Top Trips for Winter: Micato -- A Coffee Connoisseur’s Tour of Kenya and Tanzania
Savor the exhilarating taste of East Africa on a coffee and wildlife safari with Micato Safaris.
Micato Safaris: A Coffee Connoisseur’s Tour of Kenya and Tanzania
This brand new Micato itinerary gives bean aficionados the unique opportunity to observe life and production on the modern coffee plantation, explore a selection of coffee varietals, and (of course!) enjoy a hearty helping of not-to-be-missed safari adventure. Highlights of this 11-day journey include: overnights at the historic Norfolk Hotel, a Fairmont property; a visit to the Karen Blixen Museum, the farmhouse where the author lived from 1914 to 1931; a visit to local fair-trade coffee purveyor, Dormans, which features a discussion with a buyer from the Kenyan Coffee Exchange, and of course, a tasting of one of Dormans’ famous AA roasts; and a special a multi-course Kenyan Estate Coffee Tasting menu at the Norfolk’s Tatu Restaurant. And that is all during the first stop in Nairobi!
Next it’s off to Solio Lodge, where six breathtaking bungalows offer an intimate view of the Solio Reserve, home to buffalo, lions, leopards and the endangered black and white rhino. En route travelers will make a stop in Nyeri at the Nyeri Coffee Estate to witness the workings of a 30-acre coffee plantation. Then it’s off to the Mount Kenya Safari Club, another exclusive Fairmont property and home for the next two nights. One afternoon features a picnic lunch at nearby TK Coffee Estate, while back at the Safari Club, the Fairmont’s on-site specialty coffee vendor discusses the grading and sorting of green coffee beans, as well as roasting techniques. A barman from the Duma’s Corner lounge gives a hands-on demonstration on creating aromatic coffee cocktails.
Finally, it’s time for high safari adventure at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club! This spectacular wildlife sanctuary also attracts migratory animals living on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Activities include a visit to a Maasai village, hot-air ballooning, bush walks, and a stunning sundown cocktail hour in the bush. Then it’s off to Tanzania’s largest coffee plantation; the 30 spacious, split-level rooms of the Arusha Coffee Lodge offer private decks overlooking berry-filled coffee bushes. While relaxing at this sanctuary, enjoy a tour of the grounds and the freshest cup of coffee you’ve ever had. The trip concludes at the rustic oasis of Gibbs Farm, home to 20 unique cottages, a spa and a working farm and coffee plantation. During their visit, guests will have the opportunity to tour the nearby 100-square-mile volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro Crater. Created two to three million years ago, the crater is home to nearly every species of East African wildlife, including a dense concentration of lions and leopards.
A Coffee Connoisseur’s Tour of Kenya and Tanzania: Eleven days; $15,700. For more information, including departure dates, visit www.micato.com or call 1-800-MICATO-1.
