GREAT PRIVATE FLYING ADVENTURE

A STELLAR ITINERARY

Join the ultimate in luxurious African adventure, by private jet. Explore the wilds of Botswana and the open, natural, untamed, unspoiled wonders of Kenya, on a 15-day Great Private Flying Adventure on-board a Next Generation Pilatus PC12, piloted by your own professional pilot and accompanied by your private safari guide. A truly unique opportunity just waiting to be experienced; the very best of Botswana and Kenya – Africa’s prime wildlife viewing destinations; combining diverse fauna, natural dramatic landscapes, and invaluable conservation initiatives – while staying in multi-award winning Great Plains Conservation Camps. Filmmakers, conservationists, and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, Dereck and Beverly Joubert are behind these properties. Their well-known conservation approach is woven into every aspect of the spectacular lodges. In spite of being the finest eco-lodges in Africa, they are also some of the most luxurious, due to the focus on guest experience and access to extraordinary wildlife encounters.

This exclusive 15-day/14-night safari is limited to a maximum of 6 guests sharing, with set departures.

TAKE OF ON YOUR UNFORGETTABLE FLYING ADVENTURE

On arrival at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport, you will be warmly greeted, and transferred to Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa in Sandhurst for a day of relaxation and a night’s rest in this luxurious haven – just a 40-minute-drive from the airport.

SAXON BOUTIQUE HOTEL, VILLAS & SPA

Your first day in Africa will be spent at Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa, an exclusive retreat with an award-winning spa made famous for its elegant dining. This hotel, surrounded by six acres of undulating lush gardens, makes an exquisite statement of African elegance and exceptional personal attention to detail. The Spa and Studio offer a full range of superb treatments to rejuvenate and revitalize the mind, body and soul – all provided by top therapists in their fields – and features a fully supervised gym and a magnificent 920m² swimming pool. Elevated above the pool is a terrace overlooking the gardens, with the city of Johannesburg as a splendid backdrop. The former South African president and Nobel Prize-winner Nelson Mandela chose the Saxon as his sanctuary in which to complete his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. Today, the Saxon has a splendid art collection representing a celebration of contemporary South African works – waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

The following morning, after breakfast, you will be transferred to Johannesburg Lanseria Airport, the domestic airport, from where your journey truly begins as you take off in your private Next Generation Pilatus PC12 aircraft, which will remain with you throughout your entire safari in Botswana and Kenya. Your first stop, after a 1½-hour flight, is at Maun in Botswana, where you will also clear customs. From there your plane will then take you out over the iconic Okavango Delta, landing after a 30-minute flight at Duba Plains Camp’s private airstrip.

DUBA PLAINS CAMP

The camp offers the perfect opportunity to venture out into the Duba wilderness in the northern part of the Okavango Delta – a wildlife connoisseur’s getaway in a magnificent landscape. This prolific area is the base for many famous wildlife National Geographic documentaries and is ranked as one of the best destinations for experiencing lions hunting during the day.

This intimate camp will take you back to authentic safari style of 1920’s high-end expeditions. Duba Plains Camp is a combination activity based camp, allowing you to explore the Okavango Delta’s permanent channels by boat, when water levels allow, this is truly an invigorating, yet peaceful experience, allowing for wildlife and birding viewing from the boat. Guided game walks with licensed, armed guides are available, and these can be combined with boat cruise or game drive. Amazing game drives, are on offer for you both day and night.

Duba Plains Camp offer a level of intimacy reminiscent of the original, authentic safari lifestyle of the 1920’s high-end expeditions. Duba Plains Camp is a combination activity based camp that allows you to explore the Okavango Delta’s permanent channels by boat – water levels permitting – a truly invigorating, yet peaceful experience that enables wildlife and birding viewing from the boat. Also available are guided game walks with licensed, armed guides which can be combined with a boat cruise or an amazing game drive – the latter on offer both day and night.

After three nights in the Okavango Delta, it is time to depart from the private airstrip for a brief 30-minute flight to the renowned Zarafa Camp.

