The necklace of national parks thatlies along Kenya's southern border ishome to an unrivalled abundanceand diversity of wildlife. From the vastherds of Wildebeest and Zebra that crowdthe Masai Mara, to the Elephants thatwander Tsavo's brick-red lands, thisbeautiful region of East Africa still protectssome of the largest herds left on thecontinent and gives a rare glimpse into theAfrica of old. Kenya is also predatorcountry; the abundance of prey supportsLions, Cheetahs, Leopards and Wild Dogs,plus numerous eagles and other birds thatmove south into the country to escape thenorthern winter. This abundance of life isbacked by an equally spectacularlandscape, the vast flat lands of the Maracontrasting with the rolling dry hills ofTsavo and the acacia woodlands ofAmboseli, the latter watched over by thetowering snow-capped peak of MountKilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa! Our tour begins with a flight into Nairobi,Kenya's bustling capital city. From here wedrive to Tsavo West National Park for a 2-night stay. Tsavo West, when combinedwith neighbouring Tsavo East NationalPark, jointly protects over 20,800 squarekilometres and forms one of Africa'slargest conservation areas. Tsavo is aplace of wide horizons and undulating,acacia-covered plains dotted with gracefulparties of Giraffes and herds of Elephantand Zebra. Only two permanent riversbring water to this vast area, and so it hasa more arid feel to it than the otherreserves we will be visiting on this holiday.Nevertheless, it is a wonderful area formammals, birds and other wildlife, and wecan expect to see our first herds of gameincluding Masai Giraffe, Thompson'sGazelle, Impala and Buffalo and perhapseven our first Lion or Cheetah. Indeed, theLions of Tsavo are descendants of thelegendary 'Man-eaters of Tsavo' whichbrought the building of the Nairobi toMombasa railroad to a standstill at thebeginning of the last century. Tsavo is alsowell-known for its 'red Elephants' andherds of these red-earth-dusted giants willbe a familiar sight as we explore the parkon morning and afternoon game drives.During our stay in Tsavo we will also visitthe crystal clear waters of Mzima Springs.Here underground spring water hasformed a series of forest-fringedfreshwater pools into which an underwaterglass observation tank has been built.From this uniquely aquatic viewpoint wecan watch Hippos swimming underwateralong with crocodiles and various fish. Next we will spend two nights in AmboseliNational Park, which sits beneath thetowering cone of Mount Kilimanjaro and isone of the country's most scenic reserves.Amboseli's acacia-dotted plains and dryrolling grasslands support Elephant, MasaiGiraffe, Burchell's Zebra, Buffalo,Waterbuck, Thompson's Gazelle andnumerous birds including Bateleur, KoriBustard, Martial Eagle, Tacazze Sunbirdand White-fronted Bee-eater. Then, movingnorth-westwards, we spend two nights atLake Naivasha, a beautiful freshwater laketeeming with birdlife, before transferring tothe nearby soda lake of Nakuru. Thespectacular Lake Nakuru National Park ishome to two million Greater and LesserFlamingoes which crowd the fringes of thishighly caustic lake. This is undoubtedly oneof the world's great wildlife spectacles anda wonderful back-drop to the park's otherwildlife which includes both Black andWhite Rhino, Leopard and the rareRothchild's Giraffe. Finally, we cross the Rift Valley anddescend into the rolling grasslands of theMasai Mara for a 3-night stay in one ofAfrica's finest wildlife sanctuaries. TheMara holds some of the largestconcentrations of animals in the world,including vast herds of Blue Wildebeestand Burchell's Zebra, plus Topi,Hartebeest, Masai Giraffe, Elephant,Buffalo and various gazelles. These arestalked by all three big cats - Lion,Cheetah and Leopard - as well as by avariety of scavengers such as SpottedHyena and jackals. The birdlife may takesecond place, but is nonethelessabundant and includes huge GroundHornbills