KENYA’S NEWEST CONSERVANCY

MAASAI MARA (03/2014) – Kenya Gold Guide Calvin Cottar and his wife Louise Cottar, owners of Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, have worked for 10 years to establish Kenya’s newest conservancy: Olderikesi Wildlife Conservancy. They have met with the local Maasai and government to create a model which may be replicated across the country, aiming to unify the Maasai instead of segmenting the land. Their passion for Kenya, its tribes and the country’s living history is reflected in their efforts.

The Olderikesi Wildlife Conservancy is 6,000 acres on the border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Serengeti National Park. “We feel that if visitors want to help wildlife survive in Africa today, they should stay in conservancies on the peripheries of parks and reserves. It’s a far more responsible choice as it helps finance the expansion of the ecosystem versus protecting wildlife within set borders,” says Calvin, explaining how easily this new conservancy model can be adopted. Kenya is changing, with some hoping to help direct that change in a positive way.

Power to the People:

The situation is ongoing local human-wildlife conflict and destruction of environment by domestic livestock. The conservancy’s solution is to lease the land from the Maasai with areas designated for wildlife only, and areas where domestic stock may be taken to graze. Instead of division by fences, there is division by shares within a community trust – and an added clause that the shares can never be sold to outsiders. Maasai land stays truly Maasai.

Calvin and Louise recognize that their property is built on Maasai land, and pay annual fees to the Maasai. Their recently opened Private House is their commitment to the Maasai that they are there to stay, to help them and the land. The Cottar’s are part of a five-generation family business, reminiscent of the colonial era when Charles Cottar moved from Iowa to Kenya with his family (seen in the white canvas tents with family antiques from the 1920s). There are ten en suite tents and a private house, which can accommodate up to 10 guests in five large en suite bedrooms.

For more information, visit www.cottars.com or email info@cottarsafaris.com.

ROBIN POPE SAFARIS DISCOUNTS EMERALD SEASON RIVER JOURNEYS TO CELEBRATE NEW BBC DOCUMENTARY ON THE ZAMBIA’S SOUTH LUANGWA

SOUTH LUANGWA, Zambia (12/2013) Robin Pope Safaris (RPS), the conservation-conscious company known for its innovative safaris, is offering a 10% discount on its seven-night Emerald Season River Journeys in celebration of a new BBC2 documentary (Africa 2013: Countdown to the Rains) shot in the Nsefu sector, with the film crew staying at RPS’ Tena Tena tented camp.

Rates start at US$2667 sharing and include all safari activities, accommodations at Nwalki, Nsefu and Luangwa River Camp; meals, bar, laundry and transfers to and from Mfuwe airport. Excluded are domestic round-trip flights from Lusaka (US$570 per person); airport taxes, Visa fees and International flights.  Offer is valid for safaris booked before January, 2014 and are valid from January 22 to March 31, 2014.

Robin Pope Safaris River Journeys cover one of Zambia’s premier national parks – the South Luangwa.  The Luangwa Valley marks the end of Africa’s Great Rift Valley and is one of the last unspoiled wilderness areas and arguably the finest wildlife sanctuary in Africa.

“The Luangwa Valley is at its most dramatic in the Emerald Season with the Luangwa River flowing into the brimming lagoons. Boating into the lagoons, flooded ebony groves and flowing channels gives safari-goers a glimpse of the Valley not normally accessible in this season,” says RPS Managing Director Ton de Rooy.

Guests will also be able to experience walking in the bush; day and night game drives; a Kawaza Village Tour, and visits to Tribal Textiles (for stylish souvenirs) and Chipembele Wildlife Orphanage.

For a detailed itinerary or more information, contact:  info@robinpopesafaris.net or visit www.robinpopesafaris.net

MARASA PROPERTIES ROAR INTO ACTION FOR WORLD LION DAY – AUGUST 10, 2013

KAMPALA, Uganda (05/2013) Marasa, a member of the Madhvani Group of Companies, one of the largest private-sector groups in East Africa, announces its participation in World Lion Day, August 10, 2013, a day that will be marked around the world to call attention to the endangerment of the King of Beasts.  On that date, Marasa properties in Uganda – Chobe Safari Lodge; Paraa Safari Lodge and Mweya Safari Lodge, will donate $1.00 for each room night at these lodges to the non-profit Uganda Conservation Foundation which helps free lions from snares.

