Traveling for a good cause has benefits for you too – you’ll get to know the country you visit and the community first-hand, experience some things you wouldn’t if you traveled first-class and all-inclusive, change your perspective on things, and grow as a person. Did I mention adrenaline-packed adventures?
You can choose from a wide variety of activities: trekking, cycling, teaching, diving, building schools, and houses, helping at orphanages, you name it. It all depends on what your preferences are, but it’s worth mentioning that since travelling for a good cause has become extremely popular, there are countless companies which offer different volunteering trips.
Upon your arrival in the vibrant city of Nairobi, your family will be greeted and transferred to your hotel. A pre departure meeting will prepare you for your safari and introduce you to your guide. Overnight to relax from the long flight trip and jet lag.
Accommodation in a Christian Faith Based Hotel | Meals Plan: BB.
City tour at leisure to explore the sights and sounds of Kenya’s capital city. Gateway to East Africa, Nairobi is an energetic hub of activity. From street cafés, colorful markets, and historic buildings.
Proceed to Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephants and Rhino Sanctuary. Kenya-born Dame Daphne worked alongside her late husband, David, the founding warden of Tsavo National Park, raising orphaned elephants and other species and rehabilitating them back into the wild. Admire the young elephants’ playful nature in an up-close encounter.
Langata Giraffe Sanctuary. Managed by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, the park is a sanctuary for the rare Rothschild giraffe, there are lots of great options for your enjoyment.
Accommodation in a Christian Faith Based Hotel | Meals Plan: BB.
Visit a natural oasis within Nairobi city limits on a morning trip to Karura Forest, where you’ll have independent time to walk, relax, or ride a bike. Choose between trails that range from 3.1 miles (5 km.) to 9.3 miles (10 km.), exploring waterfalls, caves, streams, and stands of upland trees.
Kiambethu Tea Farm Tour.
Arrive at 11am and over a cup of tea or coffee the history of the farm and process of making tea is informally explained, followed by an opportunity to see tea in the field.
Then take a walk in the indigenous forest with our resident Kenyan guide who will identify the plants and explain how they are traditionally used. Look out for the Colobus monkeys close up and wander in the gardens which are home to a wide variety of birds and flowers.
Return to the house to enjoy a pre-lunch drink on the verandah with sweeping views across the tea fields. Enjoy your three-course buffet lunch from our set menu prepared with vegetables from the garden and desserts are topped with cream from our herd of Channel Island cows.
Accommodation in a Christian Faith Based Hotel | Meals Plan: BB.
Early morning will start the journey to the Kenya’s Mountain region with a beautiful scenic drive to Serena Sweetwater’s Tented Camp is a sheltered oasis clustered around a water hole in the pristine calm of the private Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Camp is a charming blend of close-to-nature ambiance and premium safari comfort. The tents have en suite facilities and private balconies or verandas. Amenities include the Kashoggi Bar and Lounge with its blazing log fire, and the Waterhole Bar, built in the style of a game-viewing blind—a great spot for wildlife watching. Guests love the activities, and can join in everything from family breakfasts by the riverside to local school visits and nightly wildlife talks.
After breakfast, revel in safari game drive, stopping to visit the rhino sanctuary and chimpanzee sanctuary—both instrumental in saving these animals. The chimpanzee sanctuary provides lifelong refuge to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from West and Central Africa. Time allows for another game drive this afternoon for anyone looking for more action. Have the whole day to explore the chimpanzee sanctuary, and the baby Rhino-Morani.
On returning to camp, enjoy a cultural interaction with the Maasai. This warrior tribe of nomadic pastoralists originated from northern peoples over 10 centuries ago. Their life is dominated by traditions and migrations centered on their large herds of cattle. Your family will learn about their time-honored customs and see the warriors perform a thrilling traditional dance.
Accommodation: Serena Sweetwaters Tented Camp | Meals Plan: BLD
After breakfast depart to Nyeri to visit a Local Church and visit a Children Ophanage.