and elegant Secretary Birdswhich stride across the grasslands alongwith Kori Bustards, Grey Crowned Cranesand smaller species such as Temminck'sCourser, Wattled Lapwing, Rosy-breastedLongclaw, Yellow-shouldered Widowbirdand Capped Wheatear. Lone bushes ordead trees provide lookout perches for avariety of bee-eaters and rollers, includingthe beautiful Carmine Bee-eater, whilstabove them soar Martial Eagles andLappet-faced, African White-backed,Hooded and Rüppell's Vultures. Our time in the Masai Mara will be anundoubted highlight of our stay in Kenya,but from here we must leave the wilds ofAfrica and return to Nairobi to catch ourlong flight home. Kenya's Wildlife A 14-day safari to Kenya's southern national parks visiting Tsavo West, Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara National Parks. Wednesday 5th October - Tuesday 18th October 2011 Cost: £3,895Saturday 27th October - Friday 9th November 2012 Cost: £4,195*(*This tour can be combined with our 'Tanzania Highlights' holiday outlined on Page 179)Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationETHIOPIA SUDAN UGANDA TANZANIA SOMALIA LAKE TURKANA LAKE BARINGO SAMBURU GAME RESERVE LAKE Mt. KENYA NAKURU LAKENAIVASHAMASAI MARA GAME RESERVE LAKE VICTORIA NAIROBIAMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK TSAVO WEST MOMBASA TURTLE BAY TSAVO EAST INDIAN OCEAN KENYA Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Nairobi and overnight.Day 2/3Tsavo West.Day 4/5Amboseli. Day 6/7Lake Naivasha.Day 8/9Lake Nakuru.Day 10/12Masai Mara.Day 13Depart Nairobi.Day 14Arrive London.AccommodationComfortable safari lodges, all roomswith private facilities.Food All included in the price except forevening meals in Nairobi. Grading Grade A. A traditional safari-styleholiday with wildlife-viewing byvehicle and on foot. FocusMammals, birds and other wildlife. LeaderRob Mileto.Single room supplement£550.Web quick search: KEN04165Lesser Flamingoes, Lake NakuruLilac-breastedRollerMount Kilimanjaro

Mali, one of Africa's least known butmost exciting countries takes itsname from an ancient empire andstretches from Ghana in the south toAlgeria in the north. It is home to a widevariety of ethnic peoples including theTuareg, the Fulani, the Bambara and theDogon. Although materially poor, Mali hasa rich and diverse culture and its peopleproduce some of the finest artefacts to befound anywhere in Africa. It is also a country of great geographicalcontrasts. The south is comprised ofGuinean forest and savannah, and visitorsare often surprised at how well wooded thisregion is. In the north lies a huge area ofthe Sahara Desert, whilst in between sitsthe arid scrub and grassland of the Sahel.The mighty River Niger carves a great arcthrough the southern half of the countryand adds a further dimension. At the river'snorthernmost point lies Timbuktu, once agreat trading centre with an importantuniversity and still a fascinating andenigmatic place to visit. Our voyage on theNiger recalls the journeys of the earlyexplorers and we will see few Westernvisitors during our time on the river.Additionally, Mali offers us the chance tosee a wide cross-section of West Africanbirds and other wildlife, from colourfulSenegal Parrots, Violet Turacos andAbyssinian Rollers to Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Yellow-crownedGonoleks and the emblematic EgyptianPlover. The inland delta of the Niger is oneof the most important wetland sites inAfrica and supports a density and diversityof birds sufficient to whet any birder'sappetite, alongside healthy populations ofHippopotamus and Nile Crocodile.From the capital Bamako we travel north toSégou, the old French colonial capital,through a well-wooded landscape dottedwith small villages and quaint mudmosques. Roadside birds are likely toinclude Grasshopper Buzzard, BrownSnake Eagle, Fox Kestrel, both Grey andRed-billed Hornbills and the bizarre littlePiapiac, which often rides on the backs ofcattle. At Djenné, with