Food

In a nod to the country of the camp's founders and co-managers, the food is traditional Italian, with homemade bread, pasta, biscuits and gelato. Vegetables come from the camp's organic garden, along with organic milk and eggs, while the bar stocks Italian and South African wines. Picnics can be prepared to dine al fresco, and delicious candle lit Italian meals are shared at the big table in Tembo House each evening.

Features & Facilities

• Your own Maasai guide to lead you on personalised safaris.
• 280,000 acres of unspoilt wilderness.
• Although expensive, once you get to Campi Ya Kanzi, you don't have to pay for a thing. Absolutely everything is included from delicious meals to Italian and South African wines as well as all activities; daily walking and 4WD safaris are part of the package.
• This is one camp blissfully without standard hotel features; there is just one satellite phone that you can use and there is no mobile coverage. Also no televisions or other modern conveniences. This camp represents the true meaning of 'getting away from it all'.

Local Info & Activities

Nestled in the Chyulu Hills, in view of Mount Kilimanjaro, near the Kenya-Tanzania border, the Camp is set in Kuku Group Ranch, 280,000 acres of land owned by 3000 Maasai. The landscape varies from open grassland savanna to bush hills, to river forests, to the lake, to the spring and up to the clouds forests of the Chyulu. Each place needs almost a day to be fully enjoyed so make sure you plan to stay for a while.

The camp is open all year, and the climate comfortable year-round, though coolest in July and hottest in January and February. During and after the rains in November and April/May, the area is verdant, with Kilimanjaro snow-capped peak as a magnificent backdrop. This is when the elephant population is at its peak. It's also worth timing your stay to coincide with the wildebeest migration around late October/November.

Safaris:

You'll make your safari game drives in one of the camp's six open Land Rover Defenders. Your professional guide and Maasai game trackers will always be with you to provide lots of information and to ensure your safety in the bush.

On a foot safari with your guides, you'll see many species of game and birds in their natural environment. Since this is your Maasai tracker's native land, he'll be able to introduce you to local medicinal plants, discuss animal tracks and behavior, and share with you his lore of the Maasai culture and traditions.

You can start the day with a guided walk safari with local trackers to show you the rich flora and fauna of this undiscovered paradise. You can take a forest walk in the Chyulu, with a picnic on the hills, or a river walk and lunch at the camp. One of the best options is an early morning game drive with a bush breakfast near the spring: walking next to elephants is almost guaranteed. Then in the afternoon take a game drive or a walk in the savanna.

Day excursions are also on offer, beginning with an early breakfast before heading to Tsavo National Park. This is elephant country – you'll explore the Park and see many different game species. Up to 30 different mammals species can be spotted on this game drive, including elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, lesser kudu, klipspringer, oryx and wildebeest.

Sundowners on a cliff looking for the elephants makes a perfect ending to a great day in Africa.

Wildlife:

The ranch is immense and has a wide variety of natural habitats, so it is home to a remarkable range of wildlife and bird species. This diversity makes it a very valuable area for conservation in Kenya, and ensures a truly thrilling safari experience. Lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and the common animals of the plains are all abundant, but there are also many rare species thriving on the ranch, like African wild dog, lesser kudu, and cheetah) Conservation efforts have been so successful that black rhino have recently moved onto the ranch.

More than 60 species of mammals and almost 400 bird species inhabit the ranch. The most recent game count revealed an abundant local wildlife population: 2,016 zebra, 945 hartebeest, 810 Grant gazelles, 514 impala, 432 eland, 362 giraffes, 340 buffaloes, 329 elephants, 19 lions, and 5 leopards. There are also hundreds of gnus, waterbucks, Thompson's gazelles, baboons, and oryx. A walk through the gentle hills near the camp will reward you with a view of mountain reedbuck, the graceful klipspringer. While exploring the riverbanks, you might catch a glimpse of the shy lesser kudu or the bushbuck. In the plains you will see the amazing gerenuk.

You'll find different wildlife on your safari to one of the nearby watering places, where lions, elephants, and other large game animals gather in the mornings and evenings. At dusk, you can make an easy climb up one of the beautiful volcanic hills surrounding the camp, affording a stunning view of animals grazing on the golden plains below.

Birdlife is amazing, once again thanks to the incredible diversity of the topography of the reserve. The forest narina trogon, Hartlaub turaco, silver-cheeked hornbill are extremely rare elsewhere, and yet easy to be found here. Kori bustards, many different hornbills and many colorful sunbirds are also common. Birds of prey are plenty, including the rare Verraux eagle.

