Zimbabwe * Botswana * Kenya * South Africa
You are personally invited to join Fred Theurkauf “on safari,” beginning May 29th, 2005 for 23 spectacular days in Southern and Eastern Africa. This third Finesse West grand safari will pair the best of previous Finesse West safaris with visits to new and exciting destinations. From standing on the brink of Victoria Falls’ raging Zambezi River to exploring the Okavango Delta in guided mokoros (canoes), from game drives at the foot of towering Mount Kilimanjaro to watching the thrilling migration of thousands of animals across the Masai Mara in Kenya, this will be the safari of a lifetime. We’ll stay in lavish tented camps and lodges, trek by Land Rover and on foot, take part in game drives galore, enjoy gourmet feasts, hot showers, campfire storytelling and midday bridge sessions in idyllic natural settings. We’ll be the invited guests of the Johannesburg players at the Links Bridge Club for a fabulous evening of dinner, duplicate and fun. Plus, more game drives in search of some of the most rare and unique African wildlife awaits those on our fabulous 7-day Flying Safari extension to Namibia—a dream come true for Fred.
Dates: May 29 to June 20, 2005 - 23 days
Cost: - $10,482.00 USD
| Tour Schedule |
| Day 1 |
Depart USA |
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Depart from Atlanta (ATL) with our group aboard a South African Airways jet bound for the continent of Africa.
Meal(s): , Lunch
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| Day 2 |
Overnight Johannesburg |
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Touch down in Johannesburg and transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay. Recover from your jetlag and prepare for your upcoming safari into Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Meal(s): , Dinner
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| Day 3 |
Arrive Victoria Falls |
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View awesome Victoria Falls |
Depart on a morning flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Keep your eyes glued to the window—you might spot the falls as we approach our destination. This afternoon, relax at our elegant accommodations overlooking the Victoria Falls Bridge and the gorge below or enjoy an (optional) Flight of Angels helicopter experience for a bird’s eye view of the mighty falls. Enjoy dinner this evening at our hotel.
Hotel: Victoria Falls Hotel
Meal(s): , Dinner
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| Day 4 |
Victoria Falls |
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This morning, enjoy a walking tour of the largest falls in the world, with views from both the Zimbabwe and the Zambian sides. With fresh memories of the grandeur of this natural wonder, reflect on Dr. Livingstone’s surprise at discovering the sheer beauty and size of Victoria Falls while enjoying drinks and canapés on a sundowner cruise of the Zambezi River. We’ll dine tonight at our hotel.
Hotel: Victoria Falls Hotel
Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner
 Join Fred and other safari members for an afternoon bridge game at our charming hotel.
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| Day 5 |
Victoria Falls - Okavango Delta |
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Safari by mokoro (canoe) in the Okavango Delta |
This morning, we depart on charter flights from the bush outpost of Kasane to the Okavango Delta where the Okavango River bursts into Botswana in a flourish of vibrant green, expanding into a gently meandering network of liquid passages flanked by papyrus reeds. Here, crocodile, hippo, buffalo, Chobe Bushbuck, and an amazing variety of bird species, abound. In Kasane, our group will split in two–-one half departing for Camp Moremi with the other departing Camp Okavango, two locations miles apart in exclusive locations in the Delta. After two nights at your first location, you’ll switch camps to enjoy exploring in each great location.
Hotel: Camp Moremi / Camp Okavango
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 6 |
Okavango Delta |
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Tucked away in lavish tented camps on remote Nxaragha Island. In Camp Okavango, expect GAME DRIVES from this water-based camp in mokoros (canoes) and on foot on the larger islands accompanied by resident naturalists. Camp Moremi, shaded by ebony trees, overlooks the beautiful Xakanxa Lagoon. GAME DRIVES here will set out on land via Land Rovers in search of cheetah, leopard, lion and buffalo.
Hotel: Camp Moremi / Camp Okavango
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 7 |
Okavango Delta |
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Colorful African Bee Eaters nestled together |
Switch camps today. After breakfast one camp will set out by boat for the other camp. Upon arrival, lunch with the entire group, sharing stories and tips on wildlife viewing. After lunch, settle in to your new quarters or depart for the other camp. Enjoy dinner at your new camp location this evening.
