| country: | Kenya |
| location: | Masai Mara |
| departures: | 2008: 7 Dec |
| price: | From US $1000 - US $2150 (7 days) excluding flights, depending on group size. This trip can also be tailormade throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Kenya is a wildlife rich destination. Visiting it without paying a visit to the great Masai Mara for wildlife is like missing the point of your trip. It is home to thousands of migrating wildebeest during mid September. Lake Naivasha for birdlife and Lake Nakuru the world biosphere reserve are other important areas anyone visiting Kenya should consider touring.
General: Accommodations are not luxurious but comfortable and safe. Food is fresh and prepared with good standards of hygiene.
Prices include land transport, accommodations, food (including dietary requirements), local guide services and park & camp site fees. However, not included are flights, insurance, mineral water and alcoholic drinks, personal effects including sleeping bags, special services requested and tips.
Group sizes vary from 1 to 12 people, with prices changing accordingly. Trips should normally be booked at least 30 days before departure date but we may be able to make arrangements with as little as 2 weeks notice.
General: Accommodations are not luxurious but comfortable and safe. Food is fresh and prepared with good standards of hygiene.
Prices include land transport, accommodations, food (including dietary requirements), local guide services and park & camp site fees. However, not included are flights, insurance, mineral water and alcoholic drinks, personal effects including sleeping bags, special services requested and tips.
Group sizes vary from 1 to 12 people, with prices changing accordingly. Trips should normally be booked at least 30 days before departure date but we may be able to make arrangements with as little as 2 weeks notice.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Drive through the Great Rift Valley for a picturesque view. Proceed through masai land scattered with masai herding their cattle, with possibilities of spotting wild game amongst the livestock. Visit a masai market followed by a visit to a masai village and have opportunity to interact with the villagers. Later overnight under star-lit in a bush camp – we often see lots of wildlife at the comfort of your camp. |
| Day 2: | Walk with the masai through the savannah where you get closer to wild game on foot, a rare and exciting opportunity. Later meet the car and depart for Masai Mara, the soft rolling plains characterized by patches of bushes, and wild animals that seem to overpopulate the area. Major animals to be seen are lions, cheetah, leopards, elephants and rhinos among numerous plain antelopes and birds. Enjoy traversing the soft stretching Great Rift Valley onwards to Masai Mara. Arrive in the afternoon for game drive. Overnight in a camp. |
| Day 3: | Full day game viewing in search of the Masai Mara main attractions. Lunch is in one of the strategic points at Hippo pool where you watch hippos and crocs basking in the sun - a soothing and relaxing way to enjoy your lunch. During the dazzling heat of the day when animals' activity is low you go to one of the lodge for a swim or a drink (at extra cost). Later continue with game drive en route to the camp. |
| Day 4: | Depart to the rural setting of Mulot. It is inhabited by the highland Nilotes, Kalenjin speakers and famous athletes, who are also serious farmers. On arrival, tour the area, interact with the locals and check in tents nestled in a Kalenjin homestead to sample some of village, or opt for home-stay in one of the local homes at no extra cost. Optional hike to Ingulot hill for a panoramic view of the entire area or a visit to a Kalenjin home-state to sample some of their lifestyle. Alternatively relax, have a swim go fishing in the Mara river. |
| Day 5: | Visit an athletic club which is promoting youth talents and if time permits, a water project or nearby school. Later travel to Lake Naivasha, a fresh water lake where rose flowers for export and grown. Arrive to relax in a banda for the night on the shore of the lake. Here are opportunities to see hippos and lots of bird life. |
| Day 6: | Visit Lake Nakuru, a world heritage site, home to millions of flamingos and a sanctuary to the endangered rhinos. But before, we take a boat ride in the lake for bird-watching and hippos sighting. Lake Nakuru offer chances to see lions, leopards and other wildlife, with a picnic up a view point enabling you have entire lake to your photo lens. It is amazing view of flamingos blanketing the lake feeding on blue green algae, the substance responsible for the pink colour of the flamingo. Later return to the banda/ guest house or camp. |
| Day 7: | Explore the lake the lake for more wildlife before leaving for Nairobi to arrive in the afternoon. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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The tenet of responsible tourism is the theme of our trip. We respect the striking difference in cultures and customs, which is important to our co-existence with the communities we visit. We do not regard them as photo opportunities, but rather unique and different in their own rights. This has earned us not only their trust but also helped to build a cordial relationship necessary for the conservation of these delicate cultures and lifestyles. It also goes hand in hand with our approach to environmental conservation matters.
We dispose off our wastes wisely and use biodegradable and recyclable materials so as to check on waste menace. Our field staff and the host communities benefit from the trip. We use services of our professional drivers, cooks, guides and local or host guides who offer valuable knowledge about the area’s rich cultures, wildlife and scenery. Local guards are also incorporated to our team from every place we camp - not because of insecurity, but in order for a good number of local people being part and parcel of our undertakings. This helps us spread the multiplier effect of tourism to relatively larger population in these areas far off from the main tourist circuit. We emphasis this because quite often it is skewed as most unscrupulous operators take it all - this is a pity especially for the host communities who are the custodians of the resources being utilised. Our other underlying factor, as we visit different communities to sample the amazing lifestyles, wildlife and scenery, is to use local produce throughout our trip. We do also encourage our clients to buy indigenous souvenirs, gifts and artefacts from the village people who make them. We strongly discourage buying the same from tourist shops where they are over priced and the local people do not get direct benefits. We camp at community campsites where our benefit trickle down directly to the local people in addition to our contribution towards local schools; Narasha primary in the heart of Masai land and Kutete primary in a Kalenjin community, both far from the main tourist destinations. Your visit will also assist the following community projects; Amalo River Water Users Association (it promotes adequate use of Mara river waters and conservation of Mau Complex which is a water catchment in the area) and Mulot Combine Football Club, a youth welfare club promoting sports for the youths. The other community project is a public library at Mulot location, Kutete primary school, which is our own initiative geared towards uplifting the level of literacy in the region. Since it is off the traditional tourist map, unlike other regions, this gesture is a rare opportunity to come by. We do encourage our clients to chip in by donating used books, used computers and any teaching aid, which will go a long way in alleviating illiteracy in this region. Our contact person, Philiph Koech, born and resides here and organises both our local visits and home-stays where you experience the untapped Kalenjin life. |
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. |












We camp at community campsites where our benefit trickle down directly to the local people in addition to our contribution towards local schools; Narasha primary in the heart of Masai land and Kutete primary in a Kalenjin community, both far from the main tourist destinations.