MOBILE CAMPING SAFARI

Departures every Sunday morning, returning Saturday afternoon
2 nights Selenkay / Amboseli, 2 nights Kigio / Lake Nakuru, 2 nights Koiyaki / Mara

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 A 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 Mara.

The safari departs on Sunday and returns on Saturday.

Day 1 and 2 Selenkay & Amboseli ( Camp in Selenkay 2 nights)
Day 3 & 4: Kigio & Nakuru ( Camp in Kigio 2 nights )
Day 5 & 6: Masai Mara ( Camp by Mara River 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 and is an important dispersal area and rangeland for wildlife in the Amboseli eco-system.  The local Maasai community has set aside the area as 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 twenty 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, spotted hyena, striped hyena, jackal, bat-eared fox, caracal, African wild cat, serval cat, genet cat, honey badger, aardvark, porcupine, zorilla, mongoose, bushbaby and dik-dik.  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 emanating 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.

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, 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 pink 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 flamingo are not the only avian attraction, as the lake is 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.

Koyiaki Group Ranch and Masai Mara

The Koyiaki Group Ranch is a vast wilderness area owned by the local Maasai people and stretching alongside the Mara Reserve. This is prime wildlife country and the Maasai community allow a number of safari operators to use their area for camping and wildlife viewing. From our private campsite beside the Mara River 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.

Itinerary

Departure dates & prices
Every Sunday for 6 nights / 7 days
Overseas tourists
01 July 2002 – 16 Dec 2002  US$799
17 Dec 2002 –  01 Jan 2003 US$999
02 Jan 2003 – 13 April 2003 US$899
14 April - 31 May Closed
01 June - 16 Dec 2003 US$899
Supplement for single occupancy of tent US$150

Prices include transport, 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 ).

How to book: contact Ivory Photo Safaris, 16071 NE 85th Street, Redmond, WA 98052 USA.
Tel: (425) 895-8585; Toll Free: 1-877-SAFARI-8      Email address: info@ivorynet.com