The Magic of Kenya With WorldWomenWork Join Singer Rankin on this fabulous journey January 31-February 16, 2014 Friday, January 31 NAIROBI / THE EMAKOKO www.emakoko.com Upon arrival in Nairobi you are met and transferred to The Emakoko. This fabulous family owned lodge is built into the side of a valley on the Mbagathi River which borders the Nairobi National Park. The beautifully appointed rooms look out over the game park so one can fall asleep to the sounds of Africa, a lion roaring or the cry of a lone hyena, an amazing contrast to the normal sounds of any sleeping city. EXPLORE, Inc. PO Box 776369 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 Phone: 970 871-0065 Fax: 970 888-596-6377 email: [email protected] Saturday, February 1 LAKE NAIVASHA / OLERAI HOUSE www.olerai.com This morning you are transferred by vehicle to Naivasha and the Olerai House (approximately 2 hours), owned by Oria Douglas-Hamilton. The Olerai House is an enchanting flower-covered farmhouse, shaded under tall yellow acacias and watched over in the far distance by an extinct blue volcano, Mount Longonot. Sweet smelling jasmine, home baked biscuits and country flowers welcome you to this charming farm house. Olerai lies in the heart of a private game sanctuary where you can walk among herds of zebra, giraffe, eland and other antelope. At night hippos emerge from the lake to graze on the lawns - an unforgettable sight to see these lumbering animals outside your bedroom window. You can also enjoy a cruise on Lake Naivasha in a beautiful gondola, experience the fabulous bird watching, or just relax at the pool. The lake itself is home to hundreds of hippo and boasts one of the greatest diversities of birdlife in the world, with more than 400 species recorded to date. Accommodations consist of five en-suite bedrooms decorated with local art, handmade rugs and colorful tapestries, all arranged around the original cottage, which has been converted into a stylish living and dining room. Sunday-Tuesday, February 2-4 MASAI MARA / SERIAN CAMP www.serian.net Conservation Efforts: The Serian Trust: www.serian.net/conservation/seriantrust After lunch on February 2 you are transferred to the airstrip for your flight to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Upon arrival you are met and transferred to Serian Camp. This wonderful camp is located in the Mara North Conservancy, a beautiful private wilderness area of more than 74,000 acres. It is a vital part of the Masai Mara ecosystem as it forms the north-western zone, bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve in the south of Kenya. The Masai Mara National Reserve is probably the most famous in Kenya and offers breathtaking views and an extraordinary density of animals, including "the Big Five" (lions, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros) and many varieties of plains game. The area is also an ornithologist’s dream with four hundred and fifty-three recorded bird species in the Mara, fifty-three of which are raptors, all vying for space in the clear blue skies. Serian Camp features seven private marquee tents, each unique in their own way, furnished with large double beds, flanked by bedside tables and writing desks. The adjoining "bush bathrooms" include a shower, twin basins, large bush bathtub and flush toilet. Hanging swathes of cotton and canvas walls provide complete privacy. Wednesday-Sunday, February 5-9 SAMBURU NATIONAL PARK / ELEPHANT WATCH CAMP www.elephantwatchsafaris.com Conservation Efforts: Save the Elephants www.savetheelephants.org On the morning of February 5 you fly to the Samburu National Park and the beautiful Elephant Watch Camp (also owned by Oria Douglas-Hamilton). The camp is perched on the sand banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River, beneath wide-spreading Kigelia trees and Acacia Elatiors. Iain Douglas-Hamilton has spent nearly 40 years studying elephant behavior, and Elephant Watch Camp and the greater Samburu National Reserve is the perfect place to observe and learn about these incredible creatures. The reserve offers shelter to 66 known elephant family units, numbering 900 elephants in total, and the camp is home to some of the largest bulls in the area. In addition, the area has other notable northern inhabitants, including the slim-necked Gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Grevy zebras, Beisa oryx, and over 350 resident birds, with an additional 70 migrant species. Enjoy early morning or evening bush walks along well-travelled elephant paths, or collecting medicinal plants or honey, always accompanied by Samburu warriors. At times one can witness the great river crossings of camels and cattle, while walking to Samburu ceremonies and learning about their culture, dances and fire making. At Elephant Watch Camp, each of the netted tents has been specially designed around its own trees and is made for maximum coolness, breeze, privacy