Kenyan Encounter In Style
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Trip Highlights
- Volunteer on a revolutionary Masaai project
- Stay in Luxury accommodation
- Discover private conservancies
- Find unique species in Samburu Game Park – a little known gem
- Visit Maasai Mara (and optional hot air balloon ride)
- Explore a Maasai village with a Maasai warrior
- Relax in barefoot luxury on a pristine beach on an idyillic island
Your "Taste of Volunteering" Project
The iconic Massai Mara national park has long been a great tourist attraction for Kenya, yet many of the Masaai people have not shared in these spoils. One group is trying to redress this imbalance and at the same time raise money to provide a safe haven for young girls that have chosen to avoid female circumcision.
Female circumcision is a traumatic procedure that is carried out on girls as young as 9, just prior to marriage. Apart from causing the death of 1 in 5 children the procedure often results in life long pain. However, avoiding the procedure means that these young girls will be disowned by their family and community.
Gain a deep understanding of the Masaai culture and help this tourism initiative become a success, so that it can provide a safe haven for these young girls. This way the girls can make the choice not to undergo the procedure and find shelter and support in this new community.
Trip Summary
This fascinating trip offers the rare opportunity to spend time with the Masaai people and gain a deeper understanding for their fascinating culture. At the same time take the opportunity to unwind on the stunning Lamu Island and explore some of the best game parks in the world.
The famous Masaai are a semi-nomadic strongly patriarchal society with the elders deciding most matters for each group. Traditional life centres around their cattle, which is the primary source of food. Wealth is measured in cattle and children, whilst disputes are generally settled with an exchange of livestock.
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Did you know: A myth relates that God gave the Masaai all the cattle in the world and as a result rustling cattle from other tribes is seen as taking back what is rightfully theirs.
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Both the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments have instituted programs to encourage the Masaai to give up their traditional life styles, but most have continued the time-honoured customs. It is this insistence on maintaining age old traditions that makes them so unique and your opportunity to spend time with them so fascinating.
Apart from the Masaai people there is also the fabulous Maasai Mara game park and the adjacent Ol Kinyei Conservancy. Game spotting here is always fantastic, but the migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti from July to October is something to behold.
There are also other great parks such as Samburu and Amboseli. Samburu, is a little-known gem of a reserve, with unique wildlife, including gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx and reticulated giraffe, as well as lion, leopard and cheetah. Your eco-aware tented luxury lodge enjoys a fantastic location looking out over riverbanks where herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra come daily to drink.
Amboseli National Park and in the adjacent Selankay Conservancy have swamps that act as a magnet for wildlife. Yet, no visit is complete without a trip to Observation Hill – a spectacular vantage point to admire Mt Kilimanjaro.
Finally, as you relax on the stunning Lamu Island . Cast your mind back over this trip and feel rewarded by the knowledge that you have played your part in ensuring that young Masaai girls can now have a choice in life.
For more information please contact us.
Other Interesting Trips:
Malawi - Malawi Magic
Malawi - Malawi Parks and Falls
Namibia - Simply Namibia
Feel free to contact us if you have any enquiries about this trip.
