Recalibrate
Porini Activities
Shared Day Game Drives
One of the key activities of our guests is game drives in some of the best wildlife areas in the world. Our custom-built open-sided 4×4 game drive vehicles are designed to offer you an unobstructed close-to-nature game viewing experience. Every guest gets a “window” seat. We include a spotter in each vehicle for every game drive, creating two community jobs and a great experience for guests by having two people do the many roles of driving, dodging potholes, spotting wildlife, and engaging with the guests. The spotter role also helps us in bringing up community guiding trainees. The game drive vehicle is also equipped with a pair of binoculars to help you spot animals further away, and give you a better look when you’re close.
Game-viewing extravaganza
Night game drives
During Night drives you get to explore the bush after dark, either on your way back from your sundowner or as a special game drive in the night after dinner. A night drive gives you the opportunity to see many of the nocturnal and crepuscular animals that are inactive during the heat of the day, like the aardvark, bush babies, genet, civet, honey badger, and porcupine that are usually at their busiest doing their daily business at this time. You will be amazed by how much wildlife comes out after the sun goes down! Given their fantastic night vision and the cooler weather, nighttime is also when many predators such as lions, leopards, serval cats, and hyenas are most active hunting. We use red-filtered light during the night game drives when observing these animals as red light is drastically less impactful to their night vision. There is ongoing research into whether they can see the red light at all! Due to the use of the filtered red light, the animals are able to go about their usual night business undeterred.
Unique to the conservancy experience where they are permitted, night game drives offer a superior game viewing extravaganza and photo opportunities. Due to national park restrictions, night game drives are not available from Nairobi Tented Camp and Rhino River Camp.
Please Note: Night game drives are chargeable depending on the package booked.
Picnic Breakfast
There is a somewhat almost primal joy about having breakfast in the raw wilderness of the African savannah, more so if your views are framed by stunning landscapes and magnificent wildlife. Our picnic breakfasts are offered at approximately 9am – after an action-packed early-morning game drive, watching the animals at their most active as they start their day.
Your guide will pick a suitable, Instagram-friendly location within the conservancy to set up and you will sit down to a delicious spread of fresh fruits, pastries, muffins, yogurt and granola, bacon, sausages, hot chocolate/tea/coffee. The smell of coffee and tea fills the air as you enjoy your meal amidst the stunning savannah landscape.
As you eat, you may spot some of the wild animals that call this place home, like zebras, giraffes, and gazelles grazing nearby. It’s an experience like no other, immersing yourself in nature and enjoying a delicious breakfast in the wilderness of Africa.
The complementary bush picnic breakfast is available at no extra cost at all our camps except at the Nairobi Tented Camp.
Bush (Picnic) Lunches
A safari bush lunch in the savannah landscape of Kenya makes for an unforgettable experience our guests. The bush lunch is usually set up in a carefully selected spots that offer spectacular views of the landscape and the possibility of enjoying wildlife sightings.
The menu, is often simple but delicious and satisfying featuring a fusion of international and African flavors, with dishes like grilled meats and fish, served with a variety of delicious sauces and relishes, accompanied by freshly baked breads and seasonal salads. The ingredients are sourced from local farms and markets to ensure freshness and authenticity.
As you dine, you are surrounded by the stunning savannah landscape, with the possibility of seeing wild animals such as gazelles and zebras grazing nearby.
The Porini guides are also at hand to provide information and insights about the animals you will have spotted during your morning game drive and their habitats, making the lunch an educational and enriching experience as well as a culinary one.
The bush lunch is available at all our camps apart from The Nairobi Tented Camp and the Rhino River Camp at no extra cost.
Up close & intimate
Guided nature walks
A walking adventure in the bush provides a new perspective on the African landscape and its many residents. Tread across the vast savannah plains accompanied by an authentic Maasai warrior, with tribal knowledge that spans over centuries.
Learn the traditional Maasai way of life and discover how they live in harmony alongside Africa’s mighty wildlife. The perfect setting to appreciate nature, the slow pace of the walk combined with the interpretative skills of the guides will open your eyes to a fascinating world.
