relax,rejuvenate and enjoy your Trip to Kenya
Tailor Made Safari in kenya
- COUNTRY:
- Kenya
- LOCATION:
- Amboseli National Park, Masai Mara
- DEPARTURES:
- This trip departs daily and follows a set itinerary. You are likely to be with other people during the trip. Closed 16Apr-31May 2011
- PRICE:
- From US $3,140 (EU €2,263) - US $3,915 (EU €2,822) (7 days). US $535 (EU €386) - US $670 (EU €483) for extra nights. US $585 (EU €422) single supplement
- MORE INFO:
- Price includes all transport from Nairobi, game drives, activities, park fees, accommodation, all meals and drinks on camps. 25-40% discount for children (8-15 years). No children under 8 years. Minimum 2 adults.
Photo Gallery: Tailor Made Safari in kenya
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Tailormade safari in Kenya
You’ll be picked up from Nairobi and then transfer by road to Amboseli Porini Camp Selenkay, 1500 feet lower than Nairobi. Selenkay Conservancy is located in a vast wilderness area in the heart of Maasai land near Amboseli National Park and is owned by a Maasai community. Here you will be really off the beaten track in an area which has not been visited by tourists until recently and where visitor numbers are restricted to a maximum of 18, so you will not see any other safari vehicles. Game drives are in custom-built open-sided 4x4 safari vehicles (not vans), and driven by expert safari guides for the best game viewing. Selenkay actually has a greater diversity of game than Amboseli itself - look out for gerenuk, oryx and lesser kudu - and on our night game drives you can see the nocturnal wildlife.
Within the conservation area the following animals have been seen in recent months: elephant, lion, cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, gerenuk, impala, oryx, lesser kudu, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, warthog, striped hyena, jackals, bat-eared fox, African wild cat, serval cat, civet cat, genet cat, mongoose, ostrich, honey badger and porcupine. Birdlife is prolific especially birds of prey. You also spend a day in nearby Amboseli, driving beside the permanent swamps that attract the wildlife, and with spectacular views of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain.
And then on to the famous Masai Mara to stay at 2 exclusive eco-camps both set in community-owned conservancies. Your first camp, Porini Mara Camp is situated along the lush banks of the Laetoli River, lined with majestic Yellow-barked Acacia trees. The camp lies within the Ol Kinyei Conservancy - a tract of pristine wilderness just outside the Maasai Mara reserve, which is considered to be one of the most scenic parts of the Mara / Serengeti ecosystem, and where you can do walks and night drives. As it is a private conservancy like Selenkay, you won't see any other safari vehicles.
The conservancy is full of wildlife on every scale; elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, eland, topi, kongoni, impala, hyena, jackal, cheetah, leopard - a pride of 24 lions is just one family of these magnificent cats that roam the area near the camp. You will also have a full day in the Maasai Mara reserve. If you are interested in birdlife, the Mara holds a vast array of species and several migrants from Europe over-winter here. And then on to Porini Lion Camp, which is located in the recently formed 20,000 acre Olare Orok Conservancy. This expansive conservancy, which borders the Masai Mara Game Reserve is home to an abundance of animals including the Big Cats.
The camp is situated along the banks of the Ntiakatiak River, a seasonal river with some permanent hippo pools near the camp. With 6 luxury guest tents the camp is very exclusive and giving you a real in the bush experience. The tents are very spacious and have private verandahs along the length of the tent, providing a secluded and private ‘space’ for you to relax and enjoy the beauty of this African wilderness. Each tent has en-suite bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers.
