Campi
| country: | Kenya |
| trip type: | Walking safaris, introductory / moderate walking |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made at a time to suit you and adapted to suit your budget and requirements as necessary |
| price: | Rooms range from £200 per night (single) to £350 per night for a suite excluding flights. A 5 nights/6 days safari with an excursion to Tsavo is £1525. Please see below for full pricing information. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Campi Ya Kanzi is located in Kenya's prime game area between Amboseli and Tsavo parks. The camp provides tented lodgings within a 400-mile unspoilt private range, which looks out onto Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The camp is unique in that it shies away from mass tourism, instead focusing on a personalised and unique service for each of its 14 guests. Your private safari will be totally tailored to your requirements, and will either be on foot or in one of 7 Land Rovers. Some of the animals that you may come across on safari include lions, elephants, leopards and buffaloes, as well as many rare species such as the African wild dog, lesser kudu, and cheetahs.
Campi Ya Kanzi is run by Luca Belpietro and Antonella Bonomi, with help from 42 local Maasai employees who are all dedicated to making it the perfect safari destination. Conservation efforts have been so successful that black rhino have recently moved onto the ranch!
The camp/food - The camp is centred around Tembo House, which is constructed of local materials. Tembo House is an open plan dining/living room with a huge vista to many different views. Italian and Maasai décor are tastefully combined. The cook has been trained in the preparation of fine Italian cuisine, which is featured along with international and local dishes. All pasta, bread, biscuits and ice creams are homemade. Fresh vegetables are supplied daily from a small vegetable garden watered by recycled water. The garden is both biological and biodynamic.
When to go - Campi Ya Kanzi is open all year. Temperatures are very comfortable year-round, with daytime highs around 90F/33C and night time lows around 60F/15C. The coolest month is July, with January and February being the warmest. During and just after the short rains of November and April/May, the area is particularly beautiful, everything is green and Kilimanjaro is covered with snow. During this period the elephant population is at its peak.
Price information A 5 nights /6 days safari with an excursion to Tsavo is £1525. Inclusive are road transfers in Nairobi, air transfers from/to Nairobi and the lodge, 5 full days activities, conservation fees and National Park fees, full board accommodation, drinks. Excluded are champagne, spirits, gratuities. Prices are for the 2006 season, based on normal season rate, and on two pax sharing. High season supplement applicable for Christmas period, at a gross rate of £35 per person per day. Therefore for Christmas add £170 per person on the price of the itinerary.
Activities
The advantage of being outside of National Parks consists in the total freedom to walk. An early morning walk with an armed Maasai tracker, looking for the cheetahs or the leopard that are found near the camp is an unforgettable experience. The most enjoyable safaris are a combination of easy walks and game drives, with totally open Land Rover. For the most active guests there are a huge variety of beautiful walks, from the Chyulu forest to the savannah plains, along rivers and through lava flows. Being out on foot in the African Wilderness with you professional guide and your Maasai tracker is a very special experience.
In terms of viewing wildlife, there are several advantages over a national park. Normally, in a national park, you must stay in your vehicle as is against park regulations to get out of the vehicle at any time. However, Campi Ya Kanzi is located in the Maasai-owned Kuku Group Ranch, so these laws do not apply and you can ride to within walking distance of the wildlife in our Land Rovers, then get out and approach the animals on foot. The Maasai are showing you their home and they are very proud of it. A visit to one of the local village with your Maasai tracker will introduce you to their cultural heritage in a very natural and enjoyable way. If you like you could enjoy an air safari: Andrew, our commercial pilot, will be happy to fly you over the Chyulu Hills or around Kilimanjaro.
What you can see - More than 50 species of mammals and almost 400 bird species inhabit the ranch. The most recent game count revealed an abundant local wildlife population: 312 giraffes, 289 buffaloes, 115 elephants, 37 lions, and 16 leopards. We also have hundreds and hundreds of gnus, zebras, waterbucks, Grant's gazelles, Thompson's gazelles, baboons, hartebeest, and impalas. A walk through the gentle hills near the camp will reward you with a view of mountain reedbuck, the graceful klipspringer. While exploring the riverbanks, you might catch a view of the shy lesser kudu or the rare gerenuk.
The camp is unique in that it shies away from mass tourism, instead focusing on a personalised and unique service for each of its 14 guests. Your private safari will be totally tailored to your requirements, and will either be on foot or in one of 7 Land Rovers. Some of the animals that you may come across on safari include lions, elephants, leopards and buffaloes, as well as many rare species such as the African wild dog, lesser kudu, and cheetahs.