Guided bird walks
Ornithologists, avian enthusiasts and like-minded twitchers looking for speckled feathered creatures will love taking a guided birding walk at our camps. During the walk led by experienced guides who have a deep knowledge and passion for the local birds and their habitats, guests have the opportunity to spot a wide range of bird species, from the colorful and striking to the elusive and rare.
Some of the species that might be seen on the excursion include the sacred ibis, the Lilac-breasted roller, the yellow-billed hornbill, the secretary bird, and many more.
The walks take place in the early morning, when the birds are most active, and are tailored to suit the interests and abilities of the participants. The guides provide binoculars to help identify even the slightly distant birds and are able to answer any questions about the birds and their behaviors.
Porini Camps offers a unique opportunity to explore the vast savannah while also enjoying birdwatching. The camps are located in private conservancy areas, which offer an authentic wilderness experience while being away from the crowds. This means that visitors will have the chance to explore and discover the birdlife in a more intimate and peaceful way.
The excursion would be an ideal activity for those who want to combine a love of birdwatching with a safari experience. With its expert guides, diverse birdlife, and breathtaking natural setting, a bird walk excursion at Porini Camps is a must for any bird watching enthusiast.
Enjoy the stillness
Game viewing from the hide
The addition of wildlife viewing hides is proving popular with guests wanting to observe and photograph wildlife safely and yet in close proximity. The hide has been carefully placed to enhance wildlife viewing right in front of the camp.
With the peaceful setting and the animals freely strolling in, we can immerse ourselves in the surroundings and feel we are part of nature. Spending time in a hide can, with a little patience, result in some incredible sightings and close up photos. – Currently available at the Porini Rhino Camp.
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Photography
Capturing every memorable moment of your safari to look back on for years to come is certainly an aspiration for all travelers. What better way to preserve in time the magnificent landscapes of East Africa, the blazing sunsets or the mesmerizing African wild animals in their natural environment than via a photograph?
Indeed “Seeing is different from being told,” says a Kenyan proverb.
The safari vehicles at the Porini Camps are equipped with bean bags and camera mounts to help steady your lens and avoid camera shake and blurred images as well as charging points to make sure your batteries never die at the crucial moment and storage pouches to keep your equipment close at hand.
We also have a spotter and a driver guide in the vehicle who are expertly trained on tracking, how to position the vehicle, considering the light and anticipating animals’ movements, so that all you have to concentrate on is the click of the shutter. What’s more the safari vehicles provide 360° views providing unobstructed views, allowing photo enthusiasts to capture eye-level images of wildlife as if you are right next to them.
Pro photographers are encouraged to book a safari vehicle on exclusive basis for this activity as often you may need to stay at a promising place longer or get out earlier and stay later since animals are active most at night and in the early morning hours.
School visit in Amboseli & Mara
Mix up your day and night game drives in our wildlife-rich conservancies by spending a morning or afternoon visiting one of the local schools we support around the conservancy. The children are the future of conservation and it’s key that they have opportunities for a good education and can see wildlife and protecting habitat as a viable land use option, one that gives them a better life and mitigates against the negative impacts of climate change. You can arrange with the manager to visit a school to also learn and see more about a number of the projects we support like the digital learning, Maarifa Mazingira Club, the building of a school library, building toilet blocks, improving water catchment, providing sanitary pads for girls so they can stay in school among many other initiatives.
You are invited to donate to any of the school projects listed here
“In the end, we will only conserve what we love, we will only love what we understand and we will only understand what we are taught” – Baba Dioum
Authentic Maasai village visit in Amboseli
Porini Amboseli Camp offers a unique opportunity to experience the culture and way of life of the Maasai people in an authentic setting, far from the typical tourist routes.
A visit to a traditional Maasai village is an enlightening and educational cultural experience.
During the visit, guests have the opportunity to interact with the Maasai people, learn about their customs, beliefs, and traditions, and observe their daily activities. They are welcomed by a village elder, and a guide who provides an overview of the village and its history.
