Educational Safari

At a Glimpse: Settling In

The drive from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara is no doubt beautiful – descending down into the Great Rift Valley with views of Mt. Longonot. It also gives trip participants their first scenes of rural life as they pass by tiny town centers bustling with commerce sprinkled between maize farms. Basecamp Masai Mara sits on a picturesque bend in the Talek river in one of the most game-rich areas of the Masai Mara National Reserve. After checking in to your tent, meet the group and your dedicated trip leader for an overview of your week’s program in the Enjoolata Center. Opened in 2019, the Enjoolata Center is the heart of discovery at Basecamp Masai Mara. It showcases the wildlife and people of the Mara, as well as Basecamp Explorer’s sustainability projects to benefit them both.

Next, you’ll enjoy your first safari in the Masai Mara National Reserve. This is a great opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ – an anchor opportunity to not only experience your first game sightings of the trip but later, have a point of comparison to the private conservancies visited later in the trip.

Back at camp, get to know one another over a bush dinner, and stories around the fire. Bursting with questions, head back to your tent for a relaxing end to the evening

Basecamp Explorer Foundation

Enjoy a sunrise game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve. After breakfast, meet Jemimah, the head of Basecamp Maasai Brand. The Basecamp Maasai Brand is a key women’s empowerment initiative of the Basecamp Explorer Foundation. Learn about how over 150 women – ages 17 to 65 – are preserving an important part of their cultural heritage while gaining financial independence.

You will also meet with Francis Sopia of Basecamp Explorer Foundation to tour other projects on site, including reforestation, sustainable food & water systems, and clean energy. Hear about the exciting upcoming work and how you can be a part of it.

The group will join again for a sundowner and have dinner at leisure. In the evening, gather at the Enjoolata Center’s open-air theatre to watch a conservation-based documentary.

Naboisho Conservancy

Before departing to Naboisho, enjoy an engaging lecture by a staff member from Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association. He/she will provide an overview of the conservancy model, the organization’s history and activities, and be available to answer any questions about their own experience living and working in the Mara.

Afterward, head to Naboisho Conservancy to experience for yourself the difference between the tourism and wildlife experience in the conservancy and that of the Maasai Mara National Reserve! It was established in 2010 as an agreement between landowners and tourism operators to dedicate the degrading land to wildlife.

We will have set up our special mobile camp, Dorobo, an inviting opportunity to experience a safari as they were generations ago – right in the heart of the savannah.

Pardamat Conservation Area

Today will likely be your favorite day on the trip – and the one that sparks the most questions!

After packing up, head into Pardamat Conservation Area (PCA). PCA is the only conservancy in the Mara that is triple use – its people have dedicated their land to wildlife conservation as they continue their pastoral work on it. You’ll see the urgent problem of plot fencing, which blocks wildlife passing through this critical corridor.

Enjoy lunch among the Maasai youth and international visiting students at the new Wildlife Tourism College of Maasai Mara (WTC). The WTC is unique in that while operating as an international-caliber teaching centre for local Maasai, it also operates as an education destination for students, volunteers and researchers.

An employed graduate will be available to answer questions regarding unemployment in the area for youth and the critical solution the WTC has created. Later in the afternoon, head to the top of the Pardamat Conservation Area hills, where another fly camp awaits you. Enjoy sundowners over a magnificent view of the entire Mara Conservancy ecosystem.

Since the hilltop is more off-grid, this is the perfect time to discuss your experiences, brainstorm ideas for the future of the Mara, and relax.

Pardamat Conservation Area

Begin your final day in the Mara with a stunning sunrise and morning bush breakfast. This morning, there will be an opportunity for adventure or community service.

In the afternoon, return to Naboisho Conservancy and Eagle View camp for a much-deserved bit of eco-luxury after your days of exploration.

At dinner, Francis Sopia will present each participant with a certificate, a keepsake among many to remember your participation in this meaningful experience.

Today is your last day in the savannah. After breakfast return to Nairobi, concluding your insightful educational safari adventure!