Campi Ya Kanzi is run by Luca Belpietro and Antonella Bonomi, with help from 42 local Maasai employees who are all dedicated to making it the perfect safari destination. Conservation efforts have been so successful that black rhino have recently moved onto the ranch!
The camp/food - The camp is centred around Tembo House, which is constructed of local materials. Tembo House is an open plan dining/living room with a huge vista to many different views. Italian and Maasai décor are tastefully combined. The cook has been trained in the preparation of fine Italian cuisine, which is featured along with international and local dishes. All pasta, bread, biscuits and ice creams are homemade. Fresh vegetables are supplied daily from a small vegetable garden watered by recycled water. The garden is both biological and biodynamic. When to go - Campi Ya Kanzi is open all year. Temperatures are very comfortable year-round, with daytime highs around 90F/33C and night time lows around 60F/15C. The coolest month is July, with January and February being the warmest. During and just after the short rains of November and April/May, the area is particularly beautiful, everything is green and Kilimanjaro is covered with snow. During this period the elephant population is at its peak.
Price information A 5 nights /6 days safari with an excursion to Tsavo is £1525. Inclusive are road transfers in Nairobi, air transfers from/to Nairobi and the lodge, 5 full days activities, conservation fees and National Park fees, full board accommodation, drinks. Excluded are champagne, spirits, gratuities. Prices are for the 2006 season, based on normal season rate, and on two pax sharing. High season supplement applicable for Christmas period, at a gross rate of £35 per person per day. Therefore for Christmas add £170 per person on the price of the itinerary.
Activities
The advantage of being outside of National Parks consists in the total freedom to walk. An early morning walk with an armed Maasai tracker, looking for the cheetahs or the leopard that are found near the camp is an unforgettable experience. The most enjoyable safaris are a combination of easy walks and game drives, with totally open Land Rover. For the most active guests there are a huge variety of beautiful walks, from the Chyulu forest to the savannah plains, along rivers and through lava flows. Being out on foot in the African Wilderness with you professional guide and your Maasai tracker is a very special experience.
In terms of viewing wildlife, there are several advantages over a national park. Normally, in a national park, you must stay in your vehicle as is against park regulations to get out of the vehicle at any time. However, Campi Ya Kanzi is located in the Maasai-owned Kuku Group Ranch, so these laws do not apply and you can ride to within walking distance of the wildlife in our Land Rovers, then get out and approach the animals on foot. The Maasai are showing you their home and they are very proud of it. A visit to one of the local village with your Maasai tracker will introduce you to their cultural heritage in a very natural and enjoyable way. If you like you could enjoy an air safari: Andrew, our commercial pilot, will be happy to fly you over the Chyulu Hills or around Kilimanjaro. What you can see - More than 50 species of mammals and almost 400 bird species inhabit the ranch. The most recent game count revealed an abundant local wildlife population: 312 giraffes, 289 buffaloes, 115 elephants, 37 lions, and 16 leopards. We also have hundreds and hundreds of gnus, zebras, waterbucks, Grant's gazelles, Thompson's gazelles, baboons, hartebeest, and impalas. A walk through the gentle hills near the camp will reward you with a view of mountain reedbuck, the graceful klipspringer. While exploring the riverbanks, you might catch a view of the shy lesser kudu or the rare gerenuk.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart Nairobi aboard our Cessna 206 for a one-hour flight to the camp, which lies in a 400 square mile Group Ranch, owned by Maasai herdsmen. Bordering Tsavo West and Chyulu National Parks, just next to Amboseli National Park, this camp accommodates only a maximum of 14 guests and provides the most unique opportunity to experience the real African Wilderness. Stretching from the Chyulu Hills to the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain of Africa) the altitude of the ranch ranges from 3,000 feet to 6,900 feet. This variation and the vastness of the area assure an incredible biodiversity. Here you can enjoy most of the different environments of Kenya, and the wildlife that inhabits them, from mountain forest, to grasslands, to green river woodlands, to bush and the savannah. More than 60 different mammals and 400 bird species are found in the Ranch. Beside the big five (elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo) rare animals such as lesser Kudu, Gerenuk, Cheetah, Wild Dog inhabit the Ranch. Plain game is very rich and interesting antelopes such us the Klipspringer and the Mountain Reedbuck are found on the hills. The Fringed Ear Oryx and the Maasai Giraffe are very common, as well as zebra, wildebeest, impala, etc. After lunch guests may enjoy a one and a half hour game walk, or longer if so desired, to a very nice granite hill, Longido, for a sundowners. Drive back to the lodge, for a 5 course excellent Italian dinner. |