Community tourism:

You can visit the various projects run by the Trust, like the school and medical dispensary, to see where some of your money is going. For an authentic tribal experience, you can also visit the local Maasai village where your tracker lives. While the Camp can organize a range of village tours, villages in this part of the world don't tend to offer a great deal to the tourist, so stick to kicking back and watching the wildlife.

insider tip

The nearest store from the camp is six hours away over dirt roads, so double-check what you're bringing. Be sure to bring comfortable clothes and shoes for walking, plenty of sunscreen and any essential medicines you use.

Sustainability

Solar power, extensive recycling programs and the use of local building materials help reduce the camp's environmental footprint.

Direct local employment has reduced poverty and increased awareness of wildlife as an economic resource.

All guests pay a $40 per-day conservation fee while the Camp pays management fees to the Maasai. The conservation fee helps reimburse pastoralists who have lost cattle due to wildlife regeneration, while revenue from the resort has also helped fund 8 local schools and a dispensary. Regular presentations at the supported schools help educate locals about wildlife conservation.

Guests can "adopt" wild animals on the reserve to replace the revenue lost as the locals relinquish their right to sell meat and hides.

A lion protection program ensures that locals are compensated for any stock loss as long as they refrain from killing lions. Funds are provided for improved fencing to protect cattle.

Maasai scouts, trained and employed by teg ranch, help reduce poaching.

Awards

• 2004 World Legacy Award finalist
• 2005 SKAL Ecotourism Award winner
• 2006 Tourism for Tomorrow winner

Getting There

You need to get yourself to Nairobi, the Camp will organize the rest. Staff will meet you at the International Airport in Nairobi and help you with your transfer to the camp. If you arrive late in the day, you'll be taken to your hotel in Nairobi, while if you arrive early enough, you can make the transfer that same day. If you're pressed for time, the camp recommends that you use its air service – a 6-seater Cessna 206. It just takes one hour to fly from Nairobi to the Campi ya Kanzi airstrip. The camp offers daily flights, 7 days a week, at the most convenient time for guests. They'll handle the transfer from Nairobi International to Wilson. The cost of the flight is US$300 per person one way, with a minimum of 2 passengers. The service can also fly you from Mombasa or Malindi, just one hour and 10 minutes flight, for $350 per person one way, with a minimum of 2 passengers. In all flights maximum total luggage allowed is 15 kg (35 pounds) per passenger, in a soft bag.

If you prefer to travel by road – the more environmentally friendly option – the camp offers transport from Nairobi to the camp in a 4WD vehicle (maximum four passengers). This costs $600 one way per vehicle, plus $27 per person for the Tsavo National Park entrance fee. The trip is about 200 miles, and takes approximately six hours.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

The following rates are valid through November 2007(all prices are US dollars):

Deluxe suites: $430 per person per night, double occupancy - children under 12, $215 per night.

Hemingway suite: featuring a wide veranda with a great view, king size bed, changing room, double sink: $600 per person per night, double occupancy; $800 per night, single occupancy; $400 per night for a child in third bed (under 12 years old).

Prices Include:

• Full board accommodations
• Pure drinking water from the natural spring, bottled mineral water
• Soft drinks, house wines, beers
• Game drives in open specially modified Land Rovers and escorted game walks
• Bird watching
• Botanical escorted game walks
• Cultural visits to your tracker's house at the Maasai Village
• Visits to the projects of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, including a Maasai school, the dispensary, the game scouts.
• Bush breakfast, picnics, bush dinners and sundowners
• Excursions to Chyulu National Park, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo National Park (park entrance fees not included)
• Laundry
• Transfers from and to Campi ya Kanzi airstrip (this is a nice 10 minute game drive)

Not included:

• Transportation to and from Nairobi
• Medical insurance
• Special wines, spirits, champagne
• Air excursions (in the Ranch or to National Parks)
• Gratuities
• There is a $40 per person, per day conservation fee. This money is set aside to help the Maasai community and to preserve their wildlife heritage.

Booking & Cancellation Policy

Confirmation: A 40% deposit (40% of total cost of booking) holds your booking. 20% of this deposit is non-refundable. Balance is payable 45 days prior to arrival.

Cancellation policy: From time of booking until 91 days prior to arrival 20% of total cost of booking is charged as a cancellation fee. If cancellation is made from 90 to 30 days prior to arrival 40% of total cost of booking is charged as a cancellation fee. After 30 days 100% cancellation fee is charged.

Late booking surcharge: For guests who arrive in the morning and depart in the evening, a surcharge of 25% of the per person per night rate is charged plus an extra days' conservation fees.

 

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.