its winding medievalstreets, we will visit the spectacular GrandMosque, reputedly the largest mudbuilding in the world and at Mopti, a busytrading town at the confluence of the Baniand Niger Rivers, we will have theopportunity to explore the extraordinarilycolourful and bustling market and harbour area.From Mopti we head east to 'Pays Dogon'and the dramatic Bandiagara escarpment.As we approach Dogon country we will seefewer and fewer mosques as theseremarkable people have retained theirtraditional animist/fetishist religion, ritualsand culture despite hundreds of years ofMuslim and colonialist intrusion. We willvisit several Dogon villages in the talusslopes at the foot of the cliffs and learnabout their customs and traditions. A widerange of exciting birds associated with theescarpment and the surrounding savannahinclude Stone Partridge, Bearded Barbet,Green Wood-hoopoe, Fine-spottedWoodpecker, Cliff Chat, Neumann'sStarling and the restricted KulikouroFirefinch, a virtual Malian endemic. Leaving Dogon country we continue ourjourney northwards through increasinglyarid landscapes towards Douentza andTimbuktu. These wide open acacia-studdedgrasslands are home to the Fulani, a tribeof nomadic herdsmen, and provide us withan opportunity to see Chestnut-belliedSandgrouse, Northern Anteater-chat,various wheatears and larks and perhaps,most excitingly, the small population ofElephants that migrate through this regioneach year. Finally we reach Timbuktu, thefabled city, where we will visit the famousJinguereber Mosque and the houses usedby the early European explorers Laing,Caille and Barth. In the market we may seethe slabs of salt brought down fromnorthern Mali by some of the last workingcamel trains in the world.From Timbuktu we embark on a 3-dayvoyage up the Niger, chugging sedatelythrough an endless wide-open tapestry ofwater, sky, marshland and desertpunctuated by neat mud-brick villages andmosques. The human activity along theriver is constantly fascinating and thebirdlife is both rich and varied. PiedKingfishers are numerous, African FishEagles soar overhead and SenegalCoucals bubble atmospherically from thereedbeds. Senegal Thick-knees andEgyptian Plovers are a regular sight alongthe riverbank and colourful Yellow-crownedBishops buzz over the marshes against abackdrop of huge wheeling flocks of Red-billed Queleas. Add to this vast flocks ofwintering waders and wildfowl, a host ofherons and egrets, and that ever-presentpossibility of a Hippopotamus or acrocodile and you have a rich feastindeed!Finally we arrive back in Mopti with ourextraordinary Malian odyssey drawing to a close. As we make our way back toBamako we can reflect on what will surely be one of the most memorable trips of our lives.MaliA 17-day tour featuring visits to the fabled city of Timbuktu, a boat trip on the River Niger,and time with one of the purest animist-fetishist cultures in Africa. A diverse and exciting array of birds and other wildlife is also observed. Wednesday 7th November - Friday 23rd November Cost: £3,495Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Bamako.Day 2Bamako.Day 3Ségou.Day 4Djenné.Day 5Mopti.Day 6/7Dogon country.Day 8Douentza.Day 9/10Timbuktu.Day 11/13Boat journey on theRiver Niger.Day 14Mopti.Day 15Ségou.Day 16Depart Bamako.Day 17Arrive London.AccommodationSimple but comfortable hotels inBamako, Timbuktu, Mopti andSégou, most with private facilities;basic hotels in Djenné andDouentza. Fully serviced campingfor the six nights on the Niger andin Dogon country.FoodAll included in the price.GradingGenerally an easy-paced, ifadventurous, tour; some walking inDogon country. Grade B.FocusLocal cultures, artefacts and birds.LeaderAndy Smith.Single room/tentsupplement£340.Web quick search: MLI01166Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryNIGERALGERIAMAURITANIAGUINEASENEGALIVORY COASTBURKINAFASOTIMBUKTUMOPTIBAMAKOSÉGOUDJENNÉDOUENTZANIGERNIGERMALIVillage, River NigerPirogueEgyptian Plover