World Lion Day is the first global campaign to celebrate the importance of the lion worldwide and to call attention to the need for conservation efforts in the lions’ behalf.  Organizers say, “Since the dawn of man, the lion has played an integral role in our lives:  symbolically, religiously, culturally, economically and biologically.  To lose the lion from our world would be to lose part of our global heritage.”

Guests can see the splendid lion in his natural habitat by going on game drives at Chobe Safari Lodge and Paraa Safari Lodge, both in Murchison Falls National Park, and both scenically situated on the River Nile.  And they can view a particular wonderment – tree-climbing lions – while on safari at Mweya Safari Lodge. Mweya is located in Queen Elizabeth National Park on the amazing natural channel, Kazinga, running between salt water Lake Edward and fresh water Lake George. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, with one of the world’s largest concentrations of hippos and numerous Nile crocodiles.

Arrangements to see the Ugandan lions can be made through Premier Safaris. 

For more information on World Lion Day, visit: www.worldlionday.com

CALLING ALL CAT LOVERS: LOISABA INVITES GUESTS TO JOIN THEM IN THEIR CONSERVATION OF KENYA’S BIG CATS

Loisaba, a member of the esteemed C&P Portfolio of eco-luxe safari camps and lodges, has long been a proponent of responsible tourism. In their continuous effort to support and protect their local community and environment, they now offer guests the chance to get in on the conservation action too – by tracking and monitoring the area’s leopards and lions.  

Loisaba has partnered with the Laikipia Predator Project, a local program that aims to protect the area’s large cats by studying their behaviors, monitoring their response to conservation actions and improving livestock practices (to diffuse human-wildlife conflict). Guests are able to become involved in the Laikipia Predator Project’s conservation efforts by using receivers and antennae to monitor the movements of Loisaba’s leopards and lions.

Marc Napao, the Laikipia Predator Project’s key researcher, is based at Loisaba and has developed an online database which allows guests to report their predator sightings after each game drive. They can upload pictures and even provide their own reports on what they saw. It’s a fun, hands-on activity for families or couples, and it adds a more personal element to the standard game drive.  

The assorted accommodations at Loisaba gives guests the choice to have a private safari experience, at the House or Cottage (their own exclusive home-away-from-home), or to mix with others, at Loisaba Lodge or the Star beds.

Rates at Loisaba Lodge and Star Beds start at $ 520 per person per night during mid-season. Rates at the House begin at $ 3,060 for a family or group of four people per night and at $ 2,200 for a family or group of four people per night at the Cottage. Package includes full board, an assortment of drinks and spirits, day and night game drives, guided bush walks, transfers to cultural visits, bush breakfasts and sundowners, airstrip transfers, river rafting and fishing, horse riding, camel riding, quad biking, limited laundry and of course, lion tracking.

For more information about Loisaba or the Laikipia Predator Project, please contact info@chelipeacock.co.ke.

CHELI & PEACOCK NAMED 2012 TOURISM FOR TOMORROW AWARDS FINALIST

NAIROBI, Kenya (01/2012) Cheli & Peacock, Kenya’s leading destination management company,* has been chosen as a finalist in the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in the Conservation category that recognizes best practices in sustainable tourism worldwide. Cheli & Peacock is one of only three finalists in this category and the only Kenyan finalist overall.

Bestowed by the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards count among the industry’s most prestigious. The vetting process is rigorous and includes site visits. Winners will be announced on April 17, 2012, during the World Tourism & Travel Council's Summit being held in Japan.

The Tourism for Tomorrow website posts, “Since 1985, Cheli & Peacock has been developing environmentally-friendly safaris and eco-camps in Kenya, with a focus on lesser-visited areas of significant biodiversity that have faced poaching and lack of resources. With 70% of Kenya's wildlife roaming outside of protected areas, they work with local communities to support wildlife conservation by providing economic benefits through bed-night levies, leasing agreements, and education initiatives. Their newly-formed Cheli and Peacock Community Trust focuses on continuing their successes in restoring wildlife to depleted areas, educating the next generation of Kenyan conservation leaders, and encouraging wildlife protection on locally-owned lands by working hands-on with rural communities to identify and support their needs.”

For more information, contact: Charlotte@CheliPeacock.co.ke


*Cheli & Peacock started in 1985 as a small mobile safari company and has burgeoned into Kenya’s leading Destination Management Company. In addition to serving as a tour operator, Cheli & Peacock owns and operates five eco-friendly lodges, and it manages and markets a collection of Kenya’s most renowned and elegant safari camps and lodges under “The C&P Portfolio.”