relax,rejuvenate and enjoy your Trip to Kenya
Kenya Holiday,Safari and Cultural Tour
- COUNTRY:
- Kenya
- LOCATION:
- Masai Mara, Rift Valley
- DEPARTURES:
-
2011: 23 Oct, 4 Dec, 18 Dec
2012: 1 Jan, 15 Jan, 29 Jan, 12 Feb, 26 Feb, 11 Mar, 25 Mar, 3 Jun, 17 Jun, 1 Jul, 15 Jul, 29 Jul, 12 Aug, 26 Aug, 9 Sep, 23 Sep, 7 Oct, 21 Oct - PRICE:
- From US $3,090 (GB £1,960) - US $3,490 (GB £2,214) (14 days) price depends on group size.
- MORE INFO:
- We have scheduled fortnightly departures but this trip can also be tailor made privately for couples or ready formed groups or families. Children of 7 years plus are welcome if conventionally polite and well behaved, at 20% less than adult rate.
Photo Gallery: Kenya Holiday,Safari and Cultural Tour
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Kenya holiday, safari and cultural tour
On the way you will experience some of the day-to-day life of the Maasai, Kikuyu and Samburu peoples - visit their villages, homes and farms and be guided by them through their lands and life. The itinerary has been designed to cover a wider range of environments, game parks and cultural experiences - all at a not-too-hectic pace. Mix of hotels, lodge, fully supported bush camping and permanent tented camp.
Day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Drive west from Nairobi, stopping for a breathtaking view over the Great Rift Valley, and into Maasailand. Lunch en-route and on to a small Maasai homestead for insights into their fascinating way of life. Overnight camp under the acacia trees, dinner round a camp fire, starlit skies and sleep to the sounds of the African night - often lions roaring in the distance. Don't worry! Our camp is guarded by the Maasai all night. |
| Day 2: | Optional 2 hour walking safari along small river course and through the savanna for wildlife viewing with the Maasai as guides and interpreters of their lands, often walking amongst giraffe, impala, zebra and wildebeest. On to lunch by a natural hot spring at Maji Moto (where you can take a dip or just dip your toe in). Here we support a primary school and we can arrange visits during term time. Then on to our secluded camp in the Masai Mara. Optional hike up Naumare Hill to watch the sun go down over the Mara. Or, alternatively, a late afternoon game drive. Overnight in our comfortable permanent tented safari camp (beds with en-suite facilities). |
| Day 3: | Ecologically the Masai Mara is an extension of the great Serengeti plains and teems with wildlife. We spend all today in the reserve on game drives and this is where you can see elephant, buffalo, lion, cheetah, leopard, zebra, giraffe, hippo, crocodile and a whole ark-full of other animals. Our expert naturalist guides and 4WD vehicles ensure you have the very best chance of seeing them all. From July to September, the Mara is home to the great wildebeest migration. Overnight again in our permanent tented safari camp. |
| Day 4: | Another early game drive in the Mara and then on to a Kikuyu homestead near Lake Elementaita. Exploration of the subsistence farming here and afternoon tea with the farmer and his wife. Option tonight for an overnight stay in a villager’s house for fascinating insights into the life of a local, enhancing your African experience and providing an additional income for the family - no extra cost but advise us in advance please. Otherwise on to a very comfortable local hotel just outside Nakuru National Park. |
| Day 5: | Drive through Nakuru town, then up past the spectacular Menengai volcanic crater, to a co-operatively run coffee and tea estate. This is a delightful, cool, verdant forested setting where there will be a guided bird-watching walk, excellent estate lunch, and visit to the tea and coffee processing operations. You can try your hand at picking tea and coffee if you like (and if you don’t fancy the walk or the tea and coffee processing insights you can relax in the beautiful gardens drinking it). Return to the hotel by Lake Nakuru for overnight. |
| Day 6: | Early (06.00) start for game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park. This is a small but spectacularly picturesque park with abundant wildlife and an excellent chance of seeing the rare rhino, both black and white species, lion, leopard, vast herds of buffalo and the unusual Rothschild's giraffe. It has also had nearly 400 species of birds recorded within its boundaries. After lunch a short drive to Lake Elementaita, a soda lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, for walking exploration of the lakeside environment and afternoon tea. There are hot springs with amazing heat tolerant fish (accessible if lake water not excessively high) and thousands of pink flamingos and pelicans. Another short drive to Lake Naivasha for overnight accommodation in chalets right by the lake. |
| Day 7: | Lake Naivasha is a vast freshwater lake, famed for its hippos and bird life particularly fish eagles, love-birds and pelicans. You take an early morning boat trip to see some of them, disembarking at an animal sanctuary half way to walk amongst giraffe, zebra, impala, gazelle and waterbuck. Afternoon relaxing at the Lake Naivasha Resort – there are landscaped gardens and acacia woodlands stretching down to the water’s edge – and a swimming pool. An afternoon excursion to nearby Hell’s Gate National Park, where you can walk or bike, could also be arranged at small additional cost. Overnight chalets. |
| Day 8: | Mutubio Park. Leisurely drive to the Aberdares arriving at Mutubio Park gate for lunch. The Abedares Range towers between the Rift Valley and Mt Kenya, more than 4,000m at its highest point. It is high altitude moorland with spectacular views and much of the strange Afro/Alpine vegetation that is found high up on Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro. After visits to several spectacular waterfalls and opportunistic game viewing (lion, elephant and buffalo abound up here) we overnight at Kiandongoro campsite on the eastern side of the range. |
| Day 9: | Salient. Early breakfast then game drive in the Salient - this is the location of the Tree Tops lodge and waterhole - made famous when in 1952 a certain Elizabeth was staying here, and on the death of her father became queen of England. Picnic lunch then exit through Treetops Gate, drive through the local farms at Mweiga to arrive at Mountain Rock Lodge for afternoon tea. Opportunities for a short nature walk around the forest, birdwatching, medicinal plant study, search for monkeys and horse riding. Or relax in the extensive lodge grounds Overnight in the Mountain Rock Lodge. |
| Day 10: | Mau Mau caves. An excursion into the virgin montane forest and a morning walk through the towering trees to the Mau Mau caves. Colobus monkeys crash around the branches, scarlet winged turacos flash through the forest canopy and you may see buffalo in the clearings. The Mau Mau fighters used the area for shelter during their freedom struggle from the British in the 1950's and en-route our naturalist guide will reveal their forest foods, herbal medicines and survival techniques providing an understanding of the history and ecology of these forests. Return for lunch then cultural visits to local villages and subsistence farms of the Kikuyu people living on the lower slopes of the mountain. Afternoon tea with the villagers. Overnight Mountain Rock Lodge. |
| Day 11: | Drive north to Samburu. Located in the semi-arid Northern Frontier District this area has an atmosphere of mystery and adventure amid a stark and beautiful landscape. The permanent water from the Ewaso Nyiro river ensures an abundance of wildlife concentrates in the reserves at all times. Afternoon game drive and then bush camp overnight at our well-selected site along the River. |
| Day 12: | Buffalo Springs National Parks. Full day game driving in Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Parks. These parks teem with wildlife. Some of the unique wildlife species found only here or further north include the oryx, Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe and the Somali ostrich. Picnic lunch with opportunity to swim at the most beautifully sited natural spring pool in the world - in my opinion. Return to Samburu campsite for dinner and overnight. |
| Day 13: | Morning game drive. Lunch, then cultural activities in a true Samburu manyatta on the edge of the reserve. An opportunity to interact with this colourful tribal people and learn about their culture and lifestyle. Drive back to Mountain Rock Lodge arriving in the late afternoon for overnight. |
| Day 14: | Depart. After breakfast transfer to Nairobi arriving before 13.00. This is convenient for most onward travel plans; to the coast, Arusha in Tanzania, or for afternoon/evening return flights. |
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment:
There are tremendous attractions in East Africa but the effect of tourism on fragile environments and indigenous cultures is often degrading. This need not be so and we want to avoid contributing to further damage whilst recognising that foreign visitors can bring great benefits. Therefore our trips are designed to give real insights into the lands we travel through with minimum impact on the people and places we visit.
We provide an intelligent traveller's alternative to the myriad adventure treks and safaris. We don’t miss the wildlife spectaculars, the so called “Big Five” - but you’ll see and learn something of the other five hundred as well and we'll never make you feel like a package tourist.
Community:
There are no woolly "wherever possible" or "if available" caveats to our commitments to responsible travel practices benefiting local communities. We believe that all members in local communities must see rewards from tourism if they are to have an interest in safeguarding their environments. In Kenya we have negotiated directly with local community leaders to provide the services we require. These enable our clients to share village life and cultural insights with the Maasai, Kikuyu and Samburu peoples (including home-stays) and the community benefits directly from the visit.
In addition, we have a number of schemes in primary schools to provide equipment, uniforms, building materials and pay school fees and our clients have the chance to visit these during the safari if they wish. These schools are in Maji Moto, Olanganaiyo, Elementaita and Mt Kenya and you can visit them on this trip. All of our hotels and bush campsites, are locally owned and staffed by Kenyans. In the Mara we lease our permanent campsite direct from the Maasai-run Siana Wildlife Trust. All of our foodstuffs are bought locally - often involving our clients in the shopping from markets along the way. Our drivers and guides adhere to the behaviour guidelines for conservation as set out by Friends of Conservation.
Our staff are paid well above average wages and have contracts of employment with agreed conditions of service. We do not recruit on tribal or cultural allegiance grounds. We employ many local guides and camp assistants en-route. Treating our staff fairly creates loyalty to our company and commitment to providing our clients with superb service. We provide our clients with advice on responsible travel behaviour and encourage them to share their cultures with the peoples they meet as a way of improving understanding of our two very different life-styles.
