The Maasai people are a large pastoral community living along the Great Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania. While their exact origins are unknown, Maasai are strongly independent people who still value tradition and ritual as an integral part of their day to day live. They regard themselves not just as residents of the area but that they are as much a part of the life of the land as the land is part of their lives. Traditionally, the Maasai rarely hunt and living alongside wildlife in harmony is an important part of their beliefs. Lions and Wildebeest play an important a role in their cultural beliefs as their own herds of cattle.
This unique co-existence of man and wildlife makes this Maasai land one of the world’s most unique wilderness regions. At the heart of the
Maasai Mara Game Reserve,
it’s widely considered to be Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve. The Mara comprises 200 sq miles of open plains, riverine forest, and woodlands. Contiguous with the plains of the Serengeti (Serengeti National Park), Maasai Mara is home to a breathtaking array of life. The vast grassland plains are scattered with herds of Zebra, Giraffe, Gazelle, and Topi. The Acacia forests abound with Birdlife and Monkeys, Elephants and Buffalo.
The Mara and Talek rivers are ever brimming with Hippos and Crocodiles. Each year the Mara plays host to the world’s greatest natural spectacle, the Great Wildebeest Migration from Serengeti National Park, starting from July to October, the promise of rain and fresh life giving grass in the north brings more than 1.3 million Wildebeest together into a single massive herd. They pour across the border into the Mara, making a spectacular entrance in a rising and falling column of life that stretches from horizon to horizon.
At the Mara River they mass together on the banks before finally plunging forward through the raging waters, creating passion as they fight against swift currents and waiting crocodiles. The wildebeest bring new life to the Mara, not just through their cycle of regeneration of the grasslands, but for the predators that follow the herds. Maasai Mara has been called the Kingdom of Lions and these regal and powerful hunters dominate these grasslands. Cheetahs are also a common sight in the Mara, as are Hyena and smaller predators such as Jackals.
Maasai Mara is an awesome natural wonder, a place where Maasai warriors share the plains with hunting lions, a place of mighty herds and timeless cycles of life, death, and regeneration. Mara is probably the best serviced of all Kenyan Parks and Reserves with a wide range of Accommodation for any budget. The Reserve is a popular attraction, the reserve is ideal for game drives, and some lodges and camps offer good accommodation walks and balloon safaris.
Is a ‘designer’ lodge located 7km north of Samburu National Reserve,
in Kenya’s wild northern part which is surrounded by 95,000 hectares of private wildlife conservancy, and perched on top of a spectacular viewpoint, its four houses and large swimming pool overlook several waterholes where the famous Samburu elephant, leopard, reticulated giraffe, Oryx, and Grevy’s zebra gather to drink.
The vastness and purity of this African landscape, combined with the untouched local culture, make your safari to Samburu a unique experience. The traditions and semi-nomadic heritage of the local Samburu people are an important part of the experience led by professional Samburu guides; guests to Saruni enjoy a new dimension of this rightfully popular region: the feeling of individuality, of having an incredibly large area totally to their own, and a high level of comfort and tailor-made service. Saruni Samburu has its own private airstrip near the Kalama Wildlife Conservancy headquarters, but it is also easily served by the other airstrips of the area where scheduled flights land.
ACCOMMODATION
Samburu Saruni Camp consists of 4 open-faced houses (accommodating 12 guests or more if triples needed) all of which have their own seating areas, multiple verandahs and private dining areas (2 of the houses are large family villas with two separate en-suite bedrooms and dressing rooms).
Saruni Family House
Saruni Samburu also offers a large swimming pool with dramatic views over Samburu, an area for massage and beauty treatments called Samburu Wellbeing Space, and several other are unique areas to use as hide-ways or view point to the waterholes that attract elephant, reticulated giraffe, zebra, Oryx and all the species that make Samburu Saruni so special.
WILDLIFE
Elephant, reticulated giraffe, grevy’s zebra, Oryx, leopards, ostrich’s, greater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, hyenas among other species.
ACTIVITIES
In addition to game drives to Samburu National reserve, Buffalo Springs National Reserve and West Gate Conservancy, activities will include night and morning game drive in Kalama Conservancy, rock climbing, professionally-led game walks, bush dinners, and star gazing.
