai Mara.  Lunch and afternoon game drive.
South Western Kenya is the heartland of the Maasai.

The Maasai are a strongly independent people who still value tradition and ritual as an integral part of their everyday lives. They regard themselves not just as residents of this area but that they are as much a part of the life of the land as the land is part of their lives.

Traditionally, the Maasai rarely hunt and living alongside wildlife in harmony is an important part of their beliefs. Lions and Wildebeest play as important a role in their cultural beliefs as their own herds of cattle. This unique co-existence of man and wildlife makes this Maasai land one of the world’s most unique wilderness regions.

Dinner and overnight Mara Sarova Lodge FB. ( or similar)
 
SAT   Masai Mara
Full day in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives.
Dinner and overnight Mara Sarova Lodge FB.
 
SUN - Day at leisure in  NAIROBI, Overnight Nairobi Hilton.

MON - FLY NBO/CAI.  Day at Leisure Overnight, Sphinx Soffitel, CAIRO.

TUE - FULL DAY TOUR OF CAIRO.
Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which houses the world’s largest collection of artifacts from the era of the pharaohs including some belonging to King Tut. Tour Old Cairo, where early Judaism and Christianity flourished in Egypt. Visit sites like the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the Moallaka Church where the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus took refuge. Spend the afternoon at the Great Pyramids of Giza built for Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos, and the defending Sphinx. End the day at the bazaar of Khan El Khalili. Overnight Sphinx Soffitel, Cairo. (B/L)

WED  -  Deluxe Nile Cruise You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for your flight to Aswan. Upon arrival at Aswan Airport, visit the High Dam, Old Dam, Philae Temple, and the Granite Quarries. You will be transferred to your Deluxe Nile Cruise Boat for a 4-day/3-night Nile cruise. Accommodations aboard will consist of an Outside Junior Suite Cabin with private facilities. Afternoon sail by felucca for an outside visit to the Agha Khan Mausoleum and Elephantine Island. Sail to Edfu. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

THU  Travel by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the best preserved of all the large Egyptian Temples. Sail to Luxor. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

FRI - Cross the Nile to the West Bank. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes, Colossi of Memnon, Queen Hatshepsut Funerary Temple, and the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Overnight on board. (B/L/D)

SAT  Visit Luxor Temple dedicated to the god Amon-Ra. It was expanded by Ramses II, who added statues of himself. Visit the magnificent Karnak Temple. After disembarkation, you will be transferred to Luxor Airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Overnight Sphinx Soffitel, Cairo. (B)

SUN - Flight Home

** The following are the most popular excursions: 

• Nairobi City Tour – US$68.00 pp (3 hour tour) – AM and PM departures

• Nairobi City Tour and Karen Blixen Museum US$90.00 pp (4 hour tour) – AM and PM departures

• Nairobi National Park and animal orphanage US$148.00 pp (4 hour tour) – AM and PM departures