Day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | 9am pick up from hotel and transfer to Selenkay Conservancy (102 miles, 3 hrs) to arrive for lunch. Following afternoon tea, you will be escorted on a walk by Maasai warriors to a village to get an insight into their fascinating culture and way of life. Return to camp for a shower, dinner and overnight. Overnight Amboseli Porini Camp. |
| Day 2: | After an early breakfast, drive to Amboseli National Park for a morning game drive within the Park, followed by a picnic lunch. Return to camp for dinner, after which there will be a night game drive using a spotlight to seek out some of the nocturnal animals such as aardvarks, serval cats, bat-eared foxes among others. Overnight Amboseli Porini Camp. |
| Day 3: | Awake to the natural sounds and calls of the local birdlife. After breakfast transfer to Nairobi for lunch at the famous Carnivore Restaurant. Then transfer to Wilson Airport for the afternoon flight to the Mara, arriving around 15.45. Transfer to Mara Camp. Afternoon game drive, followed by a sundowner and night game drive on the way back to camp. Dinner and overnight Mara Porini Camp. |
| Day 4: | A full day in the Masai Mara with game drives in 4x4 vehicles. Dinner, night game drive and overnight and at Mara Porini Camp. |
| Day 5: | Morning walk in the conservancy. After breakfast drive across the Mara to our third camp in the Olare Orok Conservancy adjacent to the Mara Reserve, arriving before lunch. Afternoon game drives in 4x4 vehicles within the game rich Mara ecosystem followed by a sundowner. Overnight at Porini Lion Camp. |
| Day 6: | A full day in the Masai Mara with game drives in 4x4 vehicles. Dinner, night game drive and overnight and Porini Lion Camp. |
| Day 7: | Early morning game drive, breakfast and then transfer mid-morning to the airstrip and flight back to Nairobi, arriving Wilson at lunchtime. |
How this holiday makes a difference
The local Maasai communities have set aside the Selenkay Conservancy and Ol Kinyei Conservancy and recently the Olare Orok Conservancy as reserves for wildlife, and in return receive an income from tourism activities. This is used to fund community projects such as schools and water supplies. Employment opportunities have also been provided for the local Maasai people in both conservancies as game rangers, trackers, and camp staff. Apart from the management and Head Cook, all other staff in the camps and Conservation Areas are members of the local community.
The 3 group ranches are located near the main parks and are crucial wildlife dispersal areas. The Selenkay area was previously an important wildlife dispersal zone and elephant migrated in from Amboseli during the wet season. However during the last twenty years, prior to setting up the conservancy, there was increased hostility towards wildlife by the community. Elephant were harassed to the point that they stopped migrating into Eselenkei. Before the Selenkay Conservancy was established there was also wide scale snaring of wildlife for the "bush meat" trade while leopard, lion and cheetah were frequently speared.
Furthermore, the Mara eco-system where Ol Kinyei and Olare Orok Conservancies are located, is under serious threat of being degraded and fragmented as the Mara is being divided into individually owned plots. Tracts of wildlife habitat are being permanently lost with this subdivision of the group ranches. Many small individual landowners are now selling their plots to the highest bidders, who are setting up non-sustainable mass market concrete lodges or becoming involved in intensive farming and fencing off of their small holdings. Snaring of herbivores and poisoning of big cats has increased and wildlife is being driven out.
Previously, the Maasai were entirely dependent upon their livestock and in dry seasons they used unreliable water sources including boreholes with pumping equipment which was no longer properly maintained. As a result there had been degradation of the environment through over-grazing and the community had suffered hardship during the increasingly frequent periods of drought. Since the conservancies were set up, the communities where our 3 camps are located are now receiving regular quarterly payments of the fees without delays. Bednight fees and visitor entry fees have increased greatly this year as a result of improving tourism. Over US $120,000 (EU €86,492) a year is now flowing to the group ranches' accounts with no associated costs and a further US $110,000 (EU €79,284) a year is going to the communities in wages.
As a result of the community receiving direct benefits from wildlife there has been a change in attitude towards the concept of wildlife conservation. The community members have given their positive support to conservation and there is no snaring or harassing of wildlife within the three conservancies. The members see the wildlife as a resource which belongs to them and are enthusiastic about encouraging wildlife to move into their conservancies. They also recognize the vast improvement in vegetation and grass cover within each conservancy which is now a valuable source of controlled grazing for livestock during severe drought periods.
Since the conservancies were established there has been a big increase in biodiversity. We have resident lions and cheetah in addition to over 20 species of mammals. Birdlife is prolific especially birds of prey. A major positive result is that at Selenkay elephants have now returned to the area after an absence of over 15 years. Our camps are run and maintained with the conservation of the environment at the forefront. We have a written environmental policy for water, land, energy, solid waste and sewage which is adhered to by the camp management. The numbers of tourist visitors are being limited to retain the wild and unspoilt nature of the area and to minimise the impact on the environment.
During their stay guests have various opportunities to learn about the local Maasai people and how the conservancies and camps’ goals are aligned with theirs. Maasai warriors escort guests on a walk in the conservancies where they can learn about how the various indigenous animals and plants are used by the community and how their way of life is intertwined with their surroundings. Guests are taken to a local Maasai village at Selenkay where they can experience a little of traditional Maasai village life.
