The Il Moran Adventure

Masai Mara | Chyulu Hills

A 6 nights / 7 days safari discovering the fascinating, ancient Maasai culture in the Masai Mara and the untouched, scenic Chyulu Hills.

All inclusive from US$5,276 per person sharing.
Valid from 3rd January-19th December 2018

SARUNI MARA / SARUNI WILD

Including: All-inclusive accommodation (Full board accommodation including soft drinks, beers, house wines and select non-luxury spirits), one complimentary Back & Neck massage (30 min) per room per stay at our Wellbeing Space, airport assistance, temporary Flying Doctors cover, shared day & night game drives in 4×4 vehicles, guided bush walks, bush meals, sundowner & picnic excursions, limited laundry service, cultural visits transfers, all internal flights and return airstrip transfers, conservation fees, VAT & taxes.

CAMPI YA KANZI

Including: Full board accommodation & drinks (Soft drinks, house wines, selected spirits, local beers), game drives in open Land Rovers, escorted game walks, bush meals & picnics, cloud forest walks, Maasai cultural villages visits, bird watching, visit MWCT programs, star-gazing, Chyulu National Park excursions, Maasai kids safari & horseback riding.

This is a journey of ancient tribal cultures, astounding wildlife and pristine wilderness, discovering the incredible connection between mankind and nature.

ENQUIRE
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Discover secret corners of Africa’s most thrilling, awe-inspiring conservation area, the Masai Mara, in total exclusivity and luxury, and revel in the teeming open plains and endless horizons alive with activity.

Experience the iconic land that so profoundly inspired Ernest Hemingway, the Chyulu Hills; a jewel of clouded forest and savannah plains, tucked between Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks, overlooking the highest and most iconic mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro.

Encounter Africa’s most authentic and fascinating tribe – the Maasai, learning first-hand about their ancient knowledge and fascinating customs and their incredible connection with the wildlife and wilderness.

The Lodges

Saruni Mara

Saruni Mara has one family villa, one private villa and five elegant cottages, and is the only small boutique lodge in the Mara, making it very intimate and exclusive. The beautifully decorated themed rooms have a luxurious and classic safari feel. The lodge is tucked away in a secluded valley in the private Mara North Conservancy, a prime and private game viewing area, which borders the Masai Mara National Reserve – the most renowned wildlife park in Africa. Enjoy the Italian-inspired cuisine and being immersed in nature from your private veranda, the Maasai Wellbeing Space and the open lounge and dining area. Maasai warriors will guide you throughout your stay, sharing their ancient wisdom and local knowledge of the area and the animals, their way of life and their secret corners of the most loved wildlife reserve in Kenya.

Activities and amenities: day and night game drives, bush meals, guided walks, birdwatching, Maasai Wellbeing Space treatments (payable extra), picnics, library, balloon safaris (payable extra), Saruni Shop.

Saruni Wild

Saruni Wild is a tented camp elegantly and comfortably furnished with all the necessary luxuries of a wild yet classic safari. The camp is located in the heart of the Masai Mara plains, on the border between Lemek Conservancy and Mara North Conservancy. Surrounded by tens of thousands acres of pristine, untouched wilderness, the camp has the most classic Masai Mara setting. The wildlife thrive right next to its tents. Enjoy endless views, fire-lit meals under the vast African sky, guided game drives led by Maasai warriors.

Activities and amenities: day and night game drives, bush meals, guided walks, birdwatching, Maasai Wellbeing Space treatments, picnics, library, balloon safaris, Saruni Shop.

Campi Ya Kanzi

Campi Ya Kanzi is a pioneering and award-winning eco-tourism lodge situated at the foot of the legendary Chyulu Hills and overlooking the mighty and majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Explore 280,000 acres of protected cloud forest and savannah plains in complete privacy, home to a diverse, unique and plentiful range of wildlife, birdlife and plant life. Enjoy the classic ‘safari under canvas’ feel at Campi Ya Kanzi’s six, thatched, luxury tented cottages, each secluded and attended by its own dedicated Maasai assistant. Or opt for the privacy and comfort of your own villa in the bush at Kanzi House, accommodating up to 10 people exclusively, with a jacuzzi and swimming pool.

Activities and amenities: game drives, forest and bush walks, bush meals, payable extra activities: photography and birding excursions, Maasai village visits, spa treatments, transcedental meditation course, horse riding, air excursions to Tsavo and Amboseli, Kilimanjaro scenic flight.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Saruni Mara / Saruni Wild

  • Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where a Saruni vehicle will transfer you to Wilson Airport for your flight to the Masai Mara.
  • Depart Nairobi in the morning*, arriving at Masai Mara an hour later, where your Saruni Mara guide will meet you and transfer you to the lodge or camp, or take you on a game drive.
  • Game drive with a picnic lunch to enjoy under an acacia tree or by the river next to a pod of hippos, or head to Saruni Mara or Saruni Wild for some rest and an exclusive game drive later in the afternoon in Mara North Conservancy – over 30,000 acres of plentiful, protected land bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve. Enjoy a completely different and less-explored corner of the Mara ecosystem in total privacy, brimming with wildlife.