| Day 2: | After breakfast you may enjoy a game drive to the lake, where you could see hippo and crocodile. You will find a sumptuous bush picnic prepared under the shade of an acacia tree. This safari goes through several different landscapes: from the Chyulu Hills to the savannah, to the plains bush. You will see many different species of mammals and birds: from giraffe to zebra, from eland to hartebeest, from wildebeest to impala, from buffalo to elephant, with the chance to see lion, cheetah and leopard. Back at camp a drink next to the bush fire under the starry African sky will be the perfect ending of an unforgettable day. A candlelit dinner will make you feel in Italy with ravioli, roast meat or fresh lake fish, organic vegetables from our garden, home made ice cream or tiramisu` made by Antonella, together with her vineyard's wines. |
| Day 3: | Imagine starting your day with the aroma of fresh Kenya coffee or tea brought to your tent by your personal Maasai attendant, while you enjoy the privacy of your veranda overlooking majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. You could take a guided walk safari with local trackers to show you the rich flora and fauna of this undiscovered paradise, while you feel you are playing a great role in the conservation of this unique habitat. It will be up to you to decide what you will like most to do: options are forest walks in the Chyulu, with a picnic on the hills, or a river walk and lunch at the camp. One of the best options is an early morning game drive with bush breakfast near the spring: walking next to elephants is almost guaranteed. Game drive or walk in the afternoon. |
| Day 4: | Just before dusk tea and coffee will be ready for you at the Tembo House. You will leave for a game drive to Tsavo National Park, the biggest Park of Kenya (8,000 square mile). This is elephant country, you will explore the park and see many different game, such us lions, cheetah, hyena, wildebeest, etc. There is a Rhino Sanctuary, where with luck you could see this endangered animal. Mzima Spring is a great attraction: an underground river springs out of lava rock, in the middle of otherwise dry country. 1,000 gallons of water per second create an incredible lush scenery, loved by hippo and crocodile. For lunch you will have a picnic next to this fascinating spring; you will be back to the camp in the late afternoon, driving through the plains of our reserve. |
| Day 5: | Again very flexible on guests desires: an example of options is an early morning game walk and bush breakfast, with the possibility to visit a Maasai village or enjoy a game drive. Un unforgettable experience is the scenic flight of Kilimanjaro: at sunrise we take off to fly next to the highest mountain of the continent. We are a mile away from the snowy peaks, the pinkie light of sun rays give a charming colour to the glaciers. We fly for one hour and at after landing a champagne breakfast is the perfect celebration for once in a lifetime experience. After lunch at the an afternoon game walk or game drive, toward the Chyulu Hills, on a scenic panoramic road. Many elands, hartebeests and giraffes on the way. With luck we could see cats, and often in this game drive we see black serval cats. Sundowners on a cliff looking for the elephants will be a great farewell to a special paradise in Africa. |
| Day 6: | After breakfast you will fly to Nairobi with our aircraft. On arrival in Nairobi you will be met by a our driver and you can either have a day room at a Nairobi Hotel with afternoon shopping or be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your international flight. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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The is a community venture between its owners Luca and Antonella, and the local Maasi. The Maasai have participated in all stages, from buildings to the management and running of the camp. This symbiotic relationship between a lodge and the local community/environment is something that we believe ensures the highest standards both for the local area, and for guests.
 Campi Ya Kanzi is one of the most environmentally friendly camps in Africa, built with local materials only and without felling any local trees. Electricity is provided by solar power and water is heated with solar boilers. In the kitchen, meals are prepared using special eco-friendly charcoal produced by the UN Environment Project. Food scraps are composted for use in the vegetable garden. Water, the most precious resource, after use passes through lava filters to clean it completely before it goes into two ponds for the wildlife. Luca and Antonella have also founded the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, the main aim being to preserve the cultural and wildlife heritage of the Maasai. There is an adoption scheme of wildlife, a project for the local school and dispensary (6 teachers and one nurse are employed). The Trust also employs 16 game scouts to patrol and protect the wildlife. The Trust is funded by donations of clients and directly by Luca and Antonella. |
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. |