Itinerary for AVIF Volunteers

Proposed date of travel: July 2008 to March 31st 2009

Dear AVIF Volunteers

This is the third consecutive year that Game Drivers Safaris have offered a Maasai Mara safari to AVIF Volunteers. A safari with us is ran virtually at cost and is our way of saying thank you for your efforts during your time in Kenya. Your safari payment also helps to support the local Maasai Community that we work with in the Maasai Mara.

The safari is run in a very similar way to the ones that we offer our full paying clients. This means comfortable, exclusive accommodation, excellent food and professional guiding in the best game park in Africa. We conduct all of our game viewing in purpose built four wheel drive vehicles and do not use mini buses in the bush. This allows you to get deeper into the Mara and to experience wildlife away from the crowds.

This itinerary does not include transfers to and from the Mara, however, this can be arranged at extra cost. It usually makes sense to meet up with other volunteers heading to the Mara and share the costs of getting there. If you have any queries concerning this safari or would like to go ahead and book a place please contact either myself or Alison at AVIF.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Maasai Mara soon.

Please read the itineraries in conjunction with the links on this page for further information on the destinations and accommodation mentioned. And don't forget to read what our other clients have said about our safaris in our Visitors' Book. The following is an account of her experiences in Kenya in 2007 by AVIF volunteer Marie Guertz:

Volunteering and Safari by Marie Guertz:

I have been busy on Safari - wow an amazing experience - yep the stuff you see on TV, the theme song to out of Africa playing in my head, as I looked over the vast African landscape, the golden long grass, the acacia trees, the Huge blue skies.......and then the animals - we saw 4 out of the big 5, but will see the Rhino in Nakuru later. We camped under the yellow barked acacia trees - so gorgeous with the sun shining through them. The baboons and monkeys' homes. Our camp was nestled at the base of a hill, yep where the Lions live! You could hear the purring at night in the tents......
Our tents were separated by little tracks, we had our own toilet and shower, talk about luxury - real beds firm mattresses, soft pillows and a cloud like doona - ah the little things! Ha not to mention the 3 course home made meals (Nigel's a great cook as well as the safari guy!) What an awesome 3 days.....the only thing I could complain about is I wanted to stay longer!

We all met up on the Monday evening, stopping to watch the sunset with a beer before going into camp, seeing some hyena, mongoose, I think impala..... easy evening unpacking and eating, a camp fire outside every tent and two Maasai on duty at night to keep the animals out!

An 11 hour day and up at 6am for breakfast - then off to the Mara - the open vast spaces - home to the African animals, on migration.....Wilderbeest, zebra, giraffe, buffalo,lion, impala, gazelle, crocodiles, hippo's, mongoose, warthog, ostrich, vultures, secretary bird.......and many more I cannot think of right now! Amazing! lots of stories but too much to write - we spent the day sitting on the roof of the Range Rover having a ball!

The following day we went to the Maasai village and looked through one of the workers homes, the women in the tribe sitting out with all their wares...hmmmmm too expensive - but yep - all know I'm a softy! then we went to see the new homes going up - thanks to the women - they seem to do all here....... lazy afternoon, then an evening walk around the hills around the camp......wildlife right there......

I was to go check out a few spots on my way back to the Mercy home, however Nigel and Marilize let me stay one night - I was so relaxed and welcomed they said it was ok to stay on - hmmm well I did - awesome company the two of them, lots of wine and laughs - On the Sunday the bus then I had to take all the way home - big mistake!!!!! I think my "sitting apparatus"as the girls call it! spent most of the 8 hour journey in mid air - the road so horrific! Yep I was placed in the back row the only muzungu - no food, forgot brekky - only one short stop - you should have seen how packed it was - nearly impossible to get out to go to the loo.......the scenery - when I saw - was awesome - the maize plantations, and the incredible tea plantations - however there was a young lady near the window who kept closing the curtain and the window - when the bus is overcrowded, muggy and babies being sick, amongst other things...I kept asking her - open the window I need air - thought I would suffocate.......just before Kisumu we had a flat tyre - hmmmm just one of those days......to top it off when we arrived in Luanda (closest stop to Mercy) - it not only poured heavy tropical rain, but hailed! Everything soaked! Luckily Zoe met up with me in Kisumu and I brought a stereo for the girls, from Nigel's home, so she carried the stereo back on her head, the box disintergrating on the way..... so happy to reach home - even though no warm water, or other luxuries.......so the old back has been put to the test! having today off...but all is great - the girls so enchanted with the stereo - their little tape deck got taken in a robbery before we arrived - so a cd player is so amazing - the smiling faces and the african rhythmn as they danced the evening away made the journey worth while I think.............lol

I will leave it there, hope my photos come out !

