Signed Mara

Kenya wedding Safari Travel Information

Loisaba Lodge, Laikipia

You will be picked from Norfolk Hotel Nairobi and taken to the Kenya Government office where you receive your licence. In the afternoon you will be driven to Wilson Airport where you are flown by private charter at 14h00, which will take you to Loisaba Lodge. Loisaba is a working cattle ranch where game grazes with the cattle tended by local Masai.

The Loisaba Lodge, a luxury lodge was converted from an old colonial home and sits on the edge of a high escarpment with far reaching views across the plains to Mount Kenya. There are several en-suite cottages each with its own verandah and a large homestead where huge leather sofas and open fires welcome you to relax. A pool, tennis court and spa add to the elegance. our days are spent as you wish. Walking, game viewing, riding, relaxing at the spa, playing tennis, visiting the working ranch, trekking with camels and visiting the local communities. You certainly will not get bored! You stay here on a fully inclusive basis.

Loisaba Private Campsite

The safari land cruiser will be handed over complete with an expert tour guide will be ready to go with food and fuel. After a briefing on the route, vehicle and equipment you will be asked to sign a safety affirmation that states that you have read and understand the contents of the tour book. Secluded on the plains behind the main lodge and about 1/2 hours drive away from the Loisaba lodge is the truly wonderful private campsite set in large trees and raised on a sand island.

The camp is not far from a water hole but you must be aware that you are surrounded by truly wild game, so the two wildlife rangers who will camp near by are a very welcome sight. There is an ample supply of water and the rangers will also provide you with plenty of fire wood. The areas is full of large herds of game, but if doing your own drives be aware that it is very easy to get lost so use the GPS. You must not leave the campsite on foot unescorted. Here you will be camping in a pre booked and paid for campsite Allow a 1 hour drive.

The campsites in Kenya generally have no facilities at all, so you must be totally self sufficient. The camps are very remote and you will be there on your own with no other people around. You must also be prepared to have game in the camp with you as there are no fences to keep them out, just an area to camp in.

The toilet is a shovel, toilet paper and box of matches and there is no water except what you take with you!

Soysambu Private Campsite, Lake Nakuru

You drive to the gate at Mugie Rhino Reserve where a tour guide will meet you to escort you across the reserve. You will need to pay US$30 at the ranch for the honour of driving through the reserve.

Drive south to Nakuru National Park and enter through the less used and less commercial Lanet Gate. The park although not that wild is well worth a stay. The game is excellent and the lake full of wonderful flamingos.

Soysambu Campsite is what we would call a 5 star permanent safari camp. A huge flat lawn gives a grass covered space with large yellow barked acacia trees giving shade. It is remote from the road and has a good sweet water tap. It is a very relaxed and safe place to camp. Here you will be camping in a pre booked and paid for campsite. Allow a 5 hour drive. There are some nice shops on the outside of town on the by-pass Nairobi road where you can shop in with out hassle.

Soysambu Private Campsite

Spend the day relaxing and game viewing. If you stay quiet the game will visit you, watch for black Rhino who live here.

Bongo Private Campsite near Treetops, Aberdares

Drive north and then south west via Nyahururu and Thompsons Falls. The camp serves good home made soup and the falls are worth a view, banks and fuel are all here. You can also do your food shopping here. Take the Nyeri road and enter The Aberdares from the Treetop Gate.

The National Park is quite extraordinary and unlike almost anywhere else in Africa. Tropical forests and high heath plateau's are there to explore but the maps are not accurate and some roads do not exist. Huge herds of elephant and buffalo can be hard to see but the flowers and flora is wonderful and unusual game can be spotted.

Aberdare National Park is situated to the south west of Mt Kenya within the well-watered and fertile Central Highlands region. It is the highest park in Africa and its predominant habitats are the Kinangop Plateau in the west, a 40 mile stretch of moorland, peaks and forests, and the Salient in the east, an area of thick rainforest. Aberdare National Park has a incredible variety of flora and fauna as well as the most beautiful landscape with its only peer in this respect being Mt Kenya itself. Its terrain is criss-crossed by mountain streams with pretty waterfalls and babbling water simply teeming with trout.

Elephants and buffalos are common and there are also a number of rarer species such as black rhino, the beautiful and elusive bongo antelope and the extremely rare black leopard. Bush pigs and giant forest hogs are spotted here too. Birdlife is varied and prolific. The park is famous for Treetops lodge the hotel at which Queen Elizabeth II was staying in 1952 when she was informed of her father's death and her accession to the throne.

Sweetwaters Tented Camp, Nanyuki

You drive to Nanyuki (you could stop for a quick lunch at the Trout Inn, be hungry because portions are huge and very good, it is just south of Nanyuki and well signed off the road) and you continue on to Sweetwaters Game Reserve, a 24,000 acre reserve, which straddles the Equator. It overlooks a floodlit waterhole and boasts a great variety of game including elephant, lion, cheetah, rhino and over 400 species of birds.