Our guests have the chance to see the traditional Maasai houses, the manyattas, made of mud and cow dung, and learn about the role of the village’s women in building and maintaining them.
Guests also learn about the traditional Maasai diet, which is mostly based on meat, milk, and blood. guests are also invited to observe, as well as participate, in traditional dance and songs.
The visit offers our guests an opportunity to interact with locals, and to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Maasai culture and way of life. The Maasai people are known for their warmth and hospitality, and as such the visit is a memorable and enriching experience for our guests and a is an ideal activity for those who are interested in learning more about the culture, customs and history of the people of Kenya.
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Conservation Talk: At Selenkay & Ol Kinyei Conservancies
Kenya’s Community Conservancies are among the most successful tourism model globally of protecting habitats and wildlife in partnership with communities. And all this is possible due to guests staying in the camps and the revenues generated from that which go to leases and community employment and support.
Meet our Conservancy warden or one of his team to learn more about the community model the positive impact on wildlife, and vegetation, and helping mitigate climate change but also the challenges of human-wildlife conflict, and livestock pressure, among other issues and some of the ways they are being addressed.
The talks are arranged on request and conducted by the conservancy warden or one of his team members.
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Porini Amboseli Camp, Selenkay Adventure Camp, Porini Mara Camp, Porini Mara Cottages
For the young at heart
Young Adventurers Programme
While on a Porini Safari, nurturing your curious-minded and adventurous young ones is taken care of by our Maasi guides, They will take the young ones through various activities, which include:
- Discover the wild toothbrush tree! Have a close brush with a toothbrush tree
- Learn to make a fire with just a pair of sticks
- Discover the different tracks made by various animals and learn how to identify them, (can you identify animal poop to know the animal you are tracking in the wild?)
- Make your new friends quiver with your own little bow and not-so-sharp arrows
- Learn how to identify birds of all feathers
- Nature walks: Discover medicinal plants growing in the wild and wild fruits that sustained the early-day pastoralists
- Whilst on short walks, learn tree identification & wild mammal behaviours from your local guide
- Can you name the big 5? Discover the little 5, the ugly 5, and more and head out to find some of them from around the camp with your guide – the little five members bear the names of their much more impressive namesakes: the rhino beetle, buffalo weaver, ant lion, leopard tortoise, and elephant shrew.
- Star gazing
- Test your growing skills against the Maasai guides by throwing a “rungu”
The Young Adventurer activity is available at all Porini Camps.
Star gazing
After your dinner at our camps, star gazing on clear nights offers guest the chance to witness the beauty of the African sky in a remote and peaceful setting, far from the light pollution of the cities.
Whilst staying any of our camps, you will be able to see the stars in the night sky, often with stunning clarity. The Southern Cross and alpha and beta Centauri, known as “The Giraffes” in some African cultures, are bright and beautiful, and the Milky Way is unmistakable.
The guides at the camp would be able to help you name the main stars and provide additional information about the night sky.
The Maasai people also have their own brand of ethno-astronomy and the guides at the Porini Camps also share the Maasai perspective on the night sky. For example, Orion and its guardians, Sirius and Taurus are called “Three Old Men Pursued by Lonesome Widows” by the Maasai.
Whether you are an experienced stargazer or simply looking for a magical experience, Porini Camps offer a near perfect setting for you to gaze at the stars and discover the beauty of the African night sky.
Visit Elsa’s resting place in Meru
A visit to Elsa the Lioness’ resting place at the Meru National Park is an educational and historical experience for our guests staying at the Rhino River Camp in Meru. Elsa, an orphaned lioness cub, was raised by George and Joy Adamson and later released into the Meru National Park as an adult. She is the beloved lioness made famous in the award-winning movie Born Free. The visit to her resting place is offered as a full day excursion from camp, with picnic meals in the bush.
During the visit, guests learn about Elsa’s story and the impact she had on wildlife conservation in Kenya. They also learn about the Adamson’s conservation efforts and the history of the Meru National Park. The visit is guided by an experienced guide who provides additional information about Elsa, the Adamsons, and the park history.
