Description
The emphasis of this Kenyan mobile camping safari is on giving you the very best wildlife and wilderness experience possible. We take you to three different areas – Amboseli, Nakuru and the Masai Mara – so you can enjoy a range of different habitats and wildlife.
Amboseli National Park is where you’ll get that iconic view of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds. It’s also one of the very best parks in Africa for seeing family groups of elephants and large bull elephants at close quarters.
Just north of Amboseli, Selenkay Conservation Area is an off-the-beaten track Maasai-owned area where few people visit so we’ll get this piece of unspoilt Africa pretty much to ourselves. Here we have a chance to walk with Maasai trackers and take night drives. The conservation area has a greater diversity of species within it than Amboseli.
One of the Rift Valley lakes, Lake Nakuru is a soda lake known for its population of flamingos. However the national park also happens to be one of the very best places to see leopards in Africa, and has one of the largest concentrations of rhino (black and white) in Kenya. We stay in adjacent private Congreve Wildlife Conservancy.
Big cats are usually the focus of wildlife viewing in the Masai Mara. It really is one the best places in Africa for seeing lions and leopards. However there are of course many other species and we will see as much as possible in our time here. Of course if you come when the migration is on (roughly July-October) you get the added advantage of huge herds of wildebeest and other plains animals, and the inevitable predators very close behind.
All the camps are in small private conservancies, which allow exploration on foot and night game drives as well as game drives during the day. You will be well looked after by the camp staff who do the cooking (the food is of the same high quality as in a luxury camp), heat the water for your shower and wash up after meals. Your driver-guide is a wildlife and nature expert and a member of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association. Tents are heavy-duty canvas 2-person dome tents (which you help put up and down) and comfortable sleeping mattresses are provided. We travel in 4x4 Toyota Landcruisers.
This really is a superb opportunity to visit some of the best game viewing regions in Kenya as well as some less visited areas and the mix of morning, afternoon and night drives and guided walks means that you will see the best possible range of wildlife.
But then it’s time to just flop and do nothing or mess about by the water! People don’t all want the same from a beach holiday, so with this in mind, we have two very different places you can choose from.
Diamond Beach Village is our eco-friendly, rustic Robinson Crusoe-like option. It is on Manda Island which is part of the Lamu Archipelago. You know the ‘Three Little Pigs’ story? Well, imagine those huts made out of straw and you’re close! No, don’t worry, they’re done very nicely indeed and there are no wolves around here.
There are six of these lovely little beach huts (called bandas), each with a shady porch. They are in fact made out of woven star palm for the walls and coconut palm for the roofs. In addition there is a quirky treehouse built in and around a baobab tree – excellent fun! They all have en-suite bathrooms with a shower and flush loo, and beds with mosquito nets. There is an open-air restaurant with great view of the Indian Ocean, and the cook offers a range of Swahili and more conventional western meals. As you might expect, there is an emphasis on seafood.
Diamond Beach is perfectly placed to watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean, and it is always peaceful as there are no cars on Manda. Chill out, swim, snorkel, fish, walk on the island, go on dhow (sail boat) trips, and for a bit of culture (or shopping) take a boat over to Lamu Island to Shela town (5 minutes ride) or Lamu (30 minutes).
If you want a total escape in a simple, peaceful spot with some of the friendliest people you’ll meet looking after you, then this is the beach holiday for you.
Pinewood Village Beach Resort is a fifty eight room resort just south of Diani Beach, which is about 40kms south of Mombasa. If you want something much less rustic than Diamond Beach, yet still not in the league of the really big resort hotels, we think this is just right. Most important though, it is on one of Kenya’s best beaches.
It has 4 restaurants, 3 bars and a lovely swimming pool, plus a jacuzzi, a small spa, gym, jet skis, watersports centre and dive centre. There are even tennis and squash courts and they can arrange deep sea fishing, kite surfing, bike tours, kayaking, wind surfing, and there is a banana boat. So you’re not going to be short of things to do if you need a break from the fabulous beach.
The hotel is set in pleasant gardens which attract a lot of bird species, and most of the rooms are garden view rooms. The rooms (all en-suite, with shower) have king-sized beds, ceiling fans and air-con, a safe, minibar, and telephone.
The staff take pride in their hotel and have won awards, and more importantly, lots of great customer comments for their friendly and high standards of service.