Masai Mara Safari

Introduction
Masai Mara Kenya

For many people, a Kenyan horse safari is the true and real safari adventure.
The entire camp, tents, truck, horses move almost every other day. It is the ultimate safari in big game country - no fences, no paved roads, free roaming wildlife.
The Maasai Mara is perhaps the most outstanding game reserve in the world, home  to the largest concentration of wildlife anywhere. Coupled with the extraordinary birdlife and amazing flora, this part of Kenya is hard to beat. The famous Maasai Maramigration usually means vast quantities of plains game, particularly between June and September and this means predators too. The spectacular scenery changes day by day, as you ride across endless grassy plains, ford seasonal river beds, and climb the Bardamat Hills. The only other people you are likely to see are the local Maasai, who still live traditionally with their livestock.
The safaris usually start at the foot of the Loita hills heading west into the heart of the Mara. There are normally two long moving days and on the other days you explore this magical area on horseback, on foot and by vehicle on game drives.

Your hosts Mark Laurence and his wife Carla and daughter Tobina live in Maasailand close to the Mara. Mark, who will guide you, is Kenyan born and bred and his passion, knowledge and experience of the country will bring your safari to life. He is a former steeplechase jockey who rode in the UK for Josh Gifford.
Mark has a carefully selected group of  Thoroughbred and Thoroughbred crosses
from both Kenya and Zimbabwe. They are well schooled, bush-wise and are ridden in the very best Australian stock saddles or Argentine/British polo saddles. They are
lovingly cared for by the grooms and spend the nights on a picket line.

You stay in spacious walk-in safari tents which have their own dressing room area and private bucket shower and adjacent drop loo. Drinks are served by the campfire before dinner under the lights of the famous chandelier in the homely mess tent. Carla's hand is evident in the superb four course dinners. There are set departures throughout the year and Mark is also available for tailor-made safaris. There are a number of safari options.

Accomodation

You stay in spacious walk-in safari tents which have their own dressing room area and private bucket shower and adjacent drop loo.
These are movable luxury tent camps - combined with several nights at the seasonal fixed Acacia camp with five double tents, in true safari style, based in the Olare Orok valley. Acacia offers the very best of the Maasai Mara, and is the grand finale to any of our safaris. Finish your day off with sundowners on a rocky kopje and night game drive. The camp is aptly named, courtesy of the spring system that flows past camp and feeds these spectacular trees.

Camp Staff
The camps are fully staffed with highly trained, cooks, waiters, tent attendants, drivers and game scouts. By the end of your safari, you and your camp staff will have become friends, and you will wonder how you will ever manage again without them. Laundry is done on every non-moving day.

Dining
You will be amazed at the consistently high levels of delicious food that your safari cook produces for every meal. Most guests are still surprised by what can be produced in a camp kitchen.
Breakfast is usually eaten in camp. Although, if you are walking with your guide in the early morning, you will experience a memorable moment when you come into a remote clearing in the bush to find your camp cook already there preparing a hearty English breakfast.
Lunch might be a delicious picnic on a hill overlooking the wildebeest migration or by the side of a river.

Drinks
A full bar travels with you with imported spirits, excellent South African wines and first class local beers and sodas. Whilst in our private camps all drinks, with the exception of Champagne, are included in the cost of your safari. Bottled water and ice are provided.

This trip includes some wine with dinner and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding

Itinerary

Day 1:  Arrival in Jomo Kenyatta Interational airport, Nairobi. You will be collected by a private taxi service, a man will be waiting for you once you have collected your bags, with a big sign with your name on it. He will take you to your internal flight, that leaves at 10am from Wilson Airport. This flight will bring you to a bush strip, at a place called Siana Springs. From here you will be collected in our safari built 4x4's and whisked off to our first camp. After lunch, a siesta, we will go out for an evening ride - generally not a fast one, just to give you a chance to get to know your horse. Our camp is in a place called Olare Lamune, in a glade of towering yellow acacia trees.
Day 2: Early start with a ride out from camp into the surrounding areas, coming back to camp for a late breakfast. The rest of the day we spend doing as anyone would like - a climb up to the top of Oloibormut (white necked mountain in Maasai) is worth it just for the view, or a game drive. An evening ride, followed by dinner and a good night's sleep ready for tomorrow. We may go out for a night game drive on either night from this camp as there are both lion and leopard in the area, and they are generally more active in the cooler hours.
Day 3: The first moving day - we get up, pack our bags, and set off from camp on the horses, aiming to leave about 9am. Behind us camp is broken, packed onto the lorry, and moved to our next camp. Meanwhile we are aiming over the Olesere plains (meaning goodbye in Maasai - and well named!) We stop for a barbeque lunch brought by our support car at the base of the Bardamat mountains. (Morning ride +/-5 hours depending on what we see). After lunch and a siesta, we mount up and climb the escarpment up to the top of the Bardamats - and then head into camp which is set facing East over looking the area we have ridden across, and further to the Loita hills. (About 1-1.5hours ride)
Day 4:  An early morning ride in the hills - nearly always see buffalo, but just taking in the immense space is worth getting up for. A lazy day in camp, with options of an evening walk for sundowners on top of the peak rocks.
Day 5: We move again - this is our longest day in the saddle. We break for lunch in a fantastic gorge with rock pools that we can swim in. There is no way to get a car to where we stop for lunch, so today we will take our packed lunch in the saddle bags. After a good cool off in the pools we head on, ending up in our Acacia camp in time for a well earnt sundowner! The riding is roughly 6 hours before lunch, and about 2 after lunch.
Day 6: We give the horses a break in the morning - and head out for an early game drive in the cars.
Day 7 and 8  Probably the best game viewing area the Mara has to offer based at our Acacia Camp. For the next two days, we explore by horse, L/Cruiser, interact with the local Maasai and generally do as we wish. Sundowners, a Mara River BBQ, night drives, are all available options. We will try to persuade everyone to do a day ride to the Mara river - where we would have a barbeque overlooking some hippo pools, and then head back into camp in the evening, but which day we do this depends how strong everyone is feeling! Acacia camp itself is set on the Olare Orok stream -which is a rare source of fresh water in the dry season, and a magnet for animals. With so much to see and do, it seems that you have hardly arrived before the inevitable.
Day 9:  After our last night in camp, we sadly pack up, have breakfast and leave camp at about 9am. We will take you to the nearest bush airstrip, which is called Ngerende, for your 11am connection back to Nairobi. In Nairobi you will be met once again by the same taxi and taken on to wherever you want to go. If you decide you want a day room before an evening flight, we can easily make these arrangements for you once you're here. Again the taxi will take you out to Jomo Kenyatta International airport in time for your flight.

Non riders will be participating in several game drives throughout the week and will have a full program as well with walks, drives, tracking....
We will plan each day as we go, doing whatever you choose, and making plans to meet up with the riders for bush breakfasts, or Barbeque lunches out from camp. In addition, if you would like, we will ask the elders from the Maasai village if we could visit them so that you can see how they live. Throughout your safari we are entirely flexible, and at your disposal!

Note: This is a sample itinerary only. Camps and riding routes may be altered due to game movements, weather, etc.

Rates and Dates for Masai Mara Safari

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Nairobi - Mara Siana
Airport: Mara Siana / Nairobi
Transfer: Nairobi

Climate: