Kenya safari
| country: | Kenya |
| location: | Masai Mara, Rift Valley |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2008: 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct, 1 Nov, 13 Dec, 20 Dec, 27 Dec 2009: 10 Jan, 31 Jan, 14 Feb, 21 Feb, 14 Mar |
| price: | From £1139 - £1579 (8 days) including flights from the UK, from £725 - £795 excluding flights. Local payment US $175, single supplement £115 |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Kenya is home to an astonishing array of wildlife and landscapes and is a gameviewer's paradise. This short trip incorporates the glittering lakes of the Rift Valley and the rolling savannah of the prolific Masai Mara - made famous by the incredible yearly migration of millions of wildebeeste and zebras. Kenya's birdlife is also amazingly rich, with four hundred species at the Rift Valley Lakes alone, and the rosy-pink view over the flamingo population on Lake Nakuru is particularly spectacular. We stay in only two bases to minimise travel and maximise gameviewing. Our lodge at Elementaita is an ideal place to relax after an overnight flight and to explore Lake Nakuru National Park, the best small park in East Africa with its prolific rhino population. The Masai Mara fulfils all expectations of rolling savannah, steep escarpments and prolific game.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Nairobi; drive down the Rift Valley to Lake Elementaita. Afternoon free to relax after flight or take optional walk down to lake. |
| Day 3: | Full day in Lake Nakuru National Park. |
| Day 4: | Drive to Masai Mara Reserve; afternoon game drive. |
| Day 5/6: | Two full days in the Masai Mara including optional gamewalks. |
| Day 7: | Morning game drive; transfer to Nairobi. Depart Nairobi. |
| Day 8: | Arrive London. |
travellers' tales
It is hard to pick out one most memorable bit. Probably the staff at Kicheche camp. They made our stay so memorable. The sighting of our first cheetah on the way from the airstrip to Kicheche. Charles our guide, who became part of our family. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.award winner
This tourism business won an award in our 2004 Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical, Magazine of the Royal Geographical Societyhow this holiday makes a difference
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We are running this special departure of the Classic Kenya Safari, led by Paul Goldstein - a self confessed Africa nut and an accomplished wildlife photographer. Paul is also an outspoken champion of responsible tourism and has written several pieces on the subject, the most recent of which is "Do We Care Enough" featured in Ethical Tourism: Who Benefits (part of the 'Debating Matters' series - for more info see www.instituteofideas.com/Publications/DM/docs/tourism.html ) The focus of this trip is wildlife with an emphasis on photography. While our aim is to get the perfect photo our guides will always maintain an appropiate distance from the game, allowing the animal a suitable escape distance.
There is of course always a temptation to get closer so we recommend you take the most powerful lens for your camera you can get your hands on. Highlights of this trip include the opportunity to photograph endangered rhino at Nakuru and the prospect of staying at Kicheche Mara camp. Our bush hideaway in Kenya welcomes you to a different world, a world centred at the heart of the African wilderness that is the Masai Mara. Local guides - as well as all of the general staff are local Masai, we use local guides on game drives, who on this trip will be guiding in conjunction with Paul. Waste management practices - all non-biodegradable waste is removed from the region to a suitable collection point in Nairobi Other environmentally sound practices of note - recycled charcoal dust pellets are brought in from Nairobi for water heating. Water is always a precious commodity in the Mara; our supplies are brought by road from the Aitong well. 24 hour power for lighting through our solar invertor system. Video batteries can also be charged on this system. Solar power and gas are used to run our refrigeration units.Local shops and manyattas are visited where a variety of locally hand crafted goods can be bought - the families of the staff at Kicheche also produce jewellery and other handicrafts which can be bought at the camp Kicheche is also a member of ESOK (Ecotourism Society of Kenya) Nakuru Natioanl Park is one of the best run parks in E.Africa - the money generated from tourism goes directly towards providing a sanctuary for the endangered rhino... |
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. |