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Mobile Camping
Safaris in Kenya.
A mobile camping safari staying in small private mobile
camps is one of the best ways to experience Kenya's natural
attractions. The safari has been designed to include a
variety of habitat so that the widest diversity of wildlife
can be seen. The camps are sited in private conservancies so
that walking and night drives may be taken but are also
conveniently located for easy access to Amboseli and Nakuru
national parks and the Maasai Mara.
• Transport is by four-wheel-drive Toyota Landcruiser with
roof hatches. Your driver-guide is a wildlife and nature
expert and member of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides
Association.
• Equipment is carried in a trailer behind the vehicle. When
in camp the trailer is removed and game drives are done in
the vehicle.
• Tents are heavy-duty canvas dome tents for 2 persons.
Clients bring their own sleeping bag and a towel, but all
other camp furniture and equipment, including a high density
sleeping mattress, is provided.
• Camps are set up on our own exclusive camp sites.
• At each camp site we have staff who do the work like
washing up, heating water for showers, doing the cooking and
serving the food, but clients also help put up and take down
their tents.
• Our experienced safari cook travels with the safari. Food
is of the same quality as in a luxury camp and is included
in the price, (not bought through a 'kitty' like some other
camping safaris).
• Drinks other than mineral water are not included, but a
stop is made en route to each camp to enable you to buy
wine, beer or soft drinks as required.
Days 1 and 2: Selenkay & Amboseli (camp in Selenkay
Conservancy for 2 nights).
Days 3 & 4: Kigio & Lake Nakuru national park (camp
in Kigio Conservancy for 2 nights).
Days 5 & 6: Maasai Mara game reserve (camp in Siana
Wildlife Conservancy for 2 nights).
Selenkay Conservation Area and Amboseli National Park
The Selenkay Conservation Area lies in the heart of
Maasailand a few miles north of Amboseli National Park. It
is an important dispersal area and rangeland for wildlife in
the Amboseli eco-system. The local Maasai community has set
aside the area for a reserve for wildlife so that the
habitat can be protected and wildlife conserved. The
community is receiving an income from leasing the area for
ecotourism and also receives an entry fee for each tourist
visitor. All roads have been constructed using local labour
so that the members of the community gain employment from
the Conservation Area. In addition to the road maintenance
team, Game Scouts have been employed to carry out patrols to
see that the wildlife is protected.
Selenkay Conservation Area is well off the beaten track and
has not been visited by tourists until recently. The animals
are truly wild and not fully habituated to the presence of
vehicles, so their behaviour is more natural than in parks
where they are accustomed to many visitors. The numbers of
tourist visitors are being limited to under thirty per day
to retain the wild and unspoilt nature of the area, and to
minimise the impact on the environment. Visitors on our
camping safari are unlikely to see any other tourist
vehicles in the Conservation Area and will have the
opportunity to walk with Maasai trackers and to take a night
drive to see the nocturnal animals. Within the conservation
area there is a greater diversity of species than in
Amboseli itself, and the following animals have been seen
recently: elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, Thompson's and
Grant's gazelles, gerenuk, impala, eland, oryx, lesser kudu,
zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, warthog, striped hyena, jackal,
bat-eared fox, caracal, African wild cat, serval cat, genet
cat, honey badger, aardvark, porcupine, zorilla, mongoose,
bushbaby and ostrich. Birdlife is prolific, especially birds
of prey.
Selenkay is linked to Amboseli National Park by a track
through the bush so that we have the opportunity to spend
some time in the park. Amboseli National Park, at the foot
of Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, is one of Kenya's
most popular national parks. It lies 150 miles south-east of
Nairobi very close to the Tanzania border. The snow-capped
peak of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds dominates
every aspect of Amboseli. Established as a national park in
1974 it covers 150sq miles and supports a wide range of
mammals (well over 50 of the larger species), and birds
(over 400 species). Years ago this was the locale around
which such famous writers as Ernest Hemingway and Robert
Ruark spun their stories of big game hunting in the wilds of
Africa. The park encompasses dry lake beds, savannah
woodland and extensive swamps constantly fed by springs that
emanate from the mountain. The water and seasonal lakes
attract a wide variety of bird and animal life, in
particular herds of elephant. Amboseli is one of the best
parks in Africa to observe family groups of elephants and
large bull elephants at close quarters.
Kigio Wildlife Conservancy and Lake Nakuru national park.
Kigio is located beside the Malewa River on 3,500 acres,
about thirty miles south of Lake Nakuru. The expansive
private conservancy area offers the opportunity to walk
safely amongst wildlife. Learn how to identify animal spoor,
and about the traditional use by the local people of
medicinal properties of the many plant species in the
conservancy. In addition to plains game like zebra, giraffe
and antelopes, birdlife abounds and a walk along the river
gives the opportunity to see hippo and maybe even a python!
Lake Nakuru national park is a shallow alkaline lake, lies
about 30 miles north of Kigio on a tarmac road. The lake is
world famous as the location of the greatest bird spectacle
on earth, myriads of lesser flamingo - whose numbers are
legion, often more than a million - and which literally turn
its shores pink. They feed on the abundant algae which
thrive in the warm waters. But flamingos are not the only
avian attraction, as the lake environs are rich in other
birdlife. There are over 400 resident species on the lake
and in the surrounding park. Large numbers of pelicans
concentrate by the fresh-water streams that flow into the
lake, and thousands of other birds may be seen including
African fish eagles, white-winged black terns, stilts,
avocets, ducks and in the European winter, the migrant
waders.
The national park surrounds the lake, offering a wide
ecological diversity, from lakeshore, woodland, grassy
plains to rocky escarpments and ridges. It now has one of
the largest concentrations of rhinoceros in the country
(both black rhino and white rhino), so the chances of
spotting these are very good. There are also a number of
Rothschild's giraffe, translocated for safety from western
Kenya. Waterbuck, zebra and Cape buffalo are very common.
Lion are present in the park and, like the lions of Lake
Manyara in Tanzania, are quite often seen in the acacia
trees. Leopard are also frequently sighted and Lake Nakuru
National Park is one of the places where visitors have the
best chance of seeing these elusive big cats. The bushlands
offer eland, warthog, impala, mountain reedbuck and dik dik,
whilst rock hyrax and klipspringer occupy the cliffs and
escarpment.
Siana Wildlife Conservancy and Maasai Mara
The conservancy is a vast wilderness area owned by the local
Maasai people and stretching alongside the Mara Reserve.
This is prime wildlife country. From our private campsite we
explore the surrounding savannah plains to seek out the huge
variety of wildlife species for which the Mara is famous, in
particular the large population of lions. Considered by many
to be Kenya's finest wildlife area, the 650sq miles of the
Maasai Mara adjoin Tanzania's well known Serengeti, forming
one eco-system. The open rolling savannah grassland of the
Mara is the home of numerous animals including elephant,
rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, jackal, buffalo,
eland, topi, impala, gazelle, warthog and zebra. From June
to September, the annual wildebeest migration takes place
when thousands of these animals sweep across the plains and
seek out new grazing areas.
Selenkay, Amboseli, Kigio lake Nakuru and Siana/Maasai
Mara. - Ref GT 052
Duration: 6 nights / 7 days
Itinerary:
Day 1: Meet and transfer to your safari vehicle to be
driven from Nairobi to Selenkay Conservation Area (102
miles, 3 hours), arriving for a late lunch after setting up
camp. Evening game drive to explore the Conservation Area.
Dinner and overnight in the camp at Selenkay.
Day 2: Early breakfast and then drive through the
bush into Amboseli National Park for good views of
Kilimanjaro and close-up observation of elephants, as well
as many other species. Return to Selenkay for lunch.
Afternoon walk with Maasai trackers. Dinner followed by a
night drive to seek out the nocturnal animals. Overnight in
the camp at Selenkay.
Day 3: Morning drive back to Nairobi and on to Kigio
Conservancy (165 miles), with a picnic lunch en route. Set
up camp and then take an evening walk in the Kigio
Conservancy. Dinner and overnight in the camp at Kigio.
Day 4: Early morning departure after a continental
breakfast for a full day in Lake Nakuru National Park, with
a picnic lunch. In addition to the spectacle of the masses
of flamingo we expect to see rhino in addition to many other
species and have an excellent chance of sighting leopard.
Return to camp in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: After breakfast, pack up camp and drive to
Siana Springs Group Ranch in the Masai Mara (140miles) to
set up camp. After lunch take an afternoon drive into the
surrounding area to see some of the wildlife for which the
Mara is famous. Return to the camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: An early breakfast followed by a full morning
in the Mara, taking a picnic lunch. Return to the camp for
dinner and overnight.
Day 7: A final early morning game drive before
breakfast, then pack up camp and return to Nairobi (180
miles, 4 hours), arriving about 13.00.
Prices:
Prices shown are all PER PERSON in a twin tent. For single
occupancy of a tent a single room supplement (SRS) is added
to the per person price.
Prices include transport in 4x4, accommodation in two-person
tent, all meals, mineral water, all park fees, game drives
and activities.
Not included: Medical insurance (it is compulsory
that you have your own medical and accident insurance & we
can arrange this – more on insurance. Bring your own
sleeping bag and towel.
