Masai Mara safari & beach holiday, Kenya. Helping Dreamers Do

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US $3475

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US $4074

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9 Days excluding flights

More info:Single traveler pays additional USD 640 Departure: January 1 - 31 March July 1 - 31 December Minimum: 2 persons Age limit: None

Tailor made

“Excitement and relaxation, bush and beach, game drives and walking safaris – this 10 day Kenya holiday is perfectly balanced. Enjoy gorgeous accommodation and the chance to visit local projects, too.”

Highlights

Description of Masai Mara safari & beach holiday, Kenya

Combine a classic Masai Mara safari with time relaxing on beautiful beaches on this 10 day adventure to Kenya. This carefully balanced holiday takes you from bush to beach, combining game drives in the Mara, a walking safari in the Mara Naboisho and community visits, with time relaxing on the beautiful white sand beaches of Diani.

The holiday begins in the Masai Mara, where game drives with experienced Masai naturalist guides bring you close to the wildlife and landscape. Early morning and evening game drives reveal the wildlife of the Masai Mara at its most active, with the chance to spot the Big Five before breakfast!

Whilst in the Masai Mara you'll also have the opportunity to visit the local town to meet the local Maasai people and visit community projects. Next, move on to Mara Naboisho Conservancy, a 50,000 acre conservancy leased directly from more than 500 Maasai families. Here, you’ll see thriving populations of lions, elephants, cheetah, leopards and 300 species of birds. You can also experience a walking safari – a unique way to explore the rare sights and sounds of the bush, which can be missed when in a vehicle.

Finish off your holiday with two full days relaxing in Diani, a popular beach on the southern coast of Kenya’s Indian Ocean. Enjoy some yoga here or simply relax on the beach, swimming and sunbathing. You’ll also enjoy a guided day trip to Wasini Island, travelling on Arabian-style dhow. Here you can reef snorkel, scuba dive and possibly swim with dolphins as well as dining on fresh fish and crab, caught by local fishermen and brought daily to the beach.

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.

01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com

Departure information

Departures can be tailor made from July through to March

Top tip:

Bring comfortable clothes, with a warm sweater for evenings, a wind and water proof jacket and hiking boots for the walking safari. Use a sturdy bag rather than a suitcase.

Trip type:

Tailor made

Activity level:

Leisurely, with 1 full day walking safari.

Accomm:

4 nights luxury eco camp, 2 nights tented eco camp, 3 nights beach resort.

Solos:

Solo travellers welcome, but additional US $800 payable.

Meals:

Full board on safari; breakfast and dinner at beach.

Included:

Accommodation, domestic flights and transfers, local guides, optional visits to community projects, listed activities, park and conservancy fees.

Holiday type:

Tailor made, minimum 2 people.

Vouchers

Accepted

Responsible tourism

Masai Mara safari & beach holiday, Kenya

Carbon reduction

Your holiday will help support local people and conservation. We must also reduce CO₂. Learn about the CO₂ emissions of this holiday and how to reduce them.

Environment

We are dedicated to preserving East Africa's rich biodiversity. If the great game reserves and national parks are to be maintained for future generations, it is vital that the local inhabitants are involved in wildlife and tourism management issues and that they share in the economic return from this kind of land-use.

Environmentally responsible tourism is vital to the fate of both the wildlife and the local cultures. We therefore work closely with the local Maasai regarding the development and operation of the camp, and a portion of the profits are ploughed back into the local community in the form of support for schools and tree-planting.

We have taken the initiative to cooperate with the environmental organisation Friends of Conservation. The camp is built and operated according to environmental principles. We aim to set an example for other tourist ventures, and inspire others to follow in our footsteps. We believe our environmental commitment will further enrich your experience. By choosing us as your destination you will be contributing towards the development of a long-term pact between humans and the unique nature of Maasai Mara.

Community

Over 95% of camp staff are from the local Maasai community, therefore, your holiday empowers and enriches the community within which we operate our camps. The local community receives income from tourism activities in the Mara Talek and Mara Naboisho Conservancies.

Fair-trade: we promote better trading options for a women’s group from the local Maasai community in developing and retailing exquisite beaded and leather merchandise. Purchase a 'product' from our gift shops and receive a personalized message from the woman who designed the merchandise.

We promote empowerment and awareness through scholarships in local schools and the Koiyaki Guiding School (the only guiding school in Mara). Our long history of close co-operation with the Maasai community distinguishes us from other tourism operators in Masai Mara.

Our mutual bond climaxed in 2010 when we successfully established the community-owned nature conservancy (Naboisho Conservancy), named after the Maa expression of ‘coming together’, chosen by the Maasai to epitomize how the Maasai community came together to face the alarming issue of decreasing land. By establishing a community-owned nature conservancy, we provided the Maasai with an alternative to selling their land to outsiders and helped protect vital wildlife territory.

We are establishing the Enjolaata Centre in the midst of Basecamp Explorer’s birthplace – Basecamp Masai Mara in Talek. The Enjoolata Center is an education and entertainment centre which aims to inspire the Maasai community to come together to make a difference through awareness creation.