The traditions and semi-nomadic heritage of the local Samburu people are also an important part of the experience. Led by professional Samburu guides, guests enjoy a new dimension of this rightfully popular region: the feeling of exclusivity, of having an incredibly large area to yourself, and a high level of comfort and tailor-made service.
The Menengai Crater
Menengai Crater is located in the Great Rift Valley-Kenya in East-Africa, Menengai Crater is an extinct volcano with striking views of Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria. The crater itself is one of the largest calderas of the world and the largest in Kenya; it is an extinct volcano of the Central Rift Valley (it has been volcanically active until relatively recently as fresh lava flow could be observed in 1991). The crater, covers an area of 90 sq. km, is 12 km in diameter and 485 m deep, standing on the rim of the crater the view extends a panorama of the northern Rift Valley and the many mounts such as the Aberdares Ranges, Mau hills, the Elgeyo-Marakwet escarpment, the Matthews range, and the Cherengani. These are one of the most splendid and most excellent scenery in Kenya. It is a legend that the Menengai Crater is home to many demons and ghosts and so the crater is referred to by the kikuyu of central Kenya as Kirima Kia Ngoma, “the mountain of devils”. The Awesome sounds and sights of Menengai Crater is most frightening which makes the crater most mysterious.
These unexplained mysteries could have been contributed to the legend by the many folklore and songs on the topic have not enlightened the communities living around the mysterious Menengai Crater At the summit of the crater which is easily accessible by car, there is a signpost dressed by Rotary Club of Nakuru showing the directions and distances to several towns in the that including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Cape Town, London, Cairo and Mecca.
As expected, from the rim of the crater, the view extending a panorama of the northern Rift Valley and a dozen hills that offers the finest hill scenery in Kenya. The site offers excellent hiking opportunity, scenic site, hot springs, geysers, mud pots among others. Since the 19th C, it has been the scene for battles between different Maasai clans for the pastures at Naivasha and the Rift slopes.
Hobbies & Activities :
Hiking opportunity; Natural area; Scenic site or route; Volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, mud pots
ACCOMMODATION
Maili Saba
Maili Saba Camp is a sanctuary of tranquility away on the edge of the magnificent, dormant Menengai Crater. At Maili Saba there is a, relaxing site, secure environment to suit every guest’s need and comfort ability in the camp. Maili Saba is the ideal place. Whether you visit on your way to the Northern/Western frontier or you go for a weekend out; you will leave refreshed and inspired by nature.
Location: Maili Saba Camp is situated just 20 minutes from Nakuru National Park.
Cuisine:
At the lodge you will experience gourmet food style. The lodge also has a fully stocked bar.
Activities and General Facilities Maili Saba Camp
- Swimming pool
- Constant power supply
- Guided nature walks
- 20 minutes drive to the gate of Lake Nakuru National Park
- Nature walks down the Menengai Crater, ballooning safaris and game drives can be organized from the camp
- Uninterrupted view of the magnificent Menengai Crater from the bandas
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Saruni Samburu Camo is a ‘designer’ lodge located 7km north of Samburu National Reserve, and abour 350 km away from Nairobi, it is located in the Kenya’s wild northern part which is surrounded by 95,000 hectares of private wildlife conservancy, and perched on top of a spectacular viewpoint, its four houses and large swimming pool overlook several waterholes where the famous Samburu elephant, leopard, reticulated giraffe, Oryx, and Grevy’s zebra gather to drink.
The vastness and purity of this African landscape, combined with the untouched local culture, make your safari to Samburu a unique experience. The traditions and semi-nomadic heritage of the local Samburu people are an important part of the experience led by professional Samburu guides; guests to Saruni enjoy a new dimension of this rightfully popular region: the feeling of individuality, of having an incredibly large area totally to their own, and a high level of comfort and tailor-made service. Saruni Samburu has its own private airstrip near the Kalama Wildlife Conservancy headquarters, but it is also easily served by the other airstrips of the area where scheduled flights land.
