East Africa: Land of the African Safari!

Be stirred by the spirit as you travel on a special safari and outreach journey to Kenya.

This holiday combines volunteering with a special tour highlighted by a 5-day African Safari.

A perfect touring combination to enhance your travel experience — a holiday that blends touring the countryside with sightseeing, plus an opportunity to give back by serving others.

Our Journey Includes:

• Roundtrip air transportation to Nairobi
• All tour-related transportation in Kenya
• First Class hotel accommodations in Nairobi
• Special hotel accommodations in Kisii
• Exciting Safari accommodations
• Daily breakfast
• Many other meals, as per itinerary
• All tour site and game park entrance fees
• Pre-paid Gratuities
• Fully escorted and guided by local Guides
• Roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, including luggage handling

Special Added Features

• Welcome dinner with the School Officials of the Briton Orphanage Camp Project
• A day at the Briton Orphanage Camp Project school
• A visit to Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage
• A visit to the AFEW Nature Center near Giraffe Manor
• A visit to Mutula’s ranch , a private animal sanctuary haven for lions
• A Special 5-day African Safari

Volunteer Service Projects include:

• A visit to the village of Kisii
• The “Dream Project” pairs you with a local student and together discuss the student’s dreams for this art project. We have found it to be a valuable opportunity in teaching children the value of dreaming: how important it is to have dreams, to wish for things, to have goals in life, .and how visualizing ones dreams in this way and keeping them near you while you sleep helps your dreams come true.
• There will be Gift-Giving to children of poverty. They have very little and are genuinely appreciative of even the smallest presents: pens, pencils, crayons, markers, storybooks or educational toys, etc. are great motivators for the kids.
• Visits to various animal orphanages and nature centers

TOUR ITINERARY (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

Day 1: Monday: Depart for Nairobi
Depart for Nairobi this morning

Day 2: Tuesday: In Nairobi (D)
Evening arrival in Nairobi, where we are met and transferred to our reserved hotel accommodation. Time to relax a bit before our Welcome to Africa dinner

Day 3, Wednesday: In Nairobi – – Cultural Exchange program (B/L/D)
After breakfast we head to a local school, where we have the opportunity to observe students in class and speak to them about life in North America, as well as let them tell their own stories about life in Nairobi. This friendship and cultural exchange is enriching and inspiring to both the children and the travelers. After lunch at the school, we will have the opportunity to tutor students, as well as engage in further conversation and cultural exchange. Dinner at our hotel with local students.

Day 4, Thursday: In Nairobi – Special day of touring local animal Orphanages & Nature Centers (B)
After breakfast we will visit Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage at the edge of Nairobi National Park, which is a nursery and rehab center for infant elephants that have lost their families, as well as rhino and occasionally zebras and other wildlife. Daphne was the first person to successfully master the art of raising orphaned Nature Center to help educate young African children about wildlife conservation. The Rothschild giraffe are the tallest species and may reach 18 feet in height, but you can see eye to eye with them on the elevated walkway at the center.infant elephants. The wife of the famous naturalist David Sheldrick, Daphne has dedicated her life to conservation. David was founder Warden of Kenya’s giant Tsavo East National Park, in which he served from 1948 until his death in 1976. You’ll enjoy a visit with the elephants as they’re brought by their keepers to the waterhole and salt lick to be fed and socialize – see how they roll in the mud and play fight, and their affectionate interaction with their keepers. Daphne, or a member of her staff, will be on hand to discuss their habits, as well as impart interesting facts about their upkeep. These infants are eventually released into the wild at Tsavo East National Park and end up in the care of other orphans who have been successfully reintroduced to the wild. Next stop the AFEW Nature Center near Giraffe Manor where you may hand-feed the Rothschild giraffe that live here. The giraffe were brought here by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, who founded AFEW (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife) and built the Center. Then we will take a trip out to a private animal sanctuary for Kenya’s priceless heritage, Mutula’s ranch is a haven for lions, cheetahs and rare species. We will visit on feeding day when you can watch the lions being fed, and pet the cheetahs. You will see close up water buffalo, ostrich, camels, tortoises and many birds. In the open field are numerous herds of Thompson’s gazelle, zebra, giraffes, elands other types of deer and ferret monkeys. The sanctuary rears camels, donkeys, beef and dairy cattle, goats and sheep. Additionally, the ranch boasts three established greenhouses which serve the sanctuary and the neighbouring community with fresh organic produce. Next to the greenhouses is a large collection of Langstroth beehives and three tilapia fishponds. Return to our hotel to relax and have dinner on our own.

