12-day holidays in Kenya with Safari in Maasai Mara

As soon as we arrive in Nairobi and pass through passport control, our driver will be waiting for us to start our 12-day safari trip in Kenya. The Masai Mara area will be the first destination of our driver.. The drive will take about 5 hours, during which we will pass through the impressive Rift Valley, where we will be able to admire this unique geological area. If we arrive early, we will have time for an afternoon game drive in the area, or to enjoy the first sunset in the middle of the savannah with our Maasai guides.

Today the real adventure begins. We will be in the Lemek Conservation Area, an area managed by the local, mostly Maasai community, where they live in close contact with the wildlife. One of the advantages of doing a safari here is that there are far fewer tourists, and the animals are tending to come here as it is a more relaxed area for them. You will see lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes, zebras and many other animals. Another unique detail of this day: we will be able to have lunch in the middle of the savannah. In very few places this is possible, but here it is, as our Maasai guides have permission to do so.

The white rhino is a species seriously affected by poaching. In Kenya there are some sanctuaries, guarded 24/7 by several rangers, who care for and protect this species, to prevent its extinction. Today we will visit one of them, and we will learn about their great conservation work. In this sanctuary we will meet a female, Elisabeth, and a male, Kofi, and we will be able to learn, thanks to our guide and the rangers, about this impressive mammal. It is important to know that the cost of this activity goes entirely to the sanctuary, for the protection of these animals. In the afternoon, we will get to know the school project, and spend some time with the teachers and children once they have finished their classes.

A unique place in the world. Today we will visit the Masai Mara National Reserve, and we will get to know first hand the enormous extension that this place offers us. We will spend the day on safari with our guide, who will explain all the details and curiosities of the behaviour of large mammals such as lions and elephants. We will be able to see an infinite number of living creatures up close, and we will do so with the help of a Maasai, so learning is guaranteed. A safari with a Maasai has nothing to do with any other person who does not belong to this tribe. Their enormous knowledge of nature, its rhythms, and of all wild animals will captivate us. We will have lunch there and return at sunset. If your trip is in July, August or September, this visit will be even more exciting as the wildebeest migration takes place in the area.

Today we continue our adventure with increasing intensity. In the morning we will visit a women's manyatta, a Maasai village where only women and their children live, as they have been rejected by their families for various reasons or have suffered abuse. This village is supported by the project through women's empowerment programmes.And after lunch, comes the star activity: a safari with our Maasai guides, we will go to see the hippopotamus coming out of the Mara River at sunset, they will prepare dinner for us in the middle of the savannah and... we will sleep there! Yes, sleeping next to the Mara River is possible if you do it with Masai. We will not lack comfort, with our mattress, blankets, pillows... and we will feel the hypnotising power of nature when the sun goes down. This night, and the sunrise that it will give us, we will always keep it inside us.

In the morning, we will wake up early in the middle of the savannah. We will be able to take a walk with our guides and Masai warriors, and step on the earth that hundreds of animals tread on every day. It is something indescribable, and it makes us understand that we are one more in this planet, full of impressive living beings. At mid-morning we will start our return to our camp, meeting all kinds of animals on our way, and in the afternoon, we will have time to continue getting to know the work of the NGO, with the projects it carries out with women and children, especially.

Unfortunately, there are many Maasai settlements that are practically made for tourism. In Trip to Help you will not find them, on the contrary: we only facilitate the approach to the Maasai culture by the hand of community leaders, in a real, respectful and above all, contributing to these communities. Today our Maasai guide will take us to Siana, a remote community, several hours away by jeep, where many Maasai live. It is very off the beaten track, they have no contact with tourists, and it also belongs to a conservation area in itself, so our way there will be a safari as well. We will bring food or other products that they may need (our Maasai guides are in contact with them and know what they need), and we will share lunch with them. We will get to know this culture very closely, and our guide will translate from Maa to English/Spanish.

Today it's time to pick up our luggage and head for the second part of our 12-day Safari Trip to Kenya: the Island of Lamu. We will be able to go by car or light aircraft (extra cost) to Nairobi. There we will take a flight to Lamu.*During the previous days, if our trip falls on a Sunday, we can also visit a Maasai mass, and learn how Maasai beliefs have been merging with Christianity. This visit is contemplated in this 12-day itinerary, and the guides will place them in the programme once they have the arrival and departure times of the travellers, etc.

Our 4 nights start in Lamu, where we can enjoy the calm, tranquil pace of life and experience a unique UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lamu is considered the cradle of Swahili culture, and is the ideal place to observe and interact with local life and learn about their customs.     We will be able to choose between two types of accommodation according to our budget, and we will take advantage of these free days to visit beaches, local markets, snorkel or go out on a Dhow (typical local boat) to see a unique sunset, bathed by the Indian Ocean.