ACCOMMODATION
Samburu Saruni Camp consists of 4 open-faced houses (accommodating 12 guests or more if triples needed) all of which have their own seating areas, multiple verandahs and private dining areas (2 of the houses are large family villas with two separate en-suite bedrooms and dressing rooms).Saruni Samburu also offers a large swimming pool with dramatic views over Samburu, an area for massage and beauty treatments called Samburu Wellbeing Space, and several other are unique areas to use as hide-ways or view point to the waterholes that attract elephant, reticulated giraffe, zebra, Oryx and all the species that make Samburu Saruni so special.
WILDLIFE
Elephant, reticulated giraffe, grevy’s zebra, Oryx, leopards, ostrich’s, greater and lesser kudu, gerenuk, hyenas among other species.
ACTIVITIES
In addition to game drives to Samburu National reserve, Buffalo Springs National Reserve and West Gate Conservancy, activities will include night and morning game drive in Kalama Conservancy, rock climbing, professionally-led game walks, bush dinners, and star gazing.
The traditions and semi-nomadic heritage of the local Samburu people are also an important part of the experience. Led by professional Samburu guides, guests enjoy a new dimension of this rightfully popular region: the feeling of exclusivity, of having an incredibly large area to yourself, and a high level of comfort and tailor-made service.
Elephants in Ol Pajeta
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a leading “not-for-profit” wildlife conservancy in the Laikipia District of Kenya and the largest sanctuary for black rhinos in East Africa.
Mission statement: “The Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes and to generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises for re-investment in conservation and community development. Working closely with the Government of Kenya, our conservation activities are carried out to the highest international standards.”
The revenue generating enterprises include world-class wildlife tourism and a fully integrated livestock production system. All surplus internally generated revenues are used in conjunction with donor funds to support an extensive community outreach programs and to sustain conservation initiatives beyond Ol Pajeta boundaries.
In summary, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy aims to grow as a monetarily self-sustaining and innovative model that achieves conservation in a manner that produces substantial social benefits at both at the local and national level.
Conservancy Work
Working at a landscape level, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy aims to secure habitat for the purposes of wildlife conservation. In particular Ol Pejeta works to conserve the highly endangered black rhino and is now the Largest Black Rhino Sanctuary in East Africa. As an integral part of the Laikipia/Samburu ecosystem, Ol Pejeta is home to the “Big Five” and carries one of the highest wildlife densities in Kenya.
Ol Pajeta Morani
Community Development
Through business enterprises and with the help of willing donors (both large and small) the Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to develop the funding necessary to pay for our wildlife conservation work, and to provide financial assistance to projects that assist the people living within the neighboring communities.
By the end of 2007, Ol Pejeta Conservancy had raised and dispersed over 1 million US$ in support of its community development programs. The conservancy works with the local government and elected community representatives across the district to identify projects that qualify for assistance from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
All deserving projects supported are assessed on a case by case basis, and must represent some form of contribution to the community. The community development efforts intend to concentrate on the following core areas: health, education, water, roads, provision of agriculture and livestock extension services and the development of community-based conservation tourism ventures.
Based on regular socio-economic surveys, the conservancy aims to provide the necessary support required to address real needs and to make a real difference to the lives of the people who live nearby. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy welcomes support from willing donors to assist in the following areas: Education, Health, Water, Roads, Agriculture and Livestock Extension, Community-Based Tourism among others.
Chimpanzee in Olpajeta
Safari on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy
The ultimate Kenyan holiday experience!
Situated between the foot hills of the Aberdares and the magnificent snow-capped Mount Kenya, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy boasts an amazing variety of wildlife including all the “Big Five” (the endangered black and white rhino , leopard, elephant, buffalo and lion) as well a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, the only one in Kenya.
While visiting the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, you will be accommodated in one of the five luxurious properties:
SWEETWATERS TENTED CAMP
Offers the finest quality tented accommodation, overlooking a large watering hole backed by a spectacular view of Mount Kenya.
