Painting
| country: | Kenya |
| location: | Masai Mara |
| departures: | The itinerary below is an example of what we can offer. However, the trip can be also be arranged on a tailor-made basis for 2 or more people and altered to suit your requirements |
| price: | From US $200 - US $300 per day (12 days) including domestic flights only, as per itinerary, based on groups of 2-6 people |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Join master art guide Stuart Morse on an artistic adventure to three very different regional ecosystems that include rainforests, mountains and the savannah plains. You'll stay in the heart of the wilderness during your stay and will be able to re-create your experience through expertly guided Fine Art Photography, Field sketching and painting.
This artistic safari is designed for the amateur artist and photographer who is looking to improve and enjoy their skills. Learn to capture photo images in both colour and the traditional medium of black and white stills. New techniques, professional 'tips' and plenty of practice time ensure this adventure is educational as well as good fun! Stuart incorporates a digital camera for the group to celebrate their creative diversity on the spot, while daily creativity talks stimulate new ideas.
You'll stay in top quality lodges, camps and private ranches as your safari homes. Bring these digital photographs to life, along with your sketches as you celebrate your group's creativity with an Art Exhibit while staying at the exclusive Lewa Downs Sanctuary as part of your adventure. All levels of creativity are celebrated as the exhibit displays the group's inspiring vision and reaction to the unique environment.
This wonderful safari introduces you to the landscapes, people and animals of East Africa, giving you cherished memories and artwork of the world's wild places and the skills with which to capture them for the future. A true exploration of both East Africa's wildest places and the skills and techniques of Fine Art, this is an experience not to be missed!
This artistic safari is designed for the amateur artist and photographer who is looking to improve and enjoy their skills. Learn to capture photo images in both colour and the traditional medium of black and white stills. New techniques, professional 'tips' and plenty of practice time ensure this adventure is educational as well as good fun! Stuart incorporates a digital camera for the group to celebrate their creative diversity on the spot, while daily creativity talks stimulate new ideas.
You'll stay in top quality lodges, camps and private ranches as your safari homes. Bring these digital photographs to life, along with your sketches as you celebrate your group's creativity with an Art Exhibit while staying at the exclusive Lewa Downs Sanctuary as part of your adventure. All levels of creativity are celebrated as the exhibit displays the group's inspiring vision and reaction to the unique environment.
This wonderful safari introduces you to the landscapes, people and animals of East Africa, giving you cherished memories and artwork of the world's wild places and the skills with which to capture them for the future. A true exploration of both East Africa's wildest places and the skills and techniques of Fine Art, this is an experience not to be missed!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | You’ll be met on arrival and taken to the Nairobi Hilton Hotel. Here you will receive a safari briefing from your representative and later Stuart will join you for dinner, which is where your artistic adventure will begin. Depending on your arrival time you will be free to explore Nairobi and visit our various city attractions. |
| Day 2: | You will be collected from reception by your fully qualified and experienced safari driver-guides. You will head north today, towards the Aberdare Mountains in the heart of the Kikuyu Highlands. After a buffet lunch at the Aberdare Country Club you will spend the afternoon in the Club Game Reserve with Stuart, learning photo techniques and enhancing your skills. Dinner in the evening before Stuart takes you through a Fine Art Lecture in the Club lounge, where the paintings and sketches of local artists surround you. |
| Day 3: | You head off for the Aberdare National park today. Picnic lunch in the moor lands. You’ll spend the day taking photographs, testing out new skills and enjoying the magnificent scenery. Back to the country Club for dinner and then review the day’s art with Stuart. |
| Day 4: | Morning at the Aberdare Country Club and after lunch take the shuttle bus into the Aberdare National Park for your night at the famous Ark Lodge. |
| Day 5: | Drive back to the Aberdare Country Club and on to the Lewa Downs Sanctuary where you will have lunch and spend the afternoon exploring the sanctuary. Enjoy dinner and overnight at the cottages. Stuart will present a creativity talk to spark new ideas and dialogue. |
| Day 6: | You will be free to go on walks, game drives and practice your new techniques while staying in this super wildlife sanctuary with Stuart on hand for guidance. All meals at the Sanctuary. |
| Day 7: | Enjoy the beauty of what Lewa has to offer today. Witness, and with your newly discovered techniques, capture on film or canvas, the spectacular sunsets while sipping on a cool sun downer this evening. All meals at the Sanctuary. |
| Day 8: | Today you exhibit your masterpieces in the Lewa Downs Main lounge to the other clients and to invited guests. There are many excellent local artists living in this area, some of who will be attending the exhibit to share their feedback and art experiences with you. All meals at the Sanctuary. |
| Day 9: | Drive to Nanyuki to board a flight to the Masai Mara National Reserve where your camp vehicles will collect you from the airstrip and take you on a game drive en route to the famous Governor’s Camp. Lunch and dinner at Governers. |
| Day 10: | Today you will get the chance to go on photographic game drives or walks around the camp and enjoy the spectacular views, animals and people of the Mara. All meals at Goveners. |
| Day 11: | Between the Masai people and the vast, open wilderness of the Mara, with it’s incredible variety of wildlife, these final days of your Art Safari will fly past as you capture as much as you can see with your newfound skills. All meals at Governers. |
| Day 12: | Breakfast at Goveners before your final game drive en route to the airstrip to catch your flight to Nairobi where we will provide you with a day room. From here you will have a vehicle at your disposal to enable you to do any last minute shopping or sightseeing before your return flight home. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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Animals and people both need land. Ecotourism provides an alternative income for the people, leaving space for the migratory animals. Eco-resorts actively supports the villages and projects that are protecting East Africa's environment and culture.
We develop self-help eco-projects, which promote wildlife conservation. We also educate both our consumers and our partner camps with two free ezines. We use renewable energy products, reduce paper and plastic consumption in our office and have left the natural vegetation unscathed, resulting in duiker and monitor lizards visiting the office! We donate 10% of all post-tax profits to fund community and/or conservation projects. Community projects are operated with the local villagers as the operators and managers; Eco-resorts provides advice and guidance when requested, but abides by local beliefs and traditions. Our current projects include: The Children of the Rising Sun Orphanage, which provides accommodation, meals, medicine and schooling for 28 street-children. Our goal is to have a vocational job-training center operational at the home, for the kids and local villagers. The Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve, the last remaining tract of coastal lowland forest in Kenya, which provides the only refuge for several endemic birds and mammals, such as the golden-rumped elephant shrew and the Sokoke Pippet. Designated as one of Conservation International's 26 global bio-diversity hotspots (www.conservation.org) and surrounded on all sides by an ever increasing human population, the Forest is in danger of disappearing as trees are cut for carvings, land cleared for subsistence farming and animals trapped for food. Eco-resorts hopes to ensure that the local villagers become the greatest supporters of the Forest. One of the many projects in the Forest trains the local villagers to breed forest butterfly species for export to the live butterfly market. With two local butterfly farms already in operation, over 400 people in the area bordering the Forest now have an income that relies upon the continued health of the Forest. Our goal is to employ another 100 people. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |