10 day safari

Laikipia, Loita’s & Maasai Mara

Itinerary at a glace Day 1 – Sabuk Lodge Day 2 – Sabuk Lodge Day 3 – Maasai Trails Day 4 – Maasai Trails Day 5 – Maasai Trails Day 6 – Maasai Trails Day 7 – Speke’s Camp Day 8 – Speke’s Camp Day 9 – Speke’s Camp Day 10 – Departure

Flights and transfers Wilson- Loisaba Loisaba – M.Mara M.Mara – Wilson

Safarilink Safarilink Safarilink

08.00-08.55 09.05-11.00 16.00-17.30

Day 1 – Sabuk Lodge – 2 nights From Nairobi, after a 55minute flight with Safarilink, you will find yourself at Loisaba airstrip, just 30 minute game drive from Sabuk Lodge. The Sabuk team will be there to meet you. Game drive to the lodge and settle in to enjoy the next couple of days full of adventure with your experienced guides - walking, camel safaris, bush breakfasts and wild life viewing await!

Sabuk Lodge Sabuk Lodge is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ewaso Nyiro River. Open-fronted cottages have fabulous views and huge comfortable olive beds; brightly coloured local fabrics and artefacts adorn the walls. Delicious cuisine and tranquil decks invite some serious relaxation. Northern Laikipia is home to thousands of elephant, greater kudu and the elusive wild dog. This is a great opportunity to explore & walk close to wildlife guided by magnificent tribesmen sharing their local knowledge. Take one of the days to go on a camel walk with a picnic lunch, and if you wish to camp out for a night under the stars there is a comfortable fly-camp that can accommodate you. The Sabuk team have been leading camel safaris in this area for over 20 years, and it is a wonderful way to explore the bush. Whatever you decide to do, days of adventure await- walking amongst herds, quietly absorbing the sights & sounds of the bush. Surprise bush breakfasts, camel safaris, picnics, game viewing, star studded nights, river fishing and experiencing the bush-craft & skills of the wonderful Laikipiak Maasai.

Day 3 – Maasai Trails and Jan’s Camp – 4 nights Fly to the Maasai Mara from Loisaba where you are met by the Maasai Trails team and driven back to Jan’s Camp in the beautiful and virtually untouched Loita Hills. Jan’s camp is the base for all the walking safaris so after a little walk around the area and a briefing from the team, get ready to load up the donkeys for your trail walking over the next few days!

Maasai Trails Loita and “the forest of the lost child” - Loita Naimena Enkiyio forest - is an Africa that most travelers never see, straddled as it is between two iconic destinations in East Africa. In the west the hills roll down to the game rich country of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara. In the east the high-forested hills drop dramatically in two giant steps down the Great Rift Valley to the salt lakes of Magadi and Tanzania's Natron. The Loitas provide a microcosm of the diverse habitats that East Africa has to offer. Maasai Trails is about experiencing the best of Kenya‟s natural world, as well as a one-of-a-kind cultural exchange with one of the most famous tribes in the world. Whatever trail you decide to embark on, your Moran (Maasai warrior) will be there to guide you whilst teaching you along the way about their own customs, rites and lore of the African bush. By the end of the trail you will not only have learnt about their unique ceremonies and visited their „bomas‟, but you will have learnt what plants can heal what ailments, as well as what footprint belongs to certain animals you might want to avoid!

A little bit more about the Maasai

Sopa – Hello in Maa! "Meishoo iyiook enkai inkishu o-nkera"- “May Creator give us cattle and children” It is estimated that 1 million Maasai people live in Kenya and Tanzania, although the Maasai shun these conventional ways of population counting as view them as inaccurate. The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people who lived under a communal land management system. They live in Kraals arranged in a circular fashion. The fence around the kraal is made of acacia thorns, which prevent lions from attacking the cattle. It is a man's responsibility to fence the kraal, while women construct the houses. Livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep are the primary source of income for the Maasai. Livestock serves as a social utility and plays an important role in the Maasai economy. Livestock are traded for other livestock, cash or livestock products such as milk. "Meishoo iyiook enkai inkishu o-nkera"- so goes a Maasai prayer. The English translation of this praye is: "May Creator give us cattle and children. Cattle and children are the most important aspect of the Maasai people. Ceremonies are an expression of Maasai culture and self-determination. Every ceremony is a new life. They are rites of passage, and every Maasai child is eager to go through these vital stages of life.There are many ceremonies in Maasai society, some of which you may encounter whilst on your Loita jourmey. These include Enkipaata (senior boy ceremony), Emuratta (circumcision), Enkiama (marriage) and Eunoto (warrior-shaving ceremony) among many other rites of passage!

Day 7 – Speke’s Camp Drive with the Maasai Trails vehicle from the Loitas to Speke’s Camp in the Maasai Mara. It is a few hours drive but you will be passing through fabulous country and some of the best wildlife areas in Kenya! Take a picnic lunch to enjoy in a fabulous spot by the river or on the plains along your way.

Speke’s Camp Speke‟s Camp is located in its own private area in the Maasai Mara so every guest is awarded with that more secluded and private experience that everyone desires in the Maasai Mara. This brand new traditional safari camp is located along the banks of the Olare Orok River surrounded by fabulous indigenous trees. The Maasai Mara is so popular as it is one of the best areas for viewing wildlife in east Africa, especially for the Big Cats as well as the annual Great Migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra and other plains game. Although Speke‟s is located in a private part of the Mara with no other camps and lodges, it has fabulous access to gaming areas such as Musiara swamp, Rhino Ridge, Paradise Plains and the Leopard rich Talek River. Speke‟s Camp has eight comfortable traditional safari tents with either double or twin beds and ensuite bathrooms with hot water. Game drives, picnics & sundowners, unsurpassed game viewing as well as the opportunity to embark on an epic walking safari across the Maasai Mara to the Loita Hills are just some of the best highlights of this camp!

Day 10 – Departure After another glorious day in the bush game-driving and wildlife spotting, catch the scheduled afternoon flight from the Mara back to Wilson airport in Nairobi, and onward with your safari!

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