Activities of Interest • Bird walks • Morani and the visitor’s centre • Chimpanzee sanctuary and information centre • Camel rides • Day game drives • Night game drives • Walking safaris • The ereri multi-cultural manyatta • Rhino patrols
Find out more
OL PEJETA HOUSE
Offers large luxurious rooms, a stunning garden with watering hole, and two swimming pools .
Activities and Facilities: Day & Night Game drives, Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Visits to Morani Information Centre, Safari sundowners, Bush luncheons and dinners, Nature walks in the company of our resident naturalist, Bird watching, Camel rides, Lion tracking and Beauty treatments
Find out more
OL PEJETA BUSH CAMP
Situated on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River this small bush camp will offer guests the opportunity for interactive conservation safaris.
Activities Available: • Day and night game drives • Guided bush walks • Meet Ol Pejeta Researchers and learn about wildlife data and monitoring • Monitor Elephant, Rhino and other wildlife with resident rangers and researchers • Use radio-tracking equipment, e.g. to find the resident cheetah ‘Toki’ (featured in BBC documentary ‘Toki’s Tale’) Track lion with the Ol Pejeta predator-monitoring ranger • Track Rhino (by special request only, max 2 guests per patrol) • Visit ‘Baraka’(a blind black rhino), observing him at close range at the rhino/wildlife treatment centre • Take part in training walks with the Ol Pejeta tracker bloodhounds • Learn about the special techniques of ‘conservation agriculture’ practiced on the ranch • Learn about Boran and Ankole cattle pastoral care, and pioneering integration techniques with wildlife • Watch wildlife from a hide overlooking a waterhole, or even spend an exciting night there (with dinner, drinks, bedding, and night-vision monoculars). • Visit a local primary school or medical clinic supported by Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Find out more
PORINI RHINO CAMP
Hidden in a secluded valley and set amongst shady acacia trees on the banks of a seasonal river, the camp consists of six spacious guest tents, each comfortably furnished with en suite bathrooms.
Activities and Facilities Available: • Large Safari tents with a double and single bed, solar electric lights, en suite bathrooms with flush toilets and safari shower. • All meals and picnic lunches, free mineral water, sodas, gin & tonic, beer and house wine. • Custom built 4×4 safari vehicles for game drives. • Expert driver-guides. Morning, evening and night game drives in Ol Pejeta Conservancy. • Escorted walk with Maasai guides. • Sundowner drinks to watch the sunset from scenic viewing points. • Transfers from Nanyuki airstrip to Porini Rhino Camp.
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KICHECHE CAMP
The Laikipia Camp is a small luxurious tented camp, nestled at the foot of indigenous forest overlooking a waterhole. Its twelve guests will be hosted by the inimitable Andy and Sonja Webb.
Access and convinience
In Kenya today, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy is the closest place from Nairobi to see the Big Five – Approximately 3 hours scenic drive by road from Nairobi.
What are the Big Five?
The term Big Five was originally used by big-game hunters and refers to the five large mammals that were sought in Africa. The members of the big five were chosen not so much for their size but more because they were notoriously difficult to hunt (which is why the leopard is on the list and the enormous hippopotamus is not). The term has remained and is still used in African safaris.
The Big Five consists of the lion, the African elephant, the African Buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros (either the black rhinoceros or the white rhinoceros).
Night Game Drives
Due to The Ol Pejeta Conservancy’s private status it is able to offer the unique pleasure of night game drives.
Night game drives last approximately two hours and are your opportunity to see some nocturnal wildlife on Ol Pejeta. The night game drives are a very enjoyable experience: you will travel in an open game drive vehicle with very knowledgeable guides. During the drives, your tracker uses a powerful spotlight searching for the nocturnal animals.
Expect to see a wide variety of animals not normally seen during the day, including aardvarks, bat-eared fox, porcupines, bushbabies, bushbucks, mongoose, genet cats and a number of nocturnal birds.
Sojourn in Samburu Kenya
In today’s fast paced and ever changing environment, holidaying should and must be an integral part to our lives. Though there are no known studies that can shade light to this hypothesis, I cannot but share a few of my personal observations on the healing value of taking a holiday.
For a long time, holidays have been used by individuals or families to reinvigorate their relationships, express affection and affirm their love or even break monotony. It is without doubt that holiday memories last a life time and bring us closer to a loved one in a special way.