Hotel: Camp Moremi / Camp Okavango
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 8 |
Okavango Delta |
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Enjoy GAME DRIVES in the Delta from your new location today and get a completely different view of the expansive and vibrant Delta wildlife.
Hotel: Camp Moremi / Camp Okavango
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 9 |
Okavanago - Johannesburg |
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Depart Camp Okavango & Camp Moremi today and venture south by light aircraft to Maun, rejoining the other half of our group and continuing on to Johannesburg, South Africa on our Air Botswana flight. Tonight, we’ll dine together at our hotel and share stories of our experiences in the magnificent Delta. Holiday Inn Johannesburg??
Hotel: Holiday Inn Johannesburg
Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner
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| Day 10 |
Johannesburg - Nairobi |
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Our South African Airways flight to Kenya, departs from the Johannesburg Airport this morning. “Jambo,” the cheerful Swahili welcome, greets us as we arrive in the capital of Kenya—a country that is home to world-famous national parks and superb scenery, vistas of rolling savannah dotted with colorful Masai tribesmen and their herds, high moorlands, dense forests bursting with wildlife and shimmering desert. No other African country can boast Kenya’s wide range of animal life, its incredible array of landscapes or its unique geographical features. This afternoon, our hotel’s beautifully landscaped gardens provide a perfect location to relax ahead of our Kenyan safari experience. Tonight, join Fred Theurkauf, for our official Welcome Cocktails and Dinner.
Hotel: Hotel Serena Nairobi
Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner
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| Day 11 |
Nairobi - Amboseli |
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Masai Giraffe in the bush |
This morning, visit the sites surrounding Nairobi, including the home of Karen Blixen, author of “Out of Africa.” Hand-feed the world’s tallest land animal at the Giraffe Center, situated in an indigenous forest on Nairobi’s western boundary. This afternoon, sample wild game at the world-famous Carnivore Restaurant. Let the spirit of adventure rule as you feast on zebra, impala, ostrich and even crocodile. Later today, board our charter flight to Amboseli National Park at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. An afternoon GAME DRIVE is planned before dinner.
Hotel: Amboseli Serena Lodge
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 12 |
Amboseli |
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Enjoy morning views of Kilimanjaro |
The sight of Kilimanjaro high above herds of game on the plains of Amboseli is a timeless African image. Awaken to the stunning views of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro as daybreak turns the mountain purple and its snows an ethereal pink. Amboseli National Park is home to the “Big Five” (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) as well as cheetah and great birding opportunities. Have your camera ready for a morning GAME DRIVE followed by a hearty breakfast in the lodge. This afternoon, head back out into the plains of the Amboseli searching for game amid grasses, dried salt lakes and desert mirages.
Hotel: Amboseli Serena Lodge
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Join Great White Hunter, Fred, for midday bridge with just our own group poolside.
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| Day 13 |
Amboseli - The Ark |
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Game drives on the plains of Amboseli |
After breakfast, return to Nairobi, load your safari vehicle, and head for the foothills of the Aberdares Mountain Range. Lunch and relax in old world charm, hospitality and comfort at the Aberdare Country Club before continuing on to the Great Rift Valley in the Kenyan highlands. Enjoy an overnight at the world-famous “Ark,” built with upswept bows reminiscent of Noah’s floating animal sanctuary. This Ark rests at an elevation of 7,600 feet, overlooking a mountain glade and watering hole, providing sanctuary for humans while animals of the forest remain outside. Floodlights illuminate the watering hole and salt lick as elephant, buffalo, rhino and animals of the forest visit for a drink. Have your high-speed camera film loaded. “Ark” staff will notify you when wildlife arrives.
Hotel: The Ark
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 14 |
The Ark - Mount Kenya Safari Club |
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Scout for black & white rhinos today. |
Today, depart the Ark for the Mount Kenya Safari Club. En route, drive to Solio Ranch for a GAME DRIVE in this private sanctuary that is a haven for black and white rhino. After lunch at the Trout Tree Restaurant, temperatures will drop quickly as we drive into the foothills of 17,000’ Mount Kenya, home to the world-famous Mount Kenya Safari Club. Once an exclusive retreat for William Holden, famous adventurers, royalty and society sophisticates, this opulent property will be our home for the next two nights.