Day 5&6, Friday&Saturday: On Safari (B/L/D)
Our safari begins as we drive to the Great Rift Valley, a huge geological fault-line that stretches round one-sixth of the Earth’s circumference and is visible from far out in space. The drive will take about three hours. At 2,000 feet deep and 30 miles wide, it runs as far as the eye can see. Its walls are sheer and high and along its length, there are many volcanoes, most now dormant. With bubbling springs and geysers, the landscape is spectacular. Lake Nakuru National Park is a shallow alkaline lake that is world-renowned for its huge concentration of flamingos; at times, hundreds of thousands of these birds give the lake a pink shimmering glow. The park boasts a huge variety of animals, including leopard which is often found snoozing on the branches of the magnificent yellow-barked acacias, lion, buffalo, hippo, waterbuck, warthog, baboon, the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe only found in this park in Kenya, white rhino and the rare black rhino which is protected and guarded here. For the bird-watching enthusiast there are 450 species found in the park vicinity. Your wildlife drives will allow ample wildlife viewing and you’ll also get a chance for a bird and wildlife walk at nearby Soysambu and Lake Elmenteita.

Day 7&8, Sunday&Monday: On Safari -(B/L/D)
Continue your drive going west to The Masai Mara, Kenya’s most famous nature reserve, and one of the settings for the film Out of Africa. The drive will take about 6 hours. It is classic savannah – grasslands, where animals are plentiful and the vistas spectacular. In this dreamlike land, animals live in freedom, and the Masai tend their cattle. Visit the only Masai tribe that still practices their ancient customs. The area, also known as the “Jewel of Africa,” has one of the largest and the most spectacular animal migrations in the world. The reserve is known for its large wildlife, including lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, black rhino and hippo. There are also over 500 resident species of birds in the park including ostrich, lark and sunbird. The reserve which covers an area of 700 square miles forms part of the Serengeti ecosystem and hosts the world famous spectacle of the annual migration of up to two million wildebeest, thousands of zebra and an escort of carnivores from the Serengeti plains, following the rains and succulent new grass. A costly trek as many of the lame, laggard and sick will fall prey to predators and many more will die in the swirling flood waters of the Mara River as they try to cross it. While the migration depends on many factors such as the rains, you’ll be here during the best time for this spectacle, one of the greatest on earth.

Day 9, Tuesday: To In Kisii (B/L/D)
Leaving the Masai Mara a picturesque drive takes us through villages and farmland en route to the local Villages in Kisii. Kisii is the main centre for the Gusii people. It is also home to Kisii soapstone – a pale pink stone that is often colored with designs. The nearby village of Tabaka is where soapstone is quarried. Visit a local adult learning group whose teacher is studying the SOM. They are learning the basic 3R’s as well as sewing skills in order to support their families. Conditions will be very different from what you are accustomed to in the States. Most homes will probably not have running water and may not even have electricity. Additionally, we will visit other areas in the region including the town of Ogenma and Ogemba in Gucha and Nyamarambe in South Gucha. Overnight and dinner in Kisii.

Day 10, Wednesday: Kisii & Nairobi (B/L)
This morning we spend a little more time with our SOM friends in Kissii as we will do our “Dream Pillow program with the local children. The “Dream Project” pairs you with a local child and together discuss the their dreams for this art project. We have found it to be a valuable opportunity in teaching children the value of dreaming: how important it is to have dreams, to wish for things, to have goals in life, and how visualizing ones dreams in this way and keeping them near you while you sleep helps your dreams come true. A sad goodbye before we travel back to Nairobi, about a 6 hour drive. Returning to our hotel with plenty of time to relax or visit the spa and dinner on our own.

Day 11, Thursday: In Nairobi – “Dream Pillow” program (B/L/D)
This morning, we visit a local school for our 2nd “Dream Pillow” program. Here you will be paired with a student and together discuss the student’s dreams for this art project. We have found it to be a valuable opportunity to teach the children the value of dreaming: how important is to have dreams, to wish for things, to have goals in life, and how visualizing ones dreams in this way and keeping them near you while you sleep helps your dreams come true. Using fabric, non-toxic paints and markers (travelers will bring them), the children create designs and affirmations, as well as put their names on their pillowcases. Sayings such things as Sweet Dreams, Dreams Come True, etc. Each child will leave with a Dream Pillow. We have found that this program gives these children an experience that can affect them very positively for years to come. Again, we can have lunch at the school with each traveler sitting next to the student they worked with on the art project. Afterwards return to the hotel for some free time in the afternoon. Farewell Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 12, Friday: To USA
Transfer to the airport for your connecting flights back to the USA

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