Men need rest, enjoyment, and change of routine. Therefore we cannot easily ignore the importance of holiday, which has all the three ingredients. It alleviates anxiety of workload and takes away from hectic environment of office.
Holiday is a ‘proper feed’ of the mind and gives it ‘proper resting place’ and ‘timeout’. A day off from school or office is indeed a godsend opportunity.
In general a holiday gives a feeling of continuity, comfort, and security for everyone – especially children. The escapade pulls a family together by providing a sense of belonging. Family beliefs and values are taught and strengthened as children see the importance of friendship, family unity and to an extent sharing.
Lets take a look at some of the remedial benefits of going on a holiday.
- Preparing for the Holiday
When you even start thinking of going on holiday a series of activities happens to your mind. There is a remarkable positive change in individuals who are prospecting to go on holiday. There is a general ‘feel good’ attitude around them and this can easily be noticed on their beaming faces or body language. You can easily pick out someone like that. A feeling of excitement and expectation sets in when we construe the idea of a holiday. This general – feel good attitude – sets the pace as the whole body embraces the opportunity for a break on routine. An individual in this state of mind tends to be more productive in their daily chores as they look forward to holiday.
Now that you are actually on holiday, the feel good attitude grows as your expectation of experiencing a new environment continues.
i) A relaxed mind is a factory of ingenuity: It is a common experience that a puzzling thought finds answers when we are not literally working on it. This underpins the importance of rest and enjoyment for gaining a valuable insight into a situation. Correctly said, “The time that we enjoy wasting, is not wasted.”
ii) Holidays allow people to reconnect: For example, a married couple found a renewed feeling of togetherness when faced with a break in routine and had to explore each others feelings anew. The holidays allowed them to be together and see a new perspective of each other as they engaged in new activities.
iii) Freedom from our structured lives: Holidays simply imply freedom! One traveler put it this way, “My daily life is very structured. My job is very structured as well. And in my home, all the domestic duties also bring a lot of structure with them. It s good to leave all of that behind for a while, to see other people and things, to get out of this situation of discipline for a change and to broaden my horizon, to see that there is something outside my home.”
iv) Experience a different Social Behavior: Holidays in groups also allow us the opportunity to engage in different behavior and to experiment with different social roles. One could be a tourist, an enthusiast of other cultures, or a hiker etc. Travelers develop skills that they had not often used in daily life, such as speaking foreign languages, using organizational talents, plotting routes on maps, or collecting information about their new environment on the Internet. This provides them with memories to cherish and gives them the opportunity to develop skills and possible repertoires of behavior, which aided them in imaging different lifestyles.
v) Stirs Imagination: When holidaying especially in far off places we encounter new experiences in culture. We also experience new ways of addressing similar situations we encounter back at home. This stirs our imagination to such alternative futures. This puts our daily lives in a new perspective and allows us to reflect on our daily routines and possibly redefine our approach on life.
vi) Enrichment of life: Finally, holidays bring enrichment to life because of the enjoyment provided. With passion the travelers eat different food, engage in new activities and momentarily experience the luxuries or hardships of this world.
After the holiday time is spent, it is now time to return home. The feel good attitude continues as the prospect of sharing in your experiences with friends and loved ones sets in:
i) Bringing back souvenirs reinforces existing relations
ii) Bringing fresh perspective to our normal routines.
iii) You can notice when a person has been on a trip, because he or she is much more cheerful than an ordinary person. One traveler put it this way: “I get inspiration to do things. I clean the house. I get to do a lot of things.”
A short tale would elaborate on the importance of taking a break from your routine: A man was busy cutting a tree with his saw. He was sweating and he spent a long time cutting the tree because his saw was not sharp. A passerby asked him to sharpen his saw at which the woodcutter replied, “Don’t you see old man, I am busy cutting this tree and I do not have time.” The old man replied smilingly, “If you take few minutes to sharpen your saw, you would be able to cut it in less time without more energy.”
It can be concluded that holiday is important for us for the reason of change from monotonous routine, provisioning of enjoyment and tool of ensuring efficiency.