• Dinner with return transfers to the famous Carnivore restaurant US$63.00

• Balloon Safari from Mara US$ 595

Weather

There is a double rainy season between March and May and between November and December, with two intervening dry seasons. There is a small difference in temperature from month to month through the year. Both these features can be seen in the three tables for Kenya included here.  The Kenya Highlands Most of this region lies between 1,220 m/4,000 ft and 2,150 m/7,000 ft and occupies the centre and west of the country on either side of the eastern Rift valley, extending to the Ugandan border. It is the most densely populated part of the country and contains the most productive agricultural land. There is a double rainy season but rainfall is moderate and only exceeds 1,250 mm/50 in a year on the higher parts. Over most of the region the sunniest time of the year is from December to March. The cloudiest period is from June to September when there is much drizzle but little heavy rain. This period is often called 'winter' in the Kenya Highlands and the evenings may feel chilly compared with the sunnier months. The table for Nairobi is representative of much of the region. The table for Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria, which is virtually an inland sea, shows that there is rather more rainfall in each month here. This is a consequence of the greater humidity picked up by winds crossing the lake and a liability for thunderstorms to break out during the night. The higher mountain regions These are the small regions above 2,500 m/8,000 ft and isolated higher mountains such as Mount Elgon and Mount Kenya. Here temperatures fall low enough for frost to occur and at higher levels some precipitation may be snow. Mount Kenya has permanent snowfields. Although Kenya lies athwart the equator, annual rainfall over most of the country is surprisingly low and rather variable from year to year. This is because the inter-tropical belt of cloud and rain passes rather quickly across Kenya in April and October and because the predominant seasonal winds, the north and south monsoons as they are called in East Africa, have a track parallel to the coast and have already passed over large areas of land before reaching Kenya. Temperatures over much of Kenya are subtropical or temperate, because of the reduction of temperature with altitude, and are similar to those in California, summer in France or southern Britain rather than those elsewhere in equatorial Africa. Only the coastal lowlands experience the constant high temperatures and humidity associated with equatorial latitudes. Even here they are less oppressive than one might expect, because of the regular daytime sea breezes and longer hours of sunshine. It is not surprising that with such a favourable climate - sunny, only moderately wet, and not too hot - and a great variety of scenery, wild life, game parks, and good communications, Kenya has many attractions for the tourist. The variety of relief and the range of altitude in Kenya produce a considerable number of distinctive local climates and local weather too numerous to be detailed here. The country can be divided broadly into four climatic regions, each with certain features of equatorial climates. The Coastal Region The average annual rainfall is over 1,000 mm/40 in, except in the north where it is rather less. The wettest months are April and May as the inter-tropical rain-belt moves north. The second rainy season in October and November, sometimes called the 'little rains' in Kenya, is less conspicuous. Some rain, often in the form of night or early morning showers, occurs in all months. Temperatures remain quite high around the year as does humidity; but the weather is less oppressive than might be thought because of the regular and strong onshore winds in the daytime and the greater number of sunshine hours which average seven to eight a day in all months. The weather, however, can feel sultry, particularly at night. The table for Mombasa is representative of this region. The Northern Frontier Districts and the Lower Inland Plateau Much of this region has a very low annual rainfall for an equatorial region. Rainfall is generally below 500 mm/20 in and in the far north is often below 250 mm/10 in. In the lower districts temperatures are high round the year, there is much sunshine, and the region is a typical hot desert like the adjoining southern parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. Humidity is low and, apart from occasional excessive heat, it is a healthy climate.

Average conditions for Nairobi, Kenya

Month	Average Sunlight (hours)	Temperature				Discomfort from heat and humidity	Relative humidity		Average Precipitation (mm)	Wet Days (+0.25 mm)
		Average		Record
		Min	Max	Min	Max		am	pm
Jan	9	12	25	8	29	Moderate	74	44	38	5
Feb	9	13	26	9	31	Moderate	74	40	64	6
March	9	14	25	9	30	Moderate	81	45	125	11
April	7	14	24	11	28	Moderate	88	56	211	16
May	6	13	22	9	28	Moderate	88	62	158	17
June	6	12	21	7	27	-	89	60	46	9
July	4	11	21	6	26	-	86	58	15	6
Aug	4	11	21	7	27	-	86	56	23	7
Sept	6	11	24	5	28	-	82	45	31	6
Oct	7	13	24	7	30	-	82	43	53	8
Nov	7	13	23	6	28	-	86	53	109	15
Dec	8	13	23	8	28	-	81	53	86	11

Average Conditions Kisumu, Kenya

Average conditions of Mombasa, Kenya

Month	Average Sunlight (hours)	Temperature				Discomfort from heat and humidity	Relative humidity		Average Precipitation (mm)	Wet Days (+0.25 mm)
		Average		Record
		Min	Max	Min	Max		am	pm
Jan	8	24	31	21	35	High	76	66	25	6
Feb	9	24	31	21	35	High	75	63	18	3
March	9	25	31	22	36	High	77	63	64	7
April	8	24	30	21	36	High	81	71	196	15
May	6	23	28	19	33	Medium	85	76	320	20
June	8	23	28	16	32	Medium	82	72	119	15
July	7	22	27	18	33	Medium	82	72	89	14
Aug	8	22	27	17	31	Medium	76	72	64	16
Sept	9	22	28	18	32	Medium	81	70	64	14
Oct	9	23	29	18	32	Medium	79	69	86	10
Nov	9	24	29	20	34	Medium	78	69	97	10
Dec	9	24	30	21	36	High	78	69	61	9