ZARAFA CAMP

Landing in your private aircraft at Zarafa Camp, is a breathtakingly spectacular experience. The extraordinary location of this beautifully designed safari camp is within the eastern sector of the Selinda Reserve. The camp conjures up a great sense of old-style safari camps with its four large, luxuriously appointed marquis-style tents with the emphasis at Zarafa Camp being on offering you a very personal and private experience – this is Botswana’s only Relais & Chateaux property.

The Camp is situated under the shady canopy of jackalberry and red ivory trees, overlooking the patchwork of savannahs and floodplains along the southern shores of Zibadianja Lagoon. The views here are breathtaking and often include sightings of the reserve’s prolific, exotic fauna. Wildlife and nature drives are Zarafa’s primary activities. There are also walking opportunities which can take the form of either a short walk from the camp or as a full morning’s safari activity in the company of your private guide. One of the highlights at Zarafa is cruising the lagoon aboard the HMS Zibadianja pontoon, which is a large boat furnished with couches, a dining table and chairs. It is ideal for brunch or for sundowner cruises to watch hippos, elephants and other wildlife at sunset. On these cruises, you can enjoy delicious, freshly prepared meals in the main dining area or on the nearby veranda under the Stars of Botswana. The array of dishes at Zarafa is extraordinary. In true Relais & Châteaux traditional style, all meals are prepared using the very best ingredients, with nutrition and well-being in mind. Enthusiasm for food at this camp is catching, with meals usually preceded by excited anticipation.

After a total of six nights in Botswana, it is time to depart for Kenya – a flight of approximately seven hours. On your way there will be ample opportunities to disembark and stretch your legs; whilst clearing customs at Kasane; while refueling at Mfuwe in Zambia, and once again whilst clearing customs in Nairobi. Your final destination is Ol Donyo Lodge, Kenya’s first Relais & Chateaux property, a captivating lodge with stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

OL DONYO LODGE

This magnificent and stylish lodge, on the slopes of the Chylulu Hills, blends contemporary and traditional design to offer a truly magical experience. While staying at Ol Donyo Lodge, you will get a chance to explore Kenya in several unexpected ways – on horseback, by mountain bike, on foot or in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Ol Donyo enjoys a stunning location overlooking the plains, with the savannah at its feet stretching as far as the eye can see. The real exclusivity of Ol Donyo Lodge is apparent when out exploring the land. The entire area is reserved solely and entirely for Ol Donyo guests – it is secluded, private, pure and wild. Imagine sitting in a hideout just a few paces from some of the largest elephant tuskers in the world. This is the Africa of the mind’s eye: the rolling Chylulu Hills and snowcapped peaks of Kilimanjaro invoke images of Africa as it was in former times – as late as in the earlier part of the last century. After spending the day exploring the wilderness, the main dining room serves up wonderfully, tantalizing candlelit dinners, accompanied by an extensive wine list. There is also the option to dine under the Stars of Kenya, in the romantic setting of the bush.

After three nights at Ol Donyo, it is time to fly to the legendary Maasai Mara for a quintessential African safari incorporating abundant wildlife, endless grassy plains and towering escarpments: today you will be flying for approximately one hour from Ol Donyo in the Chylulu Hills to Mara Plains Camp located in splendid seclusion on the northern border of Maasai Mara National Reserve, in the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy.

MARA PLAINS CAMP

This camp, home to the largest population of lions and leopards in the greater Maasai Mara, is now recognized as Kenya’s second Relais & Chateaux property. Mara Plains Camp is intimate. Among the smallest and most personal camps in the Mara region, it blends the finest wildlife viewing with the absolute best of safari hospitality. The location of the camp is at the heart of some of the greatest predator country in Africa. Rarely does a night go by without the echoes of lions roaring somewhere in the vicinity. Leopards are regularly observed wandering near the camp, and cheetahs have established territories on the savannah near the main area.

The day’s activities and dining arrangements are tailored to suit your preference and the wildlife opportunities of the moment. This camp offers you one of the widest ranges of activities anywhere in the greater Maasai Mara – early morning, late afternoon and night game drives, visits to authentic local villages, wildlife walks and unrivaled access to superior wildlife habitats. Superb meals are served al fresco or around a communal dining table, under the subtle lights of an elegant chandelier. Expect excellent food and charming service under the Stars of Kenya.