Accommodation: Green Hills Hotel Nyeri or Similar Hotel. | Meals Plan: HB.
After Lunch and relaxation embark on an enroute game drive of Lake Nakuru National Park to Lake Naivasha, a large freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley. Arriving at Lake Naivasha, you’ll be refreshed with high tea at Joy Adamson’s famous Elsamere Farm. A British naturalist, Joy is the author of Born Free, the beloved international best seller describing the tribulations of raising a lion cub to adulthood. The farmhouse, bought in 1967, is now a conservation center focused on lake ecology and environmental awareness. Visit the farm’s museum and the nursery before heading to Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp or Sopa Resort.
Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp or Sopa Resort or Sawela Safari Lodge | Meals Plan: BLD.
This morning takes you to Hells Gate National Park for optional rock climbing, mountain biking, or walking. Named for its pair of massive, red-tinged cliffs framing an exothermally active terrain of steam vents and bubbling springs, Hells Gate is home to a profusion of plains game and birdlife.
This afternoon, it’s time to grab your hats and embark on a boat safari. As you cruise Lake Naivasha’s glittering surface along freshwater shores fringed with papyrus and yellow acacia, keep an eye out for hippos and other rare creatures. These forests abound with birdlife, and the waters of the lake draw a great range of game including giraffe, buffalo, and colobus monkeys. Peacefully cruising this idyllic scene to the sound of twittering birds will create a lasting impression of lovely Lake Naivasha.
Following your boat ride, enjoy a guided nature walk on Crescent Island. Experiencing the natural habitat on foot, your family will be immersed in the serene environment with little disturbance or impact. It’s an intimate and personal wildlife experience—a chance to appreciate the smaller animals and birds sometimes missed during big game drives.
Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp or Sopa Resort or Sawela Safari Lodge | Meals Plan: BLD.
Heading southwest to your next destination, you arrive at the Masai Mara—one of Africa’s finest game reserves. Land of rolling green plains and riverside woodlands, the Mara is home to the world’s greatest wildlife phenomenon, the wildebeest migration, which crosses its grasslands July to October. Several million animals take part in this epic journey through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, surging over the flood-swollen Mara River, braving crocodile-infested waters and shadowed by other hungry predators.
A year-round destination, the Mara has one of the highest concentrations of predator and prey in Africa. It is also inhabited by the legendary Maasai communities with their cherished cattle herds. A century of close association with the wildlife has resulted in a symbiotic relationship, where wildlife and people coexist on a daily basis. On arrival, a game drive may reveal some of the park’s legendary animal interaction.
Included: Land transfer and afternoon game drive
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Approximate Travel Time: 4 hours
Accommodation: Mara Leisure Camp or Sekenani Camp| Meals Plan: BLD.
Mara Leisure Camp sits on an elevation encircled by streams. The large grounds include rolling manicured greens, a forest of indigenous shrubs and exotic trees, a large pond stocked with fish, bird sanctuary, and an authentic Maasai village adjoining the camp. Comfortable accommodations in family tents afford plenty of room and privacy. Facilities include a main restaurant, bar, and bush dining options, plus free-form swimming pool with bar.
Two full days in the park allow plenty of time for exciting morning and afternoon game drives. Unique sightings are common: a pride of lion stalking their prey; a solitary leopard retrieving its kill from the high branches of an acacia tree; a herd of elephant protecting their young. Cap off an afternoon with a fascinating cultural encounter: a visit to the homestead or manyatta of Maasai herders.
For a truly exceptional “overview,” consider an optional hot-air balloon ride. Rides are easily booked to experience the magnificent vistas of the park from above. Ballooning adventures start early so you can glimpse an unforgettable sight: a spectacular golden dawn breaking over the savanna plains.
Included: Game drives and visit to a Maasai manyatta
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Mara Leisure Camp or Sekenani Camp | or similar.
