Community-based village homestays, Kenya
| country: | Kenya |
| departures: | 2008: 10 Aug, 24 Aug, 7 Sep, 21 Sep, 5 Oct, 19 Oct, 2 Nov, 23 Nov, 7 Dec, 28 Dec |
| price: | From US $600 (8 days) excluding flights. Price includes all transport to and from Nairobi, activities, all meals and accommodation. We can help arrange flights from the UK. |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Village homestays in Kenya: We offer community-based tours to rural villages in Kenya.
Through our village homestay in Kenya we supply you with a responsible tourism alternative to mass packaged holidays with travel ethos that co-operate with the local communities to improve their economy, and protect their local environments. These tours are also known as community-based village homestays or visits.
Your accommodation is provided by the host community in their homes or homesteads. In return the visitors are required to respect and absorb their culture as they provide some immediate economic and social benefits to these communities.
In summary, this programme creates a very unique experience of Kenya which is famous for ‘big-game safari holidays’. It enlightens the visitors’ perspective of day to day life in a rural village setting.
Through our village homestay in Kenya we supply you with a responsible tourism alternative to mass packaged holidays with travel ethos that co-operate with the local communities to improve their economy, and protect their local environments. These tours are also known as community-based village homestays or visits.
Your accommodation is provided by the host community in their homes or homesteads. In return the visitors are required to respect and absorb their culture as they provide some immediate economic and social benefits to these communities.
In summary, this programme creates a very unique experience of Kenya which is famous for ‘big-game safari holidays’. It enlightens the visitors’ perspective of day to day life in a rural village setting.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival into Kenya. Arrive in Nairobi and check-in into one of our Community Centres. We carry out a presentation of how your visit will be structured on a day to day basis. We also use that time to allocate your host family, discuss what to expect, codes of etiquette and also provide you with the option of leaving your valuables in a safe place which we make available. |
| Day 2: | Depart for the community-based village homestay. Depart Nairobi for the village homesteads, arriving at around lunchtime. After settling in your accommodation in your host family’s home, you are then invited to share a traditional meal. Each host family welcomes a maximum of four guests including a staff member (to assist with translation where necessary). During the evening there is a songs & games session to help ‘break the ice’ and blend in with your host family and the other villagers. |
| Day 3: | Introduction to the community. All the visitors gather together for after breakfast for a talks and discussions about history, culture and present-day status of the host community. In the afternoon there is a ‘cultural learning’ sessions where you are given the option to learn a specific element of the community’s culture e.g. handicrafts, medicine, language, songs & dance. The host families also use this session to display their handicrafts for sale. |
| Day 4: | A day in the village. Activities on this day are based around spending time with your host family helping them in their daily tasks. These vary from family to family however the most common activities you would participate in are:- harvesting grass for livestock, collecting firewood, tilling the land, sowing, fetching water, market shopping and milking the cows. |
| Day 5: | A project with the community. The community has identified with a joint project (utilising the proceeds from tourism) they sustain depending on their needs. Such projects could include: small construction projects (wall making bricks, borehole digging), handicrafts and weaving, environmental clean up etc. The rest of the day is spent visiting and participating in any tasks related to these projects. |
| Day 6: | Visiting the local area. We organise visits to the local hospitals and schools as well other landmarks that form a focal meeting point for the community such as the church or community centres. This provides an opportunity to understand how the village is connected with their wider environment and locality. Your hosts also take their guests on a local site-seeing trip for local areas of special interest; this varies from village to village. |
| Day 7: | Excursions. The day is spent visiting nearby National Parks viewing and appreciating the wildlife and scenery. Some of the parks include Lake Nakuru National Park famous for its flamingos, Aberdare National Forest Reserve known for its ‘big-five’ wild animals, Nairobi National Park etc. The National Park visited depends on your village location; this would be advised upon on your arrival in Kenya. Later in the day the host families organise an exchange ‘cultural evening’ which is also a time for the guests to thank the hosts. |
| Day 8: | Departure. Depart the homesteads and villages for a final shopping day, in Nairobi. |
travellers' tales
The host families helped us learn some of their language, customs, farming practices, crafts, cooking, and generally how to enjoy life without electricity! We didn't see another white person the whole week - wonderful!! I cannot recommend it highly enough. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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Through our village homestays in Kenya your visit will help encourage the villagers to support responsible ecotourism as a viable alternative to sustainability rather than focusing on the unsustainable practices of commercial farming. Your visit provides an important income which will reinforce and promote the long term conservation of their cultural identity and their nurturing environment.
The village community receive proper economic benefits from the tourism operation and are remunerated for their work in the operation. In addition they are trained in all the different areas related to socially and ecologically responsible tourism. Benefits for communities
 This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here. |
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. |