For Born-free fans, a visit to the Meru National Park would not have be complete without a visit to Elsa’s grave, which is appropriately alongside a river at the edge of the park boundary approximately a 2-hour drive from camp.
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The most memorable backdrops for the most memorable days in your life
Safari weddings
Where better to celebrate your wedding in Kenya than in a romantic and tranquil setting, within stunning scenery and surrounded by the sounds of the bush. It is no wonder that such a scene set the ambiance for Prince William to propose to Kate Middleton – this is where their fairy tale began. But you don’t have to be Royalty to get treated as such in Kenya. Service comes with a genuine smile from people that want your stay to be as perfect as you do.To ensure a personal experience head for a private conservation area for your wedding in Kenya– these are Africa’s best kept secret. These exclusive game reserves are away from the crowds and have unsurpassed game-viewing with the opportunity to see all of Africa’s “Big Five” as well as many other important species.
The multi award-winning Porini Safari Camps offer perfect settings for unique civil ceremonies, renewal of vows or blessings. The camps are each set on vast areas of pristine wilderness, away from other camps and lodges. Weddings in Kenya can be arranged at private, scenic viewpoints with stunning vistas across the game-filled landscape. Maasai traditional customs and blessings can be included to make a very special and spiritual experience.
Birds’ perspective
Optional Balloon Safaris, including Safari Champagne Breakfast (at extra cost)
Hot Air Balloon rides are exhilarating in any setting. A hot air balloon safari over Maasai Mara National Reserve, though, is a once in a lifetime experience!
Though this comes at an extra cost, we highly recommend it. Experience the thrilling “hot air balloon safari over the remarkable lands of Africa Maasai Mara.
Glide your eyes over the panoramic plains and explore the fantastical features of the valleys, the sparkling rivers and the lush grasslands before you. In between, the heads of gentle giraffe forging leafy trees, sleeping elephants sweeping in the cool wind, elegant gazelles sprinkling in the vast expanse, and the hippos pots sprinkle in the water can be seen.
Though a hot air balloon ride comes at an extra cost, we highly recommend it.
Aspiring & Sporty
Fishing
Try your hand at fishing in one of Meru’s many rivers. Settle down with a fishing rod in the shade of the fringed palms that line the river’s banks of the Rojewero and Tana rivers. The rivers have plentiful of catfish, tilapia and barbel that inhabit the river. We recommend “catch & release” fishing. Simple fishing rods are available at the camp for use by avid fishermen and fishing enthusiasts. A fishing license is required and can be obtained at an extra cost from the Kenyan Wildlife Service inside the Meru National Park.
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Refresh in the tranquility of a virgin forest
Swimming
The pool at Rhino River camp sits smack in the middle of a forested area. Right in front of it, a river rushes past, cascading over a huge rock to create a mini-waterfall. The scene is reminiscent of Bali, and was voted as the nomad magazine winner in their swimming pools in kenya category. In the heat of day, the pool makes one feel instantly better and adds to a summer holiday feeling. Here you can spend hours swimming on the fringe of an indigenous forest. A once in a life-time tranquillity in nature experience.
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Tune your body & soul to the pristine nature surroundings
Massage & beauty treatments
After a busy day of adventure in the bush, why not relax completely with a massage or a beauty treatment from our skilled masseuse? A ‘spa’ in the Rhino Camp means our therapist setting up a massage table on the deck of your tented suite for treatment as you enjoy the sounds of the private forest and Kidani rivers running water. The service is at an extra cost.
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Rescue & Protection
Chimpanzee visit
The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary aims to provide a refuge for chimpanzees rescued from the black market, and is the only place in Kenya where our closest living relatives can be seen.
Visitors to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy have free access to the Sanctuary, which is open daily from 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:30. The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established in 1993, with an agreement between the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Jane Goodall Institute. Over the last decades, the Sanctuary has provided a safe haven for the recovery and rehabilitation of chimpanzees rescued from traumatic situations; all victims of the illegal pet trade.