Hotel: Mount Kenya Safari Club
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Don’t miss Fred Theurkauf’s afternoon bridge event at the luxurious Mt. Kenya Safari Club.
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| Day 15 |
Mt. Kenya |
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Pristine & opulent Mt. Kenya Safari Club |
After breakfast, your day is at leisure. Relax in front of the fireplace with a good book after our active days “on safari” and ahead of our upcoming adventures. Or stroll in the crisp mountain air on the manicured grounds and lush gardens on this idyllic acreage. You’ll have splendid views of Mount Kenya from the grounds of one of the most exclusive clubs in the world.
Hotel: Mount Kenya Safari Club
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy an afternoon individual duplicate session at our beautiful location.
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| Day 16 |
Mt. Kenya - Samburu |
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Travel north by Land Rover with your Kenyan guides today as we journey toward the plains of Samburu and the Samburu Game Reserve. Most of the year, these plains bake under the harsh equatorial sun. But relief comes when the Uaso Nyiro River rises in the Aberdares and flows toward the west, providing a lifeline for abundant animal herds. Watch for colorfully dressed Samburu tribesmen along our route. This afternoon, arrive at our luxury riverbank tented camp, shaded by giant fig and acacia trees. An afternoon GAME DRIVE in the Samburu wilderness awaits.
Hotel: Samburu Intrepids Club
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 17 |
Samburu |
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Meet colorful Samburu tribespeople |
Discretely set on the banks of the wide and meandering Uaso Nyiro River, our thatched lodge provides the perfect locale for enjoying this serene paradise with excellent views of the forested riverbanks from the lounge and dining room. Watch crocodile basking on sand spits, hippos sharing the river with herds of large elephants, bathing and frolicking in the waters during the heat of the day, and even occasional visits by a leopard. Morning and afternoon GAME DRIVES in Samburu reveal the rich wildlife indigenous to this region: long-necked gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, dikdik, Beisa oryx, Grevy’s zebra, and the rare blue-shanked Somali ostrich. Tonight, colorful and agile Samburu tribesmen entertain us, dancing to traditional Samburu rythms.
Hotel: Samburu Intrepids Club
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Fred Theurkauf, the Great White Hunter, has planned midday duplicate under the palm thatch roof of our main lodge.
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| Day 18 |
Samburu - Masai Mara |
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Catch a cheetah on camera |
Bid “Kwaheri” (farewell), to our safari guides in Samburu before boarding our morning flight across the Great Rift Valley to the northern edge of the Serengeti Plains and the famed Masai Mara Game Reserve. Mara Intrepids, one of Kenya’s finest safari tented camps, is where the grand safari tradition of the past comes alive. Enjoy comfortable canopied beds, fresh linens, hot showers and haute cuisine. Positioned on an oxbow of the Mara River, each luxurious tent has views of the hippo-filled Mara River. Morning and afternoon "GAME DRIVES" over the endless savannah will afford countless opportunities to enjoy spectacular wildlife. Spend free time at the camp’s Hippo Observation Platform.
Hotel: Mara Intrepids
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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| Day 19 |
Masai Mara |
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Expect huge herds of zebra on the Mara |
Everything is big in the Mara Reserve, from huge herds of zebra and immense columns of migrating wildebeest, to prides of mighty black-maned lion, cheetah and leopard. It is not uncommon to find prides of 30 or more lions, or hundreds of snorting hippos and crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the Mara. Venture out into the teeming wildlife today on morning and afternoon GAME DRIVES to admire the great concentrations of game and their natural predators—the big cats.
Hotel: Mara Intrepids
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Meet Fred for a fun afternoon bridge tournament while on safari.
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| Day 20 |
Masai Mara |
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Watch lions hunting on the Mara today. |
Enjoy your final day on safari on the Mara in Kenya, taking in the boundless wildlife.
Hotel: Mara Intrepids
Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Join your safari members for a final bridge session while "on safari."
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| Day 21 |
Masa Mara - Johannesburg |
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Take a last look at the plains of the Mara this morning before our flight to Nairobi and onward to Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon arrival, we’ll be whisked to the upscale suburb of Sandton for check-in and dinner at our hotel.
