A Simply Stylish Safari in Kenya

A wonderful safari experience visiting two diverse eco-systems in the hands of expert guides and staying in luxurious classic bush camps. Porini Camp and the Eselenkei Conservation area offer a private bush experience and the area has the added attraction of night game drives.

There will also be game drives in the adjacent Amboseli National Park, famous for its huge elephant herds and views of Kilimanjaro. The safari then transfers into the Rift Valley and the Masai Mara where you will be hosted by Andy & Sonya Webb at Kicheche Mara Camp, located on the Aitong Plains in the Northern Masai Mara.

Your guide will take you game-driving through this renowned wildlife area and there will also be the opportunity of exploring the area on foot on escorted game walks. Finally you will fly back into Nairobi in the morning or afternoon of the last day.

Day 1

You will be met this morning at the Airport Terminal or your Nairobi hotel for the drive south to Eselenkei Concession, arriving at Porini Camp before lunch (102 miles, 3 hours). Afternoon tea and then a game drive to explore the Conservation Area ending with a sundowner on Olosinkiran Hill. Return to the camp for dinner and overnight. Overnight at Porini Camp on a Full Board Basis with Activities

Porini Camp is located within the conservation area. The facilities include 6 spacious guest tents, comfortably furnished and with en suite bathrooms including shower, wash basin and flush toilet. The camp is small and is on the lines of the traditional hunting safari camp but with more comfortable bathroom arrangements than where available to the big game hunters of earlier years! The camp is private and only available to clients on the escorted safari itinerary with a maximum of 12 guests.

Eselenkei Conservation Area is well off the beaten track and lies a few miles north of Amboseli National Park. It is in the heart of Maasailand and the animals are truly wild and not yet fully habituated to the presence of vehicles. The numbers of tourist visitors are being limited to a maximum of 12 per day to retain the wild and unspoilt nature of the area and to minimise the impact on the environment.

Within the Conservation Area the following animals have been seen in recent months: elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, gerenuk, impala, oryx, eland, lesser kudu, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, warthog, striped hyena, caracal, jackal, bat-eared fox, African wild cat, serval cat, genet cat, honey badger, porcupine, mongoose, ostrich. Birdlife is prolific especially birds of prey.

Day 2

Early breakfast and then drive to Amboseli National Park on our private track through the bush for a full morning where you will have the chance to see elephants at close quarters in addition to many other species and excellent bird-watching by the Amboseli swamps. Return to camp for a short rest after a barbecue lunch in a tree platform. Afternoon tea and then take an escorted walk with Maasai trackers to get closer to nature and to gain an insight into the culture of the Maasai people.

After dinner there will be a night game drive using a spotlight to seek out some of the nocturnal animals such as aardvarks (antbears), caracals, serval cats, bat-eared foxes and possibly even the elusive leopard. Overnight at Porini Camp on a Full Board Basis with Activities

Day 3

Early morning game drive followed by brunch and then return to Nairobi arriving at Wilson Airport to connect with the 3pm flight to the Masai Mara Reserve. Here you will be met by your Kicheche guide and transferred across the plains to the camp. Shortly afterwards set off on a late afternoon game drive till sunset. Return to camp for a hot shower, then join us around the campfire for an aperitif before dining under the stars. Overnight at Kicheche Camp on a Full Board Basis with Activities

Kicheche Mara Camp All luxury tents are en-suite and subtly incorporated into the landscape under a grove of wild olive and croton trees so that even from a short distance away there is no sign of human habitation. Kicheche offers a certain ‘quality’ of wilderness living, but it is a canvas bush camp and the natural sounds of the bush are all part of the experience. The tents are spacious, fully insect proof and all with en-suite private bathrooms and flushing toilets.

The camp hosts are Andy & Sonya Webb who have a wealth of Africa experience and will no doubt enrich your stay with their warm hospitality.

The Masai Mara Game Reserve is probably the most famous in Africa. Rising grassland nearly 2000m above sea level, watered by the Mara River and covering an area of 1500 sq. km. The Mara is well known for the part it plays in the seasonal (July/Oct) migration from the Serengeti of 200,000 Zebra, 300,000 Thomson Gazelle and 1.3 million Wildebeest following the annual rains. The Mara region however provides for wonderful game viewing year round. In all 95 mammals, amphibian and reptile species plus 485 flying species excluding insects inhabit the Mara eco-system.

Day 4

Rise early with tea or coffee brought to your tent. At dawn set off for another game drive on the plains. Return to the camp for a leisurely breakfast. Afterwards, take an escorted walk around the camp grounds learning about the flora and medicinal uses of various shrubs and trees. Lunch and a chance to enjoy a siesta in one of the hammocks slung between the trees. Afternoon tea is followed by further game-viewing to sunset. Return to camp for an evening around the campfire. Overnight at Kicheche Camp on a Full Board Basis with Activities

Day 5

This morning take an escorted game walk to the Mara River. The walk, which takes approximately 2 hours, offers another perspective in viewing the terrain and fauna whilst crossing the plains and descending through bushland before culminating at the river. This afternoon you may wish to visit a traditional Masai manyatta (village) or take another evening game drive. Overnight at Kicheche Camp on a Full Board Basis with Activities

An early morning game drive in the Aitong region or, if you are departing in the afternoon, a full morning game drive to Leopard Gorge & the Musiara Marsh with a picnic breakfast is a popular trip. After returning to camp for lunch we transfer you back to the airstrip for your flight back to Nairobi (flights departures - 11 a.m. & 4 p.m.)

2008 Rates