Marie was a 2007 Volunteer.

We hope to offer you the same experiences as Marie and look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Nigel Francis

AVIF MAASAI MARA ITINERARY

Day 1

You will arrive at Sokonoi Camp in the afternoon leaving time to relax and freshen up. Following afternoon tea you will head out on an evening game drive or walk with sundowners on the plains before returning to camp for drinks and supper by the campfire.

Sokonoi Camp is established on along the lines of a traditional tented safari camp. It is not permanent, thus minimising our environmental impact and allowing the traditional safari camp atmosphere to be maintained. Nevertheless the camp is comfortable and we pride ourselves on our ability to serve top quality food which our guests enjoy under the stars by the light of a real camp fire.

• The Maasai Mara means "spotted land" in the Maa language and occupies over 1500 sq km of south western Kenya and forms the northern extension of the vast Serengeti ecosystem. It is an area that has been shaped by man and beast for countless generations and is, today, one the greatest and best known game reserves in the the world, renowned for its dramatic African vistas, an abundance of wildlife and a chance to see the 'Big Five': lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.

Clients enjoy "sundowners" on an evening game drive from Sokonoi Camp in the Maasai Mara

• The Mara is not just about wildlife and amazing views. This area is home to the Maasai people who have had a long coexistence with this land. Visiting the Mara with Game Drivers Safaris, especially if you stay at Sokonoi Camp, will allow you to see the Maasai way of life at first hand. An existence that has remained largely untouched for generations.

• The Great Migration is now officially listed as one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. The food provided by the vast grasslands of the Maasai Mara encourage 1.5 million animals to move north from the Serengeti into the Mara each year. The Migration normally starts around mid July and lasts until the animals head back south toward the end of October. For many the highlight of the migration is the famed crossing of the Mara River where the herds not only have to contend with treacherous waters but also crocodiles and angry hippos. To witness this sight is a very special experience indeed.

Cheetah with Cubs spotted on a morning game drive just outside Sokonoi Camp, Maasai Mara, September 2007

Testimonial:

" Sokonoi Camp was luxuriously appointed and the staff was both attentive and friendly. I loved seeing our traditional Masai guards in their traditional attire and armed with their spears. The food was wonderful ... After a pleasant night's sleep (with lions making enough noise in the distance to keep you wondering), we awoke at dawn to embark on our full day drive in the Mara.

We saw every type of wild life imaginable, most of them several times during the course of our day. My life felt complete after finally seeing Elephants at home in Africa. We experienced the notorious crossing of the Wildebeest at the Mara River and ate lunch on the Tanzania border. To say it was a day worth remembering would be like saying electricity had a mild impact on the modern world. " Autumn Spredemann, Milwaukee USA, AVIF Volunteer,August 2007

Read Autumn's AVIF report here

Day 2 & 3

You will have two full days to enjoy the Maasai Mara. The Game Drivers Safaris staff will be your hosts for your stay at Sokonoi and your guides for game drives in the Mara Reserve, bush walks around the camp and all other camp activities.

Day 4

You will leave Sokonoi after breakfast and, depending on your mode of transport, will be in Nairobi by early afternoon.

The total cost of this Safari will be: £210 per person based upon a minimum of four travelling together

What is included:

• 3 nights full-board accommodation at Sokonoi Camp
• Four wheel drive safari vehicle with driver guide
• All game drives and activities from the Camp (except Maasai Village Visit)

What is not included:

• Reserve and Conservancy Fees The Maasai Mara (Conservancy Fees go to the Maasai Community)
• Maasai Village visit charged at US$10 per person (fees go to the community)
• Travel Insurance

What to do now:

• If you wish to book this safari please contact us by email, telephone or on SKYPE (our Skype name is KINJAFARM).
• We will then discuss all your requirements and make any changes to the the itinerary that you request.
• A revised itinerary will be issued to you together with your invoice and booking form

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