Cost is US$ 1,439 Per person sharing.
AMBOSELI PORINI CAMPING. Ref GT 053
Duration: 2 nights / 3 days
Daily departures from Nairobi every morning to stay 2 nights
at Amboseli Porini Camp in the Selenkay Conservancy, near
Amboseli National Park. Activities include game drives (in 4
wheel drive open-sided land rover) both within the Selenkay
Conservancy and in nearby Amboseli National Park, walks with
Maasai trackers, sundowners and a night game drive.
Day 1
Depart Nairobi and drive south to Selenkay Conservation Area
(a 3 hour journey of 102 miles), arriving at Porini Camp
before lunch. Following afternoon tea, you will be escorted
on a walk by Maasai warriors to a village to get an insight
into their fascinating culture and way of life. Return to
camp for a shower, dinner and overnight.
Day 2
Awake to the noisy calls of the birds. After an early
breakfast, we drive through the bush on our private track
into Amboseli National Park, for a full morning of game
viewing. Following a picnic lunch in the park, we return to
Porini Camp later in the afternoon. In the evening you will
go on a game drive in Selenkay Conservancy, stopping for a
sundowner at a scenic viewpoint, followed by a night game
drive to look for nocturnal animals such as aardvarks,
serval cats, caracals, bat-eared foxes, African wild cats,
and other species. Return to camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 3 Early morning game drive in the Conservancy followed
by breakfast. Then depart on the transfer back to Nairobi,
arriving around 1 pm.
Locations visited: AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK & SELENKAY
CONSERVANCY
Cost is US$ 775 Per person sharing
PRICES INCLUDE Nairobi-Porini Camp return road
transfers, Amboseli park fees and Conservation fees, all
game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, full board and free house
wines, beer and soft drinks
*In the event of heavy rainfall causing flooding of roads
preventing access to the Porini Camps or to the parks, we
may be obliged to amend the safari arrangements to offer a
suitable alternative safari.
Private Porini camp and Masai mara. Ref: GT 054
Duration: 5 nights / 6 days
This 5 night recommended Safari combines two properties that
complement each other perfectly - Porini Camp in the
'private' Selenkay Conservancy and Porini Camp in the
private Ol Kinyei conservancy, part of the famous Maasai
Mara ecosystem.
Both Safari camps are small and exclusive and run on the
same principles - working closely with the local
communities.
Day 1
Depart Nairobi and drive south to the Selenkay Conservancy
(a 3 hour journey of 102 miles), arriving at Porini Camp
before lunch. Afternoon tea, then a game drive to explore
the Conservancy ending with a sundowner on Olosinkiran Hill.
Return to the camp for dinner and overnight
Day 2
After an early breakfast, drive to Amboseli National Park
for a morning game drive within the Park, followed by a
picnic lunch. In the afternoon you will return to Porini
Camp for a rest, and then take an escorted walk with Maasai
warriors to a village to get an insight into their
fascinating culture and way of life. Return to Porini Camp
for dinner, after which there will be a night game drive
using a spotlight to seek out some of the nocturnal animals
such as aardvarks (antbears), serval cats, bat-eared foxes
and possibly even the elusive leopard. Overnight Porini
Camp.
Day 3
Brief early morning game drive followed by breakfast, then
return by road to Nairobi for lunch at the Carnivore
restaurant. Transfer to Wilson Airport for flight by light
aircraft to the Maasai Mara, where you will be welcomed by
Mara Porini Camp staff. Onwards to camp for afternoon game
drive in 4x4 vehicle. Dinner and overnight at Mara Porini
Camp.
Day 4
A full day in the Maasai Mara with game drives in 4x4
vehicles. Overnight and full board accommodation at Mara
Porini Camp.
Day 5
Game drives in 4x4 vehicles within the game rich Mara
ecosystem followed by a sundowner. Overnight and full board
accommodation at Porini Camp.
Day 6
Early morning game drive, breakfast and then transfer
mid-morning to the airstrip and flight back to Nairobi.
Locations visited: AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK, SELENKAY
CONSERVANCY AREA & MAASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK
Cost is US$ 1,600 Per person sharing.
PRICES INCLUDE transfers to Amboseli Porini Camp,
Amboseli park fees and conservancy fees. Transfer back to
Nairobi for lunch at
Carnivore Restaurant ,then to Wilson Airport for flight to
Maasai Mara. Transfer to Mara Porini Camp or similar for 3
nights,
Ol Kinyei conservancy fees and Mara park fees. All game
drives in open 4x4 vehicles, full board and free house
wines, beer and soft drinks |
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