Hotel: Michelangelo Hotel
Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner
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| Day 22 |
Johannesburg |
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Union Buildings of Pretoria, South Africa |
Enjoy a morning of sightseeing in Pretoria, administrative capital of South Africa. Visit the Voortrekker Monument, a national icon for Afrikaans South Africans, the Kruger House, and the Union Buildings, held to be one of the most beautiful seats of government in the world.
Hotel: Michelangelo Hotel
Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner
Local players of the Links Bridge Club have planned a treat for us—a South African feast followed by a fun session of duplicate as the invited guests of our “Jo-Burg” hosts.
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| Day 23 |
Johannesburg - Depart |
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Join Fred Theurkauf and fellow travelers for a special Finesse West Farewell Breakfast where “anything goes.” This afternoon, enjoy sightseeing in Johannesburg’s Soweto district, scene of anti-apartheid fervor. Tour Nelson Mandela’s home with time for lunch in Johannesburg this afternoon. Those joining our Namibian safari will depart early this afternoon with U.S. departures leaving early this evening, headed home with fabulous memories of an African safari adventure of a lifetime.
Meal(s): Breakfast
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| Your 23-Day Package Includes |
Round-trip air on South African Airways from Atlanta.
Air travel in Africa on South African Airways, Air Botswana & Air Kenya & private charter flights.
In-city transportation in deluxe air-conditioned motor coaches. Safari transportation in specially equipped, 4x4 Land Rovers with “guaranteed window seating.”
Deluxe SAFARI accommodations with private bath throughout.
Deluxe & First Class CITY hotel accommodations with private bath throughout.
Bridge: 7 midday sessions with our own group plus 1 evening session as the invited guests of the Johannesburg players of the Links Bridge Club. for dinner and bridge.
English-speaking Botswanan and Kenyan expert guides and naturalists on GAME DRIVES.
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Local English-speaking guides for sightseeing.
Airport transfers, porterage, hotel, lodge & camp service charges.
Emergency medical evacuation to nearest medical facilities.
All bridge expenses including card fees, prizes and transfers where required.
ACBL masterpoints at all bridge games.
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7-Day Namibia Flying Safari
Dates: June 20 to 27, 2003
Cost: $3,992.00
Join Fred and your bush pilot-guides for an exciting 7-day Wing Safari in Namibia by light aircraft. Home to German colonial architecture, colorful Herero and Damara natives, rare and unique wildlife species galore and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, the newly democratic country of Namibia is quickly becoming the sought-after safari destination of southern Africa. Drink a Sundowner as you watch the sun set over the Windhoek skyline, fly to Namibia’s premier wildlife viewing area in the Etosha Pan, fly to the Damaraland wilderness to search for the endangered Desert Elephant, fly to the Sessriem Canyon to enjoy a barefoot walk in the soft red sand of Sossusvlei’s stunning dunes, fly to Swakopmund to cruise Walvis Bay for bird watching and flightsee over the scenic Skeleton Coast to scout for ancient shipwrecks. Plus, enjoy three bridge games with our own group while on our flying safari in this stunning country.
| Your 8-Day Extension Package Includes |
Sightseeing in Windhoek, with visits to the Parliament complex and Penduka.
Five bush flights in light aircraft over scenic Namibian wilderness reserves, national parks, game preserves and ancient shipwrecks lodged in the strand of the famed Skeleton Coast.
Explore Sessriem canyon including walking on the world’s tallest sand dune in Sossusvlei—Dune 22.
Enjoy spectacular stargazing oppor-tunities in Sessriem Canyon.
View seals, flamingos and rare white pelicans on a Walvis Bay Marine Cruise followed by a beachside lunch.
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GAME DRIVES in Sessriem Canyon, Sossusvlei, Damaraland Camp, Ongava Game Reserve & Etosha National Park.
Hunt for rhino on foot in Ongava Game Reserve, home to both black and white rhinoceros.
Three bridge games directed by Safari Gamesman Theurkauf at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge, Damaraland Camp, and Ongava Lodge.
One night in Windhoek at Heinitzburg Hotel, two nights at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge, two nights in Damaraland Camp and two nights in Etosha National Park at Ongava Lodge.
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Click here for a full-color brochure.
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