As it is a private reserve, you can enjoy many activities not permitted in most national parks such as game walks, night game drives, horse riding and meals in the bush. You can also tour the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary a short drive from the camp, where orphaned and wounded chimpanzees are restored to health with the intention of rehabilitating them back into the colony. Here, you stay in a roomy tent set under a thatch roof, with ensuite facilities and a private verandah, overlooking the waterhole.

Private Campsite, Lewa Downs

Drive through Lewa to camp on the Il Ngwesi community-owned land about an hour and a half drive away from the main gate to Lewa. The region is captivating and has copiousness of wildlife. You camp near the river. You may well be visited by local herdsman and it is worth asking them if you can visit their village. Here you will be camping in a pre booked and paid for campsite. Please allow a 4 hour drive.

Lewa Downs Wildlife Conservancy is a privately owned wildlife sanctuary in Northern Kenya and is home to a great variety of indigenous species. At the very core of their work is the protection and preservation of a number of rare and endangered wildlife species that naturally dwell on Lewa Downs such as Grevy's zebra, the lovely sitatunga antelope and the black rhinoceros.

In fact, the wildlife conservancy began as a sanctuary for black rhino and it is now home to 8% of the national population of rhinos, around 35 in number. Importantly, several rhinos have been trans-located from Lewa to other protected areas where new populations are being established. The ranch is also home to a group of the more placid white rhino.

Elsa's Kopje, Meru National Park

You drive to Meru National Park to stay at Elsa's Kopje. Situated on top of a large rocky outcrop in the middle of the rarely toured Meru National Park you have a breathtaking 360 degree view of the surrounding plains and wetlands. The stone and thatch cottages at Elsa's Kopje have been carefully blended into the kopje, incorporating the rockscape into the open plan design. Here you will stay in supreme luxury. Elsa's Kopje camp was constructed in the area where Joy Adamson lived with her famous lioness. Elsa is buried in Meru National Park. One of the less well known of Kenya's parks, its remoteness keeping it off the minibus route, you will find few other visitors here. You may go for game drives at day and night and guided bush walks and fishing trips are also available. The swimming-pool offers a welcome relief from the heat of the day, but the altitude means pleasant night temperatures. There is a small spa where you can be pampered if you wish.

Your hosts Ava and Graham run an exceptional camp and your every need will be taken care of. Your stay here is inclusive of all meals, activities and laundry. Meru National Park lies to the east of Mt Kenya, whose permanently snow-capped peak provides a dramatic back-drop to this fascinating park. Meru is one of the most geographically diverse parks in the country and is less visited than most of Kenya's parks and reserves.

In fact, on a visit to Meru National Park, you are unlikely to come across another safari vehicle (except near the lodge, hotels and safari camps), something that immeasurably enhances any safari experience.

It is loved by true safari aficionados, who do not need the promise of the 'big five' to lure them to areas teeming with fascinating game.

Elsa's Kopje - Wedding Day!

At pre arranged time the District Officer will be taken into the lodge to officiate at the wedding.

Cottars Safari Camp, Masai Mara

You will be transferred to the airstrip in time for the Tropic Air flight at 0830h to Nanyuki where you will then depart at 1000h to The Masai Mara where you will be met and transferred to the amazing Cottars 1920 Safari Camp.

The Cottar family has an amazing history of running safaris since 1919. The 6 super luxury tents all furnished in 1920 style. This camp is one of the very best Kenya offers.

Fly back to Nairobi on the Air Kenya flight

About the Author

Edwin is a specialist in African Safaris and a tour operator. The tour company he co-owns, African Safaris & Adventures, has presence in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Egypt, Madascar, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Seychelles.

Been kind of a slow day, huh?

Let's make some predictions before these players are signed. Where do you think the following players will end up?

Mike Comrie
Petr Sykora
Steve Sullivan
Radek Bonk
Michael Peca
Rob Scuderi
Todd Bertuzzi
Chris Neil
Erik Cole
Darryl Sydor
Paul Mara

Thank You!
Oh and happy Canada Day to you Canadians!
Shizzles - No I didn't. Everyone is already talking about Gaborik...I wanted to ask people where they thought these not-so-mentioned UFAs were going.

I'll just make a guess and say Neil to Detroit. It'd be nice to have a REAL fighter on the team. (I always liked Downey, but it's rare he's playing) I hate having to root for Lilja, because most of the time I'm scared that he'll get beaten into a concus...wait, too late.

The MAGIC Of Bulgarian Voices & Music - Yanka Rupkina - Oh, Mara (Gold collection)