George writes for Edge east Africa safaris an East African Destination Management Company.
Important Links: Kenya Safari Guide, Tanzania Safari Guide, Zanzibar Holiday Guide, Uganda Safari Guide and Laikipia Safari
masai mara game reserve
It’s undoubtedly the great savanna of Africa. Within a few minutes of flying into the Mara, I spot an elephant and giraffes on the plains below, and on the banks of the Talek river, a pair of hippos out of the water.
It’s the season before the great migration and the plains are filled with tall grasses of different patterns in shades of gold and green.
There’s little to tell if there’s anything in the vast grassland that spreads to the horizon, touching the magical Mara Thomson’s gazelle. The mother cheetah’s belly is nicely rounded, and there’s very little left of the antelope. Meantime, the cub is still enjoying the meal, its nose red with blood of the prey.
“Cheetahs are diurnal animals. They hunt during the day,” explains the driver guide at Mara Intrepids. “They are not as strong as the lion or the leopard, so they have to eat fast or else their kill will be stolen by another animal. They can even be chased away by hyenas and vultures.”
We think we’ve done well by spotting the cheetah within a five-minute drive of the lodge but we’re in for another surprise.
Literally another five minutes away, we come across another cheetah with two cubs on an anthill. The trio watches us lazily but the mother’s ears pick the sound of the cowbells and she sits up alert, scanning the plains. The herd of Maasai cows is far in the distant and not sensing any danger to her cubs, she flops down again, relaxed.
A Jackson’s widowbird grabs our attention as the black bird with a long tail hops in and out of the tall stems.
“It’s a male in its breeding plumage trying to attract a female,” explains our guide. It seems to be the season as we spot other on the same mission.
Between May and June, the plains are full of long grass. It makes it difficult for the smaller animals to browse. It’s mostly the big animals like giraffes and elephants and the bigger antelopes that you can see around.
And it makes hunting difficult for the cats so they come up with strange strategies. You’ll see lions and cheetahs trying to climb trees and anthills to get a high vantage point.
Cheetahs don’t usually climb trees because their claws do not retract like those of the other cats’ but because they need to locate prey, they’ll try anything, even hunting zebra.”
Cheetahs are not strong so they hunt smaller antelopes, which they chase to exhaustion. This helps the diminutive cat to go for the jugular of the exhausted prey to make a quick kill.
This is really unusual. Twenty minutes after our sighting of the second cheetah, we meet the star of the BBC Cat Diary Live. Shakira — not to be confused with the pop idol — and her three cubs.
At this point, if l could get a paw print as an autograph of the movie queen, l’d be thrilled. But no such luck. It’s “Shakira had five cubs but two were killed,” Gichuki tells us. “Cheetah mothers keep moving frequently when they have cubs so that lions and leopards don’t get them.”
Just as the sun begins to fade away in the horizon splashed with gold, a pride of lions appears — 11 of them — the males with their long manes, females and cubs. The male roars and rolls over on it back with all four paws in the air. The females stir from a long siesta ready to prowl the plains.
“This is my favorite time in the Mara,” says the guide, “because there’s not much traffic so it is easy to spot animals and have them to yourself.”
A tawny eagle perched on a lone balanites tree scans the vistas for a hunt as a wattled plover, the largest of the plovers, feeds on the ground.
We stop under another lonely tree on the plains for a sundowner. “In another few weeks it will be July, and the plains will begin to fill with the wildebeest as they cross in from the Serengeti,” the guide narrates the seasons of the Mara.
“There will be 1.5 million wildebeest entering from Sand River and going to the far end of the Mara before turning around to make the cyclic round journey. By the end of November, all the grass will have been eaten by the wildebeest and the 400,000 zebra and other animals.
We’ve seen plenty of animals in one afternoon within a 10-kilometre radius of the lodge. The following morning, the plains are quieter as the great orb ascends from the horizon and warms the day. We’re looking for rhinos and leopards but they remain elusive, so we settle for a hearty breakfast by the banks of the river, with hippos grunting below in the muddy waters of the Talek.
Kenya safaris