and protection. En-suite bathrooms have beautiful handmade basins and painted buckets filled with clean, cool water. Each tent hangs under a wide, thatched roof with its own verandah. The tents are filled with multicolored cotton cloth, large beds, works of art, crisp cotton sheets, soft pillows, and a “bush” cupboard for your clothes with hand painted hangers and bath robes. You learn about Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s Save the Elephants Project: Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton's groundbreaking study of elephant behavior in Tanzania in the 1960s paved the way for elephant research and conservation today. Intrigued by their intelligence, Iain developed a passion for elephant protection. In chronicling the sharp decline of elephant populations in the 1980s, he was the first to alert the world to the poaching crisis and helped bring about the world ivory trade ban.With a doctorate in zoology from Oxford, honored with the Netherlands’ prestigious Order of the Golden Ark conservation award, and inducted into the Order of the British Empire in 1993, Iain is respected as one of the world’s principal authorities on the African elephant. He and his wife Oria have co-authored two award-winning books, Among the Elephants and Battle for the Elephants, and have made numerous films to make the world aware that the largest land mammals are sensitive beings displaying complex levels of consciousness. Iain founded Save the Elephants in 1993, involving local people in both conservation efforts and research. As Director of Save the Elephants, Iain is pioneering the development of live tracking technology to monitor and interpret elephant movements. Iain serves as advisor to the Kenya Wildlife Services and other government conservation agencies. On the international level, he is a member of the Technical Advisory Group to the CITES Convention on Monitoring of the Illegal Killing of Elephants and serves on the Data Review Task Force of IUCN’s African Elephant Specialist Group. Monday-Wednesday, February 10-12 TSAVO NATIONAL PARK / SATAO CAMP www.sataocamp.com Conservation Efforts: The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org On the morning of February 10, Oria Douglas-Hamilton joins you on the flight to the Tsavo National Park. This Park is Kenya’s largest wildlife refuge, harboring the country’s single largest population of elephants and a greater biodiversity of species than any other park in the world. It is here that Oria takes you on a once in a lifetime adventure deep into the world of the last big tuskers who survive by the Grace of God. On the way you stop at the Sheldrick Trust in Voi, where orphaned elephants that have been cared for by the staff at Sheldrick’s in Nairobi have now turned into adolescents and are being slowly reintroduced into the wild. Here you witness the delightful sight of their playful morning mud bath. After brunch alongside the river you are driven to the Satao Camp which is laid out in a semi-circle to ensure that each private African style tent has a full view of the camps “own” watering hole from their veranda. This central watering hole draws lion, leopard, cheetah, zebras, giraffes, stripped hyena, buffalos, elephants and many more beautiful animals. The tents are attractively furnished with locally made beds and unique African designs. Each spacious tent has a private bathroom with running water. The shower however is in the true African style, whereby the camp staff brings hot water in the evening for your “bucket” shower. The bathrooms are very spacious, slate floors with stunning wooden framework, the wash basins sunken into the structure, all fitted with flushing toilet. Thursday-Saturday, February 13-15 LAMU ISLAND / MANDA BAY www.mandabay.com Conservation Efforts: www.lamcot.org On the morning of February 13 you are flown directly to Lamu Island. Upon arrival you are met and transferred by boat to the private, idyllic Manda Island and your resort, Manda Bay which is on the northern most peninsular of the island in the Lamu / Kiwayu archipelago. From your luxurious beach front room you have views out across the azure waters of the Indian Ocean. Each room is an individual cottage, constructed with local materials in traditional coastal style, with palm thatch roofs and woven matting covering the floors. Manda Bay is totally private yet only a 20-minute boat ride from the restaurants and ancient culture of Shela and Lamu Town. While soft yellow sand and coconut palms surround the lodge, the bush behind proves a haven for the local wildlife, hosting a large number of birds as well as mongoose, civet cat, porcupine, genet, dik-dik, buffalo and bush buck. During your stay you have the opportunity to take part in water sports such as deep sea fishing in search of the marlin and sailfish, windsurfing, water skiing and scuba diving, cultural visits and dhow safaris and more.