Day 2: Saruni Mara / Saruni Wild

  • Early morning game drive to look for the big cats and other predators of the Mara, returning to the camp or lodge for lunch and treatments at the Maasai Wellbeing Space.
  • In the afternoon, a game drive will take you to a special area where the largest tower of giraffe can be seen, followed by dinner at the lodge or camp and an optional night game drive.

Day 3: Saruni Mara / Saruni Wild

  • Walk through the valleys and plains surrounding Saruni Mara, accompanied by a vehicle, or a game drive up to the top of Kilileoni, the highest mountain in the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem – led by your skillful and knowledgeable Maasai guides.
  • In the afternoon you will discover more of Mara North and its neighbouring conservancies and experience first-hand what makes the Mara one of the most exciting wildernesses in the world.
  • Weather permitting, experience a bush dinner in the middle of nature under the vast African sky, with Maasai warriors singing and dancing around the fire.

Day 4: Campi Ya Kanzi

  • Depart the Mara in the morning* on your chartered flight and arrive in the Chyulu Hills two hours later in time for a delicious lunch surrounded by gorgeous scenery.
  • Head out on an afternoon game drive and celebrate the sunset with a sundowner and the picturesque backdrop of Kilimanjaro.

Day 5: Campi Ya Kanzi

  • Wake up early for an exhilarating horse ride through the wilderness or a forest walk leading you to a bush breakfast.
  • Set off on a scenic flight over Kilimanjaro, Amboseli and Tsavo if you choose, or relax for the afternoon, finishing off the day with a spa treatment.

Day 6: Campi Ya Kanzi

  • Embark on a Maasai Village visit and learn more about the fascinating culture of the area, and the remarkable relationship between Campi Ya Kanzi and the local Maasai communities.
  • Game drive, horse ride or bush walk to a sundowner in a scenic spot with an incredible view.

Day 7: Departure

  • Enjoy your final morning waking up in paradise to a beautiful sunrise, the dawn chorus and the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance.
  • Depart on your charter flight and arrive at Wilson in Nairobi just over an hour later. The times of this flight will be arranged according to your international flight.
  • A Saruni vehicle will collect and transfer you to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Depending on the time of your international flight, stop at the Talisman or Carnivore restaurant for dinner.

THE WILDERNESSES

Campi ya Kanzi
Campi ya Kanzi (Camp of the hidden treasure) is a community project with the local Maasai on their Group Ranch of 400- square-miles. The altitude of the ranch ranges from 3,000 to 6,900 feet, so the land includes a number of different environments from the grasslands of the savannah to green river woodlands to cool mountain forests. The volcanic Chyulu Hills flank the property.

The camp only has six luxury tented cottages and the Hemingway and Simba suites, all set on wooden platforms with thatched roofs and large en-suite bathrooms with hot (solar boiler) and cold running water, eco friendly flush toilet, shower and bidet. Bedding is of the finest Italian linen. Tents are named after the view from the verandas, from Chyulu Hills to Kilimanjaro. The camp is centered around Tembo House, which is constructed of local materials such as lava rocks and grass for the roof, collected locally with high respect for the environment.

Tembo House is an open plan dining/living room with a huge vista to many different views. Italian and Maasai décor are tastefully combined. The cooks have been trained in the preparation of fine Italian cuisine, which is featured along with international and local dishes. All pasta, bread, biscuits and ice creams are homemade. Fresh vegetables are supplied daily from a small organic vegetable garden. Campi ya Kanzi lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The Chyulu Hills are the Green Hills of Africa so much loved by Hemingway. Over and above the big game and plains game the area offers many rare and interesting species such as the wild dog, fringe eared oryx, lesser kudu, gerenuk, black rhino and cheetah. There are more than 400 bird species on the Ranch.

The Masai Mara
The Masai Mara is a 5,000 square kilometres ecosystem made of a national reserve and several private conservancies. The national reserve covers 1,672 square kilometres (more than 400,000 acres) and is situated between 1,500 and 2,100 metres above sea level. It is part of the Serengeti ecosystem that extends from northern Tanzania into southern Kenya. Of the conservancies,ain one (where Saruni is located) is the Mara North Conservancy, 74,000 acres of amazing wilderness, where the most of the wildlife is concentrated most of the year.

The Masai Mara region is considered the jewel of African wildlife and nowhere on the continent can you find the same abundance and variety of wild animals. Millions of wildebeest, gazelle, zebra, buffalo, impala, topi, hartebeest, giraffe, eland, elephant, dik-dik, hippo and warthog live their natural lifecycle alongside the largest population of lions in Kenya. For our safaris we use comfortable, fully-open Land Rovers, specially designed to give you maximum visibility over the landscape and the animals. On our foot safaris we walk, on the plains and in the mountains that surround Saruni.

Note: The Saruni Tours team can modify and tailor this itinerary to suit your personal preference. Baggage allowance on internal flights is 15kg per person, preferably in small, soft bags without wheels. Seats on the schedule flights are subject to availability at confirmation. Rates with children or single occupancy are available upon request. *Flight times and durations may vary depending on airline and routing, and are subject to change. All guests travelling into Kenya with duty free plastic bags shall be required to leave the bags at the entry points and seek alternative carrier bags. We request that you do not carry plastic bags whilst visiting or working in Kenya as there are strict penalties for those caught with them.