Family wildlife volunteering holiday in Kenya
| country: | Kenya |
| departures: | 2009: 20 Dec 2010: 10 Jan, 28 Mar, 13 Jun, 11 Jul, 22 Aug, 12 Sep, 10 Oct, 5 Dec |
| price: | From £869 (14 days) excluding flights. Additional local payment US $450. Single supplement £520. Price includes accommodation, transfers, transport, activities and most meals. We can arrange flights from the UK. 5% Early Bird discount on bookings for 2010. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A unique opportunity for your entire family to help wild African elephants. Away from the hustle of Nairobi and crowded central safari routes, this experience of eastern Kenya is one of the most inviting combinations for any family travelling to the region.
Minimum age: To participate children must be 10 years or over.
During the programme, days 5-8, you will work within the sanctuary, an initiative set up by wildlife experts; the Kenya Wildlife Service, Camp Kenya and the local community, on several aspects of the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary conservation programme. Duties may include elephant identification research, herd behaviour and welfare, making elephant dung paper, and many other tasks involving the restoration and maintenance of the sanctuary.
Activities include game drives, bush walks, volunteering at Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary and optional coastal activities
Minimum age: To participate children must be 10 years or over.
During the programme, days 5-8, you will work within the sanctuary, an initiative set up by wildlife experts; the Kenya Wildlife Service, Camp Kenya and the local community, on several aspects of the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary conservation programme. Duties may include elephant identification research, herd behaviour and welfare, making elephant dung paper, and many other tasks involving the restoration and maintenance of the sanctuary.
Activities include game drives, bush walks, volunteering at Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary and optional coastal activities
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Mombasa. Arrive Mombasa and transfer to our hotel. |
| Day 2: | Mombasa - Mukurumuji. Transfer to Mukurumuji camp situated within the Sable Valley. Enjoy a guided bush walk, learning how to identify wildlife tracks and the local fauna. If we are lucky we may see elephant and buffalo roaming in the hills. (B - breakfast, L - lunch, D - dinner) |
| Day 3: | Mukurumuji. A free day to relax in this tranquil camp and enjoy the magnificent views of the rainforest. We explore the local village and there is the opportunity to take part in a river walk. (BLD) |
| Day 4: | Mukurumuji - Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary. Transfer to Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary which allegedly boasts the highest density (per km2) of elephants in Africa. No other place can offer as much chance to see elephants this close up in the wild. We spend the next few nights camping in the sanctuary. (BLD) |
| Day 5-8: | Volunteer programme. Four rewarding days volunteering in the sanctuary. We learn about elephant behaviour and the threats facing these amazing animals as we participate in our daily tasks, as well as enjoying game drives in the sanctuary. (BLD) |
| Day 9-10: | Tsavo East National Park. We enjoy game drives in Tsavo East National Park. Tsavo East is one of the largest national parks in Kenya and is also home to some of the largest herds in Kenya. Game includes elephant, lion, leopard, crocodile, waterbuck, kudu, gerenuk and zebra. (BLD) |
| Day 11: | Indian Ocean. Transfer to our hotel on the beach where the next few days are free to relax or enjoy the activities on offer here. (B) |
| Day 12-13: | Indian Ocean. Two full days to relax at the end of our trip. (B) |
| Day 14: | Mombasa. Tour ends. Transfer to the airport for your return flight. (B) |
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age 6) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip.how this holiday makes a difference
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Volunteers work within the sanctuary, a registered charity set up by wildlife experts; the Kenya Wildlife Service, Camp Kenya and the local community, on several aspects of community and conservation programmes and aims to support long-term initiatives involving local communities and international participants. 100% of the donation payment is passed to the sanctuary to support their work.
During your 4-day stay you will learn about elephant herd behaviour and the threats facing these gentle giants. Your duties may include elephant identification research and tracking, welfare and recording data, making elephant dung paper as well as improving the safari tracks that run through the sanctuary, developing the information centre and gift shop. The Sanctuary camp is a low carbon emission centre – there being no electricity! We use English-speaking Kenyans as tour leaders who are paid a fair wage thereby providing local employment. Before the start of the tour and volunteer programme they will give a responsible travel briefing to all participants identifying simple steps that encourage them to minimise their impact on the local environment. We operate within the guidelines of an extensive environmental policy and we believe that giving something back to our hosts is essential. We have been quietly involved in projects throughout our destinations for many years, we strive to work with local people and small, family run establishments and we actively encourage our travellers to learn about and respect the environments we take them to. The company actively encourages travellers to act in a responsible manner by including environmental and social guidelines in pre-departure information and online. These guidelines aim to help minimise impact on a destination and provide simple tips on behaviour, dress and conduct. |
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. |