Experience Kenya
Kenya is Africa's quintessential Safari destination. This trip offers the best in wildlife, Masai and Samburu culture and community volunteering experiences. Follow in the footsteps of Hemingway and join us on a journey that will lead you to explore, to inspire and to impact."Without sounding trite, living in Africa and volunteering in this way has profoundly influenced my perspectives and outlook on life. I re-evaluated my personal relationships, the way I interact with people, the things I value, my approach to material possessions, and my overall career goals. To say I loved living there would be an understatement."
Victoria Blackwell-Hardie, UK.
Itinerary in brief:
Participants to arrive in Nairobi on the first Sunday of the month.
| Day | Travel | Activities / Highlights | Accommodation | Meals |
| 1 | Arrive in Nairobi Orientation at our base in Limuru | Limuru | Volunteer base | D |
| 2 | Travel through the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru NP. | Experience sightings of flamingoes at soda lakes and tree climbing lions! | Tented camping | B, L, D |
| 3-4 | Travel to Lake Naivasha | Enjoy amazing wildlife sightings | Tented camping | B, L, D |
| 5-7 | Travel by road to Masai Mara | Masai Mara game viewing safari | Tented camping | B, L, D |
| 8 | Travel back to Limuru | Relax back in Limuru | Tented camping | B, L, D |
| 9-10 | Within Limuru / Nairobi area | Community Volunteering | Volunteer base, Limuru | B, L, D |
| 11 | Depart Nairobi | B |
Note on community work:
Day 1: As your flight prepares to land, be on the lookout for wildlife in the plains below. You will be passing over Nairobi National Park, a stone's throw from Kenya's well known capital city. Upon landing, you will be met by your African Impact crew and taken to Brackenhurst International Conference Centre, set in the picturesque tea plantations 40km north of Nairobi. After freshening up from your flight, the African Impact crew will give a thorough orientation, to help make the most of the trip.
Day 2: Today we will journey to the edge of the Great Rift Valley, where stunning views will accompany our journey to one of the valley's most famous destinations - Lake Nakuru National Park. We will set up camp in comfortable domed tents at the Makalia Falls Campsite in the heart of the National Park. We will enjoy an afternoon game drive in our overland vehicle to savour the feast of wildlife on the lake's shores. The park is famous for its clouds of flamingos, abundant leopard and rhino, as well its unusual tree climbing lions.
Day 3-4: After an early morning game drive and a relaxed camp breakfast, we will continue our adventure as we make the short drive to Lake Naivasha, another of the rift valley's shallow soda lakes. We will be camping at Fish Eagle camp-site, where the shady lawn on the lakeside offers the ideal place to relax or some of the group may wish to spend their time enjoying the exciting optional activities. These activities include hippo safaris, horseriding, fishing or even mountain biking in the nearby Hell's Gate National Park.
Day 5-7: Today we travel to the Masai Mara National Reserve, Africa as you've always imagined it - rolling savannas, dramatic skies and roaming herds of animals. We will camp on the banks of the Talek River at Riverside Campsite. Here we will spend three nights in search of unforgettable wildlife experiences in Kenya's most famous safari destination and indeed the area which boasts the highest concentration of wild animals in the country. There is no better place on the continent to spot the "big five" as well as the predators, such as lion, leopard and cheetah, which hunt the vast herds of plainsgame.
Day 8: Travel back to our volunteer base in Limuru.
Day 9-10: Limuru Community Volunteering
This project is facilitated by our sister organisation African Impact, and has a very rural feel and involves various aspects of community work and development in and around Limuru. You will have the chance to be involved in number of different community initiatives which we facilitate. These include orphan care work, skills development, adult literacy, home-based care, sports development and others. The projects are always evolving so will be at different stages, volunteers should be prepared to be involved in a wide diversity of project work as things evolve and develop, all of which are moving the project towards a common goal.
Day 11: Depart from Nairobi International Airport. Our project staff will take you to the airport.
Cost:
11 Day Experience Kenya trip: GBP1075 / US$2150
Please contact our booking staff if you would like to extend the volunteer portion of this trip.
Cost Includes:
Cost Excludes:
Accommodation:
We find that participants living together and working closely together with their project staff is the surest way of guaranteeing their safety and being able to attend to their most pressing needs. For this reason, we expect all participants to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow you to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless away on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions.
Meals:
You will be provided with three wholesome meals a day.
Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals/porridge, toast, fruit, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by our volunteer cook at the volunteer base.
Note:
Please advise us of any specific dietary requirements before you arrive! Please also remember that you will be on a rural placement during the volunteer portion of your trip, and food will be quite simple, though plentiful and nutritious.
www.happyafricafoundation.org
Regd UK Charity Number: 1123529
Pathfinders and The Happy Africa Foundation
Pathfinders is proud to have been instrumental in the establishment of The Happy Africa Foundation and continues to be one of the Foundations major supporters. Donations made to support our community and conservation initiatives by private donors as well as by Pathfinders as a voluntoursim company are managed and distributed on our behalf by The Happy Africa Foundation.
The mission of The Happy Africa Foundation is to empower the African people through the support of community and conservation based initiatives that operate at grass roots level.
Conservation Development:
The Happy Africa Foundation works together with local African communities to conserve and protect the environment, wildlife and cultures in areas where the Foundation is involved. Thus, the Foundation supports, financially or logistically (or both), local and international organizations that operate projects supporting conservation education and research at a grass roots level.
Community Development:
The Happy Africa Foundation strives to initiate, facilitate and support community development projects that are sustainable. As such, The Happy Africa Foundation makes every effort to ensure and takes relevant measures in assessing, planning and monitoring community development projects for the benefit of local African communities.
The Happy Africa Foundation provides travellers, volunteers and other donors with a chance to give back to the communities they visit or volunteer in on their African journeys, or that they wish to support remotely through donations.