After three nights at Mara Plains Camp, it is time to fly to Nairobi and Wilson Airport – a flight of only 40 minutes – from where you will be transferred to your hotel, Hemingways Nairobi, for one night’s rest before starting the homeward journey.

HEMINGWAYS NAIROBI

The beautiful, plantation-style, Boutique Hotel, Hemingways Nairobi, is located in the quiet Karen district of Nairobi, an area named after Karen Blixen. Overlooking the iconic silhouette of the Ngong Hills, with personalized butler service catering to your every need, along with a sophisticated and tranquil ambiance, Hemingways offers you a chance to quietly amass the impressions from your adventures. You can simply relax at the superior spa or explore the Karen Blixen Museum or the nearby Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.

Your Great African Flying Adventure has now come to an end – and it is time to fly home filled with impressions and memories to treasure for a lifetime. But as much as your journey has been adventurous, we are positive the African wilderness will also have enticed you into succumbing to some invigorating moments of peace and tranquility.

On the day of your departure, you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. However, should you so wish, we would be happy to extend your safari adventure, or add a trip to Zanzibar, or to the Seychelles, for some relaxing days on the beach, under the Stars of Africa.

ITINERARY AT A GLANCE

Day 1: Morning pick up at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport for private transfer to Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa.
Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa: one night bed and breakfast.

Day 2: Morning private transfer to Johannesburg Lanseria Airport for departure in your private Next Generation Pilatus PC12 aircraft that will remain at your disposal throughout your safari in Botswana and Kenya – a two-hour flight.
Duba Plains Camp: three nights on an all-inclusive basis – all meals and local drinks, laundry and activities; including driving safaris, walking safaris and boat cruises – dependent on the seasonal water levels in the Okavango Delta.

Day 5: After breakfast, a mid-morning flight from Duba Plains Camp to Botswana’s only Relais & Châteaux property, Zarafa Camp – a 30-minute flight.
Zarafa Camp: three nights on an all-inclusive basis – all meals and local drinks, laundry and activities; including driving safaris, walking safaris and boat cruises – dependent on the seasonal water levels in the Selinda Reserve.

Day 8: Morning departure from Zarafa Camp in Botswana to Ol Donyo Lodge in the Chylulu Hills of Kenya and Kenya’s first Relais & Châteaux property – a seven-hour flight.
Ol Donyo Lodge: three nights on an all-inclusive basis – all meals and local drinks, laundry and activities; including driving safaris, walking safaris and a horseback safari.

Day 11: Morning departure from Ol Donyo Lodge to Mara Plains Camp in the Olare Motorogi Private Conservancy in the greater Maasai Mara – a one-hour flight.
Mara Plains Camp: three nights on an all-inclusive basis – all meals and local drinks, laundry and activities; including driving and walking safaris.

Day 14: Depart Mara Plains Camp for Nairobi Wilson Airport and a 40-minute flight followed by transfer to your hotel.
Hemingways Nairobi: one night, bed and breakfast.

Day 15: Private transfer from Hemingways Nairobi to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

This 15-day Stars of Africa Great Private Flying Adventure is limited to a party of 6 and all prices quoted are in USD per person. Pricing is also available for single guests or couples wishing to join one of our amazing safaris. Included in the safari are: all transfers, accommodation, bed and breakfast at both Hemingways Nairobi and Saxon Boutique Hotel & Spa, full board at all Great Plains Camps, the services of your pilot and private professional guide throughout the safari, all pertinent entrance fees and conservation/park fees and the services of local resident camp guides. Terms and Conditions apply. Subject to availability. Exclusions: International flight to/from Johannesburg and Nairobi. Please note this safari runs in reverse, starting from Kenya and continuing on to Botswana

We look forward to hearing from you and to begin tailoring your ultimate luxury safari in every detail – a personalized Stars of Africa Great Private Flying Adventure itinerary, based on your individual preferences.

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