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Rare & close to extinction
Visit to the Northern White Rhinos
There are only two left on the planet, and Ol Pejeta is home to both of them. Najin and Fatu – the last northern white rhinos left in the world – were moved to Kenya from the Czech Republic in 2009, and live in the 700-acre northern white rhino enclosure.
The Enclosure is open to visitors twice daily, at 08:30 and 16:00 – where you can meet the northern whites and learn more about their history, what it takes to protect them, and what Ol Pejeta is doing to try and save this subspecies.
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Hug a rhino!
Meet Baraka the black rhino
Baraka was one of the first Black rhinos born on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. After losing an eye to an infection following a fight he, unfortunately, developed a cataract in the other eye and subsequently became completely blind. With a low chance of survival on his own, Baraka was moved from the wild to a 100-acre enclosure in order to ensure his safety.
Baraka is now an ambassador for his species – and a popular attraction at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. There is a feeding platform from which visitors can get up close to view and feed him, an experience not to be missed. Baraka receives visitors daily from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, with feeding times three times per day.
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Please Touch! Interactive learning redefined
Visit the Morani Information Centre
The Morani Information Centre is named in honour of the tame black rhino that used to live next to it. Over the years, Morani was an icon at Ol Pejeta, an ambassador for his species. He helped raise awareness about the plight of black rhinos and other vulnerable species in the wild, and the information centre was built to continue this education. Keeping Curiosity Wild. The Morani Information Centre offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the different wildlife species that live on Ol Pejeta; from anatomy to behaviour to habitat. It also offers an insight into how Ol Pejeta Conservancy works – what we do on a daily basis to safeguard wildlife and preserve wilderness.
There is also a converted rhino transportation crate to explore! This is a unique opportunity for visitors to get inside the very same crate that several rhinos have been moved in over the years. Get a sense of what a rhino might feel like when it’s being moved, and be inspired by our engaging infographics that contain all the information you need to know about rhino conservation. The Centre is open from 09:00 to 17:00 every day and is free.
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Contribute towards vital conservation research
Lion tracking
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy has one of the highest predator densities in Kenya with lions being the dominant species in this category. See these apex predators up close during our lion tracking activity. Some of the lions have been fitted with radio collars and you will help track collared lions using a receiver and gather information about each pride member.
The data you collect goes straight to Ol Pejeta’s ecological monitoring unit and will help find solutions to the challenges facing Laikipia’s lions. In addition to contributing to lion conservation, you will get to participate in one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth.
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Take the leash!
Dog tracking
Dogs are imperative in anti-poaching efforts and each dog at Ol Pejeta’s K9 unit has a different specialty – from tracking the scent of a poacher, to detecting ammunition and attacking and detaining potential suspects. Join Ol Pejeta’s K9 unit for a thrilling and interactive ‘dog tracking’ activity. Here, you will mingle with one of wildlife’s friendly protectors, the bloodhounds.
Known for their strong scent-tracking abilities, visitors are encouraged to run and hide from the sniffer dogs who will seek them out. The exercise will be repeated with visitors at the other end of another dog’s leash. This time, you will watch the hounds in action tracking the scent trail of a pretend poacher. Not only is this great fun for you, but will also keep the dogs’ skills in sharp shape.
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Become a junior ranger!
Ol Pejeta Junior Ranger Programme
Ol Pejeta is a great place for children with its Junior Ranger programme. Purchase one of our exciting Junior Ranger Packs, which includes an activity booklet, a box of crayons and five stickers all contained within a very cool Ol Pejeta bag. As families journey through the Conservancy, the idea is to work through all of the questions and games in the booklet.
At the end of your journey, the tourism team at Morani Information Centre will be waiting for your children and will ask to repeat the official ranger oath, before presenting a ranger hat, certificate and an honorary pin.
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Safari Happy Hour!
Sundowners
A sundowner is simply a ‘happy hour’ during sunset over the African Bush. As you round off your Afternoon adventure, your game drive will be spiced with drinks and biting’s from a scenic location as you enjoy the sight of the African sunset. Ending your day on Safari with your favorite drink in hand, the company of friends or loved ones and a gorgeous sunset unfolding right before your eyes is a very special experience indeed.